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raven
Posts: 22454
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Joined: 9/2/2002
Member: #316
Canada
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Insider Rumours....
Stojakovic wants Kings to trade him
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Peja Stojakovic
Kings
Pacers? Aug. 6 - The latest superstar to ask for a trade is Peja Stojakovic, who told the Sacramento Bee that a trade away from the only NBA team he has ever played for would be good for everyone involved.
"I just think that the team had their chances," said Stojakovic, "and the opportunities are closing. I talked to (GM) Geoff (Petrie). I told him I just think it needs to happen. I just think it would be good for them and for myself, with all due respect. Sacramento is great, but I think I need a change . . . I'm probably one of the easiest players to trade, and I'm willing to go."
Peja's agent said the Indiana Pacers had previously mentioned a Ron Artest-for-Stojakovic deal that was shot down by the Kings.
"He's probably one of the last guys I'd want to trade," Petrie said. "He's flourished here and the team has done extremely well. He's been a big part of that, too, and I have a lot of respect for the guy. It's too speculative to make a prediction about what will happen. It's one of those things where you don't know how it's going to go. I do know I'm going to go on vacation soon for the better part of the rest of the month."
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Vince Carter
Raptors
Knicks?
Hornets? Aug. 6 - Vince Carter has asked the Raptors to explore trade possibilities, Carter's agent, Mark Steinberg, told the New York Daily News.
"We did meet and asked them to look into trades," Mark Steinberg told the Daily News in a telephone interview. "They know where we stand."
Carter reportedly wants to be traded to the Knicks, though his agent would neither confirm nor deny it. Although Knicks GM Isiah Thomas is believed to be interested in Carter, it's unclear whether the Knicks have spoken to the Raptors about Carter.
"He's not a free agent. We're not allowed to talk to other team's players," a Knicks spokesman told the Toronto Sun. "I'm not even aware of anything with the Raptors."
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Erick Dampier
Warriors
Knicks
Hawks
Grizzlies
Pacers
Suns Aug. 5 - Dampier met with the Isiah Thomas and Lenny Wilkens on Aug. 4, and appears to be excited about the prospect of playing for the Knicks next season -- even though he may have to settle for the team's $4.9 million mid-level exception.
"I'd love to be here, a team with young players that want to win," Dampier told the New York Post. "They made it to the playoffs and they have some key pieces on their team. With the addition of me, I'm going to make this team better. I have one goal on my mind: winning."
Dampier, who opted out of the last two years of a seven-year, $48 million deal with the Warriors, is still hoping a sign-and-trade can be reached, but said he would strongly consider taking the mid-level and becoming a free agent again next summer.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Jason Kidd
Nets
Mavericks
Lakers Aug. 5 - The New York Post reports that the Kidd-to-Mavericks trade may be 60 days in the making. The Mavs will acquire Jason Terry from the Atlanta Hawks as early as today, meaning that Terry can't be moved for two months, according to NBA rules. But the Mavs may be using this time to better evaluate the physical condition of Kidd, who is coming off of knee surgery.
"You have to put yourself in position to make something happen," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "If you do the right things consistently with smaller moves, it's easier to do the bigger moves."
However, league sources claim that the Lakers, not the Mavericks, are the team Kidd really wants to play for. Look for the Kidd camp to keep pushing the Lakers to send the expiring contracts of Gary Payton and Rick Fox along with a young player like Caron Butler or Kareem Rush to the Nets in return for Kidd. The deal would give the Nets lots of cap relief along with a promising young player and give the Lakers the best backcourt in the NBA.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Blazers
Timberwolves Aug. 5 - The Blazers and Timberwolves continue to talk about a Shareef Abdur-Rahim-for-Wally Szczerbiak swap, Insider's Chad Ford reports. The issue right now is the other player the Wolves are willing to include in the deal to make the numbers work. Abdur-Rahim makes $14.6 million this season. Szczerbiak is due $9 million.
The Wolves really have only two options. They can either send center Michael Olowokandi or backup center Ervin Johnson back in the deal. The team is reluctant to part with either. Despite a slew of injuries, the team believes Olowokandi could be a force for them next season. Johnson is more expendable, but given Olowokandi's injury history, the team is worried about giving away Kandi's only back-up. The Blazers could include Vladimir Stepania in the deal to help the Wolves absorb the loss of Johnson and still make the numbers work.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Stromile Swift
Grizzlies
Grizzlies
Hawks
Bobcats Aug. 5 - If Erick Dampier picks the Knicks, the Hawks could turn their attention to Swift -- one of the last two top-tier free agents left on the market. The Hawks, as do several other Eastern Conference executives, believe Swift can play 30 minutes a night at center in the East.
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
Ron Mercer
Nets Aug. 5 - The Nets are expected to sign free-agent guard Ron Mercer to a two-year, $3.2 million deal to replace Kerry Kittles, the New York Post reports.
"We're working at it, but the process has been a little choppy," Mercer's agent, Andy Miller, told The Post. "The goal was to have him in by the latter part of the week, but there has been travel involved and inquiries Ron has about management and players."
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Troy Hudson
Timberwolves
Timberwolves
Heat?
Jazz?
Rockets?
Raptors? Aug. 5 - After matching Trenton Hassell's offer sheet from Portland, the Timberwolves have refocused on resigning Troy Hudson, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The current deal is said to be worth $37 million over six seasons but has untraditional clauses written into it to deal with Hudson's injured right ankle.
"We've gotten both sides to agree to this version, and we've got the support of the union," agent Bill Neff said in the Star Tribune.
All parties are now awaiting approval of the NBA.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Eddy Curry
Bulls
Grizzlies Aug. 3 - The Grizzlies and Bulls continued talking about an Eddy Curry swap on Monday, league sources told Insider. The fact that Eddie Robinson was pulled out of trade talks with the Knicks may be evidence that a deal is getting closer. A combination of Bonzi Wells (who is in the last year of his contract) and a re-signed Stromile Swift for Curry and Robinson could work under the terms of the CBA. According to sources, Bulls GM John Paxson is insisting that he'll only trade Curry if a team is willing to offer a talented young player or two and salary-cap relief in return.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Toni Kukoc
Bucks
Bucks
Heat
Celtics Aug. 3 - He's at the end of his career, but there's still a lot of interest in Kukoc if the money is right. Miami's shown interest. So have the Celtics. However, it still appears that the Bucks are the front-runners to re-sign him.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Bob Sura
Hawks
Hawks
Rockets
Clippers
Heat Aug. 3 - Sura was awesome for the Hawks the last month and half of the season, averaging 15.4 ppg, 8 rpg and 7.4 apg in April and 14.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 4.4 apg in March. The Hawks need a veteran guard who can play the point and Sura may be the best guy out there. The Rockets, Clippers and Heat are also looking for some help at the point.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Jon Barry
Nuggets
Hawks
Nuggets
Clippers
Retirement? Jul. 30 - Barry, a free-agent guard, told the Rocky Mountain News he'll consider retirement if he doesn't receive what he considers an acceptable offer. Barry, 35, who played for the Nuggets last season, has been taking with several teams, including the Hawks and Clippers, but hasn't received a concrete offer. Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe said Denver has "a lot of interest" in Barry, but hasn't decided how he'll use the team's available cap space ($2.3 million).
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Darius Miles
Blazers
Blazers
Hawks
Clippers
Bobcats Jul. 29 - Portland wants to re-sign him, but its original offer sheet was very low, causing Miles to look elsewhere. Unfortunately for Miles, unless the Hawks, Clippers or Bobcats come through, he's not going to be able to cash in on the free-agent bonanza the way some were. That's the curse of restricted free agency. If the Blazers trade Shareef Abdur-Rahim, they might be more willing to commit. There's no question Miles wants out of Portland. He was stunned when the team offered him a contract that started lower than its one-year tender offer ($5.9 million). The few teams left with cap room have been reluctant to make offers because the Blazers are claiming they'll match. Several teams are willing to do sign-and-trades, but the Blazers are refusing to talk.
That leaves Miles with just two options. One, he can still try to convince a team like the Clippers, Hawks, Suns (if Quentin Richardson's offer isn't matched) or the Bobcats to make him an offer. The Clippers make the most sense. He flourished in L.A. and has a rock-solid relationship with Corey Maggette, Elton Brand and rookie Shaun Livingston. He works out with all three at Hoops the Gym in Chicago all summer. He's also best friends with Quentin Richardson. The two would love to be reunited.
If that doesn't work, Miles can accept Portland's one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Doing so guarantees that he'll bolt the Blazers next summer. Like most free agents, he'd prefer to get a deal done now before the collective bargaining agreement expires . . . but given the current climate in Portland, sources say he's on the verge of taking the tender offer.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Mo Williams
Jazz
? Jul. 29 - Williams worked his way into the Jazz rotation last season, which resulted in Utah tendering a qualifying offer to the young point guard. However, the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Williams might be looking for a team with more playing time available since the Jazz already have Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez under contract.
"We didn't draft a point guard and we didn't sign a [new] point guard," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "That's what he should be looking at." By giving Williams the offer, the Jazz can match any other offers that may come his way.
WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY
Karl Malone
Lakers
Lakers
Spurs
Heat Jul. 28 - Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, says there is no news to report yet but the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ran a story in which Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale said the Mailman is headed for Miami. The story originally ran in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and Manley admits that the Heat and Malone have had ongoing discussions. Heat general manager Randy Pfund doesn't deny his interest in Malone, but knows it may be awhile before Malone even decides to play again, much less for which team.
"Obviously Karl Malone is a name we have a lot of interest in," Pfund told the Palm Beach Post. "We're heavy at that spot, but Karl is special."
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 Spurs, meanwhile, have offered the future Hall of Famer $1.1 million.
WHO INTEREST THE SKINNY
Veteran small forward, guard Jul. 28 - The Heat are pursuing a power forward, most notably Karl Malone, but they're looking to add a veteran small forward and experienced point guard as well. According to the Palm Beach Post, Eric Williams and Bob Sura are among the players the Heat are targeting.
Williams, 32, spent last season with Cleveland and Boston, and his known for his defensive prowess. "He could be that person," Miami GM Randy Pfund said. "He's a good all-around team guy, a good defender and a winner."
At point guard, the Heat have Dwyane Wade and Keyon Dooling, but Pfund says the team needs more depth. Sura, 31, can play both guard spots and provide instant offense off the bench. Other guards the Heat could consider are Charlie Ward, Kenny Anderson, Brevin Knight and Lindsey Hunter.
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8/10/2004 4:36 PM