Kai
02-16-2010, 10:31 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4920108
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Archive
The Houston Rockets have narrowed their long-running quest to trade Tracy McGrady to offers from the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls and plan to choose between the offers Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the Rockets' thinking.
One source close to the process told ESPN.com that the Rockets, after intense talks with both teams leading up to Thursday's trading deadline, are determined to finalize a deal for McGrady and move on with their season.
The source said Tuesday night: "I expect it to happen tomorrow."
New York has been atop McGrady's wish list since his camp and the Rockets mutually agreed in December to part company and search for a workable trade before the deadline. Yet sources say that the Knicks are being asked to part with rookie forward Jordan Hill and possibly multiple future first-round picks to convince Houston to take back Jared Jeffries' $6.9 million contract for next season, which is the only way New York can make the deal happen without recruiting a third team to help facilitate the deal.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported earlier Tuesday that the Knicks -- even though shedding Jeffries' contract would be a massive boost for their 2010 free-agent plans -- were trying to get Houston to agree to a package of Larry Hughes Jeffries and Hill for McGrady, Joey Dorsey and Brian Cook, without including a 2012 first-round pick.
Although the complete specifics of the Bulls' proposal could not be immediately confirmed, Chicago has multiple expiring contracts to package in a deal for McGrady's $22.5 million expiring contract. Those include longtime Rick Adelman favorite Brad Miller, Jerome James and the increasingly coveted Tyrus Thomas, who is being pursued in separate trades by several teams, including New York, San Antonio and Denver.
The Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site Tuesday night that the Bulls were still trying to recruit a third team interested in Kirk Hinrich to participate in a McGrady deal, since the Rockets are unwilling to take on Hinrich. One source told ESPN.com that Miller and Thomas are the Bulls most coveted by Houston, which has also resisted the Bulls' attempts to include John Salmons in the trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers' attempts to acquire Hinrich have stalled because they want to surrender Sasha Vujacic's contract in the same trade, but the defending champions have been unable to find a taker for Vujacic.
McGrady has been working out in Chicago with noted personal trainer Tim Grover for much of the past six weeks in hopes that the Rockets and his agent, Arn Tellem, could broker a deal that would get him back on the court this season.
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Archive
The Houston Rockets have narrowed their long-running quest to trade Tracy McGrady to offers from the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls and plan to choose between the offers Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the Rockets' thinking.
One source close to the process told ESPN.com that the Rockets, after intense talks with both teams leading up to Thursday's trading deadline, are determined to finalize a deal for McGrady and move on with their season.
The source said Tuesday night: "I expect it to happen tomorrow."
New York has been atop McGrady's wish list since his camp and the Rockets mutually agreed in December to part company and search for a workable trade before the deadline. Yet sources say that the Knicks are being asked to part with rookie forward Jordan Hill and possibly multiple future first-round picks to convince Houston to take back Jared Jeffries' $6.9 million contract for next season, which is the only way New York can make the deal happen without recruiting a third team to help facilitate the deal.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported earlier Tuesday that the Knicks -- even though shedding Jeffries' contract would be a massive boost for their 2010 free-agent plans -- were trying to get Houston to agree to a package of Larry Hughes Jeffries and Hill for McGrady, Joey Dorsey and Brian Cook, without including a 2012 first-round pick.
Although the complete specifics of the Bulls' proposal could not be immediately confirmed, Chicago has multiple expiring contracts to package in a deal for McGrady's $22.5 million expiring contract. Those include longtime Rick Adelman favorite Brad Miller, Jerome James and the increasingly coveted Tyrus Thomas, who is being pursued in separate trades by several teams, including New York, San Antonio and Denver.
The Chicago Tribune reported on its Web site Tuesday night that the Bulls were still trying to recruit a third team interested in Kirk Hinrich to participate in a McGrady deal, since the Rockets are unwilling to take on Hinrich. One source told ESPN.com that Miller and Thomas are the Bulls most coveted by Houston, which has also resisted the Bulls' attempts to include John Salmons in the trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers' attempts to acquire Hinrich have stalled because they want to surrender Sasha Vujacic's contract in the same trade, but the defending champions have been unable to find a taker for Vujacic.
McGrady has been working out in Chicago with noted personal trainer Tim Grover for much of the past six weeks in hopes that the Rockets and his agent, Arn Tellem, could broker a deal that would get him back on the court this season.
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.