ESPN Insider - A long-shot possibility is Francis returning to Houston

Swift, Wesley, Head, and 1st round pick go out.
Francis comes in.
Trade accepted at Real GM.

Magic get two young and relatively cheap players, cap relief, and the pick.
Rockets get Francis, for better or worse.

I hate to lose Swift, but Hayes has looked good and Lampe provides some insurance there. You have to give up something good to get a Francis-caliber player.

In my mind, this offer for Francis is better than what the Knicks are offering (Hardaway and one of their rookies). Can the Wolves or Nuggets do better?

Also just my opinion, but I think that Francis would fit here as a SG. I think he'd be willing to defer to TMac and Yao too. He'd probably be thrilled to be back in Houston and to be part of a contender. "Whatever you say, JVG, sir!"

 

Stevie will not be a good fit here.... remember theres only one ball. Dont get me wrong, but if he can play his role then this would be good. Like the dude said Long shot... like Dick Chaney shooting that dude. well thats pretty close... it would be good if it was that close....

 

I think it's better than the Knicks offer considering our impending high pick. I don't think I'd do it...basically losing the 3 young players outside Yao and Tmac on this team.

I think SF would defer...but I don't think he'd fit in. He'd WANT to fit in..but his game just wouldn't.

 

I'd think Orlando is embarred enough about the trade. They'd be a laughing stock if they traded Francis back to Houston.

Besides, having 3 max players on one team just can't be good.

Besides #2, we are playing really well right now. I doubt they'd pull such a drastic move at this point. Maybe in the offseason but not right now. Right now, we'll just tweak.

 

You said Rockets get Francis for better or worse.... Mostly worse... that ties the rockets up financialy. its going to be about 45 million between 3 players. And SF3 is overpaid when you look at his production. I like stevie and I will him well but has too big of an ego. Hes already had a problem here (JVG) and in orlando (some suspension). what makes you think he wont have it here again. And I still think Cato is an overpaid sissy. Chuck Hayes will own cato anyday.

 

I do like SF but he had trouble adjusting to JVG's system when it was just him and Yao, don't see it happening with Yao, T-mac, and Stevie.

I think he would be asked to be the 3rd scorer a spot which I think he could fill but I don't know if that's what he'd want to do.

 

i feel rockets have a good chance of getting tiago splitter. he's the typical brazilian you see in international sports, tough, physical, and easy with the natural ability.

rockets need to look beyond yao & tmac. it begins with keeping this years no.1 pick.

 

The Spurs have Parker, Manu, and Duncan. The Suns have Nash, Matrix, and Amare. You can have 3 high dollar players as long as you don't handout any foolish deals. You couldn't overpay for guys like Moochie or Mo Taylor.

 

SF coming back to the Rockets this season is utter nonsense. Not even worth discussion. If we ever get a 3rd max player on the Rox, it definitely won't be SF.

 

They actually don't go into details into how Francis is a long-shot here. Here is the full article.

The clock is ticking, and the days are winding down until next Thursday's NBA trade deadline.


There are going to be some deals, but there's really no telling exactly how many. Lots of folks were predicting a quiet deadline day a year ago, but it turned into one of the busiest days of deal-making ever.


Insider has been in constant touch with general managers and player personnel officials throughout the NBA, allowing for a handicapping of who might be wearing a new uniform by next weekend. So without further ado, we present The 10 Players Most Likely To Be Traded by Feb. 23:

1. Steve Francis. It now appears to be a matter of when, not if, the Magic will trade him. New York and Denver are the leading candidates as of now, but Minnesota is trying to engineer a three-team deal that would put Francis alongside Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis. A long-shot possibility is Francis returning to Houston. Wednesday night's Orlando-Detroit trade removed the possibility of Kelvin Cato going to New York in a Francis trade, but the Knicks can still do a Hardaway-Francis deal by removing Jamal Crawford from the equation and substituting Trevor Ariza and rookies David Lee and/or Nate Robinson.

2. Penny Hardaway. The most valuable thing about Penny is his expiring max contract, which comes off the salary cap at the end of this season. Teams can make up for years of mistakes by dumping their big contracts in exchange for an expiring deal (see Jalen Rose to Knicks; Rasheed Wallace to Hawks; Tom Gugliotta to Jazz), so there's plenty of interest in the former superstar who's appeared in only four games this season for the Knicks. Aside from Orlando, Portland is a possibility.

3. Voshon Lenard. There is always a market for a deadeye shooter, even when he's well past his prime (see Steve Smith-Malik Allen a year ago). Denver has been trying to find a taker for Lenard since early this season, and the Nuggets probably will take the best offer on the table by 3 p.m. Thursday for the career 38 percent 3-point shooter (42 percent in the playoffs).

4. Reggie Evans. One of the league's best rebounders has the right to veto any deal after accepting a one-year tender offer from Seattle, but the time has come for him to escape Bob Hill's doghouse and get to a place where he can establish some value for himself before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Sonics have been willing to move him all season.

5. Derek Anderson. The arrival of Keith Bogans in Houston last week signaled the end of the Anderson experiment for the Rockets, who publicly stated they'd make every effort to trade him. Anderson makes less than $1.7 million but has an option for next season. He was a solid player in Portland a couple years ago, but his production level and his value have plummeted.

6. Michael Sweetney. The Chicago Bulls still are trying to find a big man with an expiring contract who can help them make a push for the playoffs, and one of the assets they'd be most comfortable moving (as opposed to their fear of letting go of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and/or Kirk Hinrich) is the overweight power forward who came in the Eddy Curry trade. The Jazz like him, and they'd consider taking Sweetney and another player if they could get rid of . …

7. Carlos Boozer. The worst hamstring in the history of the state of Utah finally is healed, just in time for the Jazz to showcase their $70 million asset. Boozer's star has faded considerably since he was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, and if the Jazz had it to do over again they'd have spent their free agent money elsewhere. Drew Gooden in Cleveland is often mentioned as the power forward most likely to be moved, but the Cavs need him more than the Jazz need Boozer.

8. Jim Jackson. The Suns were close to moving him recently, but the deal fell through. Phoenix is content to keep him as insurance policy in case of an injury, but he's not going to play much this season if the Suns stick with their current rotation. Not many teams are calling Phoenix, but interest in veteran players such as Jackson typically picks up when the deadline is inside of 72 hours away.

9. Earl Watson/Nene. No list of the Most Likely To Be Traded would be complete without the Denver duo who have been involved in trade rumors throughout the entire season -- and even longer in Nene's case. There's not as much interest in Watson as the Nuggets would have people think, but there are teams willing to throw money at Nene when he becomes a restricted free agent over the summer, and the Nuggets seem convinced he won't be worth the investment.

10. Eric Williams. New Raptors general manager Wayne Embry said he would try to accommodate Williams' desire for a trade, but Williams has an option to be paid $4.3 million next season, and he simply isn't good enough to justify that salary. Philadelphia was interested earlier this season, but the Sixers are now holding a roster spot open in case Tim Thomas gets a buyout from Chicago.

Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Chris, click here.

 

If Francis comes back the Rockets will only be able to afford a team of three players. Not happening, can't happen, won't happen. Utterly impossible.

 

i can see us doing a 3 way with orlando and ny to get jamal crawford for the 2 spot. no way francis fits in this system. we need a spot up, catch and shoot sg, preferably one who can also d up big guards.

 

I see what you're saying. So you really think SF3 is as good ask anyone of those guys? Parker just made the Allstar shooting 54% as a PG, scoring more pts in the paint than TD. and Nash, I dont need to say anything about Nash. I dont like Manu but he has good basketball IQ. Stevie is good just not that good.

 

If he comes cheap, then you don't turn down a talent like Steve, but what? He doesn't fit this team at all. He and JVG got along fine, but he simply doesn't fit this team at all.

Also, no matter how cheap he comes, we're still going to have to give up at least something of worth...Luther Head(one of the last guys on this team I want to see go), Draft pick, something...

 

I always liked Francis, even though his basketball IQ is low. But, there is no-one that would play harder then Francis if he came back to Houston. For some reason, I think he would totally fit in this time around. Yao would be happy too, and the Toyota Center would go ape for his return.

Chances of this happening are zero though.

 

Take out the 1st rounder, replace Wesley with the TE money and I may do it. SF3 has a big contract and that is the major concern. I will also be concerned that we would have sent out two servicable bigs in Swift and Baxtor without taking any big back. I won't count Lampe as one until he shows he can play ball.

 

Here's the thing: Nash & Amare aren't max players, and neither are Parker & Manu.

 

I don't know if Real GM groks trade exceptions, so it's hard for me to say.

 

I would do it, but it's not going to happen because the Magic are not that stupid, I mean if it does happen I would believe that the Rockets are freaking geniuses for convincing Steve to go over there and lower his trade value enough to get traded back for role players.

 

Steve would be PERFECT as a scorer off the bench. Too bad his contract and ego doesn't say the same.