Warriors, Knicks agree in principle on Crawford-Harrington deal

[DesignatedT]

The Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks have agreed in principle on a deal that would swap disgruntled Warriors forward Al Harrington for Knicks guard Jamal Crawford.

ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher reported early Friday that the teams were nearing completion on a deal featuring Harrington and Crawford. ESPN.com has since confirmed that those two players, barring a late adjustment, would be the only two involved in the trade.

Al Harrington

Harrington

Jamal Crawford

Crawford
Although neither team has yet commented on the deal, sources said both clubs were hoping to reach the conference-call stage to secure the required league approval by the day's end on Friday.

Harrington went public with a trade demand just before the start of the season after privately urging Golden State to move him for months. New York had immediate interest, seeing the versatile and mobile Harrington as an ideal frontcourt fit in new coach Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system.
Deal Or No Deal?
See how the proposed Jamal Crawford-Al Harrington deal looks in the ESPN.com NBA Trade Machine.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh, furthermore, might be Harrington's biggest fan in the league; he drafted the 28-year-old in 1998 and brought him back to Indiana in a deal with Atlanta in the summer of 2006. But Harrington's second stint with the Pacers lasted only a half-season before he was dealt to Golden State in January 2007, along with Stephen Jackson.

Reuniting with Harrington will come at a cost for Walsh: It will require the Knicks to part with Crawford, their leading scorer and another player they had pegged to flourish under D'Antoni. The Warriors, according to NBA front-office sources, see Crawford as a versatile guard who, although not a pure floor leader, can function well in coach Don Nelson's system while Monta Ellis recovers from ankle surgery -- and in tandem with Ellis once he returns.

Yet it's believed that Walsh has multiple motivations for re-acquiring one of his favorites. Another sizable lure is Harrington's contract, which pays him $9.2 million this season, $10 million next season and expires after the 2009-10 campaign. That meshes with New York's intent to slice payroll and get as far under the salary cap as possible for the highly anticipated free-agent summer of 2010 to join the bidding for Cleveland's LeBron James.

Crawford is scoring 19.6 points per game this season after averaging a career-best 20.6 points per game and 5.0 assists last season. Assuming Crawford declines a player option to become a free agent in July 2009, his deal would run through the 2010-11 season, paying $8.6 million this season, $9.4 million in 2009-10 and $10 million in 2010-11.

Harrington has played only five games this season, averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds before missing Golden State's past six games with a back injury. Nelson told ESPN.com on the first weekend of the season that the Warriors would "try to accommodate" Harrington, but not when the Knicks were looking to part with center Eddy Curry as opposed to Crawford.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.








I saw somewhere were the spurs were mildy interested in harrington.. that would have been nice

[DROB4EVER]

What a dumb trade. The Knicks give up their best player and get a big man who think he is a small man! What is Don Nelson up too? How many gaurds do you need? Jackson, maggette, marrow, the Italian guy, Azibuke, Ellis.

[Big P]

What a dumb trade. The Knicks give up their best player and get a big man who think he is a small man! What is Don Nelson up too? How many gaurds do you need? Jackson, maggette, marrow, the Italian guy, Azibuke, Ellis.

The Knicks get a shorter contract back....clearing room for 2010....can you say LeBron?

[Spurs Brazil]

Knicks are really stupid

[tav1]

What a dumb trade. The Knicks give up their best player and get a big man who think he is a small man! What is Don Nelson up too? How many gaurds do you need? Jackson, maggette, marrow, the Italian guy, Azibuke, Ellis.

It's a good trade for NY and Harrington was faking injuries in Golden State. And to answer your question, Nellie will run 5 points if he wants to. It's not smart, I agree, but it hasn't stopped him before.

[Spurs Brazil]

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/55588/20081121/walsh_waiting_on_confirmation_from_clippers/

Walsh Waiting On Confirmation From Clippers?


Nov 21, 2008 2:39 PM EST
The Knicks are working on a separate deal from their trade with Golden State, which would send Zach Randolph to the Los Angeles Clippers, possibly for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley.

It is believed that Donnie Walsh is ready to make that deal but is awaiting confirmation from the Clippers, who pursued Randolph last summer.

[T Park]

that would be a good trade for the knicks if they pulled it off

[Big P]

Not so fast maybe?? Hoopsworld, but...

Randolph to Dallas?

By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 11/21/08 1:41 PM ET



The New York Knicks
aren't finished dealing . . .not by a longshot. Word has now leaked out that the Knicks are in conversation with the Dallas Mavericks about sending Zach Randolph to the Lone Star State as part of what could be a three-team deal. The only piece that's currently being mentioned from Dallas is disgruntled forward Jerry Stackhouse.

The Clippers were rumored to be close to sending Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to New York for Randolph, but apparently this may turn into a multi-team deal before it gets done.

Stay tuned for more as it becomes available.

[ChumpDumper]

Dealing Crawford makes much more sense in context with the second deal. These are salary dumps, just not as one-sided as the Gasol deal because the Knicks aren't desperate for money. Walsh and D'asani are under no real pressure to win while they try to undo years of Zeke-age.

[duncan228]

Knicks trade Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington, ship Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Clippers (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2008/11/21/2008-11-21_knicks_trade_jamal_crawford_for_al_harri.html)
BY FRANK ISOLA

The Knicks completed a wild day of trading on Friday when they sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. The deal comes less than two hours after Donnie Walsh traded Jamal Crawford to the Warriors for Al Harrington.

Both deals were made to clear salary cap space for the summer of 2010 for when LeBron James becomes a free agent. The contracts of Harrington, Thomas and Mobley all expire in two years which will put the Knicks in position to make a run at James, the most coveted free agent since Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harrington, who was originally drafted by then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh, is not expected to be available for Saturday's home game against Washington. He will likely play, coincidentally enough, in Tuesday's game against James and Cleveland.

Crawford was the Knicks leading scorer and is well liked by his teammates and coaches. But his contract runs through 2011 and Walsh has made it clear that his goal is to get the Knicks under the salary cap by 2010.

"It's always going to be a possibility that one day the face of this franchise is going to change," Mike D'Antoni said early Friday. "(Walsh's) plan is pretty clear... In a couple of years we're going to be under the cap. Everything he will do will lead us to being under the cap in two years. And I'll deal with making sure the team is competitive and we'll try to make the playoffs this year."

[ChumpDumper]

The Clippers must have something in the works with Kaman.

[montgod]

The Clippers must have something in the works with Kaman.

I would have to agree. I think they see that two C's getting paid big bucks probably won't work.

[temujin]

D'antoni wouldn't have accepted the NYC mess,
hadn't it be for the James 2010 deal.

In recession years, you really need the biggest market in contender mode.

[DPG21920]

This is nucking futs

[Mark in Austin]

Here's a question for the salary cap experts:

Eddy Curry's contract has player options for its last two years. In other words, Curry has to exercise the option to renew the contract or it becomes void. Could the Knicks offer Curry a sum of money to NOT exercise his option? If so, how would that money count against the cap since this wouldn't be a buyout per se - the two player option years would never be on the books to begin with if Curry decides not to exercise the options.

[baseline bum]

Great trade for GS, and NY puts themselves in a position to have $35+ million in cap room in 2010 for King James and Wade or Bosh.

[baseline bum]

They could seriously sign 2 of LeBron, Wade, Stoudemire, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Nowitzki, McGrady, Ginobili, Boozer, and Redd. I'd be getting really scared if I was a Cavs, Heat, or Suns fan right now with New York and Brooklyn both having that level of capspace.

[z0sa]

Life just happened to Cleveland with this move.

[Obstructed_View]

They could seriously sign 2 of LeBron, Wade, Stoudemire, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Nowitzki, McGrady, Ginobili, Boozer, and Redd. I'd be getting really scared if I was a Cavs, Heat, or Suns fan right now with New York and Brooklyn both having that level of capspace.

It'll be really sad seeing Mike D'Antoni get that much talent and still not be able to get to the finals with it.

[timtonymanu]

so let me get this straight:

Crawford and Harrington swap
Randolph, Collins and Mobley, Thomas swap

[baseline bum]

It'll be really sad seeing Mike D'Antoni get that much talent and still not be able to get to the finals with it.

You gotta think they at least will have a great shot at Amare with D'Antoni there. Suns fans should be scared as shit right now. Shaq and Nash sure aren't going to keep him a Sun in 2 years.

[Obstructed_View]

Amare seems to have learned his lesson about how far you get in the postseason not playing defense. I have my doubts he'd go to New York. Porter and Kerr might be enough to keep him around.

[mystargtr34]

Amare seems to have learned his lesson about how far you get in the postseason not playing defense. I have my doubts he'd go to New York. Porter and Kerr might be enough to keep him around.

There goes our chance to win the title. :king

[ChumpDumper]

Here's a question for the salary cap experts:

Eddy Curry's contract has player options for its last two years. In other words, Curry has to exercise the option to renew the contract or it becomes void. Could the Knicks offer Curry a sum of money to NOT exercise his option? If so, how would that money count against the cap since this wouldn't be a buyout per se - the two player option years would never be on the books to begin with if Curry decides not to exercise the options.Any buyout amount would count against the cap for the remaining total years of the contract in proportion to the original amounts for each season.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

A steal for GS, although their backcourt will be awfully crowded once Monta returns... and the Knicks get their salary relief in 2010.

As for the Randolph trade, WTF are the Clippers thinking? Anyone guess where Kaman is going, because there's no way he can coexist with Randolph and Camby.

[xtremesteven33]

A steal for GS, although their backcourt will be awfully crowded once Monta returns... and the Knicks get their salary relief in 2010.

As for the Randolph trade, WTF are the Clippers thinking? Anyone guess where Kaman is going, because there's no way he can coexist with Randolph and Camby.



Bobcats

[DROB4EVER]

The Knicks get a shorter contract back....clearing room for 2010....can you say LeBron?

Yeah they will likely get him but can you say suck ass for 2 yrs! That team is gonna blow, I cant see Lebron going there if hes gonna be by himself.

[SequSpur]

nba forum.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Kaman for G Wallace? Interesting. Doesn't make much sense unless they don't like Thornton though...

I hope it doesn't happen because I have Wallace on two fantasy teams and don't want to see his numbers cut. Why are the Bobcats looking to trade their best player?

[ducks]

nba forum.

again do yo own this www address

[Mark in Austin]

Any buyout amount would count against the cap for the remaining total years of the contract in proportion to the original amounts for each season.


Thanks, Chump. So from the CBA's perspective there is no difference between a fully guaranteed, partially guaranteed, or player option year on a contract when a buyout is being considered?

[manufor3]

doesn't make sense for either team: warriors have a clog at pg/sg now and the knicks have too many big men

[himat]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-081122-23

That is why the trade was made. :wow

[ChumpDumper]

Thanks, Chump. So from the CBA's perspective there is no difference between a fully guaranteed, partially guaranteed, or player option year on a contract when a buyout is being considered?As long as the options are still options, I'm pretty sure they count. I don't think option years can be waived as part of a buyout agreement.