Freshly-minted Atlanta GM Danny Ferry hasn’t wasted any time putting his stamp on his new team. The former Spurs administrator pulled off a pair of major moves on Tuesday, for a mass of expiring contracts while .
In addition to freeing the Hawks from the $90 million remaining on Johnson’s deal — one that had been considered virtually untradeable — Ferry also put the Hawks in position of clearing cap space to go after both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard in next year’s free agency sweepstakes. It’s a slim hope at best — Paul has a great situation with Blake Griffin and the Clippers, and Howard would likely have little interest in the Hawks without him — but it’s better than being stuck with the dead weight that is Johnson’s contract.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has given Deron Williams another reason to consider staying with the Nets, while still retaining some of its assets. Williams is expected to make his decision between Brooklyn and Dallas as early as today. But the Nets would also seem to have , leaving the Orlando center’s future even more murky after reportedly demanding a trade to the Nets, and only the Nets. That could seemingly open the door for another suitor, such as the Lakers, or force Howard to play out a lame-duck season with the Magic before hitting the open market.
If Williams bolts for Big D, the Nets will reportedly .
Elsewhere:
* The Suns are to restricted SG Eric Gordon.
* Former Spur George Hill
* The Kings are taking a
* Small forward Grant Hill’s services are
* Small forward Nicolas Batum has
* The Rockets are ready to
* The Clippers want to