NBA Trade Deadline Thoughts

Now that we have had over a week to digest all of the moves, here are some thoughts/ideas:

*The Knicks now only have $21m in committed salaries for next year. Eddy Curry accounts for more than half of that as he has a player option for just over $11m. This might sound crazy, but here me out.

What if the Knicks asked Curry to decline the option and signed him to a 20 year, $20m contract. Yes, 20 years.

The chances of Curry earning more than $9m (20m minus 11m) after next season seem like they are nil.

The Knicks would be on the hook for a $1m of dead weight a year, but this would give them the chance to sign two max free agents AND re-sign David Lee. Can you say "Eastern Conference Favorites?" I can, and as the newest Knick fan in the world, I'm in.

I am not a cap expert, so a deal of that length may be illegal.

As an alternative, the Knicks could buy Curry out this year for ~$9m, and have him off the books entirely next season. Then, he would be free to sign elsewhere and the Knicks would have room to sign 2 max players and a mid-level free agent.


*Any Cleveland fans that haven't started praying LeBron stays had better start now. They are staring at the possibility of watching Antawn Jamison, who will be 34 on Opening Day next year, be the #1 option for the next two years (and $28m). Ask the Wizards how that worked out. Jamison is an expensive but capable second option, but things will get ugly quickly if he's asked to be the man.


*What were the Kings thinking? John Hollinger put it perfectly in a recent article:

The Kings could have sent Martin and little-used Andres Nocioni to the Celtics for Ray Allen and a first-round pick, and cleared $18 million in cap room (the Celtics, given their current time horizon, would have blurted out yes to this offer in a nanosecond).

They then could have used Allen and Kenny Thomas in a deal with the Knicks and walked away with the exact same trove of assets that the Rockets did. If so, Sacramento wouldn't have Landry, but look at what they'd have instead: Jordan Hill, New York's 2012 first-rounder, Boston's 2011 first-rounder, the right to swap picks with New York in 2011 (admittedly, an item of more value to Houston given the two clubs' likely records next season), and the same cap room they cleared with the Martin trade.

The only reason they don't have those assets, it would appear, is that they didn't ask.


*I love what the Bulls did but think they should have dealt Kirk Hinrich to the Lakers if the opportunity presented itself at any time.


*LVP of the deadline: Spurs - Tim Duncan will not be around forever and this team as currently constructed has no chance against the upper echelon of the West.