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Trade for Pacers' Jones is expected by end of week
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There likely will be a new Suns player by the end of the week.
That would have figured to be Scott Padgett or Michael Finley not too long ago, but Padgett is waffling a little and Finley is still pondering. In the meantime, Phoenix is poised to bring on 24-year-old Indiana swingman James Jones in a sign-and-trade deal that should be completed this week.
The trade is awaiting Joe Johnson's physical in Atlanta, which must be done by Saturday to consummate that sign-and-trade deal. Part of the Johnson deal includes a $6 million trade exception for Phoenix, which will use part of it to acquire Jones. [/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Pacers have a full roster and want to lower their luxury tax-burdened payroll. That makes a trade involving a draft pick, rather than a Suns player, more plausible. Jones was a 2003 second-round pick (No. 49) who did not play as a rookie and averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds last season, so the deal might require the Suns to surrender only a second-round choice.
"I'm a big Jones supporter," said Suns guard Raja Bell, a fellow Miami prep product who played with Jones in the summers. "Every year, he gets better. I think he can fit right into the system because he plays different positions, shoots the ball well and runs well."
Jones played center in his high school days, setting him up for a versatile future. Indiana's suspensions and injuries led to Jones going from scrub time to a major role, including 24 starts, last season. He played shooting guard, small forward and power forward.
Jones, who is 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, hit 39.8 percent of his three-pointers but only 39.6 percent of all his shots. His maturity and basketball IQ drew raves from the Pacers staff.
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Padgett problems
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Jones' role might be expanding before he even signs, now that Padgett is not sure about joining Phoenix anymore. Padgett, a free agent who played for Houston last season, figured to be the versatile shooter the Suns like to use at power forward and also as a wing.
Padgett, 29, told a Houston television station and the Louisville Courier-Journal this month that he would sign with the Suns. The 6-9 forward said he had hoped to play in a style that was reminiscent of his Kentucky days.
The Suns would give him a two-year contract starting at his veteran's minimum salary (more than $900,000 for his six NBA seasons). Since he and the Suns came to terms, Phoenix's pursuit of Finley and Jones may have prompted Padgett to consider other offers.
"I'm hoping to have something done by the middle of the week," Padgett told The (Henderson, Ky.) Gleaner this week. "I'm talking to three or four different teams. The most serious are the Suns and the Clippers. There's a major difference in money between the two, but there's a major difference in winning between the two."
[/font]
Not Finley's element
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]This is a most unsettling spot for Finley. He has been thrust into one of the NBA's biggest, most drawn out summer story lines. Because of a one-time amnesty waiver rule, Finley became available and is being treated like a blue-chip recruit.
"He's a private guy," Finley's agent, Henry Thomas, said. "He doesn't crave the spotlight. He doesn't need the bells and pony show. He's been around. He didn't think it was necessary to (go city to city). He's a nuts-and-bolts guy."[/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0824sunsnb0824.html[/font]
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There likely will be a new Suns player by the end of the week.
That would have figured to be Scott Padgett or Michael Finley not too long ago, but Padgett is waffling a little and Finley is still pondering. In the meantime, Phoenix is poised to bring on 24-year-old Indiana swingman James Jones in a sign-and-trade deal that should be completed this week.
The trade is awaiting Joe Johnson's physical in Atlanta, which must be done by Saturday to consummate that sign-and-trade deal. Part of the Johnson deal includes a $6 million trade exception for Phoenix, which will use part of it to acquire Jones. [/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Pacers have a full roster and want to lower their luxury tax-burdened payroll. That makes a trade involving a draft pick, rather than a Suns player, more plausible. Jones was a 2003 second-round pick (No. 49) who did not play as a rookie and averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds last season, so the deal might require the Suns to surrender only a second-round choice.
"I'm a big Jones supporter," said Suns guard Raja Bell, a fellow Miami prep product who played with Jones in the summers. "Every year, he gets better. I think he can fit right into the system because he plays different positions, shoots the ball well and runs well."
Jones played center in his high school days, setting him up for a versatile future. Indiana's suspensions and injuries led to Jones going from scrub time to a major role, including 24 starts, last season. He played shooting guard, small forward and power forward.
Jones, who is 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, hit 39.8 percent of his three-pointers but only 39.6 percent of all his shots. His maturity and basketball IQ drew raves from the Pacers staff.
[/font]
Padgett problems
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Jones' role might be expanding before he even signs, now that Padgett is not sure about joining Phoenix anymore. Padgett, a free agent who played for Houston last season, figured to be the versatile shooter the Suns like to use at power forward and also as a wing.
Padgett, 29, told a Houston television station and the Louisville Courier-Journal this month that he would sign with the Suns. The 6-9 forward said he had hoped to play in a style that was reminiscent of his Kentucky days.
The Suns would give him a two-year contract starting at his veteran's minimum salary (more than $900,000 for his six NBA seasons). Since he and the Suns came to terms, Phoenix's pursuit of Finley and Jones may have prompted Padgett to consider other offers.
"I'm hoping to have something done by the middle of the week," Padgett told The (Henderson, Ky.) Gleaner this week. "I'm talking to three or four different teams. The most serious are the Suns and the Clippers. There's a major difference in money between the two, but there's a major difference in winning between the two."
[/font]
Not Finley's element
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]This is a most unsettling spot for Finley. He has been thrust into one of the NBA's biggest, most drawn out summer story lines. Because of a one-time amnesty waiver rule, Finley became available and is being treated like a blue-chip recruit.
"He's a private guy," Finley's agent, Henry Thomas, said. "He doesn't crave the spotlight. He doesn't need the bells and pony show. He's been around. He didn't think it was necessary to (go city to city). He's a nuts-and-bolts guy."[/font]
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0824sunsnb0824.html[/font]
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