The Wizards have had a history of making bad trades and bringing in the wrong players....
The proposed trade;
Jamison to Washington for Stackhouse,Laettner and the #5 pick
(an ACC theme if you will)
Jamison never really fit in with Dallas anyway.
The Mavericks could be the one team that has all the ingredients to land Shaq....and by trading Jamison the've started to make room for a possible power play package to offer L.A.
..............................................
The Dallas Mavericks agreed Wednesday night to trade Antawn Jamison to the Washington Wizards for the No. 5 pick in the draft, Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, a source close to the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The trade can't be official until the NBA offices open Thursday. By then, Dallas may be working toward other deals in its pursuit of Shaquille O'Neal.
While O'Neal remains the center of the Mavericks' dreams, the high pick also gives them the chance to take 7-foot-5 Pavel Podkolzine, a 19-year-old Russian.
Podkolzine or the pick also could be part of the package the Mavericks would offer the Los Angeles Lakers for O'Neal.
Dallas did not previously have a first-round pick in Thursday night's draft, having traded it last summer to Boston in the deal for Antoine Walker.
The Wizards had made it clear they weren't enamored with any of their choices at the top of the draft. Taking Jamison, a proven scorer over his six-year career in Dallas and Golden State, is a much safer move, even if he is owed nearly $58 million over the next four years.
For the Mavericks, all moves for the immediate future will be viewed as positioning for a prospective trade for O'Neal.
Other than the pick/Podkolzine aspect, the benefit of getting Laettner is that he's going into the last year of his contract, like Walker. That makes them commodities because their salaries -- a combined $20.8 million -- would open huge cap room next summer.
Their combined salaries puts Dallas much closer to the $23.5 million needed to get within the league-mandated 15 percent of O'Neal's $27.7 million price tag.
It's unlikely the Lakers would be interested in Stackhouse, who is due $7 million next season, $7.5 million the following year and $8 million after that.
Stackhouse has averaged 21 points per game over his nine-year career, but he played just 26 games last season because of injuries, mainly to his right knee.
This is the second time the Mavs have acquired Laettner. He played 53 games in the 2000-01 season, then was dealt to Washington in an eight-player trade that brought Juwan Howard to Dallas.
Dallas acquired Jamison last summer expecting to pair him at forward with Dirk Nowitzki, then bumped him to the bench when Walker arrived during training camp. He accepted the demotion and savored the team's success as he made the playoffs for the first time.
He was rewarded by earning the league's Sixth Man award, but made it clear he wanted to be a starter next season. Trading Walker, which the Mavs are certainly trying to do, would have cleared a spot for him, but Dallas apparently felt this deal moves them closer to their ultimate goal of O'Neal.
For Jamison, going to another losing team will certainly diminish the fact he'll be starting again. The Wizards haven't made the playoffs since 1997 and haven't won a postseason game since 1988.
The proposed trade;
Jamison to Washington for Stackhouse,Laettner and the #5 pick
Jamison never really fit in with Dallas anyway.
The Mavericks could be the one team that has all the ingredients to land Shaq....and by trading Jamison the've started to make room for a possible power play package to offer L.A.
..............................................
The Dallas Mavericks agreed Wednesday night to trade Antawn Jamison to the Washington Wizards for the No. 5 pick in the draft, Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner, a source close to the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The trade can't be official until the NBA offices open Thursday. By then, Dallas may be working toward other deals in its pursuit of Shaquille O'Neal.
While O'Neal remains the center of the Mavericks' dreams, the high pick also gives them the chance to take 7-foot-5 Pavel Podkolzine, a 19-year-old Russian.
Podkolzine or the pick also could be part of the package the Mavericks would offer the Los Angeles Lakers for O'Neal.
Dallas did not previously have a first-round pick in Thursday night's draft, having traded it last summer to Boston in the deal for Antoine Walker.
The Wizards had made it clear they weren't enamored with any of their choices at the top of the draft. Taking Jamison, a proven scorer over his six-year career in Dallas and Golden State, is a much safer move, even if he is owed nearly $58 million over the next four years.
For the Mavericks, all moves for the immediate future will be viewed as positioning for a prospective trade for O'Neal.
Other than the pick/Podkolzine aspect, the benefit of getting Laettner is that he's going into the last year of his contract, like Walker. That makes them commodities because their salaries -- a combined $20.8 million -- would open huge cap room next summer.
Their combined salaries puts Dallas much closer to the $23.5 million needed to get within the league-mandated 15 percent of O'Neal's $27.7 million price tag.
It's unlikely the Lakers would be interested in Stackhouse, who is due $7 million next season, $7.5 million the following year and $8 million after that.
Stackhouse has averaged 21 points per game over his nine-year career, but he played just 26 games last season because of injuries, mainly to his right knee.
This is the second time the Mavs have acquired Laettner. He played 53 games in the 2000-01 season, then was dealt to Washington in an eight-player trade that brought Juwan Howard to Dallas.
Dallas acquired Jamison last summer expecting to pair him at forward with Dirk Nowitzki, then bumped him to the bench when Walker arrived during training camp. He accepted the demotion and savored the team's success as he made the playoffs for the first time.
He was rewarded by earning the league's Sixth Man award, but made it clear he wanted to be a starter next season. Trading Walker, which the Mavs are certainly trying to do, would have cleared a spot for him, but Dallas apparently felt this deal moves them closer to their ultimate goal of O'Neal.
For Jamison, going to another losing team will certainly diminish the fact he'll be starting again. The Wizards haven't made the playoffs since 1997 and haven't won a postseason game since 1988.
