Ten teams that had the goods to get Gasol

Tue Feb 5 21:45:34 CST 2008

Ten teams that had the goods to get Gasol

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By Chad Ford
ESPN.com

"Merry Christmas, L.A."  
That sentiment, voiced by _Dallas Mavericks_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=dal)  coach Avery Johnson upon hearing about  the _Pau Gasol_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3513)  trade, has been 
resonating around the  NBA. 
While just about everyone expected the _Memphis Grizzlies_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mem)  to trade Gasol before the Feb. 21  trade 
deadline, no one predicted it would be this soon or for so little in  return. 
Instead of established players, the _Los  Angeles Lakers_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lal)  gave the Grizzlies only a package of expiring  
contracts, draft picks and marginal prospects for Gasol. 
While most GMs weren't publicly venting their frustration on having missed  
out on Gasol, plenty were willing to do so privately. 
The excuses ranged from blaming Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace to blaming their  
owners to … well … pointing the finger in just about every direction but 
their  own. 
One GM I spoke to asserted he had a better deal to offer, claiming that  
Wallace didn't return his calls.  
Another said that just two weeks ago, Wallace was asking for twice as much in 
 return. If this GM had known the Grizzlies were lowering the asking price on 
 Gasol, he would've made another offer, he said. 
A Western Conference GM said the Grizzlies' timing threw him off: "Big trades 
 like this normally don't happen until after the All-Star break. Who would've 
 guessed that the Grizzlies would've jumped the gun and taken such a lopsided 
 deal three weeks before the trade deadline?" 
Another prominent GM said his owner vetoed any trade that would've pushed his 
 team into luxury-tax territory.  
Sour grapes, anyone?  
>From the sob stories, two themes emerged:  
One, a lot of GMs are more than a little jealous that the Lakers, of all  
teams, landed Gasol -- especially given the price tag. 
Second, it sounds like the Grizzlies didn't walk away with the best deal  
available.  
Given that, we have to ask: Which other teams could have landed Gasol, and  
what could they have offered? 
As a starting point, let's look at the basic parameters of the deal the  
Grizzlies accepted:  
• About $11 million in expiring contracts (_Kwame Brown_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3511)  and _Aaron McKie_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2640) ) 
• A prospect drafted in the middle of  the first round in 2007 (_Javaris 
Crittenton_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4297) ) 
• A second-round pick from the  same draft (Marc Gasol) 
• Two first-round picks, likely to be in the No. 20  to 30 range (2008 and 
2010)  
Which teams could have matched or exceeded that deal? As it turns out, plenty 
 of teams could have.  
Here's a look at 10 teams that missed the boat on Gasol (in alphabetical  
order):  
<  
____________________________________

Atlanta Hawks

Potential offer: 
• _Josh Childress_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3823) 

(3.6 million expiring contract)  
• _Tyronn Lue_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3266)  
($3.5 million expiring contract) 
•  _Lorenzen Wright_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3116)  ($3.25 million expiring contract)  
• _Anthony Johnson_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3207)  ($2.8 million expiring contract)  
• First-round draft pick (2010) 
• Note: _Shelden Williams_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4133)  or perhaps _Marvin Williams_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3928)  could have been included in place of  Childress 
Why the deal would have worked for Atlanta: Childress is an important  sixth 
man for the team, but the Hawks are stacked with swingmen and probably  don't 
want to pay Childress a lot as a restricted free agent this summer. The  rest 
of the contracts are dead weight.  
Gasol would have given the Hawks a much-needed veteran plus flexibility to  
trade more assets down the road.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would have  
received roughly the same amount of cap space. Childress, who has a 17.8 PER  (player 
efficiency rating) this season, is a better player than Crittenton is  likely 
to become, and the Hawks' draft pick (potentially a lottery pick) likely  
would be worth more than the two picks the Grizzlies received from the Lakers.  
The downside is that Childress is a restricted free agent this summer, and  
the Grizzlies might have had to shell out more than the midlevel exception to  
keep him.  

____________________________________
Chicago Bulls

Potential offer: 
• _P.J. Brown_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=814)  
($8 million, prorated, expiring  sign-and-trade contract) 
• _Viktor Khryapa_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3839)  ($1.9 million expiring contract)  
• _Tyrus Thomas_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4132) 
 ($3.5 million) 
• First-round draft  pick -- lottery-protected (2008)  
Why the deal would have worked for Chicago: While giving up Thomas and  a 
draft pick might have hurt the Bulls' effort to rebuild with youth, they would  
have been giving up little in terms of actual on-court contribution while 
adding  what they desperately need -- a low-post scoring presence.  
The downside for Chicago would have been that adding Gasol's salary to the  
books would have pushed them into the luxury tax, something Bulls owner Jerry  
Reinsdorf is telling general manager John Paxson he won't pay.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would have  
received roughly the same amount of cap space.  
Thomas has amazing raw tools and would fit a need for the Grizzlies at the 4. 
 He was regarded by many as the top prospect in the 2006 draft, putting him 
on a  much higher plane than Crittenton.  
Also, the pick from the Bulls likely would have been in the No. 15-19 range,  
assuming the Bulls would make the playoffs with Gasol aboard, making it an  
upgrade over the picks the Lakers sent to Memphis.  

____________________________________
Golden State Warriors

Potential offer: 
• _Mickael Pietrus_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3714)  ($3.4 million expiring contract)  
• _Matt Barnes_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3643)  
($3 million expiring contract) 
• _Austin Croshere_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3182)  ($770,610 expiring contract)
• _Patrick O'Bryant_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4137)  ($2.2 million expiring contract)  
• _Brandan Wright_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4286)  ($2.3 million) 
• _Kelenna Azubuike_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4030)  ($687,000 expiring contract) 
•  First-round draft pick  
Why the deal would have worked for Golden State: The Warriors would  not have 
given up any of their core players while adding the perfect low-post  
complement to Don Nelson's run-and-gun system.  
O'Bryant is clearly not a Nellie favorite, and Wright is hardly seeing any  
action either. Given that, getting Gasol would have been quite a coup.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would have  
received roughly the same amount of cap space.  
Wright, a talented 20-year-old big man, was considered one of the best  
long-term prospects in last year's draft and could fit right into the hole left  by 
Gasol at power forward.  
Azubuike and Pietrus have talent, and O'Bryant was a top prospect in 2006.  
The Grizzlies would have had the option of bringing them back or letting them  
walk (as expiring contracts).  
One note: Azubuike, Barnes and Pietrus would have had to agree to this trade. 

____________________________________

Los Angeles Clippers

Potential offer: 
• Elton Brand ($15.3 million, can opt out after  season) 
• First-round draft pick (2008)  
Why the deal would have worked for the Clippers: There's a chance  Brand will 
bolt this summer when he has a chance to opt out of his deal.  
Adding Gasol would've given the Clippers a solid, younger front line  while 
preserving their flexibility to make other deals. And as a bonus, they  would 
have kept Gasol out of the hands of the Lakers.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: Brand is a useful  commodity in 
any scenario, and his contract could have provided the Grizzlies  with several 
appealing options.  
If he had decided to return next season, he would have upgraded the team,  
since he's a better player than Gasol and a better fit on the Grizzlies' front  
line.  
If he had wanted to become a free agent, the Grizzlies could have let him  
walk (and cleared cap space) or worked out a sign-and-trade with him and another 
 team.  
Or he and the Grizzlies could have agreed on a long-term deal to keep him  in 
Memphis.  
Also, the Clippers' 2008 first-round pick almost certainly will be a  lottery 
pick of more value than the two picks the Lakers gave the Grizzlies.  

____________________________________
Miami Heat

Potential offer: 
• _Jason Williams_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3250)  ($8.9 million expiring contract)  
• _Alonzo Mourning_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=845)  ($2.7 million expiring contract)  
• _Daequan Cook_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4299) 
 ($1.1 million) 
• _Alexander Johnson_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4173)  ($770,610) 
• Two first-round  draft picks  
Why the deal would have worked for Miami: If the Heat are going to  make one 
last push for the playoffs with _Shaquille O'Neal_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=847)  (who has two more years on his  contract 
after this season, at $20 million per year), they need more help for _Dwyane 
Wade_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3708) .  
Getting Gasol would have given them another scorer and some depth in the  
frontcourt.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: This trade would have  probably 
been a wash with the Lakers deal.  
The Grizzlies would have cleared a similar amount of cap room, and Cook is on 
 par with Crittenton as a prospect.  
The two future first-round draft picks might have turned out to be more  
valuable than the Lakers' picks, especially in the long run. But Miami already  
owes a pick to Minnesota, so it would have been awhile before the Grizzlies  
actually received the picks, which might have been a problem. 
One solution that might have made a trade with Miami work for Memphis would  
have been to include _Brian Cardinal_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3443) , whom the Grizzlies have been trying to  move for years. 
The Heat could have sent back _Smush Parker_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3662)  and _Dorell Wright_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3836) 's expiring contract. 

____________________________________
New Jersey Nets

Potential offer: 
• _Jamaal Magloire_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3418)  ($4 million expiring contract)  
• _Bostjan Nachbar_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3613)  ($2.5 million expiring contract)  
• _Antoine Wright_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3941)  ($1.6 million expiring contract)  
• _Nenad Krstic_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3622) 
 ($1.9 million expiring contract) 
•  _Darrell Armstrong_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3001)  ($770,610 expiring contract)  
• _Malik Allen_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3507)  
($770,610 expiring contract)
• Two  first-round draft picks  
Why the deal would have worked for New Jersey: The Nets might prefer  to move 
_Jason Kidd_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2625)  
and/or _Vince Carter_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3248)  and start rebuilding. But both players are  proving difficult to move. 
The other direction to go would be to add a low-post scoring presence. Gasol  
would have been a great fit. The Nets' payroll would have been totally 
wrapped  up in four guys (Kidd, Carter, Gasol, _Richard Jefferson_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3523) ), but the team would have become  
strong again. 
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The deal would have  cleared 
about the same amount of cap room.  
Krstic should be a very nice player again once he recovers from knee surgery. 
 He will be a restricted free agent this summer, but the Grizzlies could have 
 locked him up fairly inexpensively.  
And the two first-round picks should be better than those the Lakers gave up. 

____________________________________
Orlando Magic

Potential offer: 
• _Keyon Dooling_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3409)  ($3.6 million expiring contract)  
• _Pat Garrity_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3262)  
($3.8 million expiring contract) 
•  _Maurice Evans_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3568)  ($1.7 million expiring contract)  
• _J.J. Redick_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4139)  
($2 million) 
• Draft rights to Fran  Vazquez
• Two first-round draft picks  
Why the deal would have worked for Orlando: The Magic are an  up-and-coming 
team, but they lack depth on the front line. _Rashard Lewis_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3275)  is playing out of position at the 
4. Put  Gasol at power forward and move Lewis back to the 3 -- with Turkoglu 
providing  All-Star level support at both positions -- and the Magic would have 
had perhaps  the best front line in the NBA, considering _Dwight Howard_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3818) 's presence at 
center. 
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would have  
received roughly the same amount of cap space.  
Redick is a former lottery pick who can really shoot -- perhaps he's not a  
better prospect than Crittenton, but he's probably on the same tier. Vazquez is 
 a better international prospect than Marc Gasol.  
And those two first-round picks are likely to be better than the picks  
Memphis got from the Lakers.  

____________________________________
Phoenix Suns

Potential offer: 
• _Shawn Marion_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3332) 
 ($16.4 million, can opt out after  season) 
• Atlanta's 2008 first-round draft pick  
Why the deal would have worked for Phoenix: The Suns are looking for  size 
and have been shopping Marion for two years. Meanwhile, he asked to be  traded 
during training camp and might opt out of his contract, leaving Phoenix  
empty-handed. 
The Suns actually would have saved some money in the short term and wouldn't  
have had to worry anymore about Marion's moods or negotiating position. While 
 Gasol wouldn't have given them the toughness they need, he would have been a 
 great fit in coach Mike D'Antoni's system. 
As for the draft pick, the Suns don't seem to value those, usually selling  
them or trading them away.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would have  cleared 
a great amount of cap room if Marion opted out of his contract, which  would 
have been expected, given the choice of staying in Memphis or leaving for  a 
long-term contract elsewhere. Also, that could have led to a sign-and-trade  
opportunity for Memphis to land a player it might have wanted this summer.  
If Marion had decided not to opt out, his contract would still be expiring in 
 2009.  
Atlanta's draft pick likely will be a late-lottery or mid-first-round pick,  
which is probably more valuable than the pair of picks the Lakers gave up. 

____________________________________
San Antonio Spurs

Potential offer:
• _Brent Barry_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3017)  
($5.5 million expiring contract) 
• _Francisco Elson_ (http://sports.
espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3364)  ($3 million expiring contract )
• _Robert Horry_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=830)  
($3.6 million expiring contract) 
• _Ian Mahinmi_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3954)  
($625,000)
• Two first-round draft picks  (2008 and 2010)  
Why the deal would have worked for San Antonio: Adding Gasol would've  
injected new life into the franchise. With Gasol and _Tim Duncan_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3173)  manning the frontline and _Tony 
Parker_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3527)  and _Manu 
Ginobili_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3380)  in the 
backcourt, the Spurs would've been  back on top of the West. The downside 
would be the serious luxury tax  ramifications of adding Gasol. But he'd probably 
be worth it. 
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: This is virtually an  identical 
deal to what the Lakers offered Memphis. The Grizzlies would have  received 
roughly the same amount of cap space.  
Mahinmi is a prospect, albeit a very raw one, who can play the 4. 
The two first-round picks, like the Lakers, would've likely been very late  
first-round picks. 

____________________________________
Toronto Raptors

Potential offer: 
• _Andrea Bargnani_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4129)  ($4.8 million) 
• _Carlos Delfino_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3728)  ($1.8 million expiring contract)  
• _Juan Dixon_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3615)  
($2.5 million expiring contract) 
•  _Joey Graham_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3942) 
 ($1.6 million) 
• _Jamario Moon_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4342) 
 ($770,610)  
Why the deal would have worked for Toronto: The franchise is high on  
Bargnani and Moon, but Gasol alongside _Chris Bosh_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3707)  would have given the Raptors one of the best  
front lines in basketball. Given the strength throughout the roster, the Raptors  
would have been real competitors to the Celtics and the Pistons.  
Why the deal would have worked for Memphis: The Grizzlies would not  have 
cleared a lot of cap room, but they would have received some very  interesting 
young players, especially Bargnani (the No. 1 pick in the 2006  draft) and Moon, 
an older rookie who is likely to be a first team All-Rookie  selection this 
year.  
_Chad Ford_ (http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/writeback?name=Chad+Ford)  
covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. 

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