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Antoine Walker Dealt in Largest NBA Trade

Boston Celtics' Antoine Walker tries to get past New Jersey Nets' Kenyon Martin during the second half of game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in East Rutherford, N.J., in this May 7, 2003 file photo. BILL KOSTROUNAugust 02, 2005 10:34 PM EDT
MIAMI - In the largest trade in NBA history, Antoine Walker was dealt from Boston to Miami on Tuesday night in a transaction involving five teams and 13 players.

The Heat also acquired point guard Jason Williams and small forward James Posey from Memphis, while the Grizzlies received guard Eddie Jones from the Heat. The New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz were also involved in the deal.

The trade was larger than a 12-player, four-team deal in 2000 involving Patrick Ewing that had been the biggest in league history.

Miami also received Andre Emmett from Memphis and the draft rights to Roberto Duenas of Spain from the Hornets; Utah received Greg Ostertag from Memphis; Boston picked up Curtis Borchardt from Utah and a package - Qyntel Woods, the draft rights to Spanish center Albert Miralles, two second-round draft picks and cash - from Miami; New Orleans acquired Rasual Butler from Miami and Kirk Snyder from Utah; and the Grizzlies received guard Raul Lopez from the Jazz.

Hours after signing Shaquille O'Neal to a five-year deal, the Heat added three significant pieces to a roster that nearly reached the NBA Finals last season.

"We traded a lot, but we got back three quality players," said Heat president Pat Riley. "Antoine Walker is one of the very best multi-faceted, versatile players in this game. ... He is able to handle the ball, pass it, make plays, shoot 3's and rebound the ball. There isn't anyone in this league better at doing that."

Walker, a three-time All-Star, figures to become the starting small forward and would be backed up by Posey, one of the league's better defenders.

Walker signed a six-year deal worth nearly $53 million with Boston as part of the deal's preliminary framework, and agent Mark Bartelstein said he appreciated the Celtics' willingness to help out their longtime forward.

"Antoine is thrilled," Bartelstein said. "This was a grueling process trying to put a sign-and-trade together. This took a lot of time and work and energy from a lot of people."

Williams would take over as Miami's starting point guard if Damon Jones leaves as a free agent.

Eddie Jones exits Miami after five years with the Heat.

"I spoke to him and he's appreciative of the five great years he's had in Miami," agent Leon Rose said. "He's proud that he's helped build something, although it's unfortunate that he won't be able to see it to fruition. But he wishes the organization nothing but the best."

Riley wished the three players leaving Miami well, especially Eddie Jones, whom he called "the consummate professional through thick and thin."

"I know he had fun and he was a major part of this," Riley said. "But in order to get something good back, you have to give up something good going out. I wish him nothing but the best."

Memphis acquired Borchardt earlier Tuesday in a deal in which Sacramento got Bonzi Wells from the Grizzlies in exchange for guard Bobby Jackson and Ostertag.

The Hornets did not give up any players under contract in the megatrade, which was approved by league officials late Tuesday night.

"Our cap flexibility is what allowed us to get these two players as part of this deal," Hornets general manager Allan Bristow said. "We were able to acquire two young, quality players while only giving up the rights to a player who has never appeared in a Hornets uniform."

Walker, who averaged 19.1 points and nine rebounds last season for Atlanta and Boston, will be a welcome addition to the Heat, said forward Udonis Haslem - who formally signed his $30.7 million, five-year deal Tuesday.

"We're two different players and we can bring two different things to the table," Haslem said, a few hours before the trade got done. "If we put that together, we should have a pretty good tandem."

Miami reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals this past season - even though O'Neal and Dwyane Wade were both hurt at the time. And not only was Jones a starter on that team, he was the Heat's best perimeter defender - a role that Heat president Pat Riley and coach Stan Van Gundy have long valued.

Eddie Jones, a career 16.4-point-per-game scorer, averaged 12.7 in the regular season and 13.7 in the playoffs as Miami's third option.

"Eddie Jones is an All-Star caliber player who has had a terrific NBA career. He is a great 3-point shooter who will make an immediate impact on our offense, while also serving as a solid defender in the backcourt. We look forward to Eddie finishing his NBA career in Memphis," Grizzlies president Jerry West said.

Williams averaged 10.1 points and 5.6 assists for the Grizzlies last season. Riley likened his playmaking ability to Steve Nash and Jason Kidd.

"He is a very athletic, quick, explosive scorer and has great experience," Riley said. "One of the reasons why we are making the trade is that we haven't had anyone here like that since Tim Hardaway left."

Posey was limited to 50 games this past season because of injuries, and only 18 starts. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.

The trade capped a flurry of activity by the Heat - who moved quickly once the league's moratorium on player signings expired Tuesday at noon EDT.

O'Neal was signed to a $100 million contract; the move was expected, although the contract was considerably smaller than what O'Neal figured to command.

Haslem said the team has full confidence in whatever personnel choices Riley and general manager Randy Pfund make.

"Since I've been here, they've made great decisions," Haslem said. "And I'm sure they'll make the right decision here."

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Freelance Superhero

looks like the attempts to build NBA power-teams are becoming a trend.

and on a much more personal note, i didn't know sac traded away bobby jackson. and for freakin bonzi wells? ugh...

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ialsohaveadream

I was discussing with a fellow Heat fan how this offseason had been so quiet, and you'd think that Riley would try to just pick up that one little piece to put us over the top. Well, he came through pretty large on this one. We gave up next to nothing (we'd been trying to get rid of Eddie for a while), and got White Chocolate, Posey, and Toine.

I like the pieces we picked up. They're all complementary players, who should know well enough to take a back seat to Wade and Shaq. I'm a little concerned that Toine's contract is way too big, but if it gets us to the Finals, I'll deal.

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VTGreg

Things had been quiet because no deals could be announced until yesterday. I'm not sure about this deal for the Heat. You take a team that probably would have gone to the NBA Finals if not for injuries and you mix up the chemistry.

I really like the addition of James Posey, who does everything and is a very underrated player, but Williams has had problems everywhere he has been and while he is a very exciting player, he is terribly inconsistent. Walker will take shots from Shaq and Wade, and is one of the worst in the NBA when it comes to shot selection.

Van Gundy has his work cut out for him making all of these pieces fit together. The great thing about the guys that the Heat traded away was that they were able to produce without many touches or shots. That is not the case for the two starters that they picked up in the trade. I wonder if there will be enough shots to go around.

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ialsohaveadream

I think Van Gundy and/or Riley must've talked to Toine before the trade and told him "Look, you're not the first option in this offense." As for Williams, he's settled down from his early highlight reel days, and if we sign Damon Jones back, he'll be splitting time anyway. If nothing else, Williams can be trade bait for something else we want.

I agree on the Posey addition, though. Nice, solid backup...as long as he stays healthy.

brainsmile

wow what a deal! Ostertag!!!

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ialsohaveadream

The Ostertag part of the trade makes me laugh. I think it was just thrown in for comic value.

DaFunkyUnit

big honking white guy goes to... Utah??? no, get out!

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bachviet

Posey is a good pickup for the Heat. I hope Walker is not going to throw up three's like he did in Boston & Atlanta. I don't think there is any team in the East that could compete with the Heat next season.

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Showtime

I think Detroit is still the favorite in the east. Pacers look really nice with Artest back and no injuries. If NJ has chemistry, they can also compete. Too bad the Lakers didnt go after Rahim... Miami overpaid for EJ, but he played solid D and was good for 15. I don't see white chocolate fitting in for some reason, but Walker will make a lot of teams pay for doubling Shaq.

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VTGreg

Ok, here is some analysis of the trade based on last year's statistics.

MIN FGA FG% 3PT% PPG

E Jones 35.5 10.3 0.428 0.372 12.7
R Butler 18.5 6.3 0.399 0.373 6.5
Q Woods 13.3 4 0.417 0 3.3


A Walker 38.4 17.9 0.422 0.323 19.1
J Williams 27.5 9.1 0.413 0.324 10.1
J Posey 27.6 7.1 0.357 0.309 8.1



Now obviously, with Shaq and Wade these players should not expect to get as many shots as they did with their previous team. But in order to get anywhere near the production everyone is expecting for Walker and Williams, they will need to get more shots than Jones and Butler got.

Woods wasn't a factor offensively and Posey won't expected to be one. If you remove their numbers from the equation, then the Heat players that left were scoring 19.2 points a game on 16.6 shots. That equates to 1.16 points per shot. Walker and Williams combined scored 29.1 points per game, but on 27 shots per game, equating to 1.08 points per shot. Based on this, if the Walker and Williams get the same amount of shots that Jones and Bulter got per game, they will score about the same amount of points combined. Factor this is in with the fact that Walker and Williams are not used to being 3rd or 4th options and you have headaches for very little improvement offensively. This doesn't even take into account the fact the Eddie Jones is much better defensively than either Walker or Williams.

All in all, the Heat added some star power and flash, but probably won't see increased output from the new players compared to the old players, will be worse defensively and may have some serious chemistry/personality issues.

ialsohaveadream

Eddie Jones, first of all, is better defensively than Walker...but Eddie was having to play SF when Wade was in the game, leaving him to cover guys he couldn't handle, like Rip Hamilton. Also, Eddie's contract was still enormous and has two years left on it (though now we've got Toine for many more years).

I've heard the argument about the chemistry issues, and I'm concerned about it. But Shaq has supposedly been lobbying hard to bring White Chocolate. Rumor is they're good friends.

Those stats don't tell you anything. The guys had completely different roles on their old teams. Williams can average 10 assists a game easily on this team, and I believe he'll want to do that. I love the Posey addition, and I'm just hoping Walker works out as either a starting SF or a 6th man.

Maarchk

Yeah, i really like J will. I think he just gets frustrated, throwing out a good 8 dimes, and getting only 4 baskets, cause his people aren't good finishers. I think with Shaq, J will will enjoy passing as much as bombing, and he'll be good. Posey is my hero. I accidentally drafted him one year, he dropped a triple-double the first week, and i traded him for a superstart. So i love him for my own reasons.
Walker i think was unneccesary. I feel he will shoot open shots, that wade or damon jones, or j-will could make. And he will just shoot instead of passing a lot. The thing i love about wade is that he knows when to shoot, cut, or pass. Same with jwill. He only shoots a lot when he feels the team is slumping. walker just shoots, cause well... "I take more 3pointers cause there are no 4 pointers"
On a side note, i'd love for j-will to slip to the lakers magically... maybe shaq and j-will, for bynum and phil.

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VTGreg

I agree that their roles will be different with the Heat, but Williams is a career .390 from the field and .315 from 3 range and Walker is a career .415 from the field and .326 from 3 range. Williams has improved his FG% some but will still hover around the .400 mark.

With Shaq commanding double teams and Wade slashing to the basket, you need players that can hit open shots and Williams and Walker really aren't those players. Williams hardly played in the 4th quarter for Memphis because he is so bad defensively.