Iverson Asks To Be Traded

[DrReality]

Let the rumors begin . . . . . again.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/436...s_to_be_traded/

[Nicholasp27]

we'd better not trade for him

[macdaddy]

I believe it but man Peter Vescey is obsessed with AI wanting out of Philly. He has been pushing this story since Larry Brown was coaching there. Every year he says AI will be traded and it never happens. I'm ready just to stop hearing about it. He ain't coming here so who cares.

[gsuteke]

how would Billy absorb AI's salary?

he traded away our only accounting chip in Al Harrington. Joe makes an exorbant amount of money so Atlanta looks closer to the cap than they really are if you consider fielding an entire team.

AI's salary is 16.4 million to be exact

be mindful that this isn't a yahoo sports fantasy basketball trade we're talking about before you reply

NBA Salaries

[mrhonline]

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how would Billy absorb AI's salary?

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Kudos for forcing this issue.

First, Iverson makes $18.2M this year. The Hawks have somewhere around $7M in cap space (have the exact figures at home, but I'm at work right now). So, they would have to send out around $11M in salaries.

The trade would HAVE TO include Claxton. That leaves you with around $4.5M to go. You have Lo Wright's $3M. That leaves around $1.5M. You are then obligated to give them a young player of some talent and potential. They would want Josh Smith. They would also likely want the Indy pick.

So, the deal would have to be:

Speedy Claxton

Lorenzen Wright

Josh Smith

Indiana's 1st (top 10 protected)

Iverson/JJ/Marvin/Shelden/Pachulia

with Lue/Salim/Childress/Batista/Jones off the bench. The Hawks would then have two open rosters spots to get another backup big man. Marvin would have to play some PF as well.

The Sixers would lineup Claxton/Iggy/Smith/Webber/Dalembert with Green/Korver/Carney/Wright/Hunter off the bench. They would also have two picks in a deep draft.

(Iverson's deal is for three years. The only young player the Hawks would have to re-sign within that time frame is Josh Childress. That should be feasible).

If the Hawks' ownership is willing/able to spend the money, it's not an impossible trade proposal. And you have to admit that the Hawks would then have the best backcourt in the NBA. They would also have the weakest bench. (Still, that's what the MLE is for).

[gsuteke]

so you are trading a point for another point. wash

subsequently we trade our most viable backup C. we do alleviate some of the perceived logjam issues at SF. we trade Indy's 1st rounder which we hope will turn into a PG we can groom.

it's a great deal if you can compete for a championship in a 2 year time span.

it's also great because it allows BK to get over the cap after he resigns Chillz, Marv, Shelden, and Lue. i call that "monopoly money."

on the other hand it could blow up in your face pretty easy. also i think Philly would be stupid to accept that deal.

nice thinking on your part MrHonline. it's not easy to put these two rosters side by side and come up with a trade that's realistic. i think that one is.

anyhow back to the original post. the salary cap figures make an AI trade to the Hawks very unlikely. if you want to be a proponent of one please be sure to post how the heck it can be done.

[mrhonline]

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also i think Philly would be stupid to accept that deal.

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So do I, and it's one of the only possibilities. (You could swap out Childress for Smith and then take back a minimum salary player from Philly, but I don't think the Sixers would want Childress).

[jerrywest]

Nice work MrHonline. Lets look at it from the management point of view:

* Attendance won't be a problem for few years. It might not be anyway because Hawks are already an exciting team.

* One AI injury could ruin the franchise for many years.

* If they are unsatisfied with Speedy's injury and Wright's lack of offense this helps them get rid of bad contracts

* Paul who?

* Team chemistry might suffer. Although JJ, MW, JC & SW might be able to work with AI. If they can't nobody can.

* Depth is gone, but repairable.

* NBA final, national TV, respect, referee's calls, Michel Vick of NBA, and many many other possibilities.

* Josh Smith is no savior.

[Diesel]

It would have to be something like:

Speedy, Marvin, and Chillz for AI...

The question:

Does that make us better?

AI, JJ, Smoove, Shelden, and Zaza as the starting 5.

I honestly don't know.

Not that I think that those players are better than AI. I'm just thinking about Chemistry.

Ai would increase our on ball defense at the PG position, but how many years does he have?

Moreover, how much would he need to score?

I would think NY would be more interested than us.

[gsuteke]

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also i think Philly would be stupid to accept that deal.

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So do I, and it's one of the only possibilities. (You could swap out Childress for Smith and then take back a minimum salary player from Philly, but I don't think the Sixers would want Childress).

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i'm not going post digging but i said on a number of occasions this summer that if Philly wants to get rid of AI they'll have to swallow a bitter pill. they will not get back multiple young players in return. the best they can hope for is 1 good young player and some salary filler.

they have backed themselves in a corner, especially if AI keeps running his mouth publicly.

[Nicholasp27]

attendance is already not too much of a problem at this point

we already sold out half of our home games so far

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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It would have to be something like:

Speedy, Marvin, and Chillz for AI...

The question:

Does that make us better?

AI, JJ, Smoove, Shelden, and Zaza as the starting 5.

I honestly don't know.

Not that I think that those players are better than AI. I'm just thinking about Chemistry.

Ai would increase our on ball defense at the PG position, but how many years does he have?

Moreover, how much would he need to score?

I would think NY would be more interested than us.

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if BK gave Philly both Chillz and Marv, or even just Marv for that matter it would be the equivalent of throwing Billy King a life preserver.

Philly fans are going to be sick when they see what AI's market value will be.

i wonder what happened to that bald-headed white guy that used to be the Sixers owner, you know the guy that was always on the NBA telecasts. that franchise was on the right foot when he was in charge.

[Johnnybravo4]

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attendance is already not too much of a problem at this point

we already sold out half of our home games so far

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If A.I was on the squad we'd sell out 100% of our home games. We'd sell out a saturday matinee game against the bobcats.

The Hawks would replace the Falcons as the #1 ticket. We'd easily win the East.

[capstone21]

completely agree

AI is a chemistry killer.

[gsuteke]

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attendance is already not too much of a problem at this point

we already sold out half of our home games so far

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If A.I was on the squad we'd sell out 100% of our home games. We'd sell out a saturday matinee game against the bobcats.

The Hawks would replace the Falcons as the #1 ticket. We'd easily win the East.

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all good points, however it could easily blow up also.

i think BK has made some good longterm moves here. trading for AI would be a serious turn.

Zaza

Chillz

Marvin

Smoove

Joe

Shelden

those are 6 guys that can be Atlanta Hawks 6 years from now. Billy needs to figure out a PG and C.

it looks like the Hawks are a playoff caliber team this year. how many years are the Hawks away from being able to contend in the East? if the answer is one or two then why pull the trigger on AI?

[mrhonline]

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if BK gave Philly both Chillz and Marv, or even just Marv for that matter it would be the equivalent of throwing Billy King a life preserver.

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I completely agree.

IMO, if Atlanta wants Iverson, Philly would send him here ASAP because:

1. The Hawks, unlike virtually every other team in the NBA (the 'Cats already have Felton) have the ability to provide the Sixers with INSTANT luxury tax savings because they are so far under the cap.

2. They can also afford to send out a young player as well.

3. Any other team's trade for Iverson is likely to include Philly taking back a sucky contract.

4. To top things off, Claxton's contract is declining, providing even more financial incentive.

So, here are the questions to answer:

1. Can/will the ownership spend the money?

2. Would an AI/JJ backcourt work?

[jerrywest]

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Philly fans are going to be sick when they see what AI's market value will be.

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yes. thats when smoove will look like a big deal to them. Just wait.

Marvin+Chillz, are you kidding? MW shows every indication to be a very special player. Both way.

[mrhonline]

Quote:

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i think BK has made some good

longterm

moves here. trading for AI would be a serious turn.

Zaza

Chillz

Marvin

Smoove

Joe

Shelden

those are 6 guys that can be Atlanta Hawks 6 years from now. Billy needs to figure out a PG and C.

---

As I stated earlier, you would be swapping Smith for Iverson - a clear talent upgrade at a pivotal position, as well as trading from a strength.

Iverson's contract expires before JJ, Marvin, Zaza, and Shelden become free agents. There's no problem there.

Childress might be an issue, but only if the Hawks refuse to go over the cap to re-sign him.

[jerrywest]

Quote:

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Zaza

Chillz

Marvin

Smoove

Joe

Shelden

those are 6 guys that can be Atlanta Hawks 6 years from now. Billy needs to figure out a PG and C.

it looks like the Hawks are a playoff caliber team this year. how many years are the Hawks away from being able to contend in the East? if the answer is one or two then why pull the trigger on AI?

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Yes. Hawks are poised for a possible decade long playoff run. AI could be like RedBull/Sugar that bring you down after a short while.

[gsuteke]

Quote:

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Quote:

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i think BK has made some good

longterm

moves here. trading for AI would be a serious turn.

Zaza

Chillz

Marvin

Smoove

Joe

Shelden

those are 6 guys that can be Atlanta Hawks 6 years from now. Billy needs to figure out a PG and C.

---

As I stated earlier, you would be swapping Smith for Iverson - a clear talent upgrade at a pivotal position, as well as trading from a strength.

Iverson's contract expires before JJ, Marvin, Zaza, and Shelden become free agents. There's no problem there.

Childress might be an issue, but only if the Hawks refuse to go over the cap to re-sign him.

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i cannot stand Josh Smith's propensity to shy away from the box and settle for jumpers all night. that being said I don't think he's a PF either. that would explain alot right there. get somebody to work with that kid on his handles, he just teases me too much with his AK47 impersonations to make me want to trade him so early.

i understand we are talking about "the answer." if you could guarantee me he'd show up every night on the defensive end of the floor then I'd have to atleast consider it. that's a big if though and we're not talking about a guy with sterling character here.