Sam Smith's "First 5 players to be traded this season"

[Glenn]

First 5 trades this season
Because it's never to early to discuss trade talk, Sam Smith tells us who the first players are to be traded this season. Also, notes from around the NBA's recent media days.

Posted by Sam Smith | asksam@bulls.com | 10.05.09 | 9:00 a.m. CT

The NBA is back with training camps opening last week and, by my unofficial count, there are 29 teams talking playoffs. I don’t think Sacramento is, though I may have missed something. This is the time of year when players’ flaws are mostly ignored as managements see what they hoped for in players more than what is actually there. Which is how we get to trades. I strongly doubt there is any talk now. But there will be, and here’s my five players most likely to be traded in the next few months.

1. Carlos Boozer, Utah The Jazz is a remarkably patient franchise, as coach Jerry Sloan often notes, perhaps the league’s most stable. Andrei Kirilenko demanded a trade two years ago. Karl Malone threatened holdouts over salary disputes so often it became a league cliché in the late 1980’s. So the Jazz just shrug about Boozer in the summer saying he and the team mutually agreed he should be traded. Boozer then went on radio stations in Chicago and Miami proclaiming he’d like to play in those cities. Though the Jazz has said little, the team shop is selling Boozer jerseys at 50 percent off and Boozer wasn’t included in the team’s new marketing campaign. Boozer will be a free agent after the season and was not offered a new deal while Mehmet Okur was and Boozer’s backup, Paul Millsap, got a big offer from Portland that the Jazz matched. Boozer came to camp positive and said he’s ready to play, telling Salt Lake City media: "I got asked the question — I was doing an interview for my basketball camp in Alaska — I got asked the question if I got traded here, if I got traded there, would you want to go? If I get traded, I don't have a choice but to go, so I said, 'If I get traded, yeah, I'll go.' Nonetheless, I'm here, I'm back in Utah. I'm excited to be here, ready to move forward, get on the court with my teammates and see how good we can be this year." The Jazz is now trying Millsap at small forward, which won’t work. I’ve heard they stopped talking quite awhile ago about dealing Boozer. The speculation around the NBA is the Jazz, which has dealt well with disgruntled players before, feel they can get a better deal waiting closer to the trade deadline. But it’s a risk. And could be costly. Their payroll is $82 million, more than $12 million into the luxury tax and sixth most in the NBA, astonishingly high for a small market team.

I don’t see the Boozer experiment working with Millsap in the wings. But it seems more vital for the team to save some money. The late owner Larry Miller’s money came from the auto industry, which we knew isn’t doing so well. By not dealing Boozer this past summer, the Jazz would still have to take back comparable salary. But there’s a 25 percent differential allowed in trades. That kind of deal for Boozer would save the Jazz some $6 million. The speculation is Miami, which Boozer this summer named his top choice, is most likely to make a deal. I can see Miami wanting to get out from under Michael Beasley with all his issues. Udonis Haslem with an expiring deal also has been mentioned. Last week when the Jazz opened its exhibition season against Denver, two Jazz fans showed up, one with a Bulls jersey with Boozer written on the back and one with a Jazz jersey with Thomas written on the back, with a sign reading, "Trade Us." Jazz players got a good laugh out of it. The Jazz play the Bulls in London Tuesday.

2. Monta Ellis, Warriors Yes, I know, Stephen Jackson wants to be traded. Still. He got a big extension that everyone around the league was shocked by, and then he asks out in saying the Warriors aren’t trying. Yeah, there’ll be a lot of demand for him. Ellis is the one. He came to camp and innocently explained you ain’t going anywhere with small guards like he and rookie Stephen Curry in the backcourt. The Warriors are in love with Curry and have plenty of guards. Ellis is a big time scorer and no fan of management, either. Perhaps no one there noticed it was only Chris Mullin who sided with Ellis and urged restraint after Ellis’s moped accident. So Mullin then was fired. Ellis got the message. It isn’t going to work, and someone should be able to get an All Star level scorer for an expiring deal. I was going to add Brandan Wright, who was being buried as the Warriors promoted Anthony Randolph. But Wright is now hurt. I’d still take a shot at him as a future.

3. Richard Hamilton, Pistons No matter what anyone says, they didn’t sign Ben Gordon to bring him off the bench. We know Ben’s no point guard. Apparently, Rodney Stuckey isn’t, either. But that’s another issue. Hamilton could potentially play small forward, but Tayshaun Prince is there and more difficult to deal. Rip didn’t do well with the Allen Iverson experiment, and despite being a fellow UConn guy with Ben, Rip’s no backup. The Pistons have perhaps their softest front court in two decades. They’ll find that out soon, and then Rip will have to go for some size and toughness before he gets too cranky about things.

4. Andres Nocioni, Sacramento Noce never has been with a loser like this and isn’t going to deal with it well. Already, new coach Paul Westphal says Noce will come off the bench. He’s too good and valuable a veteran player to waste away with a team like this, which is rebuilding. He has two years left after this, but on a reasonable contract that pays less than $7 million annually. He’d be a nice pickup for a veteran, playoff team.

5. Mike Conley, Grizzlies The poor kid has no idea what he’s gotten himself into playing with Allen Iverson, Zach Randolph, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. He’ll go to sleep with screams in his head of guys demanding the ball. He’s not tough enough to stand up to that yet. It’s time to reunite him with high school buddy Greg Oden in Portland, where they paid big money for free agent point guard Andre Miller. That reduces the utility of Steve Blake as Portland also will have Rudy Fernandez handling the ball more. Blake’s a tough, savvy guard who can play in that Memphis turmoil and actually help. And it can’t hurt the moody Oden to have that familiar face back.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_091005.html

[Black Dynamite]

sam smith isnt the most trusted source. Though he is right abut #1(as obvious as it may be).

it just bleeds chicago. And it worries me that you enjoy cheap shots from a chicago bull lover.

4. Andres Nocioni, Sacramento Noce never has been with a loser like this and isn’t going to deal with it well. Already, new coach Paul Westphal says Noce will come off the bench. He’s too good and valuable a veteran player to waste away with a team like this, which is rebuilding. He has two years left after this, but on a reasonable contract that pays less than $7 million annually. He’d be a nice pickup for a veteran, playoff team.

When did nocioni become too good for the bench? was it the same time that Gordon became too good to come off the bench all of the sudden?

[Uncle Mxy]

Significantly fucking with the toolchest of a new coach is contraindicated.

[Big Swami]

^ Good call. I would wait until Kuester can get more of a vibe on who he can and cannot work with.

[Kstat]

it just bleeds chicago. And it worries me that you enjoy cheap shots from a chicago bull lover.

What bothers me is that I'm not surprised at all.

[GrantBell]

The Pistons have their softest front court in decades according to Sam Smith.

The frontcourt was much tougher during the days of Mark West, Erick Leckner and later an injured Laettner, Vaught, Terry Mills, etc.

Sam Smith enjoys men.