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He's available, but they might not have what it takes
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
LOS ANGELES: Over the last year the Cavaliers have been attempting to make a major trade to put another star next to LeBron James.
They made pitches for Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby and Kevin Garnett before he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Now team General Manager Danny Ferry will probably be in pursuit of another, Jason Kidd.
After weeks of rumors in the New York-area papers, Kidd confirmed to ESPN.com on Monday that he's asked the New Jersey Nets to be traded.
''Sometimes, when you ride a wave, you get to the end and that's all there is. That's where we are,'' Kidd told ESPN.
The Cavs, in need of a point guard, are expected to be putting in a bid. According to sources, the Cavs' front office has been in contact recently with the Nets to gauge their demands. As with the pursuit of Bibby and Garnett, the team is not in a favorable position because it has a limited number of tradable assets.
Plus the Cavs are 12-3 over their last 15 games and have played better as the season has gone along, which might prevent them from tearing up the roster to make such a deal before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.
But Kidd and James became close last summer while helping Team USA qualify for the Olympics. The two established a chemistry on and off the court and began dreaming about playing together in the NBA. In November, Kidd told Sports Illustrated that he and James have had ''a little talk'' about playing together with the Cavs.
For that reason alone, Ferry will be compelled to make an effort to get Kidd.
If the Nets grant Kidd's request, they probably will not want to trade him to a team they compete with in the Eastern Conference. In addition, like the Minnesota Timberwolves with Garnett, the going rate will probably be a cocktail of young players, expiring contracts and/or draft picks.
The Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are also expected to put in a pitch for Kidd. All of them are Western Conference teams.
Kidd, 34, makes $19 million this season and $21 million next year in the last season of his contract. To make a deal work, the Cavs would have to send at least $15 million in contracts to New Jersey and then be willing to accept increased payroll and luxury tax penalties.
The Cavs have been shopping Larry Hughes, who makes $12 million this season, but have yet to find any takers. Two more attractive possibilities are Drew Gooden, a young athletic big man with a reasonable contract, and Daniel Gibson, who is one of the best young shooters in the NBA. But combined they make just over $7 million, which shows why such a deal would be complex.
Varejao flying back
Anderson Varejao underwent an MRI on his sprained left ankle on Monday and saw Lakers team physician Steve Lombardo. The Cavs said the MRI results confirmed the diagnosis and that he will fly to Cleveland today to be looked at by team doctors before they will estimate how long he will be out.
Varejao has a grade-2 sprain, which means he has a partial tear of a ligament in the ankle. Normally such injuries can take a month to six weeks to heal completely, although players often come back before that. But it is possible that Varejao could be out until after the All-Star break in three weeks.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
LOS ANGELES: Over the last year the Cavaliers have been attempting to make a major trade to put another star next to LeBron James.
Get the full article here.
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