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發表於 2005-7-20 08:42 PM
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Nets get their guy to agree for less
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff
The Nets got their man yesterday, and it was only because Shareef Abdur-Rahim is less greedy than his former employer.
The free-agent forward agreed to accept the lesser of two contract offers yesterday -- a five-year deal that will total $27 million to $30 million -- after the Nets failed to negotiate a better contract in a sign-and-trade scenario with the Portland Trail Blazers. The agreement, which cannot be announced until Friday -- ostensibly the day the new collective bargaining agreement is signed -- was confirmed by agent Aaron Goodwin, whose 28-year-old client is expected to step right into the Nets' starting lineup at power forward.
After two weeks of enlisting the Trail Blazers' help in trying to land Abdur-Rahim a better deal, one based on a $4.9 million trade exception, both the Nets and Goodwin grew tired of waiting. The Trail Blazers continue to demand second-round draft pick Mile Ilic along with the trade exception as compensation, which would enable the Nets to give Abdur-Rahim a six- year, $38 million contract.
But if necessary, he will settle for the midlevel exception, the extra fund that capped-out teams can use for free agents, which calls for a starting salary of $4.9 million to $5.2 million, and can be stretched out over a maximum of five years.
Reached by phone in the early afternoon, Abdur-Rahim said a move was imminent.
"The only holdup has been the Portland-New Jersey thing, and I think they're going to talk more," he said. "But before the day is out, Aaron and I will talk. Something else could develop."
It developed only a few hours later, when Goodwin informed Nets officials that his client is willing to play for the midlevel exception.
The deal is a major triumph for team president Rod Thorn, general manager Ed Stefanski and coach Lawrence Frank, who were relentless in their recruitment of the former All-Star. But while they are now able thumb their noses at Portland, which gets nothing for their departing player, the Nets are still hoping to get Abdur-Rahim the extra year before their trade exception expires July 29.
Before Abdur-Rahim's announcement, Portland GM John Nash maintained that it wasn't going to happen if the Nets continue to offer nothing but a future second-round pick along with the trade exception.
"It's Ilic or no deal," Nash said. "(Blazers president) Steve Patterson talked to Rod today and stated that position. It's not like we're denying Shareef an opportunity to make a living. We played him extensively at the end of the season, and probably assisted him in regaining his value.
"At some point, (the Nets) have to realize they're getting Shareef at a reasonable amount of money for a reasonable price. There has to be give and take. If they feel it's unreasonable, that's their prerogative. It's also ours to say we won't change our position, so either they come around or don't."
Nash added that it's "a gamble on our part" if Abdur-Rahim settled for the midlevel, which leaves the Blazers with nothing. He lost that gamble, and one Eastern Conference GM found the Blazers' tactic "absurd ... all they're doing is screwing him out of $8 million. He was a good soldier for them, and this is the way they treat him?"
The Nets, meanwhile, gain a superbly talented forward, a career 20-and-10 man until he played a reduced role in Portland, and essentially one of the most under-the- radar players of his generation. Though he may only be a fourth option on a team that already includes two stars (Jason Kidd and Vince Carter) and a potential star (Richard Jefferson), Abdur-Rahim can help turn the Nets into one of the most formidable offensive teams in the league, with quality scorers at every position.
The one drawback is that the Nets can no longer use their midlevel exception on Keyon Dooling, their second target. Though they can still use the trade exception -- or a piece of it, anyway, as Dooling figures to be worth about three years and $9 million -- there is no guarantee that Miami will be amenable to a sign-and-trade deal.
[ Last edited by shaqkobe on 2005-7-20 at 10:18 PM ] |
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