Antoine Walker on the Move?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Tremors shook the Western Conference for the second time in five days Wednesday, when the leading Phoenix Suns acquired Miami's Shaquille O'Neal in a trade that escalated a championship-seeking arms race.

Last week, the Los Angeles Lakers dealt for Memphis star Pau Gasol. The Suns followed Wednesday by swapping Shawn Marion for a massive, aging four-time NBA champion in some intensifying gamesmanship that could involve the Timberwolves before the Feb. 21 league trade deadline passes.

The Wolves could participate in a small way because of a roster overloaded with young wing players and a handful of possibly superfluous veterans, including former All-Star forward Antoine Walker.

Walker, 31, has been the good soldier since he arrived in a preseason trade with Miami, but he said Wednesday he'd welcome a trade to a contender if his role doesn't increase beyond his uneven 20-minutes-a-game pace.

"I like being here, nothing to complain about because it has been great," he said. "But it's hard for me to get better individually. I've yet to know if they want me to be a part of the rebuilding process here. I welcome either/or, whether I'm here or not. For me, individually, it has to get better.

"I want to play. I feel like I'm healthy. My body feels good. I feel like I can still play a significant amount of minutes night in and night out."

Walker said he "fully understands" the team is committed to its youth movement.

"Right now, you're rebuilding, but eventually you have to focus on winning games and being competitive," said Walker, who won an NBA title with the Heat in 2006. "The way the West is shaping up, you're going to need some guys. The West isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's not like these guys are a bunch of free agents. These are the same teams you're going to see for the next two or three years. You're going to have to be ready to compete."

Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale is, of course, keeping his options open.

"We're not targeting to move anybody," McHale said. "We're listening to everybody and we'll see what happens. Guys that should play will play, and guys that play best will play the most. Guys who aren't playing as good will have to sit and watch until they play better. That's how it usually works."

Walker is being paid $8.5 million this season and is due $9.3 million next season, after which his current contract expires. The Wolves bought out veteran forward Juwan Howard's contract in October when they couldn't find a suitable trade for a veteran who wanted to be elsewhere.

"There's a bit of a divergence between what might be best for Antoine and where the Wolves are going," said Mark Bartelstein, Walker's agent. "He likes the guys there, the coaches -- it's not like he's miserable or in an unhappy environment -- but he has to look at his own career. He's at a point where he wants to play a lot of minutes in a winning situation. We'll keep our eyes and ears open to see if there's something that can benefit everybody."

Gasol made an impressive Lakers debut on Tuesday. O'Neal will be introduced as a Sun today. The race is on in the West, where if the season ended today the 28-20 Houston Rockets would miss the playoffs.

Somebody told Walker that his Wolves might have to remain patient until the West's best grows old.

"I don't think people are going to be that patient," he said.</div>

Source: Star Tribune