[NJ.com] Blazers could foil Nets' quest for Abdur-Rahim

Interesting, the Blazers want a 1st round pick from NJ to do the S&T for NJ's Trade Exception. I am surprised that NJ is balking at that right now and only offering a 2nd rounder. They are in "win now" mode with Kidd/Carter. They should just pony up the 1st rounder. Dont they have a few laying around from the Kenyon Martin deal (even thought they gave up 2 for Carter).

If you are the Rockets and the Grizzlies say they are asking for a 1st rounder in a S&T deal to get us Swift...would we balk? I think we would make the trade.

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http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1121146941286360.xml&coll=1

Blazers could foil Nets' quest for Abdur-Rahim
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff

The Portland Trail Blazers have decided to play hardball, and the Nets' pursuit of Shareef Abdur- Rahim may be submarined by their former general manager.

John Nash, the Blazers' GM who filled that job for the Nets from 1996-2001, said yesterday that he has no interest in the Nets' trade exception, which was their only tool by which to execute a sign-and-trade deal for the free agent and offer him a larger contract than the other teams bidding for him.

"The trade exception doesn't interest us -- we'd have no use for it," said Nash, whose team is in a cost-cutting mode. "We would be only amenable to discussing draft picks."

This means that if Abdur- Rahim is interested in playing for New Jersey -- and he is "very" inclined, people close to him are now saying -- the Nets are being told by Nash that they will have to surrender a first-round draft pick if they want to give the 28-year-old forward a contract a player of his stature deserves.

And the clock is ticking.

"I never thought this would be painless," Nets president Rod Thorn said yesterday. "(The Blazers) will play their cards, and we'll see when the dust settles. They have given us no indication that it will get done with the things we've been talking about. So now we have to keep our options open."

Abdur-Rahim was in Sacramento yesterday with agent Aaron Goodwin to meet with Kings officials, and that will be his last visit until further notice. As for pre- scheduled visits to San Antonio and Miami, Goodwin said, "Well, we don't know yet. We're going to sit back and figure out the next move. There's so much going on right now."

The reason: Player and agent want to see what the Nets and Portland can work out in Las Vegas, where Nash and Thorn are attending the Reebok Pro Summer League.

Like other suitors over the cap, the Nets can offer Abdur-Rahim their midlevel exception, which is the extra fund that all capped-out teams can use on free agents. That calls for a starting salary of $4.9 million with 8 percent annual raises, and stretched out over a maximum of five years, it would total $28.4 million.

Unlike the others, the Nets wanted to offer Abdur-Rahim a sign-and-trade deal involving his former team. They would do this by sending their $4.9 million trade exception to Portland -- that's the money left over from the Kerry Kittles deal, an extra bankroll that can be used to purchase an existing contract. It's far more lucrative this way: This transaction would involve 10.5 percent raises and could run for six years. The total would be $37.1 million.

"I would say that's a considerable difference," Goodwin said.

Portland could use the trade exception for future deals. But Nash claims he wouldn't use it, because it would take the Blazers over the luxury tax threshold.

So Nash is demanding a first- round pick to go with it.

The Nets, in turn, won't come off their offer of a second-rounder.

"It's a deal-breaker," a Nets official said last night. "And they're aware of that. They're not going to get (Abdur-Rahim) back, so why lose him for nothing? They don't want players. So this is a perfect thing."

Nash, however, didn't make it sound as though there was any 'give' here.

"Look, they can sign him with their midlevel. They don't need us," the Blazers exec said, matter-of- factly. "I have no idea what Goodwin is looking for at this point. We're not negotiating with him."

Goodwin, meanwhile, sounded as though he is prepared to exert some pressure on the Nets to get a sign-and-trade deal done -- even at the cost of a first-rounder -- because the Spurs and Heat are likely to ante up their midlevels.

"At the end of the day, if (New Jersey is) where Shareef wants to be, Rod has to work that out," the agent said. "We saw this coming the whole time. It's no surprise. It's up to New Jersey to work it out."

He can be certain that Thorn shares his urgency.

"I would doubt it could go beyond this week," Thorn said. "Something has to be done one way or the other in a timely fashion."

 

I think SAR is a bit more than a "mediocre PF". Juwan Howard is a "mediocre PF". SAR is a just below all-star level PF.

To me, the Nets have minimal front court players, they have 1st rounders. If I am them I am giving it up for SAR. SAR is still quite young. He is better than anything they will get in the 1st round next year. Again, they are in "win now" mode. They can't play "scared" because of Kidd's knees.

 

Absolutely!

 

I think they gave up 2 1st rounders to get Carter. But they still should have enough in the bank to do other things.

If you are a Nets fan right about now arent you sick? I mean they could lose out on SAR because the Nets want to hold onto a 2006 1st round pick....and the 2006 Draft might be the worst in recent history with the age limit. Ridiculous!

 

This is just lunacy! I can't believe Thorn is balking at giving up a 1st rounder. It probably isnt even going to be a lottery pick! This is a battle of egos. Ridiculous!

http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1121233869148810.xml&coll=1

Thorn: 'I'm not giving a No. 1 pick' to get Abdur-Rahim
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff

The Nets have already invested a great deal of time, energy and fawning attention toward the recruitment of Shareef Abdur-Rahim in the past 13 days, but the one thing they are not prepared to pay is the price of a first-round draft pick, Rod Thorn reiterated last night.

The Nets president said he did not speak yesterday with Portland general manager John Nash, who is holding the Nets up for a No. 1 pick in exchange for agreeing to do a sign-and-trade deal that will get the free-agent forward the $37 million contract he believes he deserves.

Thorn is eager to give Abdur-Rahim his market value. He just doesn't want to give in to Nash and Blazers owner Paul Allen, who seem just as eager to let Abdur-Rahim leave Portland without compensation they could have in the form of a $4.9 million trade exception that can be used in future deals.

The only question is this: Don't the Nets believe Abdur-Rahim is worth the price of a first-round pick, especially since they have two of them?

"That's fair. Everyone looks at things differently," Thorn said last night from Las Vegas. "But I'm not interested in giving up one of our No. 1 picks, I'll say that."

That statement may come as some surprise to agent Aaron Goodwin, who believes he can line up a deal worth $28 million with a number of teams -- Sacramento, Miami, San Antonio -- that involve the midlevel exception, the extra fund that capped-out teams can spend on free agents. If the Nets cannot execute a sign-and-trade transaction with Portland, they'll be just another contender rather than the front-runner.

Goodwin, who could not be reached for comment, will undoubtedly try to convince Thorn that his client is worth more to the Nets than a pick that could fall somewhere between 18 and 25 if the Nets are a playoff team.

"Sure, we've had these conversations," Thorn repeated. "But I'm not giving a No. 1, I'll tell you that right now."

And Nash, who is stonewalling because he can, claims to have no use for the Nets' trade exception and doesn't think a No. 2 pick is enough to earn his cooperation.

Thorn added that despite talk to the contrary, he has no commitment from Abdur-Rahim if he is able to pull off the Portland deal.

"Until you get these kind of things done, I'm never confident. There are too many variables," Thorn said. "Players are being talked to every day, there are attempts at deals every day. So until you get it done, it doesn't mean anything.

"So we're doing our due diligence, because who knows whether we'll be able to deal with (Portland), and who knows what Shareef's going to do?"

Toward that end, Thorn and GM Ed Stefanski met with Stromile Swift in Las Vegas yesterday. Swift, while not nearly as polished as Abdur-Rahim, would be a fair consolation prize, as he is longer, blocks more shots and runs the floor better.

The recurring challenge would be to get Memphis -- Swift's former team -- to cooperate in the same kind of sign-and-trade deal that Portland is resisting.

For now, Thorn only knows that he's close to pulling the plug on the Blazers.

"It's going to play out in the next few days," he said.

The timing is important for another reason: Any minute now, the NBA is expected to announce the salary cap for next season, which is based on revenues and expenditures from last season.

An official in the players' association surmised yesterday that it will increase dramatically -- up to as much as $48 million or $49 million per team, up from its present $43.8 million -- which means that others might jump into the hunt for the desirable free agents after learning that they have more money to spend.