According to Chad Ford, on ESPN insider, Grizz are dangling Wes Person and Brevin Knight, seeking a center. Want to be "2 deep at every position." Also notes some name players "available" the Jazz are supposedly seeking - who are locked up and can't bolt Salt Lake . Here's the article : While the Jazz aren't tipping their hand on who that may be, there are a number of players on the market the Jazz could grab. Among the most prominent? Boston's Antoine Walker, Atlanta's Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff, Golden State's Antawn Jamison, Miami's Eddie Jones, Indiana's Austin Croshere and Detroit's Cliff Robinson and Corliss Williamson. It appears that the Rockets will not match the Grizzlies' offer for restricted free agent James Posey. The Houston Chronicle reported on Friday that the team had come to terms with Eric Piatkowski on a three-year, $8 million deal. He'll come at half the price of Posey and allow the Rockets to replace him without incurring the luxury tax. That's good news for the Grizzlies, who are seriously concerned about the long-term future of Michael Dickerson. Jerry West told Insider on Thursday that his goal is to get the Grizzlies two players deep at every position. "We just need to keep adding more talent here and Posey gives us something that we really don't have," West said in a phone interview from California. "If the Rockets don't match I believe we're now two deep at every position but center and we're still trying to address that." West wouldn't divulge who the team is targeting, but it's clear that he believes it needs to add another center to help out Lorenzen Wright. Whatever the Grizzlies do, it will have to be via trade at this point. Posey will take up the team's full mid-level exception and the team used its $1.5 million exception last year on Gordan Giricek. Besides, the team already has 16 players on its roster with guaranteed contracts, assuming the Rockets don't match Posey. The Grizzlies do have trade bait and it isn't Wright or Stromile Swift. ("We're trying to add size, not give it away," West said.) Both Wesley Person ($7.7 million this season) and Brevin Knight ($5 million this season) are in the last year of their contracts. A team trying to clear cap for 2004 might be willing to take those players off the Grizzlies' hands and give up a big man in return. Could the Rox be interested in a Grizz trade? What possibilities are there?
Check out thread titled "Possible Expiring Contracts for Next Year" for discussion on Knight and Person.
Cato is hard to trade since the Rocks don't have a PF that can easily play center like they had back with Thorpe. Griffin has played some center, but I'd rather not have to see Mo or Griffin at center.
Pasox2, I posted this trade in my last trade thread. But, with the article you've just posted & the one at the bottom of this post, maybe we can help them out. Where there's smoke, there's usually a fire. Here's the trade: Houston sends Cato/Griffin to Memphis. Houston sends Mobley/Moochie/the Chicago Drew obligation(#1 pick or 2 second round picks) to Atlanta. Memphis sends Battier/Knight to Houston. Memphis sends Swift to Atlanta. Atlanta sends Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Houston. Atlanta sends a future #1 draft pick to Memphis. http://www.ajc.com/friday/content/epaper/editions/friday/sports_f3024de9378010cd0099.html PRO BASKETBALL: Hawks' GM unafraid to make more moves Michael Lee - Staff Friday, July 25, 2003 Hawks director of basketball operations and interim general manager Billy Knight said Thursday that he has shown that he could pull the trigger on a move this offseason. That he wasn't handcuffed by a pending sale. That it was the dreaded luxury tax that kept him from signing free agents --- not prospective owner David McDavid. Knight spent his first day after making his first major deal for the Hawks talking about all of the above, relishing the fact that he brought the team $2.42 million below the salary cap --- and way out of luxury tax territory. But he also scoffed at the notion that, by dealing leading scorer Glenn Robinson for Terrell Brandon's $11.1 million contract in a four-team trade Wednesday, he sent the Hawks into another rebuilding phase. "I laugh at the notion that it means we're scrapping the season or starting over," Knight said. "Everyone who didn't win [a championship] is in a rebuilding phase. But we're not in a wholesale fire sale, where we're getting rid of all of our players. But we made a trade and we'll make another trade or two. Three. I don't know. We'll make a move if it makes sense to us." "It's funny," he said. "People want to look at teams at the middle of the summer and say, 'This is our team.' But if you look around the league, everybody is not ready. No team is set." Knight said he doubts Brandon will even be around Atlanta much next season, and several media outlets have reported that the guard's bad knees will force him to retire. But with Brandon's money coming off the cap in February, the Hawks have much more leverage than they did with Robinson's $10.37 million contract on the books. "[Brandon's] contract was a hot commodity around the league," Knight said. "That's why it took a 20-point scorer to do it." The question remains, though: How do the Hawks replace 20 points per game? "That's a big chunk of an NBA game," Knight said. "It's difficult to replace. There are some guys you can lock in the gym all week by themselves and they can't score 20 points. We hope we're going to find some players." Lamar Odom is the biggest name free agent available at small forward, but the Hawks can offer him no more than the $4.9 million mid-level exception, Knight said. According to the Los Angeles Times, Odom rejected a three-year, $24 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Knight likes Odom, but the only possible way to get him would be through a sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers. The Clippers need a center to replace the departed Michael Olowokandi, but Knight said this week, "We are not trading Theo Ratliff." Knight said Wednesday night that he expects Ratliff to have a greater offensive role next season. That leaves Stephen Jackson, who appears to be getting squeezed out of San Antonio, where the champion Spurs got Hedo Turkoglu and Ron Mercer in a three-team trade with Sacramento and Indiana. Other options include bringing back veteran Steve Smith or re-signing free agent Dion Glover. "Dion is included in that list, absolutely," Knight said.
I like it Toddie, but does everyone get enough? If Atlanta is rebuilding - why ship picks? Cato fits in Memphis, but Griffin conflicts with Pau. Pau is an allstar, Griff isn't. I'd rather get Wes Person than Knight - personally. They're both on the outs. I don't think Battier is, so it may be hard to pry him away. I'd see Atlanta wanting Griff to replace SAR (much cheaper) along with Cat or a Memphis cap room guard. Maybe they can use Mooch. Swift stays in Memphis behind Pau. Memphis would want Cato and a future pick or three. They have too many players otherwise already. Memphis might could use Cat though. It's possible to put something in a shaker and make it work.
I read elsewhere that West is in fact looking to deal for a big man and that they are concerned that Michael Dickerson won't return to form. I think we could trade Mobley and Griffin/Cato for Battier and Swift. I personally would like to see Mobley stay but some of the insiders believe he will be dealt. I think they are probably thinking about trading Griffin too. that's my 2 cents of worthless trade casting.
If this trade were to go down that would be a Big Splash!! Keepn my fingers crossed for something like that. That would solve all our problems. Wed need a backup center but everything else would be great.
