GOLDEN STATE Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, Mickael Pietrus and Zarko Cabarkapa for Iverson If anybody outside of Philadelphia is likely to undergo a late-summer face-lift, it's the Warriors. And after apparently failing in their pursuit of Al Harrington (Indiana is expected to nab him in a sign-and-trade deal thanks to its mammoth trade exception), Golden State's brass can turn its attention to Iverson. With several inexpensive young talents on board, a deal with the Warriors could certainly give Philly the post-Iverson boost it needs. The trade above represents a broad outline, but here are several variants depending on which players quicken the pulse of Sixers GM Billy King the most. For instance, Pietrus could be replaced with Andris Biedrins at Philly's choosing, or if the teams waited until October, the Warriors could replace Pietrus with the combo of Monta Ellis and either Keith McLeod or Andre Owens (both of whom were traded from Utah in July, so they can't be moved again in a package deal for three months). Additionally, Diogu or Murphy almost certainly would be conveyed to a third team since they both play the same position as Chris Webber. Another monkey wrench involves waiting until October, then adding both McLeod and Devin Brown to the deal as cap ballast, allowing the Sixers to dump Kyle Korver's contract in the Bay. Alternatively, the Warriors might insist on adding some combo of McLeod, Brown and Owens to the deal just to keep them under the luxury-tax threshold. In any event, this deal doesn't look as great for the Sixers as it does for the Warriors, unless Philly places a very high value on Diogu and/or Ellis. Murphy overlaps with Webber, and pairing the two is unthinkable from a defensive perspective, so getting him should be a very low priority. Even more, Murphy's contract runs two years longer than Iverson's, so the Sixers won't get much in the way of cap relief. Odds: 7-1
AI's not going anywhere, maybe at the trade deadline if they have a falling out, but they took him off the market as of yesterday
sorry I should have posted the whole article The dog days of the summer are here, which means only one thing in the NBA world: trade rumor season. With the list of top free agents whittled down to just a select few names, and teams otherwise sifting through the scraps, our attention is now turned to the great many players who are already under contract. Some undoubtedly will change addresses between now and when the season starts, and most observers feel that this particular summer will see brisk action on the trading front as the result of a lame free-agent market. Unquestionably, the biggest name available on the trade market is Philadelphia's star, Allen Iverson. While the Sixers recently said they have no intention of dealing Iverson right now, they were shopping him for most of the summer. Even today, many folks around the league will tell you, sotto voce, they believe he's still available. Available or not, Iverson is one player who gives us a great example of how to use a great fan-friendly tool on this site -- ESPN.com's Trade Machine, which evaluates any proposed trade and tells you whether it works under the salary cap. Using this tool, as well as heavy dollops of common sense, we can evaluate five potential destinations for Iverson, what players might have to be included in order to make a deal workable, and what the odds are of something actually getting done with one of these teams: GOLDEN STATE Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, Mickael Pietrus and Zarko Cabarkapa for Iverson If anybody outside of Philadelphia is likely to undergo a late-summer face-lift, it's the Warriors. And after apparently failing in their pursuit of Al Harrington (Indiana is expected to nab him in a sign-and-trade deal thanks to its mammoth trade exception), Golden State's brass can turn its attention to Iverson. With several inexpensive young talents on board, a deal with the Warriors could certainly give Philly the post-Iverson boost it needs. The trade above represents a broad outline, but here are several variants depending on which players quicken the pulse of Sixers GM Billy King the most. For instance, Pietrus could be replaced with Andris Biedrins at Philly's choosing, or if the teams waited until October, the Warriors could replace Pietrus with the combo of Monta Ellis and either Keith McLeod or Andre Owens (both of whom were traded from Utah in July, so they can't be moved again in a package deal for three months). Additionally, Diogu or Murphy almost certainly would be conveyed to a third team since they both play the same position as Chris Webber. Another monkey wrench involves waiting until October, then adding both McLeod and Devin Brown to the deal as cap ballast, allowing the Sixers to dump Kyle Korver's contract in the Bay. Alternatively, the Warriors might insist on adding some combo of McLeod, Brown and Owens to the deal just to keep them under the luxury-tax threshold. In any event, this deal doesn't look as great for the Sixers as it does for the Warriors, unless Philly places a very high value on Diogu and/or Ellis. Murphy overlaps with Webber, and pairing the two is unthinkable from a defensive perspective, so getting him should be a very low priority. Even more, Murphy's contract runs two years longer than Iverson's, so the Sixers won't get much in the way of cap relief. Odds: 7-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK Steve Francis, Maurice Taylor, Malik Rose, Channing Frye and Nate Robinson for Iverson, Kyle Korver and Sam Dalembert New York would be the logical place to turn if the Sixers were focused mainly on cap relief. Jalen Rose's expiring $16 million deal alone would be enough to trade straight up for Iverson, or the Knicks could spread the cap relief over two years by combining Malik Rose (whose deal expires in 2008) and Maurice Taylor (whose numbers are up after this season). But the most likely scenario (not that any of these are likely, mind you) would need to be a blockbuster, because New York already has two expensive point guards (Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis). Adding Iverson to that group wouldn't make much sense unless the Knicks could unload one of their two current point guards. In this scenario, both teams would need to pull in other players to make the deal equitable, as a straight-up Francis and Channing Frye for Iverson deal is unlikely to cut the mustard in Philly. As a result, a bigger deal giving the Sixers more cap relief by dumping the contracts of Korver and Dalembert seems more realistic. Jalen Rose could just as easily replace the Taylor-Rose combo in the deal above, and any of the Knicks' youngsters could swap for Nate Robinson, as well. Finally, if this type of deal ever came to fruition, a third team (and perhaps a fourth) would almost certainly need to get involved. The Knicks already are paying close to $100 million at the center spot and wouldn't seem to have a need for Dalembert, while the Sixers probably would want to deal Malik Rose for a backcourt player. Odds: 25-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATLANTA Josh Smith, Tyronn Lue and Josh Childress for Iverson The Hawks are an inviting destination for Iverson because they're sitting on nearly $10 million in cap space to make a deal work, and at any rate they will have a trade exception worth several million dollars if and when they sign-and-trade Harrington to Indiana. Dealing with the Hawks would accomplish two of Philly's goals -- getting cap relief and talented youth -- so the bigger question is whether the Hawks are in position to make a play. Atlanta's fractured ownership situation certainly complicates matters, and GM Billy Knight has been one of the league's most reluctant deal-makers since he's come to Atlanta. To pull off a deal for the Answer, Atlanta would need to include Josh Smith or Marvin Williams at a minimum. My guess is that Philly would prefer Smith since he'll be able to contribute immediately and will provide some of the crowd-pleasing moments that would make up for Iverson's loss. Josh Childress makes a nice sweetener who can fortify a lackluster second unit, while Tyronn Lue is the easiest part of the puzzle -- Atlanta wouldn't need an extra point guard, the Sixers would, and Speedy Claxton can't be traded until December 15. The other benefit of this deal is it would give the Sixers a huge trade exception that they could use until next summer, potentially giving them a leg up in free agency despite being over the cap. The fly in the ointment here would be on the Hawks' side of the ledger. Iverson would certainly provide a short-term attendance boost -- he's one of the few visiting players who reliably packs 'em in at the moribund Philips Arena. But one has to wonder if it's wise to add a 31-year-old guard whose greatest skill (quickness) is the one that declines most rapidly with age. This is particularly true when the cost is Smith, a 20-year-old jumping jack with 3-point range, and when the team went 26-56 a year ago and appears to be years from contending for anything important. Odds: 8-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON Wally Szczerbiak, Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Dwayne Jones for Iverson Boston has been considered the leading Iverson suitor for some time, and looking at its roster it's easy to see why. The Celtics have hordes of young players to mix and match as part of a deal depending on Philadelphia's tastes -- Gerald Green, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen or Ryan Gomes could replace Jefferson or West if that was whom the Sixers preferred. Plus, Boston has the benefit of two large contracts (Wally Szczerbiak's and, if they wait until late September, Theo Ratliff's) that can be used as the main building block of a deal. Additionally, the C's wouldn't mind lightening the roster a bit. The Celtics have 14 guaranteed contracts for next season plus two undrafted players (Allan Ray and Kevin Pittsnogle) that they might prefer to keep, so making a 4-for-1 deal like this one would alleviate the overcrowding. Another variant would add Philly's Kyle Korver and Boston's Brian Scalabrine to the mix, because the scenario above doesn't provide Philly with much cap relief. Allowing Philadelphia to dump Korver's contract on Boston in return for the even-more-useless but slightly-less well-compensated Scalabrine would give the Sixers more cap relief than the above scenario affords. Boston could even take things a step further and add Ratliff on the Boston side and Dalembert on Philly's, but it's unlikely that the Sixers would accept such a glaring difference in talent just to drop the final years of Dalembert's contract. Odds: 5-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DENVER Kenyon Martin and Andre Miller for Iverson The Nuggets have a few different scenarios that might work for Philly. The most plausible involves Kenyon Martin and Andre Miller, who combine to match Iverson's salary almost perfectly. Miller would slide right into the point guard job in Philly, while Martin and Chris Webber could alternate games at power forward depending on whose knees felt better that night. (Or, more realistically, the Sixers could convey Martin to a third team with a need at power forward). Since Martin doesn't fit well, the Sixers might make a deal work without him -- even though he's the guy the Nuggets really want to trade. Miller and Ruben Patterson's expiring contract would be enough to get a deal done, with somebody like Linas Kleiza likely throw in to give the Sixers a decent young player and keep the Nuggets under the luxury-tax line. Denver also has two No. 1 picks next year, at least one of which it could use as a sweetener to try to get Philly to accept Martin. In the Nuggets' best-case scenario, the Sixers take Martin and Patterson, with Kleiza and a future No. 1 lumped into the mix as added incentive. Denver also might be open to a shooter like Korver getting added to the mix, with either Eduardo Najera or a signed-and-traded Reggie Evans going back to Philly. However, just because the Nuggets could get a deal done doesn't mean they're on the phone pushing for it. One gets the sense from Denver's recent flurry of maneuvers that they've moved on to other things, and that might be for the best anyway. For all Iverson does, he's not much of an outside shooter, meaning he does nothing to address the team's most glaring need. Odds: 15-1 John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.
AI will be slowing down in a few years and I don't see how he'll take this team to the playoffs without any interior defense or rebounding. That trade mentioned above -- and any of its variants -- sucks for the Warriors IMO. AI is a great player but Golden State doesn't need a great player -- they need a great team concept, team defense, and players that work well executing plays together. There are very few individual players in this league the Warriors could trade for (assuming the give up not only Murphy/Dunleavy but also several key prospects like Biedrins, Ike, Pietrus, or Ellis) that would, by themselves, make this team a playoff winner. And of those that I can think of -- Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudamire, KG, Shaq, Elton Brand, Nowitzki, maybe Pau Gasol and Jermaine O'Neil -- all of them are big men. If the Warriors could get AI for Murphy, Foyle, and Zarko, of course that'd be great. But giving up a handful of key prospects along with it -- like Ike, Ellis, and Biedrins -- to get an aging guard who will do nothing to improve the Warriors main weak areas -- shot blocking, interior defense, interior scoring, and rebounding -- would be a bad trade. Golden State would be exciting to watch on offense and they'd get more exposure, but they'd miss the playoffs.
Hollinger is smoking dope. Another clueless sports writer to ignore like Skip and Kawakami. Let's put it this way, if Iverson couldn't win in Philly in one of the worst divisions in the Eastern Conference, what makes us think we can win out here in the West without any size and without our biggest inside player prospects. We need both Murphy and Diogu if we want to get better, especially on rebounding or inside scoring or shooting. Taking on both Baron Davis and Iverson's contracts will cripple any sort of ability to grow bigger in the paint, not to mention it screws up any prospects of re-signing Monta Ellis or any of our other rookies with two max contracts + Jrich. We can't even use funds to spend on getting a replacement center or power forward. With all the star power in the backcourt, there won't be enough touches inside the paint, not to mention we'll become a defensive liability on the perimeter if we play the undersized shooting guard with Baron at point, AI at SG, Jrich at SF. One of these guys coming off the bench is out of the question. This article makes me mad. It's like Hollinger is thinking like Isiah Thomas. He must play too much NBA Live. Stay the course, we're going to suck for a year or two but we could easily turn it around with the right trade to compliment Ike Diogu/Biedrins PF/C and Jrich/Baron backcourt. I wouldn't even do Baron for Iverson because Iverson is not a real point guard. He's never played well with other players that can score.
I love Allen Iverson as a player. I believe he has been one of the best players of the last 10 years in the NBA, at least of the current decade. However the Warriors already have Baron, Jason, Monta Ellis, Mickael Pietrus, Devin Brown, McLeod, and some possible summer league players to hold up the guard positions. There really is no need for this deal. Maybe if the Warriors can jump in as a third team and land a very good SF or post player, then there could be some type of a trade which could involve AI and the Sixers with the Warriors. Other than that, I don't see the Warriors joining the AI sweepstakes. And like CR2 says, having Baron and AI on the roster is going to be tough salary-wise, especially since they play the same positions.
Another worthless scheme to stick us with AI's $20 mill a year deal just as his game starts to show age. We give up all 3 Power F's. There is no SF incoming-instead we create an awkward situatin at PG-or go supersmall. This guy thinks we'd cheerfully toss in not only Ike but their pick of Biedrens-Ellis-Pietrus...and we don't even show the balls to demand less protection on that Philly pick we have-which has to be part of ANY deal I'd do with the Sixers.
Well said REREM - most people on the ESPN boards would be chanting "Championship Dynasty" about this trade lol
REREM is right. Plus, common sense wise, Mullin is trying to get bigger, not smaller. Which just goes to show that guys who praise such trades as "playoffs baby!!!!" or even write about them have very little basketball I.Q. BDiddy/The Answer/Jrich would just be what the Knicks are going through with Starbury/Franchise/Jamaal Crawford and a bunch of rookie big men and some crappy centers.
Plus, the Warriors are kind of inbetween regarding the direction they are taking in developing the roster. They're not quite ready to "win now," but they're not quite ready to "rebuild" either. Guys like JRich, Murphy, and Baron are ready to make a move and do something. If GS got a few solid, established pros to play up front they'd be ready to party. However, the team has a new promising young core in Beans, Ike, Ellis, POB, and Taft. Especially the first three. Common sense would dictate grooming these young players to be the new face of the franchise. So which is it? Give JRich, Murphy, and Baron the supporting cast they need to challenge in the playoffs, or give significant minutes to Ike, Beans, and Ellis in order to develop them into (hopefully) stars in a few years. Right now it seems like a little of both. But there's no way I'd pawn off several of the "future-franchise" young prospects for an aging vet unless that vet nearly guarantees playoffs. Even then I'd have to question it if it only promises 1 or two years contending. What I don't want the Warriors to do is what the Giants have done. They traded young prospects Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for one year of AJ "the curse" Pirzinski. OMG that has to be the worst trade in the history of sports. Not only did Joe Nathan become a dominant closer, but now Liriano is just about the best pitcher in baseball this year. He's 12-2 with a 1.93 era. WTF? This year, they just traded Jeremy Accardo for one year of Shea Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand's a decent hitter, but he's not going to "carry" them into the playoffs. I'm just hoping Accardo doesn't become a Cy Young candidate next year. Beans, Ike, Ellis - they may never be anything more than decent players. However, IMO, all three have the potential to be very good starters, and Monta could be a bone fide all-star some day. I'd like to see GS get a solid cast to support Baron and JRich, and if an intelligent trade came along, I'd consider it. But if it means waiting another 2 years for Ike, Beans, and Ellis to become that cast, it's hard to have patience but I think it's worth the wait. I just hope it won't be too late.
Don't get me started about the Giants or the A's. I agree about what the status of the Warriors. They are close to turning things around, but they need a few more pieces. Whether its rookies or through trades we need more help on the glass and interior defense and a small forward that can play consistent.
That trade SUCKS! First of all What would Philly do with 2 PFs when they already have C Webb? What would they do with MP when they already have Iguadala (sp?). Then he says Monta instead of MP! Yeah right! I would consider Baron or Jrich in a package for AI realisticly, but that trade is just illogical!
