[CHRONIC] Mavericks to get Butler, Rockets to keep searching

http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2010/02/mavericks_to_get_butler_rocket.html

First, the bad news.

The Rockets are not going to get Caron Butler, and probably never were. Their interest was always luke warm, especially with the three-way deals that were largely put together by other teams trying to get in on it. Increasingly, there were signs that the Wizards wanted chunks of the Rockets young talent, and the Rockets were never going to get Butler and Brendan Haywood for no more than Tracy McGrady and a few kind words. They did, however, not seem to mind that there were rumors of their interest in Butler, possibly indicating that they did want teams to believe they had other options.

The Knicks would genuinely like McGrady and were the driving force in that three-team deal. The Cavaliers would like Antawn Jamison and had a way to use a Rockets deal of McGrady to Washington to get him. There is still a slight chance something like that could happen.

Now, the other bad news.

The guy the Rockets really were interested in getting, Andre Iguodala, is probably out of their reach, too. The Sixers have shown no signs that they were bluffing with their insistence that they wanted real help (apparently, the Wizards did, too) and not just to move a burdensome contract. Iguodala's contract would have seemed too heavy for the Rockets in coming years, too, but they apparently were working far more in Iguodala's direction than in Butler's.

The Rockets are looking for, what one team's executive called, "a high-level talent." If they cannot get that, the belief is they would be better off to wait for summer. So far, he said, nothing like that was available. If Iguodala qualifies for that is up for debate, but he does seem to fit into the category of not available.

I was hearing on Friday that the Bulls would be open to moving Luol Deng, who was considered that sort of talent a few seasons ago. The Rockets, however, were not in on him, either, if he was available at all.

Other than the small, tax-driven moves, there was a sentiment that the Rockets would be better off letting McGrady's contract expire and then try again for that next star in free agency.

I would not go there, yet. I wish I could float a name. The Kings still seem determined to keep Kevin Martin. The Raptors have long-since seemed to tighten their grip on Chris Bosh. The Cavaliers want to plunder the Wizards, but not if they have to give up players that never seem to lose.

Perhaps the Dallas-Washington deal is not done with former Dallas players potentially moving again. In fact, any deal until complete would seem to have potential for the Rockets to be a third team in. The players the Wizards will pick up from Dallas do not qualify as "high-level talent" but they are not in the Wizards' long-term plans. And Jamison is still there, for reasons no longer readily apparent.

Even if he is not a fit for the Rockets, they could still be a team to facilitate a deal for a player that can help many teams and that Cleveland covets, but does not fit at all with Washington's rebuilding.

It was clear throughout the day Friday that the Rockets were not starting over after the Butler deal to Dallas, but still looking for the same sort of move they have been trying to put together for months. Even with the first domino tumbling, Thursday still seems a long way off.