Walker/Wallace/Grant

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@sjbj.com>]

ANTOINE WALKER:
6'9, 245 lbs, 22 y.o.
career (2 seasons): 164 g, 38 mpg, 42.4 fg%, 64 ft%, 32 3p%, 0.7 bpg, 1.5 spg, 3.2 to/g, 3.3 pf/g, 9.6 rpg (3.4 ORB), 3.3 apg, 20 ppg
Salary: ?? (probable minimum 6 year, $84 million; could go to $90 million or higher)
                                                                                                                                                                        RASHEED WALLACE:
6'11, 225 lbs, 24 y.o.
career (3 seasons): 204 g, 32 mpg, 53% fg, 65% ft, 29 3p%, 1 bpg, .8 spg, 1.9 to/g, 3.3 pf/g, 5.9 rpg (1.7 ORB), 1.7 apg, 13.3 ppg
Salary: 6 year, $80 million (thru 2004)

BRIAN GRANT:
6'9, 254 lbs, 26 y.o.
career (4 seasons): 243 g, 29.7 mpg, 50% fg, 70% ft, 22.7% 3p, 1.2 bpg, .6 spg, 2.1 to, 3.3 pf/g, 7.6 rpg (2.6 ORB), 1.4 apg, 13 ppg
salary: 7 year, $63 million (thru 2004)

Looking at the 2 candidates we would be likely to get from Portland in exchange for AW, I would say no deal. He outshines Wallace in every category but fg% and turnovers; important areas, I'll grant you, but at the expense of 7 points, 4 boards and nearly 2 assists? About the only advantage Grant gives you is an extra .5 bpg. 
I don't see anyone on the Clippers or Suns' roster worth trading for (keep in mind the only players Phoenix has under contract for next year are Kidd, who they won't trade, and Manning).

Keep in mind, too, that when both Grant and Wallace signed their current deals, they were deemed huge at the time. Now they seem like bargains... my point being that no matter how much of Mr. Gaston's money it might take to lock up Toine, the cap will always go up. If Pitino is determined to ship Walker off, it's lunacy unless he can also free up the cap space to land another major FA.


From: Josh Ozersky <josh_ozersky@yahoo.com>
Subject: Walker trade rumor

This one is reported in ESPN magazine.  It says that Boston is working
the phones seeing what they can get for Antoine in the Western
conference.  Major players are said to be Pheonix, Portland, and I
think the Clippers, with Portland's infinite payroll said to be a
leading candidate.