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A four-team trade involving the Timberwolves, Knicks, 76ers and Hawks has been agreed to and likely will be completed on Wednesday, ESPN The Magazine´s Ric Bucher reports.
In the deal, the Wolves would pick up Knicks´ forward Latrell Sprewell. In turn, the Knicks would get Keith Van Horn from the 76ers.
Philadelphia would get a legitimate No. 2 scorer, Glenn Robinson, to complement All-Star guard Allen Iverson. The Hawks would receive point guard Terrell Brandon´s contract from Minnesota.
A source with the Timberwolves told Bucher that the trade was complete, but 76ers general manager Billy King told Bucher that it was close but not done. Another NBA source said that it was his belief that the trade would be finalized Wednesday.
AP reported late Tuesday night that a fifth team and more players might be involved in the trade, according to its sources with knowledge of the trade talks.
One of the additional players would be Minnesota forward/center Marc Jackson, and the fifth team was believed to be the Sacramento Kings. The identities of the other players involved could not immediately be determined.
If it goes through, it would be one of the larger trades of recent years.
The deal would bring an end to Sprewell´s five-season tenure with the Knicks which included a trip to the 1999 finals but which ended acrimoniously after the four-time All-Star arrived for training camp last fall with a broken hand -- an injury he failed to notify the Knicks about. He averaged 16.4 points and shot only a shade over 40 percent -- some of the lowest numbers of his 11-year career.
Van Horn has spent only one season in Philadelphia after playing his first five with the New Jersey Nets. He was criticized in Philadelphia for his play in the postseason when his scoring averaged dropped almost five points from his regular season average. His departure from the Nets came after critical comments from teammates following New Jersey´s four-game loss to the Lakers in the 2002 NBA Finals.
The Knicks were known to have proposed a straight-up Sprewell-for-Van Horn deal, but such a deal would have left the already-small 76ers with an even worse shortage of rebounders. It´s thus possible that Philadelphia could be the trade destination for Jackson, who played at Temple. But in order for that trade to work salary-cap wise, the 76ers would have to include another player, perhaps Greg Buckner, in the deal.
The addition of Van Horn would also create an even bigger logjam at power forward for the Knicks, who already have Clarence Weatherspoon, Othella Harrington, Antonio McDyess and rookie Michael Sweetney at that position. Additionally, New York uses Kurt Thomas, a natural power forward, as its center. It thus stands to reason that Knicks general manager Scott Layden could be trying to land Kings center Keon Clark, who would fill New York´s glaring need for a shot blocker. The salaries of Thomas and Clark are nearly equal. Sacramento also has been discussing moving forward Scot Pollard, and has been in talks with Indiana regarding a three-team deal that would include the Pacers´ Ron Mercer, according to a AP source with knowledge of those talks.
Robinson, a two-time All-Star, was Atlanta´s leading scorer last season with an average of 20.8 points. But the Hawks, despite guaranteeing a playoff berth to their season ticket-holders, had a poor season and missed the playoffs with a 35-47 record.
They would be interested in Brandon, whose career is likely over because of repeated knee injuries, because his $11 million-plus contract is due to come off the salary cap in February. The team that holds his rights would then use that space to have extra maneuverability on the free agent market or in trades. Sprewell would fill a hole at shooting guard for the Timberwolves, giving them a starting lineup of Troy Hudson or Sam Cassell at point guard, Wally Szczerbiak at small forward, Kevin Garnett at power forward and recently signed free agent Michael Olowokandi at center
