Gilbert Arenas available?

Editor's Note: I have trouble believing this because the anonymous opposing team GM is probably Danny Ainge (Marc Spears worked for the Boston Globe for several years), and Ainge is pretty outspoken. But hey, I'm sure Ernie Grunfeld is trying to gage Arenas' value. He wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't. -Mike.

Also says the Wizards are "open for business" for trades. Very
interesting.

2 months ago lj15 22 comments 0 recs |

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Wow

I’m kind of surprised and I’m not really sure why. I guess I thought we would be giving this team more time and also because I just assumed he wasn’t tradeable because of the contract. If you had asked me a month ago – I would have said yes lets trade him but now I’m actually not so sure.

by ooba on Dec 25, 2009 11:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not surprised at all

Almost every finals team in NBA history was built around a dominant talent. Arenas is that kind of talent. He hasn’t been able to harness it and turn it into a winning team yet, but there is no doubt in my mind that a lot of GMs think he can.

Everyone around here talks about Arenas’ “un-tradable” contract. He’s our most valuable commodity. He’s who everyone wants. He turns any good team into a contender. If he can be used properly.

Haywood our MVP? Last year supposedly proved that we couldn’t live without BTH? Anyone want to argue that now? What we’ve seen is that this team lives and dies by Arenas’ talent. I’m not saying it’s where I want to be, but it’s a fact. A good shot blocking good rebounding center who thinks he’s better on the offensive end than he actually is can be a good part to a good team. A guy like Arenas is irreplaceable. I think he’s shown that he is on his way to becoming what he was before physically. There are a gaggle of GMs salivating over that, thinking that he can take the next step mentally. I’m not sure I agree with them. But trading him won’t be a problem. If a team can find a way to add circa ’09 Shaq, a team will find a way to add Arenas if we want to trade him.

by MR on Dec 26, 2009 12:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

That market is probably softer than you'd like to think

As a long-suffering fan of the Minnesota franchise that’s been in the dump forever now, I can say almost unequivocally that there are never even fan rumors about Arenas. People don’t concoct ridiculous three-way Real GM trades daydreaming about Agent Zero, the way they do about virtually any other star player. The consensus you hear when he’s brought up at all (and that’s basically always when Washington’s the night’s opponent, as now) is that the deal he signed was inexplicable under the circumstances, and that nobody would want to take it on now. Neither “rebuilding” teams nor contenders see him as worth that risk, or at least their fan bases don’t.

It may be that GMs are all lined up “salivating,” but if that’s true they’re keeping it under their hats in a big way.

When I see a Wizards player in rumors, it’s almost always Caron Butler.

"It has come to the editor’s attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

by feral on Dec 26, 2009 5:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree that the market is pretty soft

But I don’t think it’s as soft as the average fan thinks it is. GMs understand that Gilbert’s injury was a fluky thing and that there is a history of players coming back all the way from injuries like his. Remember, he had more than one max offer to choose from a couple of years ago.

by yop32 on Dec 26, 2009 6:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Golden State would be a player

He’s got history there, Nelly has bizarre karmic things going on, the Wizards could pick up Ellis at a similar discount to play a hemi-demi-semi-similar game….

"It has come to the editor’s attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

by feral on Dec 26, 2009 6:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That's a possibility

He seems to be the player he used to be. I’m probably in the minority, but I think that someone who can put up 25 7 and 5 with reasonable efficiency while being extremely marketable is worth a max deal. He’s overpaid, sure, but as long as he’s healthy (and he seems to be healthy), he’s a top 15 or top 20 player in his prime, and if he were a free agent this coming off season, he’d probably get about the same deal as last time. If he can cut his turnovers and try a bit more on defense, I think he’d actually be worth the money.

by pantslessyoda1 on Dec 27, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Doubtful considering the marketing. Wizards have been waiting on Arena’s knee for 3 years, they aren’t going to give up on him now.

by Fundefined on Dec 26, 2009 1:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

LOL

we arent trading Gil .

We have a ton of attractive pieces on this team.

if you want…
expiring contracts we got that (Mike James, Javaris Crittenton, DMac)
You want talent (Nick Young on a rookie deal, Javale Mcgee on a rookie deal, and Blatche on a cheap contract)
You want a veteran we have that. (Mike Miller, Foye)
All-Stars we have that( Butler and Jamison)

but trading low on a superstar is the LAST thing EG does.

The problem isn’t our coach. Flip is the best we could ever hope for and easily the best in the last 20 years. It’s not Grunfeld he will get average or better value for our assets. Grunefled’s approach is exactly correct, wait and see. Maybe thats not the most appealing thing for fans but we maximize value the closer we get to the trade deadline.

We just have to decide are we close enough to contention that we can take on additional years of contract, or do we need a major retooling. Big picture, it doesn’t hurt us to wait till the end of January.

by forthepeople on Dec 26, 2009 2:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Should mention that Foye and Miller are effectively expiring contracts as well.

by forthepeople on Dec 26, 2009 2:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Which is why Washington dealt for them, too....

"It has come to the editor’s attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

by feral on Dec 26, 2009 5:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I have never doubted Gilbert's value...

You don’t think the Lakers could use someone like him after last night’s point guard debacle against Mo Williams and Delonte West?

But I don’t think Gilbert is going anywhere else for a long, long time. He is having a progressively improving rehab season (22-7-4 or therabouts, right?) and has almost completely shaken the two years’ rust… Forget Bill Simmons’ crap about chalk outlines…

EG may move some other pieces (and, as for the people notes, we have a number of attractive ones) but Gilbert remains the Wizzies’ centerpiece.

by khrabb on Dec 26, 2009 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's the contract that scares people, not the player

Four more years after this one for max-ish money. In today’s NBA, that’s a lot to swallow for anyone.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Dec 26, 2009 11:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tracy McGrady
Jermaine O’Neal
Shaq
Ray Allen
Rashard Lewis
Redd
Kirilenko
Yao
Amare
Vince Carter
Zach Randolph

All of those players are paid what Gil is getting or more this year. Think any of those GMs wouldn’t make the trade? That’s 11 of the top 18 (plus Arenas). Who are the other 6? Kobe, Duncan, Nowitzki, Pierce, Pau Gasol, Garnett. There could be a case made for almost all of those players to be traded for Arenas too.

by MR on Dec 26, 2009 12:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure which would. Milwaukee might do it for Redd.

Gilbert Arenas has, what, five more years given his 2-year player option another three seasons from now?

Tracy McGrady’s contract is an expiring that comes off the books this year. Jermaine O’Neal, same deal. Shaq, same deal. Andrei Kirilenko has two more years.

It’s a lot to take on. It just is. Even the likes of Zach “why did the Blazers sign me this way?” Randolph (whose cap anchor of a deal is currently occupying almost exactly the same cap space Memphis supposedly dealt Pau Gasol in order to clear) might have trouble moving for Arenas. The Grizzlies can at least get out of Randolph in another year after this one.

I will never understand the contract to Gilbert, not under those injury circumstances. Seemed like class negotiating against yourself.

"It has come to the editor’s attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

by feral on Dec 26, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Right, it's the length of the deal

None of those players are under contract for as long as Arenas is, which means you’re basically telling yourself “We think Gilbert can be the highest-paid player on our team for the next four years” or “We really don’t care about money, so we don’t mind sticking him with another highly-paid guy for the long-term” (which describes basically nobody now because of the recession, the 2010 race and the shrinking salary cap).

Gil’s annual salary isn’t really the issue here as much as the length.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Dec 26, 2009 6:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Even Redd

Wow, and I hadn’t glanced to see that Michael Redd is already to the second-to-last year of his whopper of a contract either. With Skiles apparently willing to let Brandon Jennings dominate the ball, too…. Do they even do it? I’m doubtful.

Better to rattle the “We really don’t care about money” franchises. Lakers: clear no, Arenas in anything like Phil’s triangle? Dallas? You get your alpha dog for when Nowitzki fades come playoff time?

Tough market, though.

"It has come to the editor’s attention that the Herald-Leader neglected to cover the civil rights movement. We regret the omission."

by feral on Dec 26, 2009 6:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It would have to be a big market team

One that doesn’t care about paying the Tax….

Lakers = No
Cleveland = No (Unless they thought it would help them retain LeBron)
Knicks = NO (not unless they don’t score big in the 2010 FA Market)
Celtics = NO (Not unless they traded Ray Allen for Arenas,and make him a SG)

And that leaves
Dallas = Maybe (Mark Cuban is crazy)

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Dec 26, 2009 6:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I could see Dallas after the season

After they make their customary second-round exit and we make our customary first-round one. They have Dampier’s non-guaranteed contract to dangle, and maybe they’d be willing to try pairing Arenas and Nowitzki.

By then, though, we might not want to do that.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Dec 26, 2009 7:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Gil and Jason Kidd in the backcourt would be crazy

Rondo would eat that team alive. I could see it happening, though. Dallas’ problem right now, actually, is that they have too many decent but not good guys, and it would make sense for them to package some of them for an all NBA caliber player, I just don’t know if Gilbert’s the one.

by pantslessyoda1 on Dec 27, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the issue is

Whether we believe Gilbert is worth the max contract or not. I actually believe he is worth it and is rounding himself back into shape. If you do not believe so, then we need to use our assets to clear space and start over. I believe we need to go the celtics route, keep one star (gilbert) while moving the rest. I think Gilbert is a difference maker and is a max contract type player.

by zeke5123 on Dec 26, 2009 1:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs