ESPN: Pacers close to getting Harrington again

[FrankSlade7]

Updated: Aug. 21, 2006, 9:22 PM ET

Pacers close to getting Harrington again

By Marc Stein

ESPN.com

The Indiana Pacers, after a seemingly interminable wait, appear to be closing in on a deal that formally secures the return of swingman Al Harrington.

Arn Tellem, Harrington's new agent, told ESPN.com on Monday night that the Pacers are "very close" to finalizing a sign-and-trade arrangement with the Atlanta Hawks that's been weeks in the making.

Harrington, according to NBA front-office sources, is expected to sign a four-year contract worth $35.3 million with the Hawks, who will then deal him to Indiana. It's believed that the Pacers will complete the swap without making a cash payment to the Hawks, who originally sought the maximum $3 million that teams can add to trades.

Atlanta would receive a future first-round pick in exchange for Harrington. It was not immediately known if Indiana will also acquire third-year center John Edwards, whose departure would remove an extra $1.1 million from the Hawks' payroll.

The most Harrington could have received from the Pacers is a six-year contract worth $57 million. But the fourth season of Harrington's new contract, sources say, will be at his option, meaning that the 26-year-old will have the opportunity to return to the free-agent market in the summer of 2009 if he chooses.

On the Pacers' team Web site, club CEO Donnie Walsh was quoted Monday as saying that the framework for the trade is in place, with the final details of Harrington's contract still "in negotiation."

"I think we're coming down to it," Walsh said, "and we'll either get it or we won't."

Harrington's return to the team that drafted him 25th overall in 1998 was considered inevitable in front offices leaguewide for much of July, prompting interested teams to gradually drop out of the bidding. As negotiations dragged on, Harrington severed ties with agent Andy Miller and hired the high-powered Tellem to re-start the process. Yet reports over the weekend that the Pacers had squandered their chance to re-acquire Harrington proved unfounded because of Indiana's $7.5 million trade exception.

That exception -- created in July when Indiana convinced the New Orleans Hornets to participate in a sign-and-trade for Peja Stojakovic instead of simply signing Stojakovic away outright -- has established the Pacers as the only Harrington suitor that could complete a sign-and-trade without forcing Atlanta to take back significant salary. Other interested teams include Golden State, Denver, New York and the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA front-office sources say that Atlanta's teetering ownership group, in the midst of a legal battle with former partner Steve Belkin to keep control of the franchise, has insisted from the start on taking back draft picks and/or cash as opposed to a player or two from Indiana's roster (such as center Jeff Foster) or a more expensive veteran. The Warriors, for example, offered power forward Troy Murphy to the Hawks last month as part of a sign-and-trade that would have netted Harrington something closer to the six-year, $66 million contract he was originally seeking. But Murphy, who averaged a double-double in his past three full seasons, has nearly $51 million left on his contract over the next five years.

The Hawks eventually backed off their cash demands and told the Pacers they'd make the trade so long as Indiana sent them a first-round pick and agreed to absorb Edwards' salary. Atlanta's reluctance to deal with the other teams chasing Harrington maintained Indiana's position as the favorite to land the versatile forward, with the Pacers now hoping that the increasingly fast pace in today's NBA will permit Harrington -- at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds -- to play plenty of power forward in an athletic frontcourt setup alongside Jermaine O'Neal and Danny Granger.

Acquiring Harrington is doubly crucial because he'd ease the burden on Granger when it comes to replacing Ron Artest. The Pacers' $7.5 million trade exception thus looms as one of the most valuable assets of the NBA offseason.

When Stojakovic gave the Hornets a verbal commitment to sign with them mere hours into free agency on July 1, Indiana faced the very real threat of having nothing to show for January's trade of Artest to Sacramento. But a payment to the Hornets believed to be in the $250,000 range -- coupled with the Hornets' knowledge that they'd likely be keeping Harrington away from a fellow West playoff hopeful like Golden State or the Lakers -- turned the Stojakovic deal from an outright free-agent signing into a sign-and-trade, thereby creating the trade exception that set up Harrington's return.

It's believed that the Pacers did also explore the idea of making a sign-and-trade run at Indiana native Bonzi Wells earlier this summer, but Harrington was always their first choice. Wells, looking for a new team after Sacramento signed John Salmons in late July, would supplant Harrington as the best player left on the NBA's open market once Harrington-to-Indiana is consummated.

"Obviously, Indiana, I'm more comfortable there because I've been there, I've been in the East," Harrington told ESPN.com during last month's Vegas Summer League, making it clear then that he expected to wind up with either the Pacers or the Warriors.

"Going into free agency, obviously you think, 'I'm going to be at the bottom of the screen [on ESPN's Bottom Line ticker] like Ben Wallace and the rest of the guys.' But everyone's telling me to be patient, so that's what I'm trying to do."

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.

ESPN

[flava]

just saw that. looks like Al is willing to take less to play with Indy...

flava

[DrReality]

FART. Just FART.

[Popeye]

sucks for us.

[Diesel]

Yep.

From the sounds of it, we don't even get a 2007 pick....

Can BK and the ownership bend over any farther??

If this trade does go down this way, there better be media silence about it in Atlanta. It's definitely a loss.

[BornandDieHawks]

My hopes were up after thinking Indiana was out of the running for AL. I don't care how you look at this potential trade the Hawks is getting the bottom end. Regardless of how you feel about AL, he is worth more than a mid to bottom first round pick period. I am not pointing fingers because it looks like BK had to work around the crazy sh*t with the owners, but this deal just blows.....

[OGRat]

I too had higher hopes for this deal after Indiana appeared out of it. I think getting the pick helps, but I was hoping for more.

Can we at least unload Edwards.

[CBAreject]

Funny, that's exactly what I said when I read the article. EXACTLY.

[Guest Walter]

...a terrible rebuilding PUNT by BK. To go through all this and get nothing more. Just a poorly played hand.

W

[BornandDieHawks]

Since AL is dropping his demands, we should resign him and deal him at the deadline. This contact would not hinder other teams from getting AL who feel they need a little extra to make it or go through the playoffs. They will be more incline to give up more to get him.

[WraithSentinel]

If that pick isn't for 07. We continue to never get the better end of a trade.

[jerrywest]

Quote:

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Since AL is dropping his demands, we should resign him and deal him at the deadline. This contact would not hinder other teams from getting AL who feel they need a little extra to make it or go through the playoffs. They will be more incline to give up more to get him.

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Yep. With that price he becomes a tradeable asset.

[AHF]

Quote:

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Since AL is dropping his demands, we should resign him and deal him at the deadline. This contact would not hinder other teams from getting AL who feel they need a little extra to make it or go through the playoffs. They will be more incline to give up more to get him.

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Yep. With that price he becomes a tradeable asset.

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I disagree. You need to deal him now and move on with your future at the forward spots. It is more valuable, IMO, to get Marvin, Josh and Sheldon bigger minutes than to get some type of premium on the trade. If Al is willing to take that contract, shop him now and move on with things now.

[Final_quest]

This sucks. It's clear that the owners are dead set on not taking on anymore salary.

If this is not for a 2007 pick, why even bother?

[AHF]

Quote:

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This sucks. It's clear that the owners are dead set on not taking on anymore salary.

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Agreed. I have defended them on that in the past but this is painfully clear.

[Seano]

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I disagree. You need to deal him now and move on with your future at the forward spots. It is more valuable, IMO, to get Marvin, Josh and Sheldon bigger minutes than to get some type of premium on the trade.

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Totally agree with this. A logjam like that just cannot continue, as all it really serves to do is hinder the development of your young players. The only way they're going to get better is with experience and minutes- and they are the future here, not Al Harrington. So just get on with it...

That said, this Indiana deal is a big disappointment to me. I think many Hawks fans were led to expect a good return for Harrington, but this trade does virtually nothing for us.

I'm telling ya, with all this extra cap-space- we'd better be a major player in free agency next summer. If not, I might just have to throw my hands up in the air and be done with it.

[pimp]

At this piont , i dont think Al would resign.The hawks let it be known that they rather play the young guys, than bring Harrington back.Al knows that if he resigns, that he would be traded, as soon as possible, and he would have no say in what team he goes to.

[gsuteke]

damn this is a sh!t deal for the Hawks in so many ways.

1. Al stays in the East and makes a hamstrung opponent stronger.

2. We get nothing for Al that can help us for the next 2 to 3 years

3. We get zero bargaining power in attractive expiring contracts.

A big zero no matter how you spin it for us.

Well here goes the sig change already.........

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

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Yep.

From the sounds of it, we don't even get a 2007 pick....

Can BK and the ownership bend over any farther??

If this trade does go down this way, there better be media silence about it in Atlanta. It's definitely a loss.

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Not even a first round pick??? If that's the case, Billy sure got it handed to him. He holds all the cards?

Doesn't sound like it.

[tmac13]

A future 1st rounder!..Thats almost unbelievable..Why drag this crap out all summer for nothing? We should have just renounced him at the beginning of the summer and been done with it..

No more excuses..BK is a lousy GM and this ownership group can't afford to run an NBA team..