By JARED TKACHUK                   July 29, 2001

I have come up with a four-way trade that will solve some of the problems that the teams involved are dealing with right now. These teams are Minnesota, New York, Miami, and Seattle, all of which need to make moves after a season where three of them were vaulted from the playoffs in the first round, and where one didn't make it at all. 

It must seem to the Timberwolves that they will never make it out of the first round, and with their present team, they are quite right. I'm sure Seattle is sick of not making the playoffs, and I can't see them making it in 2002. Miami must wonder what the heck is wrong with them, and New York probably feels like the whole league is leaving them behind. It's time for a change.

The trade mainly includes Terrell Brandon heading to Miami, Glen Rice and Othella Harrington going to Minnesota, Brian Grant, Shammond Williams, and Ruben Patterson playing in the "Big Apple," and Charlie Ward, a draft pick or the rights of Frederick Weis (or something to that effect), and cash going to Seattle. Also a number of non-contributors are necessary to make this trade work salary-wise, such as Tom Hammonds from Minnesota and Ruben Wolkowyski from Seattle going to New York. Now before you make any judgements, please hear out my reasoning for each team.

Let's start with the Miami Heat trading Brian Grant for Terrell Brandon. The Heat have already made it clear that they are most likely going to part ways with Tim Hardaway and his 12 million dollar contract from last year, and they correct in doing so. Although they have re-signed Anthony Carter and see good things in him, he is not ready to assume the position of floor general just yet. The Heat need a starting point guard and they know it. Pat Riley has expressed interest in Gary Payton, but that's going to be extremely tough to pull off, especially when Payton has explicitly said that he will not play in the Eastern Conference. Terrell Brandon is an excellent and unselfish player (16.0 points, 7.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game, while shooting 45% field goals, 36% from 3-point range, and 87% free throws) and would fill in nicely.

Even though Brian Grant sacrificed himself at center for most of last year and gave everything he had every game, the fact remains that the Heat have too many good low-post players. Anthony Mason was an all-star, Grant probably could have been one, and a healthy Alonzo Mourning is a MVP candidate. 

Any fan could see that once Mourning returned, both Grant and Mason's game dropped off, and very rarely did all three play well in one game (sound familiar, Knicks' fans?). Make the trade and they could start Brandon, Bruce Bowen, Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, and Zo: a premier, well-balanced lineup.

Also the Heat's owner told Riley that he will not pay a cent of luxury tax, leading to the likely departure of Mason, Bowen, and Hardaway. Trading Grant for Brandon would save Miami more than two and a half million dollars, and releasing Hardaway would save them a bundle. They would then be able to sign both Bowen and Mason, and would still have a bonafied point guard.

As for the T'Wolves, they have to do something to relieve Kevin Garnett. It really is a two-man game over there, even with Brandon being too unselfish too often. In my opinion, if they acquired Rice and Harrington for Brandon, abandoned the notion of returning Joe Smith, and then traded Szczerbiak, Dean Garrett, and Anthony Peeler to the Bulls (the world's biggest Wally fans) for Ron Mercer and Fred Hoiberg, they would be a much improved team. By the way, the Wolves-Bulls trade I just mentioned would also work within the salary cap.

Once they can boast a front-court of Garnett, Harrington, Loren Woods, and Laphonso Ellis, forget about Joe Smith. Last year on the Pistons, Smith averaged 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while shooting an atrocious (remember he's a power foward) 40.3% from the field. In the 1999-2000 season, when Harrington was getting 30+ minutes, he averaged 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.6% field goals. The major difference, however, is that Smith recently rejected a 6 year, 33 million dollar offer from the Wolves, whereas Harrington is signed right now for $2.5 million per year.

A lineup of Harrington, Garnett, Rice, Mercer, and Billups, with Woods, Ellis, and Hoiberg coming off the bench provides a much greater and well-rounded attack, which would take some of the immense pressure off Garnett's shoulders.

The Sonics are definitely gaining the least from this trade, but they are also giving up the least. Ruben Patterson has been convicted of sexual assault, but managed to get all but three months of his sentence suspended. He is a restricted free agent and Seattle seems to be quite willing to let him go. 

Shammond Williams is an unrestricted free agent and it is unclear whether he is considering staying with the Sonics. The Knicks have expressed interest in him before, and if he was a part of this trade, he would have to go in a sign-and-trade. Considering he mad $884,000 last year, I would estimate that he will receive somewhere from $2 to $2.5 million per year (of course, knowing the Knicks, they'll offer him $8.5 million per year for 7 years). However, if the Sonics refuse to give up Shammond, the trade can still work with only Patterson.

Although Charlie Ward has taken his share of criticism, I think he is a decent point guard, who is unselfish, can usually hit the open shot, and is an excellent defender (something the Sonics sometimes lacked). He is a stable player, who plays excellently as a back up, but is quite capable of starting as well. He could be valuable regardless of whether or not Payton stays in Seattle. The Sonics would also receive a draft pick, or perhaps they could give Frederick Weis a shot (since they have no center anyway), and some cash.

Even though Glen Rice's first season as a Knick wasn't the pinnacle of his career, I truly believe that he is still a capable player and a proficient scorer. In the 27 games last year that he shot at least 12 times, Rice averaged 17.9 points per game and shot 48.3% from the field. In the rare occasions (6 games) that he took at least 15 shots, Rice astonishly averaged 25.5 points per game and shot a whopping 55.2% field goals. All the fuss made about his injury doesn't seem justified when you realize that he managed to play in 75 games last year.

Unfortunately, Rice cannot coexist with Sprewell and Houston, so one of them has to go. Because Sprewell is decidedly the best Knick, and with Houston's ridiculous new contract, both players are untradeable. So, Rice is the odd man out. He would also provide Minnesota with championship experience and veteran know-how.

Charlie Ward had a good run in New York, but it is one that I believe is starting to wind down. Harrington is the only Knick in a worse position than Rice, playing behind Camby, LJ, Kurt Thomas, and now Clarence Weatherspoon. He doesn't deserve to sit on the bench almost every game (although Vancouver might disagree) and should be moved.

Brian Grant would be the greatest blessing to the Knicks since they traded for Sprewell. Not only is Grant a very capable and talented player, he brings a ferocity, a desire, and a great will to win every single game. One of the biggest things that the Knicks lost when they traded Ewing, was his gift to get the most out of his teammates, more than was seemingly possible. If you played for Ewing's Knicks, you didn't take nights off and you didn't take losing in stride, because of his unshakeable desire to win. Perhaps that's also what Ewing lost when he left: the ability to raise the level of his teammates.

Brian Grant has a similar level of intensity, which is essential on a team where the only source of passion comes from Sprewell and sometimes Camby. I wholeheartedly believe that the departure of Grant is one of the major reasons for Portland's demise last year. However, with Mourning, Mason, and Pat Riley, the Heat is much better equipped to cope with such a loss (especially when they're receiving Terrell Brandon, not Shawn Kemp).

Glen Rice cannot play behind Spree and Houston because he needs minutes and shots to make a difference. Ruben Patterson needs neither of those things to make an impact on the game. He is also an excellent defender, something the Knicks cherish in a player, making him the perfect backup for Allan and Latrell. And, if he complains about his minutes or shot attempts, they can simply ship him off to Attica for three months of hard time. 

However, if the Knicks do not get Shammond Williams, they would have to compensate for the loss of Ward (anyone talked to Rod Strickland lately?).

I genuinely think that this trade would benefit all of the teams involved, but it would also require them all to take some pretty big risks. Furthermore, it is unlikely that a trade of this magnitude will occur in the foreseeable future. However, these are the types of trades and the kinds of risks that these four teams should be considering if they want to push further into the playoffs. As for Seattle getting to the playoffs, I think they ought to trade Payton, but that's for someone else to write about.
 
 

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