phlp_bj
11-29-2008, 04:34 PM
1. Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
Expiring Salary: $21,372,000
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
All the regret the Mavericks are supposed to feel about parting with Devin Harris in February's megatrade for Kidd fails to account for a few key developments in Dallas. 1. Kidd's arrival, if nothing else, rejuvenated Dirk Nowitzki to the point that Nowitzki carried the Mavs into the playoffs late last season, which might have been the only way Dallas was going to get there. 2. Kidd is quietly playing quite well this season under Rick Carlisle, leading the Mavs to believe that one successful trade addition to fortify their woeful bench -- which they presently are pursuing hard by offering up Jerry Stackhouse's cap-friendly contract.
2. Allen Iverson (Detroit Pistons)
Expiring Salary: $20,840,625
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
The Answer, as you undoubtedly know, began the season with HIGHLY LIKELY next to his name and indeed was already traded once. He'd have to skip out on numerous practices for the Pistons to consider trading him, since their desire to have loads of salary-cap flexibility to replenish their aging team -- either in July or in the summer of 2010 -- outweighs any concerns about in-house tension Iverson might cause or fears that the Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson gamble is already backfiring. You also have to believe that Pistons president Joe Dumars, who began chasing Iverson when he moved into management at the turn of the century, wants to give his dice roll a full season to pan out.
3. Stephon Marbury (New York Knicks)
Expiring Salary: $20,840,625
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
Trading Marbury is more like impossible … as much because of New York's unwillingness as anything. It's almost inconceivable that the Knicks could concoct a trade for Marbury that wouldn't require them to take back an unpalatable contract or two, which could undo all the future promise created by their recent deals that shed the contracts of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph. Buying out Marbury or releasing him outright and paying his full salary always have been the only options here. (Malik Rose, by contrast, is No. 13 on this list and does still rank as a trade candidate, but only if the player(s) coming back to the Knicks, as you probably could have guessed, has (have) a contract that runs out after the 2009-10 season.)
4. Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
Expiring Salary: $17,810,000
Soon to be traded? SOMEWHAT LIKELY
Marion's fate is one of the hardest for folks around the league to forecast. Some teams remain convinced Miami is determined to keep Marion on its books through the end of the season and then let him walk so the Heat can use the resulting salary-cap space to make a run at Utah's Carlos Boozer seven months from now. Others believe the Heat are willing to trade Marion between now and February if they can get back "star quality" or at least players they like whose contracts don't extend beyond 2009-10, when Dwyane Wade hits free agency. The strongest thing we can say is that Marion does have trade suitors (like Toronto) and is the most likely to be moved of the players in our top five. Which might or might not be saying much.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081129-30
Expiring Salary: $21,372,000
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
All the regret the Mavericks are supposed to feel about parting with Devin Harris in February's megatrade for Kidd fails to account for a few key developments in Dallas. 1. Kidd's arrival, if nothing else, rejuvenated Dirk Nowitzki to the point that Nowitzki carried the Mavs into the playoffs late last season, which might have been the only way Dallas was going to get there. 2. Kidd is quietly playing quite well this season under Rick Carlisle, leading the Mavs to believe that one successful trade addition to fortify their woeful bench -- which they presently are pursuing hard by offering up Jerry Stackhouse's cap-friendly contract.
2. Allen Iverson (Detroit Pistons)
Expiring Salary: $20,840,625
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
The Answer, as you undoubtedly know, began the season with HIGHLY LIKELY next to his name and indeed was already traded once. He'd have to skip out on numerous practices for the Pistons to consider trading him, since their desire to have loads of salary-cap flexibility to replenish their aging team -- either in July or in the summer of 2010 -- outweighs any concerns about in-house tension Iverson might cause or fears that the Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson gamble is already backfiring. You also have to believe that Pistons president Joe Dumars, who began chasing Iverson when he moved into management at the turn of the century, wants to give his dice roll a full season to pan out.
3. Stephon Marbury (New York Knicks)
Expiring Salary: $20,840,625
Soon to be traded? HIGHLY UNLIKELY
Trading Marbury is more like impossible … as much because of New York's unwillingness as anything. It's almost inconceivable that the Knicks could concoct a trade for Marbury that wouldn't require them to take back an unpalatable contract or two, which could undo all the future promise created by their recent deals that shed the contracts of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph. Buying out Marbury or releasing him outright and paying his full salary always have been the only options here. (Malik Rose, by contrast, is No. 13 on this list and does still rank as a trade candidate, but only if the player(s) coming back to the Knicks, as you probably could have guessed, has (have) a contract that runs out after the 2009-10 season.)
4. Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
Expiring Salary: $17,810,000
Soon to be traded? SOMEWHAT LIKELY
Marion's fate is one of the hardest for folks around the league to forecast. Some teams remain convinced Miami is determined to keep Marion on its books through the end of the season and then let him walk so the Heat can use the resulting salary-cap space to make a run at Utah's Carlos Boozer seven months from now. Others believe the Heat are willing to trade Marion between now and February if they can get back "star quality" or at least players they like whose contracts don't extend beyond 2009-10, when Dwyane Wade hits free agency. The strongest thing we can say is that Marion does have trade suitors (like Toronto) and is the most likely to be moved of the players in our top five. Which might or might not be saying much.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081129-30