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fishmike
Posts: 53903
Alba Posts: 1
Joined: 7/19/2002
Member: #298
USA
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Maybe the Stephon Marbury-Isiah Thomas feud blows over after a few hours, or maybe after a few days.
But maybe it doesn't.
In that case, the question for the New York Knicks is: Can we trade him?
Marbury's shoes may be a big hit on the market, but is he?
The common belief is that Marbury's contract, which pays him $19.2 million this season and a guaranteed $21.1 million next season, makes him untradeable. But there is another way to look at it, and from a certain perspective the thing that makes Marbury so unattractive is the very same factor that makes him attractive -- his contract.
Here's why:
If you are the owner or the general manager of a team looking to rebuild, one of the best assets you can have is a contract worth $21.1 million coming off your salary cap in the summer of 2009 when there will be a bumper crop of free agents that could include many of the players from the 2004 draft class who did not agree to contract extensions prior to the Oct. 31 deadline, including Andre Iguodala, Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon.
And we would be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that Kobe Bryant also has the right to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2009 and become an unrestricted free agent -- as do Jermaine O'Neal, Richard Hamilton and Al Harrington.
So, in theory, it would come down to a question of whether a team could suffer through two years of paying Stephon Marbury (or buying him out) in order to have financial freedom 20 months down the road.
And don't forget, teams that have cap space in the summer of 2009 can find ways to maintain that space for the summer of 2010, when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both become unrestricted.
So, you see, Marbury actually does have some value, and there are even a couple of instances where he might even be able to help currently contending teams looking to shed bad contracts.
With that premise in mind, here are four trades that work under the salary cap rules and would make differing degrees of sense for all teams involved (keep in mind that we're operating under the assumption that the Knicks would have to be 100 percent committed to getting rid of Marbury in order for them to stomach these deals):
Trade No. 1
Marbury, Renaldo Balkman and Fred Jones to Cleveland for Larry Hughes, Anderson Varejao and Damon Jones
The Knicks gain some perimeter defense and add a frontcourt player who can actually play a little defense. The Cavs get a true point guard along with an energy forward, Balkman, to replace Varejao, and they get rid of their $13.65 million obligation to Hughes for the 2009-10 season, allowing them to become major players in free agency the summer before James' contract expires.
Trade No. 2
Marbury, Balkman and Randolph Morris to Sacramento for Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas and Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Knicks fans will be wondering why Mike Bibby isn't in this deal, and the answer is this: If and when the Kings trade Bibby, they'll want a heck of a lot more long-term value than an expiring contract. This deal makes sense for Sacramento because it gets them out from under the $17.3 million they owe Thomas for '08-09 and '09-10 and the $12.8 million they owe Abdur-Rahim over those same two seasons. The Knicks like it because they get Artest without having to surrender David Lee.
Trade No. 3
Marbury, Jared Jeffries, Morris and Mardy Collins to Denver for Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Eduardo Najera and Linas Kleiza
Again, you have to look at the attraction to the Nuggets of being able to get rid of Martin's contract, which pays him $59 million over this season and the next three, while also being able to pair Marbury in the backcourt with Allen Iverson. Smith and Kleiza are both better 3-point shooters than anyone the Knicks have now, and Najera could be subsequently dealt for a serviceable point guard.
Trade No. 4
Marbury, Morris and Jones to Minnesota for Marko Jaric, Theo Ratliff and Mark Madsen
This is about the stupidest trade the Knicks could possibly make, so therefore (based upon their ownership's track record) we cannot unilaterally discount it as a possibility. The Wolves would be ecstatic to get out from under their contract with Jaric, which pays him $6.6 million next season, $7.1 million in '09-10 and $7.6 million in '10-11. They'd also shed the $7.7 million they owe Madsen for the rest of this season and the next two.
"winning is more fun... then fun is fun" -Thibs
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11/14/2007 9:16 AM