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Why isn't Josh's contract listed here?
The power of NBA's expiring contracts
Mike Monroe
As the trade deadline approaches, the value of players with contracts that expire this summer becomes greater and greater.
If you wonder how a player with limited on-the-court worth can be so valuable, we offer as evidence Spurs center Theo Ratliff.
Had Celtics general manager Danny Ainge not been able to ship Ratliff, and his $11.6 million expiring contract, to the Timberwolves in the summer of 2007, he would not have been able to put together the mega-trade that put Kevin Garnett in Celtics green and set the stage for Boston’s 2008 NBA championship run.
Ratliff played only 10 games for Minnesota before the Wolves bought him out of his contract and waived him, whereupon the Pistons picked him up.
There are plenty of players whose expiring contracts could play similar roles in deals discussed between now and the close of business at NBA headquarters in New York on Feb. 18.
Here are some whose expiring deals we expect to have great value, particularly as teams weigh the possibilities of this summer’s free-agent market:
Tracy McGrady, Rockets
McGrady is on leave from the Rockets, working out on his own in Chicago with famed conditioning specialist Tim Grover. What makes his expiring contract so enticing is the fact that it’s the NBA’s largest: $22.84 million. Would the Knicks, still planning a summer run at the biggest of the big names this summer, consider trading talented David Lee, who also has an expiring contract, with one or two others to a center-starved team in exchange for McGrady and the cap space they could gain on July 1?
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavaliers
Big Z’s role has diminished dramatically since the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal. Now his value is his expiring $11.54 million contract. There has been talk of a deal with the Wizards that would send Ilgauskas, J.J. Hickson and a first-round pick for Antawn Jamison, whose contract is nearly identical, except for the fact that it has two more seasons tacked on, at a total of nearly $29 million. If the Cavs thought the Wizards would buy out Ilgauskas and waive him after such a deal, it would probably be a no-brainer for them.
Kenny Thomas, Kings
Thomas is a pariah in Sacramento. He has played in only 26 games, averaging only 1.6 points. That’s hardly valuable, but his expiring deal is worth $8.78 million. That’s enough to package with someone else and land a talented player from a team, such as the Nets or Sixers, that wants to be a player this summer.
Brendan Haywood, Wizards
Haywood’s $6 million deal expires this summer, but he is the exception to the rule here. He has plenty of value to a team that needs size and toughness for the stretch run. The Wizards know this, but expect some Western Conference team to make a hard run at him.
Carlos Boozer, Jazz
Everyone expects Boozer to walk away from the Jazz this summer after his $12.3 million deal expires, so trading him and getting something in return makes sense. But Utah is the hottest team in the West over the past few weeks, so it may not want to mess with the mojo. More likely: a sign-and-trade deal this summer.
Why isn't Josh's contract listed here?
I was wondering the same thing.
haywood! haywood! haywood!
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