ESPN is reporting that the Harrington-to-the-Knicks deal will involve Jamal Crawford. The report conflicts with the earlier New York Post article suggesting that it would be Rose (and his expiring contract) who would be acquired by Golden State.
UPDATE: The Post now confirms it will be Crawford, straight-up for Al.
There is also talk of a second trade, not necessarily today, that would send Zach Randolph to the Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.
Update 2: The New York Times reports the Harrington-for-Crawford trade is official. In additon, a Randolph-for-Thomas-and-Mobley trade is "very likely," and has already been approved from the Knicks side.
Update 3: The L.A. Times reports that the Clippers have officially traded Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.
Randolph and Crawford are the two leading scorers for New York this season.
Now the Clippers have a logjam, with Camby, Randolph, and Kaman all competing for minutes. While some sources say Kaman is untouchable, others say the Clippers have been shopping him, and that Charlotte may be interested. Having said that, the only real asset Charlotte has at this point is Gerald Wallace. Stay tuned . . .
According to SI.com, Mike Dunleavy has suggested that Camby will be a backup to Randolph and Kaman, filling either position when needed. Considering the fact that the Clippers got Camby for essentially nothing, and that Marcus is getting older and is injury prone, this arrangement might work after all.
Crawford is averaging nearly 20 points and over four assists per game, and would have a great opportunity to score even more in Oakland—especially while Monta Ellis is out.
After Ellis returns, Crawford could remain at point guard, while Monta would fit in his natural shooting-guard position. Corey Maggette and Stephen Jackson would be the starters at either the SF or PF positions, depending on the match-ups presented by the opposing team. And, of course, Andris Biedrins would stay at center.
It's unlikely that Crawford will opt out of his contract, since the over $8.5 million he'd be getting (up to 10 mil in two years) per year is more than he'd get on the open market. In addition, Golden State's offense will likely increase his scoring, therefore upping whatever value he has. The Warriors could also use him as trade bait if his scoring impresses other teams.
The only issue with this lineup would be playing time for Brandan Wright. But for the three years remaining on Crawford's contract, the Warriors would have a very high-scoring team, and Wright could play a Leon Powe-type role off the bench, bringing even more energy, and using his length to grab rebounds and score on put-backs.
Crawford is only 28, so he will still be almost the same player he is today even three years from now. He's no Boom Dizzle, but the Warriors are playing decent basketball even without Monta and Harrington, and it appears that Golden State got quite a deal for a discontented player who was riding the bench.
Plus, he's not Malik Rose—although the expiring contract would be nice, too.
But, as HoopsWorld points out, what is going to happen Anthony Morrow?
With B-Wright, A-Mo, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, etc, coming off the bench, the Warriors appear to have two distinct rotations now.
Thankfully, Crawford won't have to guard centers when he plays for the Warriors.
comments (16) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
it's an exciting day to be a knicks fan...a lot of moves today to prepare for the lebron push...however, we don't have much to look forward to for a while now lol....we are just gonna have to keep watching this video of nate robinson dancing to bring smiles to our faces lol: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1859735478?bclid=1859720801&bctid=2454972001
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, kinda crazy.
The Warriors essentially just traded Mike Dunleavy for Jamal Crawford, and the Knicks just traded Randolph and Crawford for you-know-who. And of course the Warriors get Monta Ellis back for free.
Delayed gratification for both sides, but worth it.
Now if the Warriors could just dump Maggette on Charlotte for Gerald Wallace in January (yeah, right) . . .
about 1 month ago
I'm surprised the Knicks didn't hold out for the Roase trade. You are right, GS did well to get an excellent player for an unhappy one. That said, Crawford has an opt out at the end of this season, and he will surely use it. If he does, and stays with GS, it will likely be for more years. IF GS is smart, they just give him a 3 year, but bigger money deal.. Will be interesting how that works out. They didn't have to give up a pick or any youth, so nice job on their part.
from about 1 month ago
I've read in quite a few places that the money Crawford will get on the open market is less than that which he would get by staying a Warrior.
However, if he did go, that would open cap space. Besides, 1 year of Crawford vs. a year of Malik Rose? The Warriors would take Jamal any day, even with his streaky shooting (a Warrior house specialty). An extension? Probably not. He might be a trade chip, though, if the run-and-gun offense in Oakland increases his value.
Also, the Warriors essentially just traded Dunleavy and Murphy for Stephen Jackson and Crawford (or whoever his money brings if he opts out. That's the real bargain here. Whatever Harrington brought would almost be gravy (Gerald Wallace would've been asking for too much).
The Knicks will probably fall back to the high lottery after these trades. Would the Ewing rule apply to B.J. Mullins?
from about 1 month ago
do the knicks actually have a first rounder this year?
from about 1 month ago
Scott, good question, they may have traded it . . .
from about 1 month ago
top 22-protected '09, unprotected 2010, the pick would go to Utah, but not if it's a lottery pick
about 1 month ago
Thanks gobears. Knicks getting into this lottery would be great. They need to be good next year, but If you've been watching them, they are not gonna suck(I wish they would). Keep in mind that if Harrington steps in at the 3/4, next to Chandler, and Richardson moves from the 3 to the 2, or from the 3 to the bench in favor of mobley, then the Knicks don't loose as much as most folks think.
My problem with the crawford trade is they should have gotten more. Of course GS is happy to have Jamal, and wouldn't want rose, but they were the desperate ones here, and Donnie should have made them give up more, or take less.
Knicks can't just throw away assets if they want to win the LBJ race. He won't come to NY if they have no core to step into, and giving crawford away hurts that a little.
That said, I would suspect that IF, they are to sign an LBJ, and if they retain the rights to Duhon, and or HArrington, that maybe they sign one of the other. I think they don't get to use that cap space unless they "renounce" such players, in which case they will let Harrington go, and may keep Duhon.
If anyone has watched, how good has duhon looked! I'm much more impressed than I thought I'd be!
I'd be OK with Lee to Utah for that pick back! But I don't know if Utah would do that? They might with Boozer just out! Knicks are in a tough spot, do you get picks, that won't really attract LBJ much, or do you get players that you have to pay a few bucks to. Lee for Almond would work for both teams, but that would eat up a little cap space.
from about 1 month ago
The Knicks are scoring very, very well right now. However, they might have messed up their team chemistry by breaking up a unit that was coming together nicely.
On the other hand, if Chandler and Lee turn into great players, and Duhon keeps up his assists, the Knicks could be in decent shape this season. However, they seem to have struggled in their last few games; their next few games (Cle, @ Det, Warriors, Portland, @ Cle) should give a good indication of whether or not they can stay in the race.
I'm one of the few that think that the Knicks aren't doomed if they don't get LeBron. If they signed Bosh, for example, they could still sign another great player (Amare?). That kind of signing usually only happened in old video games where the computer was too stupid to offer decent free agent contracts, but if Bosh went to New York, why wouldn't someone like Amare follow for a chance at a championship. Whoever signs LeBron probably won't have the cap space to splurge on another marquee player (unless it's the Knicks). Of course, there's the possibility of a Bosh-LBJ or even an LBJ-Amare combo. Look out, Eastern Conference!
From the Warriors side, extending Captain Jack was worse on the cap than taking on Crawford's contract.
In the weird rumor department, if the Warriors are a good team in a few years, there might be a sign-and-trade for Dirk Nowitzki. Now that would be truly strange.
from about 1 month ago
Heck, the Knicks could try to sign Boozer, too.
about 1 month ago
So I think some of us may be missing a big point. in the summer of 2010, the class of 2006 members who havent' signed extensions will also be available. Not a great draft, but with Roy, Aldridge, and Gay all available, I could see the Knicks combining LBJ with one of those 3. (Even Rondo would be available.. and Balkman for us loyalists!!)
Of course, if you have a choice, you may not want to be a free agent that summer if all the money ends up going to the 5 or 6 super stars that are always discussed.
The Knicks look at the time will dictate their offers. Again, I suspect that Lee will be moved this year to avoid problems, and paying him big. Bring in a player from the classes of 2006, 2007, or 2008, possibly a classic shooting guard type, and they find themselves in nice shape.
Also to consider, with Chandler showing that he has a nice all around skill set, do the Knicks move Gallinari to meet a need?
from about 1 month ago
It probably depends on the ratio of cap space teams to free agents. If there are many more decent FA's than teams with cap room, then the Knicks could clean up with a number of lower-caliber free agents to build a solid team around LBJ, rather than going the 2 or even 3-star route. The Celtics won with a decent bench an three great starters, but the Kincks could just as well win with one mega-star and a very solid supporting cast.
On the other hand, why wouldn't Amare (or Wade, etc.) take a pay cut to go get a ring in the Big Apple?
A marquee free agent might also agree to a short-term contract to get their ring and then get a max contract. With LeBron locked up long-term, the possibilities aren't endless, but there sure would be a lot of them.
I would see the Warriors, if they can get rid of Maggette (any takers? fire sale starts in mid-December - place your orders now), taking the mid-level free agent route. Or maybe going after a 2009 restricted free agent. If you guys are going to get Roy, can we have Robinson or Lee haha?
There also might be a great opportunity for either team to take advantage of a franchise that's desperate to get under the cap for a shot at D-Wade or even LBJ.
about 1 month ago
Also.. I would think thatAl Horford would be a restricted Free Agent that summer. I could see the Knicks offering him a big fat FA deal, though likely less than what might be needed to get Amare if he can't be had. Knicks will have lots of options, and if they get 2 stars, may overcome any talent deficiencies.
Next move to watch for is will the Nets be able to move Vince Carter so they can bid move for move with the Knicks... of course, this all assumes the Knicks are able to move Curry, not sign Lee, and sign Robinson for a reasonable amount.
from about 1 month ago
Also, a team could very well decide they can't sign a player. (For example, what if Horford said he was considering Europe?).
Then a scenario something like this could happen:
Hawks can't (or don't want to) sign Marvin Williams or Horford.
NJ gets: Mike Bibby (expiring contract), Horford
ATL gets: Maggette from GS, VC from NJ
GS gets Marvin Williams and a decent, but mostly cap filler player (Former Cal player Ryan Anderson?)
NJ gets cap space and Horford, ATL gets tons of scoring, GS erases their Maggette mistake and gets a young 3-point-shooting forward.
about 1 month ago
So his obviously dropping cash to get ready for 2010?
NY, NJ, Detroit. Who else? Dallas could be a weak player, Boston could be in. Lots of the small market teams will have money, but will they be persuasive. What could an Atlanta, or a Sacramento do to be able to make their money better?
The courting process will be a big part of it all as we have seen in recent years(Ben Wallace etc.)
from about 1 month ago
The only players I can think of would be Knicks, Nets, Pistons. Maybe Boston or even L.A. (Lakers, of course) could get him via a sign-and-trade (very unlikely).
The rest of the teams in the league will have to try to benefit from those 3 teams trying to clear cap space. It's possible that some teams will try to mess with other team's cap sapce by offering restricted free agents more than they're worth.
The 2009 draft could be very good (Blake Griffen, Steph Curry, B.J. Mullins, Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, etc.), so some of these players could come into play as well in the 2010 GM chess matches.
Whatever happens, it should be a great couple of years. I just wish the Warriors wouldn't be so nice with their contract extensions next time.
write a new comment