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ultknicks524
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Knicks, Raps still wheelin' to deal
Chris Sheridan
WEBLOG
February 5, 2006
Don't hold your breath waiting for the Toronto Raptors to trade Antonio Davis to the Chicago Bulls for Tim Thomas and a throw-in such as Michael Sweetney.
The Raptors would probably do it, and the Bulls might want to consider it, but the league office would never allow it.
An NBA official told ESPN.com that the Raptors and Bulls are prohibited by NBA rules from agreeing to any trade that would send Davis back to Chicago, the city where he was at the start of training camp before he was sent to the Knicks in the Eddy Curry deal. NBA bylaws prohibit a player from being traded back to a team that traded him earlier in the season, and that restriction carries over even though Davis has been traded again.
"The only way he can play for the Bulls is if the Raptors waive him, he clears waivers and Chicago signs him," the official said.
The reaction around the league to the Davis-for-Jalen Rose deal was, to a large degree, astonishment. General managers from other teams were flabbergasted that the Knicks agreed to take on another bad contract as the price for acquiring a mid-first-round pick while Toronto was able to give itself the type of salary cap flexibility other franchises dream of.
By ridding themselves of Rose's $16.9 million contract for next season, the Raptors will be about $10 million below the salary cap -- more than enough money to secure the services of Joel Przybilla or Nazr Mohammed, the two most desirable centers expected to be on the market this summer. (Ben Wallace is expected to re-sign with Detroit.)
If interim general manager Wayne Embry can find a takers for Eric Williams ($4.3 million) and Rafael Araujo (owed $2.4 million next season in the last year of his rookie deal), the Raptors will have enough funds to go after a second free agent who will command more than the mid-level exception of about $5 million. While the Raptors might have the ability to sign a max player this summer, they have no interest in making a maximum offer to Al Harrington or Peja Stojakovic, two of the leading free agents of '06.
One possible rerouting destination for Davis could be Dallas, where the Mavericks are always looking for another big body to use against Tim Duncan in a possible second-round playoff matchup. Davis is capable of guarding any of the league's best big men, and his presence on the Mavericks would ensure they wouldn't have to go into such a series relying exclusively on DeSagana Diop, Erick Dampier and DJ Mbenga as their center rotation.
Dallas, which inquired about Davis earlier this season when there was talk the Knicks might release him, is one of the few teams that could make a straight-up deal for Davis, by offering Keith Van Horn's expiring $15.7 million contract, but Toronto would want a sweetener in order to pull the trigger. The Mavericks cannot trade their 2006 pick because they sent their 2005 pick to Utah and still owe Golden State their 2007 pick (protected 1-7).
The Knicks still have another extremely high-salaried player they are trying to dump, but the market for Penny Hardaway is quite limited. One of the primary reasons why the Rose-Davis trade got done was New York's agreeing to substitute Davis for Hardaway. The teams had been talking for more than a month, haggling over lottery protection for the first-round pick the Knicks eventually received. (It was originally Denver's. New York now has the Nuggets' pick and San Antonio's No. 1.) Once Wayne Embry took over for the ousted Rob Babcock, the teams rekindled the talks and found a way to consummate the deal.
By acquiring Rose, the Knicks have added another $34 million in expenses next season (Rose's salary, plus the luxury tax they must pay) when their payroll will again be more than $100 million, but they might not stop there.
With owner James Dolan willing to perpetuate the formula by which the Knicks annually deal off their expiring contracts for players with longer deals, he has already given Thomas the go-ahead to try to pawn off Hardaway's expiring deal. There have been talks with Portland for Theo Ratliff and Ruben Patterson, but the Knicks would prefer Darius Miles and would be willing to toss Trevor Ariza into the deal to make it happen.
Thomas also is shopping Quentin Richardson, whose contract is not insured for a pre-existing back condition, and Jamal Crawford, whose decision-making deficiencies make him a poor fit for a Larry Brown-coached team. Crawford's name has been mentioned in discussions with Denver, but the Nuggets would prefer a smaller-scale deal to the ones being proposed by the Knicks.
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2/5/2006 2:56 PM
