Chapter 573: Transfer Market, Sending Off a Brother
During Chen Yan's trip to China, the league's transaction market stayed busy.
The Nets and the Magic completed a trade in which Orlando sent Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to New Jersey in exchange for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.
That meant Carter would be joining forces with Superman Howard next season.
After the NBA Finals, Orlando made it clear that it wanted a primary ball handler, someone who could steady the offense in crunch time and rescue the team when scoring dried up. Carter was a solid option. His performance had clearly declined from his peak, but with the assets Orlando had available, it would have been difficult to land a bigger star.
For the Nets, the trade accomplished exactly what they wanted, cutting salary.
Both Alston and Battie were on expiring deals, and bringing them in would clear $16.5 million in cap space for the summer of 2010, pushing the Nets' payroll below the salary cap. Through this deal alone, New Jersey stood to save as much as $40 million in total expenses.
For both teams, it was a mutually beneficial move.
The one left feeling burned was Hedo Turkoglu.
Carter's arrival made it obvious that Orlando had no intention of keeping the Turkish forward. That was a heavy blow. In the 2008 to 2009 season, Turkoglu had enjoyed the best stretch of his career, helping Orlando reach the NBA Finals as the starting small forward. They lost in the end, but his performance had been excellent. Howard may have been the team's public leader, but anyone who actually watched the games knew Turkoglu was the one steering the offense.
After helping the team to such a successful season, he was cast aside the moment a bigger name became available. It was no surprise that he felt bitter.
That was why he called Chen Yan during this stretch and openly expressed interest in joining the Suns.
In a way, joining the team that had just beaten Orlando in the Finals would have been a form of revenge.
Unfortunately, the Suns simply had no cap room for him. They were already struggling just to keep one of their own title heroes, Azubuike.
Still, Turkoglu was far from unwanted. He had just come off a very strong season, and the Raptors quickly stepped forward. A few days after Orlando landed Carter, Turkoglu agreed to a 5 year, $53 million deal with Toronto.
...
Elsewhere, the Clippers and the Grizzlies completed another major trade.
Los Angeles sent out Zach Randolph and received Quentin Richardson.
After drafting Blake Griffin with the top pick, the Clippers urgently needed to clear space, and Randolph naturally became the most obvious piece to move.
Like the Orlando and Nets deal, this one also benefited both sides.
Memphis had only recently flipped Darko Miličić and acquired Richardson from the Knicks, and now Richardson became trade bait once again. In exchange, the Grizzlies found a new core player. Randolph was in his prime and still had All Star level potential.
The move also helped stabilize the team around Pau Gasol, and Memphis fans were already full of anticipation for the Black and White Twin Towers next season.
As for the Clippers, their payroll dropped far below the cap, giving them room to chase major free agents in the summer of 2010.
The Grizzlies were also in contact with Allen Iverson, and the two sides had already reached a verbal agreement.
Iverson was no longer the league wide prize he once had been. Ever since being traded from Denver to Detroit the previous season, his career had taken a sharp downward turn. He averaged a career low 17.5 points, nearly 10 points below his normal standard.
Even so, Iverson was still Iverson.
He had a massive fan base in the United States and around the world. No matter where he went, he brought attention and ticket sales with him.
After his fallout in Detroit, there had been a period when he was almost left without a team. Chen Yan had also asked whether he would consider joining Phoenix, but Iverson politely declined.
Chen Yan had expected that answer.
Iverson had that kind of pride. He would rather go ringless for his entire career than let people say he chased a title by jumping onto a contender late.
...
The Spurs were not quiet during the offseason either.
San Antonio first set its sights on Richard Jefferson, one of the Nets' three stars, then moved to reinforce the frontcourt by signing former blocks king Theo Ratliff to a veteran minimum deal. Ratliff would serve as the team's third center next season.
Though his career was clearly winding down, his experience and defensive efficiency were still real weapons. Last season, his blocks per 48 minutes ranked 4th in the league at 3.90, behind only Chris Andersen, Ronny Turiaf, and Dwight Howard.
The Spurs had always been good at this sort of thing, finding hidden value with the smallest investment possible.
Compared with the activity around the league, Phoenix had a much quieter offseason.
Outside of the draft, the Suns made no significant additions. Their main priority was keeping their own players.
By mid July, Phoenix had reached new deals with veterans Hill, Barea, and Barnes.
Hill signed a 2 year veteran minimum contract. Money was no longer his concern. He already had a ring. At this stage of his career, he simply wanted to enjoy basketball.
Barnes and Barea both returned on 2 year deals as well.
Azubuike's contract remained unresolved. The gap between the Suns' offer and the offers from other teams was simply too large. Even with a slight raise, Phoenix was still nowhere near his target number.
Then, on July 25, the Suns finally locked up the most important piece of their offseason.
Phoenix reached an agreement with Nash on a 3 year, $33 million contract.
Re signing Nash had been the front office's biggest mission, and when Suns fans saw the news, they felt as if a mountain had been lifted off their chests.
Other teams had offered more money, but Nash never seemed interested. He had enjoyed the past 2 seasons more than any stretch in years, and he wanted to finish his career in Phoenix.
By the time that contract ended, he would be 39 years old. At that point, Nash intended to retire gracefully.
But once Nash's new deal was finalized, Phoenix's cap situation tightened even further.
In other words, there was nothing left for Azubuike.
He had attracted serious interest around the league, and in the end, he chose the Cavaliers.
At first, Azubuike had not wanted to become another supporting piece for LeBron, but Cleveland's offer was simply too large to ignore.
The Cavaliers gave him a 3 year, $28 million contract, several million above what Phoenix could manage.
Before leaving, Azubuike formally said goodbye to Chen Yan. The two met at a restaurant for lunch.
"Chen, I saw some people online calling me a traitor," Azubuike said. "It really got under my skin."
"Then stop reading that garbage," Chen Yan replied. "Your contribution to the Suns is obvious to anyone who actually watches the games. Most fans are wishing you well. Don't let a tiny group of loud idiots get in your head. Every fan base has extreme people. And if you're still upset, just look at your contract. Twenty eight million dollars should cheer you up."
Azubuike burst out laughing on the spot.
That was why he was willing to confide in Chen Yan. Chen Yan always had a way of cutting through frustration with humor, then quietly giving the right advice underneath it.
"Chen," Azubuike said with a grin, "my salary is higher than yours now."
He was right.
At least on paper, he did make more than Chen Yan, who was still playing under his rookie deal.
At that point, Chen Yan had practically become the league's official spokesperson for elite production on a bargain contract. Some fans even joked that he was giving the league MVP output on a child's allowance.
Seeing Azubuike's smug expression, Chen Yan did not let the chance pass.
"Don't get too proud," he said. "This is only the beginning. When you get to Cleveland, keep the same training intensity you had in Phoenix. Blend into the team as fast as possible. Bigger contracts are still waiting for you later."
Azubuike put away his teasing smile and nodded seriously.
After sending off his brother, the Suns' roster for next season was officially set.
.....
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