Chad Ford: Corliss Williamson Celtics

[wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

(Confusingly written and not the trade I expect from Ainge.
Does Chad mean the Dallas pick? )

Around the league 
GMs were busy here in Los Angeles. Only one trade was actually finalized here, but several others are in the works. It appears that many GMs, especially in the East, are now feeling pressure to respond to Thomas' moves. The Knicks are now a force to be reckoned with and a few teams are going to have to get their act together if they're going to keep up. Here's the buzz from L.A. over the weekend. 

Rasheed Wallace 
Small Forward 
Atlanta Hawks 
Profile 


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS 
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 
45 17.0 6.6 2.5 .442 .742 


One more theory why the Knicks traded Van Horn is worth investigating. Two sources at the All-Star Game Sunday night told Insider it was also a move to clear the way for Rasheed Wallace this summer. According to the sources, the Knicks are far and away Wallace's desired final destination -- even if he has to take the five million mid-level exception to get there. The Knicks will try to work out a sign and trade with Atlanta this summer, but if that falls through . . . expect Wallace to become the final piece of Thomas' puzzle anyway this summer. 

Pistons GM Joe Dumars may be the most motivated GM left to make a deal. The Pistons have to clear around four to five million in cap space to have enough room to re-sign restricted free agent Mehmet Okur this summer. There were numerous theories flying around L.A. speculating what Dumars would do. 
The three most popular had him moving Corliss Williamson to Chicago for Marcus Fizer and Kendall Gill; trading Williamson to Boston for Chris Mills and a Pistons' first-rounder; and Chucky Atkins to Orlando for Tyronn Lue and Gordan Giricek. Of the three, you've got to believe that the Orlando scenario is the most attractive to Detroit. 
The Sonics were happy to see that Ronald Murray could still drop 20 points in game -- albeit in the defenseless NBA Rookie Challenge. It appears that the team is now serious about making a move using Murray as the bait. With Ray Allen the permanent fixture at the two and Antonio Daniels and Luke Ridnour the future at the point -- Murray is expendable and he's got a ton of trade value. The same holds true for Yugoslavian Vladimir Radmanovic, who never has appeared to play up to his potential in Seattle. The team already tried to package the two, along with one of their struggling centers and the expiring contract of Brent Barry to Atlanta. 
The Hawks decided to make a deal with the Blazers instead. That may be a mistake in the long run if the Hawks can't turn their $20 million in cap room into a real free agent. The Sonics obviously want a big in return. Is anyone else willing to play let's make a deal? The Mavs would do something in a heartbeat, but the Sonics are reluctant to take back either Antoine Walker or Antawn Jamison -- both of whom (especially Walker) were being shopped hard by the Mavs over the weekend. 


There's so much talk about an Aaron McKie-for-Jerome Williams swap, and it looks like it's bound to happen. Williams' critical comments toward his tea