Insider Special: Rumours...

Nets say Abdur-Rahim deal is 'dead'

WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Blazers
Nets Jul. 26 - With the news that the Blazers have signed Trenton Hassell to an offer sheet, Nets CEO Rod Thorn announced that the deal for Abdur-Rahim was over. "The deal is dead," Thorn said in the Newark Star-Ledger. "It was probably dead anyway."
New Jersey was offering Portland Kerry Kittles and Aaron Williams and a draft pick for Reef, but Kittles is no longer needed if the Timberwolves do not match the Hassell offer. "Portland blew an excellent opportunity and the Nets blew a chance to replace Kenyon Martin," Reef's agent, Aaron Goodwin, said in the New York Post. "I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't disappointed."

According to the New York Post, the Nets are now interested in Clippers backup forward Chris Wilcox.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Antoine Walker
Mavericks
Sixers
Knicks Jul. 26 - Antoine Walker predicts he could be playing for New York next season, assuming the Knicks can work a trade for the Mavericks forward.
"I think I'm going to be in a Knick uniform. That's my prediction, but we'll wait and see," Walker told ESPN.com on July 23. "I've got to go, but obviously I'm under contract, so they don't have to move me. I don't know if the grass is greener for me elsewhere, but there had been too many negative things with the situation in Dallas. They left me unprotected [in the expansion draft] and all the trade talks, and they made moves like Steve [Nash] going the other way [signing with Phoenix]."

A possible Knick trade could include Kurt Thomas but would also mean more players for an equal salary swap. Walker said he has spoken to the Knicks as well as the 76ers. A potential trade with the Sixers could include Glenn Robinson.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Erick Dampier
Warriors
Knicks
Hawks
Grizzlies Jul. 23 - Dampier took a risk in opting out of a contract that was to pay him $8 million for another two years and time is running out. Atlanta has reportedly offered him $40 million over the next four years, but Dampier doesn't sound thrilled about playing for the Hawks.
"Atlanta is close to home," Dampier told the New York Post. "It's a team in a rebuilding process. Hopefully something can be worked out between me and Atlanta. If not, I have to work something out, maybe sign for the mid-level for two years."

That other option is a mid-level signing beginning at about $5 million with the Knicks, who have been unable to work out a sign-and-trade with the Warriors that would pay Dampier $9 million per season.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jamal Crawford
Bulls
Bulls
Knicks
Jul. 22 - With the Erick Dampier sign-and trade hitting a snag, the Knicks have turned their attention back to Crawford. According to the New York Post, the Knicks now want Scottie Pippen instead of Jerome Williams or Eddie Robinson in the deal.
The Bulls likely don't want to part with Pippen, who's in the last year of his contract, making $5.4 million. The Knicks are reportedly offering Frank Williams, Othella Harrington, Shandon Anderson and Cezary Trybanski.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Vin Baker

Cavs
Knicks Jul. 22 - If things aren't already bad enough in Cleveland, now comes word that Vin Baker's in town this week to talk to Cavs GM Jim Paxson. Baker, who is coming off a season where he spent weeks in rehab and is recovering from "minor" heart surgery, happens to be a client of Aaron Goodwin, the agent for LeBron James. There aren't many power forwards who can replace Carlos Boozer, but Baker would be a gamble.
The New York Post is reporting that Baker's first choice is the Knicks. Baker met with GM Isiah Thomas and coach Lenny Wilkens on Wednesday, according to the paper, and his re-signing could happen any day.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jon Barry
Nuggets
Hawks Jul. 22 - Barry is drawing interest from the Hawks, and told the Rocky Mountain News there's a good chance he could leave the Nuggets for Atlanta.
"If Atlanta comes with an offer I'm happy with, I would imagine I'm going to try to do this thing as soon as I can," the free-agent guard told the paper. "It's very important for me to get that taken care of."

Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe hasn't ruled out making Barry an offer, but he appears to have the team's available cap space ($2.3 million) earmarked for other areas. Barry, who will turn 35 on Sunday, averaged 6.2 points and 2.6 assists in 57 games for Denver last season. He missed 21 games because of a shoulder injury, but was a key reserve down the stretch.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Robert Horry
Spurs
Heat? Jul. 21 - Shaquille O'Neal is now openly recruiting several former teammates and Horry is one of them. With needs at power forward, shooting guard and point guard, with very limited cap space, Miami is hoping Shaq's presence will entice players to join the team at lower rates. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports the Heat have half of their mid-level exception, a $1.6 million exception and a $1.5 million veterans exception to offer.
"It depends on whether some guys are looking to get every last dollar or if some are willing to take a little less to come to Miami and play with Shaq in this energetic city," GM Randy Pfund told the newspaper. "Over the next few days we'll see which guys fit into the minimum slots and which guys we can offer a little bit of money to, to see where the market goes. There's still money flowing out there, and we have to be prudent."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Stromile Swift
Grizzlies
Grizzlies
Hawks
Bobcats Jul. 20 - Swift expected to be a hot commodity this summer, but the Grizzlies made it known they planned to match any offer, and the market cooled pretty quickly.
The Hawks and Bobcats could use him and have enough cash left to make the Grizzlies sweat. The Hawks spent some time talking with Erick Dampier on Monday, but walked away from the meeting with the feeling that they weren't going to land him. Expect them to turn their attention to signing Swift now. He's the best free-agent big man on the board and he'll come cheaper than Damp.

The Bobcats would also be a fit. They've been stockpiling bigs, but they don't have anyone of Swift's caliber. A front line of Swift and Emeka Okafor would be among the most athletic in the league.

With that said, none of this precludes the Grizzlies from matching. They claim they want Swift back, and if they lose out on Dampier, they may have no choice but to pay him that cash. Without him, their front line takes a major hit. With the way other teams in the West are improving, they may not be able to afford to let him go.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Darius Miles
Blazers
Blazers
Nuggets
Hawks
Clippers
Bobcats Jul. 20 - Portland wants to re-sign him, but its initial offer sheet to Miles was on the low side, causing Miles to look elsewhere. The Nuggets showed some interest, but went a different direction. The Hawks, Clippers and Bobcats all have the cash, but none of those teams are a good fit. The Hawks just drafted a couple of athletic small forwards, Josh Childress and Josh Smith, less than a month ago. The Bobcats need guards at this point. The Clippers have always liked Miles, but where would he play assuming they match Quentin Richardson?
That leaves Miles in a precarious position. The Blazers want him back, meaning it's unlikely they'll entertain sign-and-trades at this point. Miles is going to struggle to come up with an offer sheet for anything more than the mid-level, which is probably below market value given what other free agents have earned this summer.

That leaves him with two options. He could probably get the Blazers to give him the contract starting at around $5 million for the first season. If he took the contract for three years with an opt out after two, Miles, who is just 22, could try again when he's 24. Or he can accept the Blazers one-year tender offer of $5.4 million and become an unrestricted free agent next season.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Karl Malone
Lakers
Lakers
Spurs
Heat Jul. 20 - The Lakers were ready to offer Malone their full mid-level exception until the power forward told them they should use it on Vlade Divac. "It's never been about money since I've been here," Malone told the Los Angeles Times. "I want the best for the Lakers, and I didn't want to hold them up. I'm a loyal man. I need to be loyal."
With that said, the Lakers are now offering $1.65 million to Malone, who has yet to say he would return at all after having offseason surgery on his knee and finger. The Miami Heat are also interested in Malone and have salary slots of $2.5 million and $1.6 million to offer him, but are said to be reserving the larger one for a point guard. The Spurs, meanwhile, have offered the future Hall of Famer $1.1 million.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jason Kidd
Nets
? Jul. 16 - Jason Kidd's reaction to the trade that send Kenyon Martin to Denver wasn't exactly positive.
"He is processing it," his agent, Jeff Schwartz, said. "I told him before he has a (public) reaction he should think about it for a while. But his initial reaction was pretty easy to figure out.

"The Nets obviously have decided winning a championship isn't very important to them right now."

If the Nets really are cutting payroll, they'd probably love to move Kidd. But his trade value (which had never been higher last summer) has never been lower. A team like the Mavericks would likely take him off the Nets' hands. They could offer Antoine Walker's expiring contract and Christian Laettner (it would have to be in a separate deal) for Kidd and Alonzo Mourning's contract. Doing so would give the Nets in excess of $30 million in cap space next summer to start anew.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Vince Carter
Raptors
Mavericks Jul. 15 - For the second straight day there was serious talk that the Mavericks were closing in on a trade that would land them Carter. The complicated three-team deal, according to sources, would send Carter, Kurt Thomas, Shandon Anderson and Moochie Norris to the Mavs. Michael Finley and Josh Howard would go to the Raptors. Antoine Walker and Jerome Moiso would be coming to the Knicks.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Paul Pierce
Celtics
? Jul. 15 - Pierce isn't going to lie. He told the Boston Herald he was about to demand a trade like Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Shaquille O'Neal, but he sat down one last time with coach Doc Rivers and everything changed. "I just wanted to spend some time with him and talk about things. It was real good. He talked about the way he wanted to use me and the things he expects from me. It was great. I mean, after hearing what he had to say, I have a lot of confidence in Doc and what we can do with this team. Then (Tuesday) I had a talk with Danny (Ainge) and he gave me some good reassurances about what we're doing.
"Last year was just so hard. I know I don't ever want to go through anything like that again. There were things happening that I really didn't understand at the time. But hearing it from Danny really helps now. I can see what he wants to do. So I'm here for the long term. I signed the big contract because I want to be here, and I bought a house back there last summer. I'm willing to deal with whatever comes up."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Shawn Marion
Suns
Hornets? Jul. 14 - The Suns may have added Steve Nash and signed Quentin Richardson to an offer sheet, but they're just getting started. At least one paper in the Phoenix is saying that the team will now send Shawn Marion packing in exchange for a big man.
The Suns, say the East Valley Tribune, don't want a high-scoring lineup with undersized Amare Stoudemire at center and Marion at power forward. They'd rather have Stoudemire at power forward and bring in a legit center. The article goes on to state without any quotes that their target could be Jamaal Magloire of the New Orleans Hornets, who have lost their all-star small forward, Jamal Mashburn.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Allan Houston
Knicks
? Jul. 14 - Leaving Allan Houston exposed in the expansion draft is one thing. But openly courting Jamal Crawford, who plays the same position as Houston, is another. And the New York Daily News says that these moves could pave the way for Houston leaving New York.
"I can't control who comes," said Houston. "The decision to leave me unprotected was a decision Isiah made in assuming that they wouldn't have the money to do that. I don't take offense to any of that. I don't think I have room in my mind to think about anything else. I'm so focused on being healthy and being the best I've ever been that I don't even have room in my mind to think about Crawford or expansion. I had to be told that Shaq got traded. I don't have a lot of room in my head to put too much in there."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Kurt Thomas
Knicks
Knicks
Mavs
Cavs Jul. 13 - One rumor has Thomas going to Cleveland for Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Another has Thomas involved with Vince Carter. Yet another has him in a deal that would bring Antoine Walker and Erick Dampier to New York.
"You hear a lot of rumors so maybe something is going to happen," Thomas said in the New York Daily News. "I have no idea if I'm going to be here. I just know that when training camp starts, wherever I am, I'm going to be in great shape."

Trade rumors aren't anything new for Thomas, but they have more impact now that the power forward doesn't seem to be getting along with team president Isiah Thomas or point guard Stephon Marbury.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Cavaliers
Cavaliers
Knicks Jul. 12 - The Cavs have reportedly contacted the New York Knicks about a trade involving Ilgauskas, Kurt Thomas and another player to make the salaries match. The Cavs are still reeling from the Carlos Boozer debacle while the Knicks are becoming more and more desperate to make a move in any direction.
Of course, the Knicks are still in discussions with the Bulls over Jamal Crawford and with the Mavericks over Antoine Walker. The intriguing aspect of this deal, as reported by the Willoughby News Herald, is that the Cavs may try to unload Z for less in the attempt to get far enough under the cap to match Boozer's offer sheet from the Jazz.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Antonio McDyess
Suns
Pistons
Celtics Jul. 12 - As previously reported by ESPN, the Pistons have offered McDyess $30 million over five years to replace Mehmet Okur in their lineup. The final year of the deal is said to be dependant on the number of games McDyess is able to play. The oft-injured power forward would still be guaranteed $23 million over four years. The Celtics have also had talks with McDyess.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Othella Harrington
Knicks
Bulls Jul. 9 - After heated words were exchanged, Knicks president Isiah Thomas agreed to get Harrington off the payroll as part of an offseason trade. Othella was upset he was left off the playoff squad and Thomas was upset that Harrington had yet to distinguish himself from the other undersized power forward the Knicks had under contract.
"I'd be shocked if he was in a Knick uniform at training camp," David Bauman said in the New York Post. "His Knick days are numbered. We want him out in a major way. The Bulls would be a good fit." Talks continue between the Knicks and Bulls in a trade centered on Jamal Crawford.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Avery Johnson
Warriors
Mavericks
Spurs
Hornets Jul. 7 - The Dallas Morning News reports Johnson has agreed to re-join the Mavericks, for whom he played in 2002-03, on a one-year contract for $1.1 million. Johnson reportedly plans to play one season then become an assistant coach in Dallas.
"I'm looking for an opportunity where I can be stable for the next five-to-seven years in some capacity," Johnson told the Fort Worth Star Telegram recently. "I want to at least have the power to work with a coaching staff."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Ray Allen
Sonics
Sonics Jul. 2 - While there have been reports the Sonics are shopping Allen, his agent claims he is working on a contract extension with the team, and the team denies it is seeking a trade.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Eddy Curry
Bulls
? Jun. 30 - If Bulls general manager John Paxson has said it once, he's said it a million times. "There is no truth to those rumors whatsoever," Paxson said of Curry being on the trading block in the Chicago Sun Times. "That's a bunch of nonsense. I've always said that we want to improve our team and we're doing that, and we always listen when people have something to say. We have received offers for Curry, [Tyson] Chandler and Jamal [Crawford]. But we have received nothing worth paying much attention to.
"We have no intention of trading them and we are not shopping them. In fact, since the draft I have not received one phone call from any general managers about any of our players. If somebody wanted to acquire Curry, they would have to make an offer that makes total sense because there aren't that many guys coming along with his size and his skill level. If we got to the point where we felt he couldn't become the kind of center we feel he can become, we would be interested in trading him. But we haven't gotten anywhere even close to that."



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Peja Stojakovic
Kings
? Jun. 29 - The team would prefer to move Chris Webber, but given his injury history and bad knees, that seems impossible. Bad blood was created in Sacramento at the end of the postseason when Webber singled out Stojakovic for a poor postseason performance. Reports out of L.A. indicate the Kings have offered Stojakovic in a package to the Lakers for Shaq. If he's really available, they'll get a flood of offers.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Wally Szczerbiak
Wolves
Cavs?
Bulls? Jun. 29 - Wally was the odd man out of the Wolves' starting five once the team traded for Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. The Wolves are open to moving him once his base-year status expires Wednesday. The Cavs and Bulls have shown a lot of interest in Wally in the past.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jason Richardson
Warriors
Bulls? Jun. 29 - It became clear toward the end of last season that Mickael Pietrus, not Richardson, was the real two guard of the future for the Warriors. Richardson is coming off a great year in Golden State and should be able to fetch some value in return. This is another place the Bulls might want to look if they're still willing to trade Tyson Chandler.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Jason Terry
Hawks
? Jun. 29 - The team is rebuilding, and Terry wants out. The Hawks will have a number of suitors and urgently need to address some huge holes in their frontcourt. They can't move Terry without his permission until Sept. 25, but expect him to agree to almost anything at this point.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Al Harrington
Pacers
Cavaliers?
Bulls?
Knicks? Jun. 29 - Harrington asked for a trade at the end of the season. He's sick of coming off the bench and wants to take a bigger role on a lesser team. Larry Bird is willing to move him but has been careful to keep his options open. He wants to add some firepower in the backcourt or another big man to patrol the middle, and he needs Harrington as bait. If offers for T-Mac and Shaq fall through, a Harrington-for-Terry swap makes a lot of sense for both teams. Chicago, New York and Cleveland were said to be interested before the draft.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Matt Harpring
Jazz
? Jun. 29 - The Jazz know they aren't going to be totally successful obtaining everything they need in free agency and will have to use trade bait to get the rest. Harpring was great for them two years ago and was solid again last season before getting injured. But the team is loaded with swingmen and desperately needs help up front. If Harpring can buy them a player like that, he could be gone.