OT - Trade: Miller, Salmons for Gooden, Nocioni

Celts17Pride · Post #1 » by **Celts17Pride** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:40 pm

The Sacramento Kings are the latest NBA team to engage in cost-cutting moves that will pare money from the team's books next season.

The Kings agreed on Wednesday to a trade that sends forward John Salmons and center Brad Miller to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for forwards Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni, according to league sources. The deal will reduce Sacramento's obligations next season, saving the Kings millions on the salary cap and keeping them well under any potential luxury tax payments. Gooden, making $7.15 million this season, will likely come off the team's cap after this year, and now, the team is free of the $5.4 million due to Salmons in 2009 and the $12 million due to Miller in '09.

This will be Miller's second go-round in Chicago; he played two-plus seasons in Chicago after being traded from Charlotte in 2000 before being dealt to Indiana in a trade that also sent Ron Artest to the Pacers in exchange for Jalen Rose.

Sacramento will absorb the remaining four years and $28.4 million on Nocioni's contract, but Nocioni's contract actually goes down after next season, when he's scheduled to make $7.5 million, to $6.8 million in 2010 and $6.6 million in 2011 before going back up to $7.5 million in the final season -- a season that will be the Kings' option to pick up.

The Kings have gotten good financial news all week. They traded a future second-round pick to Boston for veteran Sam Cassell on Monday in a deal that will net Sacramento approximately $500,000. And yesterday, the Kings learned that the league will grant them financial relief on the remaining two seasons on the contract of forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who has retired after years of knee problems. Because he hasn't played this season, the league will allow insurance to pay 80 percent of his remaining salary. So while he'll stay on the team's books, its out-of-pocket payments will be reduced significantly.

With second-year center Spencer Hawes and rookie forward Jason Thompson playing big minutes for Sacramento, Miller was a luxury. And Salmons' good play this season made him a candidate to be moved, with Dallas in hot pursuit for several weeks. The Mavericks had hoped to entice Sacramento with the contract of guard Jerry Stackhouse, who is guaranteed only $2 million of his $7.2 million salary next season (Stackhouse would get the full amount if his team wins the NBA title, unlikely in the extreme if he had been sent to the Kings).

Miller's presence could conceivably clear the way for Chicago to move one of its young pivotmen, either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah, in another deal. Thomas was part of a package the Bulls were trying to move to Phoenix for forward Amar'e Stoudemire, but the Suns have indicated in recent days that they're more likely to keep Stoudemire now that they've replaced former coach Terry Porter with assistant Alvin Gentry.

The Bulls have also been looking to cut costs for next season, and have been shopping Nocioni hard for months. Chicago is still looking for a suitor for Larry Hughes, who has essentially been deactivated from the team in the last month by coach Vinny Del Negro while management seeks a deal for him. Sources indicate Hughes could still potentially be sent to Washington in exchange for guard Mike James and center Etan Thomas if the Bulls don't make any other big deals.

ESPN.com first reported the discussions between the Kings and Bulls.

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/02/18/bull ... index.html

BillessuR6 · Post #2 » by **BillessuR6** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:51 pm

Horrible for the kings! Just horrible! They gave away two good players and got back Nocioni`s atrocious contract!

Maybe SAC will buy out Gooden? I doubt it but it would be nice for us...

Celts17Pride · Post #3 » by **Celts17Pride** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:53 pm

The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings have reached tentative agreement on a trade sending Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons, ESPN.com.

One source said the Bulls players were pulled off the team bus Wednesday afternoon and were told they had been traded.

Michael Ruffin of the Bulls also was told be was being traded to Portland in a separate deal, the source added.

Another source said the trade was expected to be finalized by Wednesday evening.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3916703

The Portland deal is Ruffin for Ike Diogu.

Avalanche · Post #4 » by **Avalanche** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:55 pm

Bulls fans will be p*ssed... after a week of Amare and Bosh talk they end up with Miller and Salmons

Frank Lucas · Post #5 » by **Frank Lucas** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:00 pm

The Bulls still can get one of those two player (Amare and Bosh).

Avalanche · Post #6 » by **Avalanche** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:07 pm

Bad move for the kings

chakdaddy · Post #7 » by **chakdaddy** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:50 pm

Nice to see Chicago wind up with a reasonable deal rather than the Tyrus Thomas for Stoudemire or Bosh garbage they were trying to float.

Apparently they're also talking about dumping Hinrich's contract to Minnesota for expirings?
Why trade Gooden's expiring but trade Hinrich for expirings? I guess it's just shuffling things- they like having Salmons on the books rather than Nocioni/Hinrich. Not sure that I agree with that...they may be slowly pissing away their stash of good but not great guys that they never managed to package for a great guy; but that's what Paxson does.

sonny · Post #8 » by **sonny** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:56 pm

chakdaddy wrote:Nice to see Chicago wind up with a reasonable deal rather than the Tyrus Thomas for Stoudemire or Bosh garbage they were trying to float.

Apparently they're also talking about dumping Hinrich's contract to Minnesota for expirings?
Why trade Gooden's expiring but trade Hinrich for expirings? I guess it's just shuffling things- they like having Salmons on the books rather than Nocioni/Hinrich. Not sure that I agree with that...they may be slowly pissing away their stash of good but not great guys that they never managed to package for a great guy; but that's what Paxson does.

To offer PHX more expirings to grab Amare

contract · Post #9 » by **contract** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:31 pm

thebirdman wrote:Horrible for the kings! Just horrible! They gave away two good players and got back Nocioni`s atrocious contract!

Maybe SAC will buy out Gooden? I doubt it but it would be nice for us...

I think he's out with sports hernia and will be out for the season as soon as he re-aggravates it. I don't think he'd be much used to the Celtics this season.

chakdaddy · Post #10 » by **chakdaddy** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:40 pm

sonny wrote:To offer PHX more expirings to grab Amare

Except I guess Cardinal's contract isn't expiring, and it looks like Collins' contract is less than Gooden's. So it doesn't make much sense from an expiring contract sense.

Maybe they're giving up on using expirings this year and are really primed to have Miller+Cardinal available next year. Plus maybe they like Miller/Salmons more than Nocioni/Hinrich from a basketball standpoint. Miller could be useful, but Salmons is a Larry Hughes clone to me.

chakdaddy · Post #11 » by **chakdaddy** » Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:43 pm

I can't believe I'm saying this...one of my least favorite players ever...but how about Jason Collins as a buyout candidate???

SonicYouth34 · Post #12 » by **SonicYouth34** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:21 am

Maybe they'll buy out Gooden and he can come here, along with Marbury and Bowen...

Post #13 » by **Celtics_Champs** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:58 am

It's a good deal for Chicago. I like it.

Sure its not Lobster (amare), but it is Salmon and Mashed Potatoes.