http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13340171p-14182116c.html
In heavy trading...
NBA action will be hectic today as announced deals finally become official.
At long last, the collective bargaining agreement - a New-York-phone-book-sized stack of pertinent papers - has been translated, sorted, stapled and delivered. In other words, the new six-year NBA agreement kicks open the floodgates to free-agent signings and trades that have been discussed, agreed to in principle and reported for weeks but could not become official until today.
"It's going to be a pretty active day," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said, sizing up the league in general.
What has happened that will keep the Kings busy today? They will:
* Announce their newest addition, Bonzi Wells. The guard will come aboard in a three-team trade that will send Bobby Jackson to Memphis and Wells to his third NBA city.
A free agent next summer, Wells seeks a fresh start and a starting job. The Kings seek a return to playoff stature after being eliminated in the first round by the Seattle SuperSonics. It was the Kings' earliest exit in five years.
* Trade a future second-round draft pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for guard Jason Hart, who is expected to back up Mike Bibby.
* Still have question marks in guard Maurice Evans and forward Darius Songaila. Both are restricted free agents, meaning the Kings can match other offers. Evans has drawn interest from the champion San Antonio Spurs (that he recently bought a house in San Antonio a block from his agent, Roger Montgomery, makes one wonder) and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Evans has said he is interested in both franchises. His first NBA season in 2001-02 was in Minnesota, where he became close friends with Kevin Garnett (KG invited him to live with him). The players still talk regularly.
Songaila, a rugged and reliable reserve, still could return to the Kings, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein.
Petrie said there are "ongoing negotiations" with Evans and Songaila. And Petrie indicated the Kings are not done wheeling and dealing.
"We've got other things we intend to do and want to do," Petrie said.
Elsewhere in the NBA, look for a great number of major roster changes:
* The Phoenix Suns will trade three-point specialist Quentin Richardson to the New York Knicks for rebounder Kurt Thomas. Versatile guard Joe Johnson is set to join the Atlanta Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal. Phoenix led the league in scoring and victories last season but suddenly finds itself without two ace shooters.
The Suns could soften those blows by landing Michael Finley of the Dallas Mavericks - if the veteran guard is waived under a new "amnesty" clause in the collective bargaining agreement.
If the Mavericks waive Finley, they could save $51 million in the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax penalty over the length of his remaining contract. Dallas still would have to pay his salary, however.
* The Lakers, a rare lottery entry last month, will be able to announce the addition of Kwame Brown to their roster via a trade from the Washington Wizards for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. Brown, a 7-foot center, is a chronic underachiever, a former No. 1 pick who is trying to whisk away any "bust" labels. The Lakers are hoping a change of place will do the man good.
* Seattle's biggest offseason player move to date will be re-signing Ray Allen, the All-Star guard who devastated the Kings in the playoffs.
* In obtaining Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Nets stockpile a roster that already includes Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter.
* Cleveland will add free-agent guard Larry Hughes to a club that already features LeBron James. The Cavaliers will also announce the re-signing of All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and free-agent acquisition forward Donyell Marshall of the Toronto Raptors.
* Miami was within minutes of dethroning the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, falling in seven games, and in an effort to reach that level again, the Heat will re-sign forward Udonis Haslem. It also has been reported Shaquille O'Neal is close to re-signing with the Heat for five years and some $125 million.
"I can assure you Shaquille will be in a Miami Heat uniform for a very long time," Micky Arison, Miami Heat owner, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from Italy.
* And the moratorium that is lifted today has strings stretched even further across the globe, with the Indiana Pacers prepared to sign guard Sarunas Jasikevicius of Lithuania. He played at Maryland in the late 1990s and is considered Europe's best NBA-ready talent. A number of teams were vying for his services.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Bee staff writer Joe Davidson offers his analysis on some of the key summer NBA moves that will become official today with the moratorium now being lifted:
Bobby Jackson to Memphis for Bonzi Wells
The skinny: In a three-team trade that included Greg Ostertag returning to the Utah Jazz, the Kings deal two reserves who hardly impacted the team last season for a starter with some impact capabilities; if Wells competes and smiles, it's a Kings steal.
Ray Allen remains in Seattle
The skinny: No team had more free agents and summer angst than the SuperSonics; by re-signing the best quick-shooter in the business, Seattle contends again next season.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim to New Jersey
The skinny: Tall and talented, Abdur-Rahim will leave Portland via a trade and make the Nets a sudden Eastern Conference player again.
Stromile Swift to Houston
The skinny: By signing a free-agent deal with the Rockets, Swift gives Houston another presence to go with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.
Larry Hughes to Cleveland
The skinny: The Cavaliers targeted Michael Redd and Ray Allen and settled for a very capable third-option free agent who can score and defend, particularly steals. Team LeBron should be pleased, especially with Zydrunas Ilgauskas re-signing.
Quentin Richardson to New York for Kurt Thomas
The skinny: The Suns swap three-point scoring and spastic courtside Brandy sightings for rebounding; with Joe Johnson bound for Atlanta, Phoenix needs outside scoring (enter Michael Finley?).
Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington for Kwame Brown
The skinny: The Lakers weren't going anywhere, so they gambled on Brown, the former No. 1 overall pick; if he excels, the Lakers could push for the playoffs right away.
Jerome James to New York
The skinny: Larry Brown might be wondering if there's a way to void this free-agent signing; James had one great playoffs series, against the Kings.
Bobby Simmons to Milwaukee
The skinny: The NBA's Most Improved Player suddenly is one of the most wealthy when he signs a free-agent package with a Bucks team that also re-signed Michael Redd.
Philadelphia retaining three
The skinny: By re-signing Sam Dalembert, Willie Green and Kyle Korver, the 76ers will have their core intact for another playoff run, with Dalembert the key as a rising-star center.
Cuttino Mobley to the Clippers
The skinny: His Sacramento departure via free agency prompted the Wells move; Mobley, a good shooter still learning how to pass after all these seasons, has yet to win a single playoff series.
In heavy trading...
NBA action will be hectic today as announced deals finally become official.
At long last, the collective bargaining agreement - a New-York-phone-book-sized stack of pertinent papers - has been translated, sorted, stapled and delivered. In other words, the new six-year NBA agreement kicks open the floodgates to free-agent signings and trades that have been discussed, agreed to in principle and reported for weeks but could not become official until today.
"It's going to be a pretty active day," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said, sizing up the league in general.
What has happened that will keep the Kings busy today? They will:
* Announce their newest addition, Bonzi Wells. The guard will come aboard in a three-team trade that will send Bobby Jackson to Memphis and Wells to his third NBA city.
A free agent next summer, Wells seeks a fresh start and a starting job. The Kings seek a return to playoff stature after being eliminated in the first round by the Seattle SuperSonics. It was the Kings' earliest exit in five years.
* Trade a future second-round draft pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for guard Jason Hart, who is expected to back up Mike Bibby.
* Still have question marks in guard Maurice Evans and forward Darius Songaila. Both are restricted free agents, meaning the Kings can match other offers. Evans has drawn interest from the champion San Antonio Spurs (that he recently bought a house in San Antonio a block from his agent, Roger Montgomery, makes one wonder) and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Evans has said he is interested in both franchises. His first NBA season in 2001-02 was in Minnesota, where he became close friends with Kevin Garnett (KG invited him to live with him). The players still talk regularly.
Songaila, a rugged and reliable reserve, still could return to the Kings, according to his agent, Mark Bartelstein.
Petrie said there are "ongoing negotiations" with Evans and Songaila. And Petrie indicated the Kings are not done wheeling and dealing.
"We've got other things we intend to do and want to do," Petrie said.
Elsewhere in the NBA, look for a great number of major roster changes:
* The Phoenix Suns will trade three-point specialist Quentin Richardson to the New York Knicks for rebounder Kurt Thomas. Versatile guard Joe Johnson is set to join the Atlanta Hawks in a sign-and-trade deal. Phoenix led the league in scoring and victories last season but suddenly finds itself without two ace shooters.
The Suns could soften those blows by landing Michael Finley of the Dallas Mavericks - if the veteran guard is waived under a new "amnesty" clause in the collective bargaining agreement.
If the Mavericks waive Finley, they could save $51 million in the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax penalty over the length of his remaining contract. Dallas still would have to pay his salary, however.
* The Lakers, a rare lottery entry last month, will be able to announce the addition of Kwame Brown to their roster via a trade from the Washington Wizards for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. Brown, a 7-foot center, is a chronic underachiever, a former No. 1 pick who is trying to whisk away any "bust" labels. The Lakers are hoping a change of place will do the man good.
* Seattle's biggest offseason player move to date will be re-signing Ray Allen, the All-Star guard who devastated the Kings in the playoffs.
* In obtaining Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Nets stockpile a roster that already includes Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter.
* Cleveland will add free-agent guard Larry Hughes to a club that already features LeBron James. The Cavaliers will also announce the re-signing of All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and free-agent acquisition forward Donyell Marshall of the Toronto Raptors.
* Miami was within minutes of dethroning the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, falling in seven games, and in an effort to reach that level again, the Heat will re-sign forward Udonis Haslem. It also has been reported Shaquille O'Neal is close to re-signing with the Heat for five years and some $125 million.
"I can assure you Shaquille will be in a Miami Heat uniform for a very long time," Micky Arison, Miami Heat owner, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from Italy.
* And the moratorium that is lifted today has strings stretched even further across the globe, with the Indiana Pacers prepared to sign guard Sarunas Jasikevicius of Lithuania. He played at Maryland in the late 1990s and is considered Europe's best NBA-ready talent. A number of teams were vying for his services.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Bee staff writer Joe Davidson offers his analysis on some of the key summer NBA moves that will become official today with the moratorium now being lifted:
Bobby Jackson to Memphis for Bonzi Wells
The skinny: In a three-team trade that included Greg Ostertag returning to the Utah Jazz, the Kings deal two reserves who hardly impacted the team last season for a starter with some impact capabilities; if Wells competes and smiles, it's a Kings steal.
Ray Allen remains in Seattle
The skinny: No team had more free agents and summer angst than the SuperSonics; by re-signing the best quick-shooter in the business, Seattle contends again next season.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim to New Jersey
The skinny: Tall and talented, Abdur-Rahim will leave Portland via a trade and make the Nets a sudden Eastern Conference player again.
Stromile Swift to Houston
The skinny: By signing a free-agent deal with the Rockets, Swift gives Houston another presence to go with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.
Larry Hughes to Cleveland
The skinny: The Cavaliers targeted Michael Redd and Ray Allen and settled for a very capable third-option free agent who can score and defend, particularly steals. Team LeBron should be pleased, especially with Zydrunas Ilgauskas re-signing.
Quentin Richardson to New York for Kurt Thomas
The skinny: The Suns swap three-point scoring and spastic courtside Brandy sightings for rebounding; with Joe Johnson bound for Atlanta, Phoenix needs outside scoring (enter Michael Finley?).
Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington for Kwame Brown
The skinny: The Lakers weren't going anywhere, so they gambled on Brown, the former No. 1 overall pick; if he excels, the Lakers could push for the playoffs right away.
Jerome James to New York
The skinny: Larry Brown might be wondering if there's a way to void this free-agent signing; James had one great playoffs series, against the Kings.
Bobby Simmons to Milwaukee
The skinny: The NBA's Most Improved Player suddenly is one of the most wealthy when he signs a free-agent package with a Bucks team that also re-signed Michael Redd.
Philadelphia retaining three
The skinny: By re-signing Sam Dalembert, Willie Green and Kyle Korver, the 76ers will have their core intact for another playoff run, with Dalembert the key as a rising-star center.
Cuttino Mobley to the Clippers
The skinny: His Sacramento departure via free agency prompted the Wells move; Mobley, a good shooter still learning how to pass after all these seasons, has yet to win a single playoff series.
