Backs to the wall: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant shoots during practice in Miami on Wednesday. The Thunder trail the Heat 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Game 5 is set for Thursday. APLewis is entering the last season of a $118 million, six-year contract and could be a candidate for the NBA's amnesty clause, meaning he may not end up playing for the Hornets if New Orleans chooses to cut him loose in order to clear space under the salary cap."We are rebuilding our team and this is one step in our new direction," Hornets general manager Dell Demps said. "This trade will provide an opportunity for our young players to develop and create flexibility to add to our core group moving forward."Said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld: "Rashard unfortunately was injured while he was with us, and he didn't get an opportunity to show the kinds of things he was capable of doing. . . . He had a very hefty buyout in his contract, and we elected to add a couple of players to the roster by using his contract."Grunfeld said the Wizards would have had to pay a $13.7 million buyout.New Orleans also receives the 46th pick in this year's draft, which originally belonged to Dallas.The Hornets, who are expected to take Kentucky star Anthony Davis with the top overall draft pick and also have the 10th selection, did not have a second-round pick before the trade. Washington, meanwhile, has the third overall pick and still has the second pick of the second round.Grunfeld said the deal won't have any effect on the team's draft plans."We felt like we needed to add some veterans to the roster, and we were able to do that with this move. . . . We get players that are good solid players and fill two needs for us," he said. "Instead of going into free agency to try to fill our needs, we did it through a trade."Okafor has never lived up to being the second pick in the 2004 draft, but has averaged double figures in points (12.7) and rebounds (10.1) during his career. Last season, however, he averaged a career-low 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and missed time with a sore left knee.Ariza averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, but was deactivated for the last few weeks of the season while the Hornets, already well out of playoff contention, took a closer look at younger players on the roster.Several of those younger players, including second-year swingman Al-Farouq Aminu, showed signs of improvement as the Hornets won eight of their last 13 games.Grunfeld said Ariza and Wizards point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, played together in a pickup game in Los Angeles on Wednesday."We think we're a better team today than we were yesterday," Grunfeld said, "but we still have a lot of work ahead of us."NEW YORK — New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin retained agent Jim Tanner of the Washington law firm Williams & Connolly to represent him in basketball and marketing matters, two people familiar with the situation said.Roger Montgomery, Lin's current agent, will work with Tanner on the former Harvard University player's free agency, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the agreement isn't complete.Tanner's clients include San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier and Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns, whose president of basketball operations, Lon Babby, was a Williams & Connolly attorney and player agent before joining the team.The move comes at an important time for Lin, whose emergence this season could lead to increased endorsements. The 23-year-old, the first Chinese- or Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA, is a restricted free agent.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wizards offload Lewis to Hornets for Okafor
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Hornets traded forward Trevor Ariza and center Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday for forward Rashard Lewis and a second-round draft pick.Backs to the wall: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant shoots during practice in Miami on Wednesday. The Thunder trail the Heat 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Game 5 is set for Thursday. APLewis is entering the last season of a $118 million, six-year contract and could be a candidate for the NBA's amnesty clause, meaning he may not end up playing for the Hornets if New Orleans chooses to cut him loose in order to clear space under the salary cap."We are rebuilding our team and this is one step in our new direction," Hornets general manager Dell Demps said. "This trade will provide an opportunity for our young players to develop and create flexibility to add to our core group moving forward."Said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld: "Rashard unfortunately was injured while he was with us, and he didn't get an opportunity to show the kinds of things he was capable of doing. . . . He had a very hefty buyout in his contract, and we elected to add a couple of players to the roster by using his contract."Grunfeld said the Wizards would have had to pay a $13.7 million buyout.New Orleans also receives the 46th pick in this year's draft, which originally belonged to Dallas.The Hornets, who are expected to take Kentucky star Anthony Davis with the top overall draft pick and also have the 10th selection, did not have a second-round pick before the trade. Washington, meanwhile, has the third overall pick and still has the second pick of the second round.Grunfeld said the deal won't have any effect on the team's draft plans."We felt like we needed to add some veterans to the roster, and we were able to do that with this move. . . . We get players that are good solid players and fill two needs for us," he said. "Instead of going into free agency to try to fill our needs, we did it through a trade."Okafor has never lived up to being the second pick in the 2004 draft, but has averaged double figures in points (12.7) and rebounds (10.1) during his career. Last season, however, he averaged a career-low 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and missed time with a sore left knee.Ariza averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, but was deactivated for the last few weeks of the season while the Hornets, already well out of playoff contention, took a closer look at younger players on the roster.Several of those younger players, including second-year swingman Al-Farouq Aminu, showed signs of improvement as the Hornets won eight of their last 13 games.Grunfeld said Ariza and Wizards point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, played together in a pickup game in Los Angeles on Wednesday."We think we're a better team today than we were yesterday," Grunfeld said, "but we still have a lot of work ahead of us."NEW YORK — New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin retained agent Jim Tanner of the Washington law firm Williams & Connolly to represent him in basketball and marketing matters, two people familiar with the situation said.Roger Montgomery, Lin's current agent, will work with Tanner on the former Harvard University player's free agency, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the agreement isn't complete.Tanner's clients include San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier and Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns, whose president of basketball operations, Lon Babby, was a Williams & Connolly attorney and player agent before joining the team.The move comes at an important time for Lin, whose emergence this season could lead to increased endorsements. The 23-year-old, the first Chinese- or Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA, is a restricted free agent.
Backs to the wall: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant shoots during practice in Miami on Wednesday. The Thunder trail the Heat 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Game 5 is set for Thursday. APLewis is entering the last season of a $118 million, six-year contract and could be a candidate for the NBA's amnesty clause, meaning he may not end up playing for the Hornets if New Orleans chooses to cut him loose in order to clear space under the salary cap."We are rebuilding our team and this is one step in our new direction," Hornets general manager Dell Demps said. "This trade will provide an opportunity for our young players to develop and create flexibility to add to our core group moving forward."Said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld: "Rashard unfortunately was injured while he was with us, and he didn't get an opportunity to show the kinds of things he was capable of doing. . . . He had a very hefty buyout in his contract, and we elected to add a couple of players to the roster by using his contract."Grunfeld said the Wizards would have had to pay a $13.7 million buyout.New Orleans also receives the 46th pick in this year's draft, which originally belonged to Dallas.The Hornets, who are expected to take Kentucky star Anthony Davis with the top overall draft pick and also have the 10th selection, did not have a second-round pick before the trade. Washington, meanwhile, has the third overall pick and still has the second pick of the second round.Grunfeld said the deal won't have any effect on the team's draft plans."We felt like we needed to add some veterans to the roster, and we were able to do that with this move. . . . We get players that are good solid players and fill two needs for us," he said. "Instead of going into free agency to try to fill our needs, we did it through a trade."Okafor has never lived up to being the second pick in the 2004 draft, but has averaged double figures in points (12.7) and rebounds (10.1) during his career. Last season, however, he averaged a career-low 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and missed time with a sore left knee.Ariza averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds, but was deactivated for the last few weeks of the season while the Hornets, already well out of playoff contention, took a closer look at younger players on the roster.Several of those younger players, including second-year swingman Al-Farouq Aminu, showed signs of improvement as the Hornets won eight of their last 13 games.Grunfeld said Ariza and Wizards point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, played together in a pickup game in Los Angeles on Wednesday."We think we're a better team today than we were yesterday," Grunfeld said, "but we still have a lot of work ahead of us."NEW YORK — New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin retained agent Jim Tanner of the Washington law firm Williams & Connolly to represent him in basketball and marketing matters, two people familiar with the situation said.Roger Montgomery, Lin's current agent, will work with Tanner on the former Harvard University player's free agency, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the agreement isn't complete.Tanner's clients include San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, Miami Heat forward Shane Battier and Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns, whose president of basketball operations, Lon Babby, was a Williams & Connolly attorney and player agent before joining the team.The move comes at an important time for Lin, whose emergence this season could lead to increased endorsements. The 23-year-old, the first Chinese- or Taiwanese-American to play in the NBA, is a restricted free agent.
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