W. Unseld wrote:Nate, do you think New York would bite on the Etan trade? I think by now JJ knows he is more valuable here than there so as irrelevant as it is I would think he would be happy w/it. I still think he adds some value to this team with his defense even if he is Arred Effries.
Before they hired D'Antoni, I think New York would have made the trade without hesitation. Heck, we might have been able to get them to include a 2nd round pick. The reason it works for them is that they shave a year of Jeffries' contract. If they can follow up by unloading one of Curry or Randolph, they'll be in position for Max cap room in 2010 when Lebron is a free agent. (Wade, Nowtizki, Yao and a few others will also be free agents.)
Now that D'Antoni is aboard, they might be a little less inclined to do it. Jeffries' game is pretty well-suited for D'Antoni's offense. Jeffries could play a Diaw type of role. I still think they'd lean toward making the trade, but it's no longer a slam dunk.