http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/0819harrington.html Harrington's deal to Pacers off By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 08/19/06 Al Harrington has been working all summer concentrating on the positives. That's why he was unfazed by Friday's news that the Hawks' proposed sign-and-trade deal sending him to the Indiana Pacers had died after weeks of negotiations. JENNI GIRTMAN / AJC (ENLARGE) Hawks combo forward Al Harrington is the final big-name free agent on the market. "I'm just ready to know where I'm going to be playing next year," Harrington said by phone. "The Indiana deal was something that I really wanted to do. I was looking forward to it since it's a place I'm so familiar with. But it didn't happen, and you just have to move on." The Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, all teams that have been in the Harrington mix from the start, have picked up their pursuit of the last high-profile player left on the free agent market. "I want to be somewhere I'm wanted, and these other teams are really interested," said Harrington, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound combo forward who averaged 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds last season while serving as one of the Hawks' co-captains. "I feel like I can make an impact with any of those teams, whichever uniform I end up wearing. But ultimately, you have to go where you are wanted." Friday's developments ended a month-long saga that would have returned Harrington to the Pacers franchise that drafted him with the 25th pick of the 1998 draft, the team he spent the first six NBA seasons playing for and the city his mother and father now call home. The proposed deal was struck its fatal blow when the Pacers declined to agree to the terms — Harrington was to be signed by the Hawks to a six-year, $57 million deal and then sent, along with John Edwards, to the Pacers for a future first round draft pick. After agreeing to negotiate the deal in that form, the Pacers came back this week seeking a shorter deal, four years, and for far less money, $36 million, than initially discussed. They also balked at taking back Edwards, a third-year center with a guaranteed $1 million contract for the upcoming season. The Hawks also had sought to add $3 million in cash to the deal at one point, yet another sticking point for the Pacers, but later agreed to do the deal without that as part of the package they would get for Harrington. Atlanta Spirit CEO Bernie Mullin confirmed Friday night that the Hawks don't have a deal in place with the Pacers or "any other team." He said that Hawks general manager Billy Knight and Harrington's Los Angeles-based agent, Arn Tellem, are working on new possibilities. "We're looking for a deal that's in the best interest of the Atlanta Hawks and Al Harrington," Mullin said. Those new deals also could be shorter than the six-year deal Harrington was seeking at the start of the NBA's free agent negotiating period, which began July 1. At least two of the teams, Golden State and Denver, are believed to be willing to discuss six-year deals in the $60 million-to-$65 million range, which would net Harrington $10 million or more per season. But even if they were interested in doing four years instead of six, they'd still be willing to pay Harrington a salary in the $10 million per season range. The Pacers, armed only with a $7.5 million trade exception, could offer Harrington a starting salary of only $7.6 million.
Wow, exciting news here. Where will he land. I certainly don't believe we have any shot - nor do I believe Cd and crew are even gonna try. But nevertheless exciting that there is at least one decent FA still up for grabs before next season. I can't believe the Pacers apparently balked.
Good for the Pacers to balk to those demands. Harrington is not an impact player. He is a nice player but no where close to the calibur that you give up THAT much for. In essence to make this deal, the Pacers would have had to pay $11 million up front ($7+ mill TE + 3 mill. cash + $1 Edwards' contract) just to get him and THEN have to give up a 1st round pick. That's absurd! The Hawks stalled on getting anything done all offseason and then, when they all of a sudden want to get it over with, they wanted to make the Pacers quickly bend over. Good luck to whichever team that has to deal with all of that and good luck to the Hawks trying to find a team that will give you anywhere near that much wihout you having to take on salary.
Puzzling. Why would the Pacers come off the 6 years now after all this time knowing what Harrington's demands were especially after all the negotiations? They're not dumb enough to think that they could shortchange Harrington. Sounds like Donnie and Larry had a change of heart. Makes you wonder what other deals they are spinning? And what is Harrington thinking? This situation is messed up. Here you've got a team that can't/won't make any deals taking on salary, and you've got maybe 2 or 3 teams that have the MLE to offer. The teams that are under the cap sure don't seem interested in him at all. And everybody else is over the cap. Crazy deal. Holding up everything else.
I think every team now is very careful about offering huge contracts to plain decent players now, and thats good. Too many players in this league get overpaid and makes minimal impact for the team. Harrington has not shown any signs of leadership to be offered a huge contract. Its good that Pacers did not sign him much and I hope its a lesson to all the teams. One of the huge mistake was Denver signing Nene a absurd contract; i mean come on, he has not done jack to earn that contract.
It will be really interesting to see were Harrington does end up. I did think he was a great fit for Indiana, he'd either be forcing O'Neal to the 5, which isn't so bad but you'd like to see someone there who could rebound to take some of the pressure off him, or taking min. away from Granger who I think is going to be a much better player. Really none of the other teams listed as interested seem like a very good fit either, besides Golden St., but at 10mil per he's not really a good fit anywhere.
