Posts Tagged ‘Jared Jeffries’

With arguably the biggest free agency period in NBA history approaching and some of the game’s biggest stars possibly changing scenery, the matter of selling points becomes critical in persuading free agents to play for your team. Unlike in the uncapped sport of baseball where a free agent usually goes to the team that throws the most money at him, players in the NBA can only be signed to a certain “max” contract.

Permitting a team has the cap space, a player can sign a max contract in any city. In baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers can’t contend with the New York Yankees when it comes to spending in free agency. In basketball, the Milwaukee Bucks can contend New York Knicks due to salary caps and max contracts. The financial monster known as New York doesn’t have a leg up over the competition in basketball like it does in baseball. 

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The Knicks are in serious trade discussions with the Houston Rockets involving Tracy McGrady. Yahoo! Sports first reported on the rumored aspects of the trade and I broke it down even further.

The trade is a gamble. Plain and simple. The valuable assets the Knicks would give up are Jordan Hill, the 8th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and a 2012 first round pick. They also exchange 2011 first round picks with the Rockets, but I’ll call this a wash since they’ll still own a first round pick in the draft that year. Therefore, the Knicks lose the valuble assets of Jordan Hill and a 2012 first round pick.

What do the Knicks gain in return? Question marks surround Tracy McGrady. What is it that the Knicks are getting out of this deal? The answer is cap space. Flexibility. The ability to sign two max contracts in the 2010 free agency period.

The inclusion of Jared Jeffries along with Jordan Hill’s contract frees up about $10 million more to spend this summer.

This trade doesn’t gaurantee the Knicks sign a top free agent this summer. It guarantees the Knicks have enough cap room to sign possibly two free agents to max contracts. 

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Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports are reporting the Knicks and Rockets are inching closer to a deal that would send Tracy McGrady to New York. 

According to Wojnarowski and Spears;

The Knicks and Rockets have designed the framework of a deal that would unload New York’s Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill and either Al Harrington or Larry Hughes for McGrady, Joey Dorsey and Brian Cook.

As talks stood on Monday, the price of dumping the burdensome contract of Jeffries – who is owed $6.9 million next season – comes with the Knicks and Rockets exchanging 2011 first-round picks and the Knicks’ 2012 first-round choice going to Houston. New York also might include a 2010 second-round pick.

The breakdown of the trade is as follows:

Knicks Receive:
G Tracy McGrady (Due $23 million in 2010 & contract expires)
F Joe Dorsey (Due $880,000 in 2010 & 2 years left on contract after this year)  
F Brian Cook (Due $3.5 million in 2010 & contract expires) 
Houston’s 2011 First Round Pick

Rockets Receive:
F Jordan Hill (Due $2.5 million in 2010 & 1 year left on contract after this year)
F Jared Jeffries (Due $6.5 million in 2010 & 1 year left on contract after this year)
F Al Harrington (Due $1o million in 2010 & contract expires) or G Larry Hughes (Due $13 million in 2010 & contract expires)
Knicks 2011 First Round Pick
Knicks 2012 First Round Pick

During the All-Star game, David Aldridge of TNT said there is a 50/50 chance the Knicks get Tracy Mcgrady before the February 18 trade deadline.

Without a third team, I don’t see the Knicks being able to acquire Tracy McGrady from the Rockets. Last week, the Knicks were rumored to be in discussions of a three-way trade for McGrady which included the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have since pulled off a seven-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks which puts an end to their involvments in trade talks with the Knicks and Rockets.

To get McGrady without involving a third team, the Knicks will have to give up a young player they value; Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari. Of those players the only guys the Knicks would trade are Hill and Douglas, but reluctantly. To make the trade worthwhile, the Knicks will try to throw Jared Jeffries in the deal. That’s where the discussions end. I can’t see the Rocket entertaining the idea of taking on Jeffries’ contract.

The Knicks could try to work a trade of expiring contracts for McGrady. The Rockets and McGrady aren’t on good terms and the Rockets may want a player like Al Harrington to help them this season before his contracts expire. They could also deal Larry Hughes or Nate Robinson to the Rockets. The only thing is, being that the Rockets are on bad terms with McGrady, why would they do him a favor by trading him without getting a player of substantial value for him?

The best bet of a trade happening is if the Rockets accept expiring contracts or if another team gets involved and gives the Rockets someone of value. The Knicks won’t give up a player they are high on unless the Rockets take Jared Jeffries too and the possibility of them taking Jeffries is slim because they want to have cap space for free agency this summer just like the Knicks do.

If the Knicks desperately want McGrady, they’ll send a package of either Jordan Hill or Toney Douglas plus Al Harrington and possibly another expiring contract to Houston.

Jared Jeffries’ defense is hard to ignore and my thinking is the Knicks may be able to trade him to a contending team that is looking to add a defensive presence to their roster. The team would most likely have to be a team that isn’t looking to sign one of the NBA’s top free agents this summer because teams that are going to be in hot pursuit of big names won’t want to take on Jeffries’ contract. They’ll want as much cap flexibility as possible. 

Teams that could use Jeffries’ services are the Spurs, Hornets, and there could just as well be others (my assumptions). Maybe even the young Grizzlies could use Jeffries.

Knick fans know that Jeffries plays really well on defense. He works hard and the Knicks use him to guard several different players. Jeffries could help a defensive-minded team or even an offensive team looking to add a little defense down the stretch. They’ll have to act quickly, however, because the NBA trade deadline is less than three weeks away.

If the Knicks receive an offer of an expiring contract for Jeffries, they’ll be inclined to make that trade. Donnie Walsh would be thrilled to receive such an offer. Walsh shouldn’t wait for teams to come to him though. He should be making phone calls to them (which I’m sure he’s doing already). The Knicks are falling out of contention quickly and they need to make up their minds before the February 18 trade deadline whether they want to add a piece to make this team better or diligently try to trade the contracts of Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries in return for expiring contracts.

UPDATE: According to Yahoo! sports, the Knicks are discussing a possible three-team trade that would send Tracy McGrady to the Knicks. 

Weeks ago it didn’t seem as though the Knicks were going to pursue a trade for Tracy McGrady of the Rockets. One reporter even called a possible trade for T-Mac “Dead”. Now it seems as though the Knicks are rekindling the idea. 

On January 26th, Marc Berman of the New York Post wrote:

“Houston’s Tracy McGrady should be traded at the deadline and perhaps Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas, too. Both are squarely on Walsh’s radar. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey only has interest in a Knicks’ package if either rookie Jordan Hill or Chandler are part of it.”

One source thinks the Rockets would except a package around rookie Toney Douglas too. 

Hill, yes. Douglas, yes. Chandler, no. Wilson Chandler is a guy that could be a core part of the Knicks for years. We haven’t seen enough of Jordan Hill yet, but what we have seen hasn’t been impressive. Douglas has had some bright spots, but has been inconsistent. 

McGrady is set to become a free agent after this season. If the Rockets are willing to accept a package of Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries or Eddy Curry, plus an expiring contract, the Knicks should jump on it and run like they just stole something because it will be tough to persuade them into taking Jeffries or Curry  - tough and extremely unlikely. 

The most likely trade scenario is one of the players the Rockets allegedly want (Hill, Douglas or Chandler) plus expiring contracts.

Of the Knicks’ current roster, only Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, and Jordan Hill are locks to be on the team next year. Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry (player option), Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries (early termination option), David Lee, Darko Milicic, Marcus Landry and Cuttino Mobley will be unrestricted free agents while Marcus Landry will be a restricted free agent after this season.

Donnie Walsh hopes to stock and reload the roster and obtain at least one NBA superstar. The Knicks players who are in their final year of their contracts know they probably don’t fit into Donnie’s plans. They know the organization is eyeing superstars like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, to name a few. The point is that the current Knicks will be free agents too and looking to sign contracts themselves. They need to play well in New York this season to get paid by another team next season. Players like Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, David Lee and Nate Robinson won’t get great attention because of the glaring star-power in the free agent class but they’ll be expected to make an impact on the teams that sign them. A poor showing in 2009-2010 will hurt their chances of signing good contracts.

It behooves the current Knicks to play well and win games. It behooves the organization because they don’t have a first round pick and want to show potential free agents there is a good, young group of players to build around. Most of the current Knicks know they aren’t in the team’s future plans, but they are playing for themselves right now as much as they are playing for the team. The team just isn’t that good.

Chandler, Gallinari, and Douglas could be a good trio Donnie Walsh can build around. Hill hasn’t played enough to get a feel of how he’ll be. The roster will be completely overhauled before next season and an entire city is hoping Donnie Walsh can put together a playoff caliber team.