Trade Scenario
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Trade Scenario
Tonight, ESPN.com is reporting that the Houston Rockets, long trying to trade Tracy McGrady and his $23 million expiring contract, have narrowed their choices to the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. According to this article, the Rockets expect to decide tomorrow on where to send McGrady. SI.com is laying out the details of the deal between Houston and the Knicks, implying that's likely the deal that will go down.
As recently as a few weeks ago, the Rockets (and McGrady) were linked to the 76ers in trade rumors. Since that time, it's become clear that Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski does not want to deal for expiring contracts, wanting only to entertain trade scenarios that will improve the current, on-floor product. Stefanski reiterated this position before tonight's embarrassing 105-78 loss to the *Miami Heat* at the Wachovia Center.
Said Stefanski: "We're very active and a lot of teams are looking for us to do financial deals, to send back expiring contracts and we want to improve the product on the court." There's more from Stefanski in tomorrow's notes package from tonight's game.
Bottom line is Sixers won't make a trade for McGrady's expiring contract if that's the heart of the deal.
There's all kinds of opinions about whether the Sixers should trade Andre Iguodala for that expiring contract and, perhaps, a good young player. There's the thought that Iguodala and Thaddeus Young play the same position -- someone has to go. There's the thought that it's time to move on from this plan.
There's also the thought that Iguodala is the team's best player and it would be the worst move to trade him for an expiring contract, essentially giving away your best player for an uncertain future (so to speak).
Here's something hard and fast to consider as the trading deadline comes closer and it's becoming less and less likely the Sixers will make a franchise-changing deal:
According to a source with first-hand knowledge of the situation, the Houston Rockets were willing to trade McGrady and rookie guard-forward Chase Budinger for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. In fact, the Rockets wanted to do this deal. The money works and the Rockets were willing to take on Iguodala's $56 million remaining contract and Dalembert's $12 million next year.
Is that a deal the Sixers should have done?
--Kate
allodat, Are you Eddie's relative? This team is going nowhere staus quo...Eddie is trying to save his job..that is it. If he trades Iggy for an expiring contract that would be admitting he was a fool for signing him to a max contract to begin with....the Dalembert problem really isn't one because he expires next year... Eddie has enough time to show what he can do...he ran the Nets into the ground before and he's a proven loser.— repski- First Iggy's contract is not ridiculous. He is a very good player who does a lot of great things. If you pair him up with Yao, Ariza, Brooks he fits well there. He also fits great in Phoenix with Nash. Just like when Pau Gasol was traded last year Iggy is a big difference maker going to a team with a #1. For the Sixers I would have traded him for Stoudamire and Barbosa which was rumored. I would have traded Iggy and Sammy D and started over. The problem is now they have 22 million in contracts next year for Sammy d, Kapono and Willie Green. They can't pickup any free agents until 2011. So this is basically their team 1more year. You would then have to decide what to do with Young, speights that time. So you can't keep both Iggy and Young. Right now the Sixers are heading into what the Knicks were in a few years back.— sportsgenius99
- OMG...this is the worst franchise this town has seen in years. The more I watch this coach, the more I see where the players are playing for themselves and each other. You can see the tuning out in the huddles. Jordan is as bad a fit as I have ever seen in 40+ years of watching this team. I don't want to see any trades under Stefanski because I have no confidence he can make a good one. And if he did, leaving Jordan to coach them is laughable. Pat Croce knew in his first year he had made a mistake with Greenberg and Davis and bit the bullet. If only the Sixers had a VP with balls to excise these Eds.— Lpaul
- My user name says it all!— stefanskimakesmesick
Comment removed.- I don't believe for a second the Rockets were going to take Iquodala's awful contract. That would have been dumb for the Rockets. They are better off waiting to enter the free agent market with their cap space.— JonKap
- sportsgenious99.....Ariza and Iquodala are the same type player except Ariza is much cheaper. No GM made Iquodala an offer as a free agent. He comes up small in the 4th and in the playoffs. He is a stat stuffer and a cap killer. This nonsense that the Sixers are holding onto Iquodala is garbage, no GM wants that contract.— JonKap
- Comment removed.
- I still think they should of signed Josh Smith....— BlueLightGo
- I'd probably take the "risk" and pull the trigger here. I like Iggy and, beleive it or not, Sammy as well. I just don't like there contracts and neither is a frachise center piece. I'd love to have both of these guys as a supporting cast to a either a franchise SG or PF (eg, Paul Pierce, La Bron...of course, Wade, Durant, etc). We may suck for a few more years, but at least we have the cash, draft pick(s) and flexibility to get better...oh, and get rid of EJ...— all4philly
- The Sixers are the biggest jokes of Philly and the NBA— skins
- r u kidding ? i would have driven the two of them to houston myself— Daddyo
- Kate, I love when you rip Eddie Jordan for his clueless comments....keep up the good work— ArtieLange
- uninhabitablecity has nailed it on the head. There are NO scenarios that I can play out in my head that would keep me from doing the T-Mac deal if it was really on the table. Stefanski, Snider or whoever is making decisions over there at Comcast Spectacor - please pick up the phone and try to get this deal done. We need to get the young guys on the floor and start losing every game so we will have a chance at Wall or Turner.— hugh
- BBAX in order to get rid of the bench players there needs to be someone interested-and obviously there isn't anyone interested. There is a reason this team is a complete joke - they have NO TALENT-ANYWHERE!! I would be stunned if that T-Mac, Buddinger Deal was really on the table and not accepted-even one of the most inept GM's in the league would have to make that deal. At the end of the day the sixers stink and will for a long time to come. You cannot have the offensive "talent" to score 80-90 pts per night and play no D and give up 105-110 on a nightly basis. This team plays no D and can't score at all. Period.— rock12
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
