Let's Make a Deal
If nothing big happens by the Feb. 18 trade deadline, it won't be because there are few good deals to be had. Here are five, for starters:
• The Celtics trade F/C Rasheed Wallace to the Hawks and F Brian Scalabrine to the Hornets; the Hawks trade F Marvin Williams, C ZaZa Pachulia, F Joe Smith and a future first-round pick to the Mavericks, and G/F Maurice Evans to the Hornets; the Mavericks trade F Josh Howard to the Hawks and F Drew Gooden to the Celtics; the Hornets trade F James Posey to the Celtics.
It's Extreme Makeover: Contender Edition. Dwight Howard is averaging 21.7 points, 14.3 rebounds against Atlanta this season; enter Wallace, one of the league's top Howard stoppers. The stumbling Mavs flip their unhappy Howard for the comparably skilled Williams and pick up Pachulia and Smith to offset the loss of Gooden, who instantly beefs up Boston's anemic rebounding (29th in the league at week's end). Posey reclaims his role as Boston's sixth man while New Orleans lands two role players and sheds the final two years and $13.4 million of Posey's contract.
• The Clippers trade F/C Marcus Camby to the Thunder for F Etan Thomas and a 2010 lottery-protected draft choice.
Camby gives Oklahoma City the interior defender it has long coveted, while Thomas saves Los Angeles $500,000. The pick is protected if the Thunder falls apart in the second half, though with Camby fortifying the D in the middle, that's unlikely.
• The Cavaliers trade C Zydrunas Ilgauskas and F J.J. Hickson to the Bobcats and G Daniel Gibson to the Grizzlies; the Bobcats trade F Boris Diaw and C Tyson Chandler to the Cavaliers and a future No. 1 pick to the Grizzlies; the Grizzlies trade F Darrell Arthur to the Bobcats and G Marcus Williams to the Cavaliers.
The Cavs get the floor-spacing power forward they crave in Diaw and a pick-and-roll center in Chandler, who backs up Shaquille O'Neal this season and replaces him the next. Gibson's three-point shooting (46.9% through Sunday) helps a team hitting only 33.1% (25th in the NBA), while Arthur and Hickson give coach Larry Brown two young fours to mold. Ilgauskas either finishes out the year in Charlotte or is bought out—and returns after 30 days to Cleveland.
• The Jazz trades free-agent-to-be F Carlos Boozer and C Kyrylo Fesenko to the Wizards for G/F Mike Miller and C Brendan Haywood.
Utah and Boozer are headed for a separation—why not get it over with? The sweet-shooting Miller is a perfect fit at shooting guard, and Haywood can bang with the physical fives in the West. Washington gets a look at Boozer, 28, and can decide if re-signing him is part of the rebuilding plan.
• The Celtics trade G Ray Allen and a No. 1 pick to the Kings for G Kevin Martin and F Andres Nocioni.
Martin, 27, solidifies Boston at two guard for the next four years while the rugged Nocioni splits time at both forward spots off the bench. Sacramento gets Allen as a mentor to rookie guard Tyreke Evans for two months, acquires a draft choice and sheds a couple of ugly contracts.
PHOTO
DAMIAN STROHMEYER (WALLACE); AL TIELEMANS (ALLEN); CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES (DIAW); GREG NELSON (BOOZER); MARK GOLDMAN/ICON SMI (MILLER); NOAH GRAHAM/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (CAMBY)
START PACKING From left: Wallace, Allen, Diaw, Boozer, Miller and Camby