NBA Tickets - Knicks, Rockets and Kings Swing Three-Way Deal
By Brent Warnken
For the past two seasons the New York Knicks have been looking for a way to free up enough salary cap space to pursue two max-level free agents in the summer of 2010. Once thought to be an impossible task, team president Donnie Walsh has swung trade after trade over the past two years and finally accomplished his goal. It came to fruition when Walsh sent Jared Jeffries to Houston in a three-team deadline deal.
The Knicks sent Jeffries, Jordan Hill, their 2012 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2011 to the Houston Rockets. The Knicks also sent Larry Hughes to the Sacramento Kings. In return the Knicks received Tracy McGrady from Houston and Sergio Rodriguez from Sacramento. Houston received Kevin Martin from Sacramento in the deal, with the Kings taking back Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from the Rockets.
Getting Jeffries off the books was what will enable the Knicks to have additional salary cap freedom this summer. With such names as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire expected to hit the free agent market, freeing up enough space to sign two of these players was a priority for the organization. The trade also nets a pair of players who could help the team for the remainder of the season, and potentially beyond. Tracy McGrady was once a name that sold tons of NBA tickets, but recent injuries have derailed the shooting guard's career. McGrady has been rehabbing and working out with famed trainer Tim Grover as of late, though, and should be ready to come in and contribute in New York for the remainder of the 2009-10 campaign.
McGrady is in for a bit of an audition. For the rest of the season, he'll be playing for his next contract, as his current deal expires following the season. McGrady is out to prove that he's still got plenty left in the tank, and he saw New York as a place to do it. If he plays well, the Knicks could end up keeping re-signing him in the event that they're unable to lure two big names this coming offseason. Rodriguez is a flashy point guard that didn't get much run in either of his previous two NBA stops, but is a guy who could thrive in Mike D'Antoni's offense. His contract expires at the end of the season as well, so he'll also be playing for a contract.
The Rockets are the biggest winners in the deal. They got the best player in the trade in Kevin Martin. Martin has the ability to play at an All-Star level and has a good chance to become Houston's leading scorer. He's a good shooter and can get to the free throw line with regularity. He seems to fit well with a Houston roster that lacks a ball-dominant perimeter player. Paired up with Aaron Brooks in the backcourt, Martin should be able to thrive. Jordan Hill was another nice get. He hasn't gotten a ton of playing time in his rookie season, but he was the eighth overall pick and has shown flashes of promise.
As for the Kings, the biggest thing they got out of this trade was cap relief. Martin's contract has several years remaining, while Hughes' will expire this year. While Martin was one of Sacramento's best players, he didn't seem to mesh with prized rookie Tyreke Evans. Evans will now officially be given the keys to this franchise. The Kings did get Landry, a productive frontcourt player that is a contender to win the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He might come in and start for the Kings, or he might back up Jason Thompson, but he should log major minutes either way.
While the Knicks and Kings got the salary cap space that they desired, it was the Rockets that really got the best out of the deal from a talent standpoint. In this age of the NBA, it's rare that all the teams involved in a trade are simply interested in the players that they're receiving. It's often the financial implications that weigh most heavily in any deal.
About the author
StubHub has sponsored this article. StubHub.com is a great place to get NBA tickets, as well as tickets for other sports teams, theatre performances, concerts and special events.Distributed by ContentCrooner.com from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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