76ers To Sign Geiger To $9 M. Per Year Deal

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                                        January 16, 1999

   
                               Sixers seem set to land Geiger
     
                       Elden Campbell appears to be an alternative, but
                       less likely, acquisition at the center spot.
 
                                     By Stephen A. Smith
                                     INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
      
                       Barring any last-minute developments, free-agent
                       center Matt Geiger will be wearing a 76ers
                       uniform by next week, a team source said last
                       night.
                       The 7-foot center, who has played the last three
                       seasons with Charlotte, is expected to agree to
                       a six-year deal at $54 million, the $9 million
                       per season being the maximum he can get under
                       the new collective-bargaining agreement between
                       NBA owners and players. The deal could be done
                       as early as Tuesday.
    
                       "It's a safe bet," a Sixers insider said, "but
                       it's not etched in stone yet."
      
                       That would be because the Sixers are still
                       entertaining the outside possibility of
                       acquiring Elden Campbell, the Los Angeles
                       Lakers' backup center. They have discussed a
                       number of ways of acquiring Campbell, ranging
                       from a sign-and-trade deal that would send
                       Derrick Coleman to the Lakers to a three-way
                       deal involving Chicago, one that would have the
                       Bulls sending Scottie Pippen to the Lakers.
     
                       Another Sixers priority involves re-signing
                       free-agent center Theo Ratliff, who is expected
                       to command anywhere between $7 and $9 million
                       per season, assuming he wants to re-sign.
     
                       As in the case of Geiger, Orlando and Boston
                       also have shown interest in Ratliff, meaning
                       that the Sixers need to move quickly. If
                       rumblings coming out of their camp are accurate,
                       they have done that.


                         ©1999 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.