I know I should be studying and writing my final papers, but while taking a quick study break, I was surprised to see John Hollinger contribute to some wild speculation in his chat today (Insider).
SportsNation John Hollinger: (2:58 PM ET ) Agreed that it's a perfect fit. Still trying to figure out how to make it work. Antonio Daniels would need to be in it for sure, probably Pecherov too, and they might have to involve a third team to find a home for Haywood. But yes, if I were Enrie Grunfeld I'd be taking a hard look at that one.
It's a perfect fit...save for the max contract and the cost. If the Wizards could find a way to trot out a lineup of Arenas/Butler/Jamison/Kirilenko/Center, it would be phenomenal. Kirilenko could hide all of Jamison's defensive weaknesses, and he could still be a decent offensive contributor. He'd basically be a much, much better version of Jared Jeffries.
But what would Utah want from the Wizards? I understand that AK47 has fallen off a bit this year, but there's no way that a package of AD, Pecherov, Haywood, and other chump change will get it done. Utah's biggest need is to upgrade the shooting guard position, both offensively and defensively. They have no use for Jamison, who would be the most logical person to trade for AK47, because Jamison is an awful defender and doesn't do anything to make Utah better in the backcourt.
If we're talking a two-team trade, it's definitely a pipe dream. Utah would probably demand Caron Butler, and there's no way Ernie's going to give him up.
But what if a third team got involved, that could send a decent wing to the Jazz? It's more of a possibility (maybe Memphis with Mike Miller?), but I've been playing around with the trade machine, and nothing really works.
Things might change once we know what the new contracts will be. But most likely, it's a pipe dream to get in the AK47 sweepstakes.
If you find something that works, feel free to post in in the comments though. There's nothing like speculation at this time of year.