ESPN Insider: Curry in 3-way trade, VC might get traded, and more trade news

Insider, no link...

Dec. 6 - A source in Chicago told ESPN Insider Chad Ford the Warriors have been doing extensive background checks on Bulls center Eddy Curry and are seriously considering a three-way trade for Curry that would send Mike Dunleavy Jr. to the Clippers and Chris Wilcox and Bobby Simmons to the Bulls.

The Warriors would get the low-post scoring threat they've been looking for in Curry. While the loss of Dunleavy would hurt a bit, he has been under-performing in Golden State. Second-year swingman Mickael Pietrus should be able to step right in and take over. I actually like this trade for the Warriors.

The Bulls get a legitimate power forward who can score and rebound. If they were to keep Tyson Chandler and move him to center, this trade would make some sense for Chicago. Wilcox has looked great for the Clippers. He's an excellent athlete, has a good work ethic and could help the Bulls in transition.

The Clippers' part is the most interesting. A Dunleavy Sr.-Dunleavy Jr. reunion? .... Hmmmm. It has been rumored for the past two years that dad wanted to coach his son. How Junior fits into what the Clippers are doing is beyond me. Bobby Simmons is outplaying him in almost every imaginable way this season. Dads always think the best about their kids, but does this really make the Clippers better?

---------------------------------------------------

Vince Carter

Dec. 6 - Sam Mitchell seems to have lost his patience with his club. He's privately asked GM Rob Babcock to trade both Vince Carter and Jalen Rose. His relationship with Rafer Alston and Loren Woods is rocky, as well. That's four of the Raptors starting five. Is Chris Bosh next?

He might be, if Babcock doesn't start making changes. At this point he's either going to have to change the coach (unlikely) or start shipping out players. The Raptors have been in a holding mode all month trying to get their best deal for Carter.

Now that teams have had plenty of time to phone in their offers, sources claim that a decision is imminent. "Things have to change here and change quickly," one source told Insider. "Before it gets any worse." The Blazers, Knicks and Sixers are among the teams who've shown the most interest in Carter.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nene

Dec. 6 - The Nuggets have two bargaining chips that could potentially land them a star at shooting guard. Nene and Nikoloz Tskitishvili both have seen their roles dramatically diminished with the signing of Kenyon Martin. Nene especially has tremendous trade value because of his size, athleticism and age.
While GM Kiki Vandeweghe still maintains he doesn't want to move Nene, he might not have a choice. But the Brazilian native is miserable, according to sources, and wants a new home. Where could he land? ESPN Insider Chad Ford has some "educated guesses":

If the Suns are willing to part with either Quentin Richardson or Joe Johnson, something might work out. The Nuggets could swap Nene, Skita and Lenard to the Suns for Q, Maciej Lampe and Cabarkapa. Or they could swap just Nene and Skita for Johnson, Lampe and Cabarkapa.

The Bucks are falling apart, and it looks like Michael Redd, an unrestricted free agent after the season, will bolt. With Jason Richardson now locked up long-term, would a swap of Mickael Pietrus and Ansu Sesay for Nene work for the Nuggets?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason Kidd

Dec. 6 - Jason Kidd returns to the floor Monday night, but the question is for how long? If he's not really healthy, chances are he'll stay in New Jersey (his trade value will be too low) and the Nets will continue to be awful.

That shouldn't be too big of an issue. Kidd has totally healed from his offseason micro-fracture surgery and has looked great in practices the past week. If he really is healthy, a handful of teams will start getting serious about putting together a trade. For now, the Nets are claiming they are just happy to have him back in a Nets uniform.

"I think he has a great future with the Nets," team owner Bruce Ratner said Sunday. "That is my hope."

However sources tell ESPN Insider Chad Ford that chances are still very strong Kidd will be traded in the next month. As much as the Nets need a point guard like Kidd – they rank last in the league in assists and first in turnovers – will he be enough to put them back into contention?

Maybe. But without any semblance of a low-post scorer and no cap room to add one on their own, the Nets are going to need more than Kidd to become a contender again. Dallas, Minnesota, Portland and possibly Denver and Golden State all have interest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shareef
Dec. 6 - Blazers players are complaining that things are getting too clogged up in the middle with both Zach Randolph and Shareef Abdur-Rahim planting themselves in the paint. That may be partly why Theo Ratliff is off to such a terrible start and also why trade talks for Abdur-Rahim continue in earnest, ESPN Insider Chad Ford reports.

The Blazers have talked with the Raptors, Nets, Timberwolves and Bulls about a possible trade for Abdur-Rahim.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason Williams

Dec. 6 - Earl Watson played 30 minutes in head coach Mike Fratello's second game, scoring 12 points and handing out 12 assists while starter Jason Williams sat on the bench nursing a sore ankle.

While Williams' injury is legit, sources tell ESPN Insider Chad Ford that Fratello and Jerry West would prefer to trade Williams and hand the starting job to Watson, who had a nice run last year as the starter while Williams was hurt. While he might not have Williams' talent, he comes with much less attitude – a quality that's in high demand in Memphis these days.

Expect West to try to package Williams and Bonzi Wells in the coming days in his ongoing effort to find a big man who can score in the middle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Redd

Dec. 1 - The Bucks are off to a disappointing 4-8 start, but Michael Redd continues to improve. He's averaging career highs of 23.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3 apg. He's also shooting a career-high 44 percent from three-point range this season.

The bad news is Redd will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and one league told ESPN Insider Chad Ford that Redd's seriously considering bolting to Cleveland to play with LeBron James. The Cavs are in desperate need of a three-point shooter, and Redd, who was born in Columbus and played college ball at Ohio State, is itching to return.

The Cavs should have the money to pay him. Assuming they can get Zydrunas Ilgauskas to re-up for a reasonable amount, they should have enough cash under the cap to offer Redd the max. The way he's played the past two seasons, that's what he's worth – especially to a team like the Cavs, who desperately want to show LeBron they'll do whatever it takes to make the team a contender.

With the way the Cavs have been playing lately, you've got to believe a player like Redd would put them among the elite in the East.