Kwame for Caron Butler

fredp45 · Post by **fredp45** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:22 pm

This is the rumor on ESPN today..I wonder if Ernie isn't trying to dredge up interest in Kwame...maybe trying to get someone from the Knicks and a pick.

I'd be happy with Butler. Hayes could move to SG and Butler could play some SF..he's a good player. I remember him on UConn when Md won the Championship - he was a stud. We couldn't stop him that game.

SkinFan 0-16 or 16-0 · Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:22 pm

But more importantly they couldn't stop Juan Dixon. Lets get this deal done, but leave Caron at the 2, resign Dixon & Blake.

PG- Arenas
SG- Butler
SF- Jamison
PF-Jeffries
C-Thomas

But After this our Big Men our still weak we need a big time post player. I wanted to re-sign Hughes, but that didn't work out. Lets get this done, and get a legit Big Man.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:14 am

Replacement guard?
<Jul. 12> After losing Larry Hughes to the Cavs, the Wizards are in search of a shooting guard. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the team is interested in Lakers swingman Caron Butler and have had discussions about a sign-and-trade deal that would send Kwame Brown to L.A.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors

Sounds good to me. Anything to get Kwame out of D.C. I wanted Shane Battier, anyways.

It should be cool to see Caron in D.C. if the trade does work out. We will still need a dominate big man but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:37 am

Wizards to make pitch for Marshall
By John N. Mitchell
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 13, 2005

The Washington Wizards, still smarting from the loss of guard Larry Hughes, will begin to address their frontcourt issues this week by bringing in free-agent forward Donyell Marshall.
"There has definitely been some interest expressed there, and I can say that we are going to talk with Washington," Marshall's agent, Andy Miller, said last night.
The Wizards would be looking at the 6-foot-9, 32-year-old Marshall most likely with their $4.9 million mid-level exception.
Marshall spent most of last season with the Toronto Raptors on the trading block, getting heavy interest from Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. Those teams are still said to covet the 11-year veteran. However, the Wizards, who need help in the frontcourt -- especially if they deal forward Kwame Brown this summer -- are believed to be Marshall's top choice.
Last season with the Raptors, Marshall averaged 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. He has good shooting range for a big man, as evidenced last season when he made a career-best 41.6 percent (151-for-363) from behind the 3-point line.
The Wizards can court Marshall now, but they cannot sign him until July 22, when the moratorium on signing players is lifted.
While the Wizards' position at the start of the offseason was that there still was a possibility Brown might be re-signed, this hinged heavily on their belief that they would be able to re-sign Hughes -- their top priority this offseason -- who had a tremendous season for Washington.
But the Wizards were caught off guard when Hughes, who had said he wanted to return to Washington, rejected the team's final offer of a six-year, $72?million deal to sign with Cleveland for five years at close to $70 million.
The good news for the Wizards is that there are at least six or seven teams that have contacted them about Brown. The bad news is that while Brown is looking for at least a three-year deal, most teams seem more interested in signing him for two years with an option for a third.
Another potential sticking point, according to at least two sources, is that the Wizards also are asking for a first-round pick in most scenarios.
One report in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer suggested that the Wizards were in discussions concerning a trade that would ship Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. However, according to a league source, those talks eased last night.
The New York Knicks have indicated they would love to have Brown. However, the Knicks have little to offer. In fact, the best they might be able to do is a trade involving former Georgetown standout Mike Sweetney.

http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20050 ... -9490r.htm

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:48 am

Wizards Working to Trade Brown

By Ivan Carter and Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; Page E03

Still staggering from the loss of shooting guard Larry Hughes, the Washington Wizards are aggressively trying to find a new home for restricted free agent forward Kwame Brown and trying to fill their need for more front-line help.

A league source said yesterday that the Wizards have scheduled a meeting this weekend with free agent forward Donyell Marshall, who averaged 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Toronto Raptors last season. Marshall, 32, who is hosting a basketball camp in Reading, Pa., this week, has averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds in an 11-year career with Minnesota, Golden State, Utah, Chicago and Toronto. He has shot better than 40 percent from beyond the three-point line the past two seasons.

The Wizards have talked with several teams regarding a possible sign-and-trade involving former No. 1 pick Brown, a team source said. A source with knowledge of the discussions said the Lakers are considering offering swingman Caron Butler, and one of the following players: center Vlade Divac, point guard Chucky Atkins or swingman Devean George.

The 6-foot-7 Butler averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season and can play either shooting guard or small forward. He has been considered expendable since the Lakers acquired him as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Shaquille O'Neal to Miami last summer. Divac, Atkins or George would be thrown in for salary cap purposes. It's also possible the deal could include a 2006 first-round draft pick, which the Lakers acquired from Miami in the O'Neal trade. Divac, who is slated to earn $5.4 million next season, can be bought out of his contract for $2 million. That would save the Wizards $3.4 million on their salary cap, money that could be used to acquire other free agents.

Brown's agent, Arn Tellem, was scheduled to meet with Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak last night, according to a league source.

The Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks have also shown interest in Brown. According to league sources, the Pacers and the Wizards discussed a deal that would have sent shooting guard Freddie Jones and forward Jeff Foster to Washington. Indiana, however, is no longer interested in Brown.

The Knicks, who are in the market for a big man, have reportedly discussed a package including former Georgetown forward Mike Sweetney but Sweetney doesn't excite the Wizards, which led those talks to fizzle. The Hawks would consider signing Brown if they are unable to land one of the three big men they covet: Chicago's Eddy Curry, Chicago's Tyson Chandler or Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert.

Brown, who was suspended by the Wizards during the playoffs after averaging 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds during the regular season, is a restricted free agent, meaning the Wizards could match any offer made to him. The Wizards have already extended a qualifying offer to Brown worth about $6.9 million.

Teams aren't allowed to sign players or make trades until July 22, when the new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be ratified.

With Hughes agreeing to a five-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, the Wizards have seven players under contract for next season. They would like to add a shooting guard and a low-post player through free agency or through a trade involving Brown.

The market for free agent shooting guards has dwindled with the recent signings of Hughes, Ray Allen, Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons. A source close to free agent guard Cuttino Mobley said yesterday that it is unlikely that he will join the Wizards. The Wizards had discussions with Mobley's representatives, but the source said Mobley is "very far down the line" in negotiations with other teams. Mobley, who averaged 17.2 points last season with Orlando and Sacramento, has been in talks with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. He opted out of a contract that would have paid him about $6.4 million next season.

The Wizards also met with restricted free agent guard Ronald "Flip" Murray in Las Vegas this week, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Murray has been the primary backup for Allen in Seattle the past two seasons. Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld drafted Murray for the Milwaukee Bucks with the 42nd pick in 2002. He has averaged 9.6 points over his career.

According to a source close to unrestricted free agent shooting guard Juan Dixon, the team has expressed an interest in bringing back the former Maryland star, but nothing is imminent. The team has also been in discussions with the agent representing former Maryland guard Steve Blake, who is a restricted free agent.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01558.html

Redskins4Life · Post by **Redskins4Life** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:41 am

If you guys get Caron Butler for Brown consider it a hell of a deal. Brown is as good as gone in DC and Butler while not an all star caliber guy is decent enough for a 15 ppg 6 rpg season.... I doubt the trade will go down though without you guys having to eat a bad contract or two

vife · Post by **vife** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 11:48 am

First of all haywood will be our starting center. he's improved a lot over the years. thomas if he doesn't get hurt again.... will be a good back up. or maybe a starting if he STOPS getting hurt.

jeffries i hope continues developing, he showed flashes of some real good moves last year.

butler as our SG will be a big downgrade from hughes, but arenas will be able to make things happen. plus butler is a better percentage shooter than hughes, at least from long range.

jamison def needs to stay as the SF becasue we dont' want him getting beat up so much like last year.

as for a dominant big man, the list is dwindling on that.

go hayes, dixon blake.

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:58 am

vife wrote:as for a dominant big man, the list is dwindling on that.

:shock: Are you kidding????

Remember these letters:

PJR!!!

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 3:58 pm

Redskins4Life · Post by **Redskins4Life** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:25 pm

ITS PETER JOHN RAMOS!!!!

vife · Post by **vife** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:33 pm

Yea i'm glad we have him. but what has he done, and hes' not even doing well in the summer league.

it's caron butler and chucky atkins.
i still hope we get a good 4 man.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:08 am

KWAME BROWN TRADED TO THE LAKERS
The End to a Disappointing Era
After Four Seasons, Both Sides Call It Quits

By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 15, 2005; Page E01

Kwame Brown no longer has to deal with the weight of lofty expectations. The team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001 no longer has to suffer through his inability to meet them. The Washington Wizards agreed in principle yesterday to a sign-and-trade deal that would send Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Caron Butler and point guard Chucky Atkins, Brown's Los Angeles-based agent Arn Tellem said yesterday.

Tellem met with Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak on Tuesday, and the two sides agreed to a three-year deal worth $25 million. Brown, who was a restricted free agent, will earn $16 million the first two years, and the Lakers will hold a team option for the third year that would pay him about $9 million. In his first year with the Lakers, Brown will make slightly more than the $6.9 million qualifying offer the Wizards extended him. "It's our intention to sign with the Wizards and be traded to the Lakers," Tellem said by phone yesterday. "He's excited about the possibility of getting a fresh start and going to a great team with a great history."

In a telephone interview last night, Brown refused to criticize the Wizards or to shed any light on his suspension from the team during the playoffs, but vowed to prove his critics in Washington wrong.

"Washington made me a man, so I can't say anything negative about Washington, D.C.," Brown said. "I came here a boy and I'm leaving a man. I can't say anything bad about the Wizards.

"I did some unprofessional things. It's in the past and I'm ready to move on. I can't have any regrets. If you live your life with regrets, you'll never move on. All the stuff that happened to me is ultimately going to make the person and the player that I'm going to become."

Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld declined to comment on the deal.

Free agent deals cannot be finalized until at least July 22, when the new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be ratified. The Wizards and Brown both agreed that it was time to part ways following Brown's rocky four-year stint in Washington, which began with extraordinary -- perhaps unfair -- expectations and ended with him buckling under the pressure, and frustration leading to his suspension. Brown, 23, became the first high school player drafted with the top overall pick, in 2001, but he has struggled to turn his potential into production for the Wizards and became a walking advertisement for the new age minimum in the latest collective bargaining agreement. Brown had public disputes with former teammate Michael Jordan and former coach Doug Collins in his first two seasons and, although he displayed some promise in his third season, he was never able to live up to his billing. The frustration of Wizards fans with Brown boiled over last season, when he averaged just 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds and was routinely booed at home games as MCI Center became a personal pressure-cooker for Brown.

The Wizards' push to trade Brown intensified when guard Larry Hughes informed the team last week that he wouldn't return and would sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards had engaged in discussions with Memphis, Indiana, New York and Toronto, among others, regarding a sign-and-trade deal involving Brown. The Lakers became the front-runners for both Brown, who was intrigued by the possibility of playing with Kobe Bryant and for Coach Phil Jackson, and the Wizards, who could use Butler as a replacement for Hughes.

With Hughes jumping to the Cavaliers, the Wizards needed to fill a gaping hole at shooting guard. The 6-foot-7 Butler, 25, can play shooting guard or small forward. He averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season for the Lakers. Butler spent his first two seasons with the Miami Heat before being shipped, along with Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a No. 1 pick, to Los Angeles for Shaquille O'Neal. He will earn $2.5 million next season and become a restricted free agent in the summer.

Atkins, who averaged 13.6 points and 4.4 assists in 82 starts last season, has been with three teams the past two seasons but gives the Wizards a veteran backup point guard. He also shot 38.7 percent on three-pointers last season. Atkins, 30, will earn $4.5 million and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The Wizards still need front-court help and have scheduled a meeting with free agent forward Donyell Marshall for this weekend.

Brown turned down a four-year deal from the Wizards worth $30 million last October. At the time he rejected the offer, Brown said he was "willing to gamble" on himself, but he rolled snake eyes this season. After showing flashes of his potential in his third year -- when he averaged 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds and set career highs in points and rebounds, with a 30-point, 19-rebound performance against the Sacramento Kings -- Brown had a disappointing campaign in his fourth season. He was out of shape most of the season and rushed to get back on his injured right foot, aggravating the condition. He also grew frustrated with his role in an offense that featured three 20-point scorers in Hughes, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison.

Brown was suspended for one game in December, following a dispute with Coach Eddie Jordan, and for the final six games of the postseason, after his grousing over playing time eventually led to the protest in which he claimed a stomach ailment and skipped a practice and a morning shootaround before Game 4 of the playoff series against the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards won in six games -- the franchise's first playoff series win in 23 years -- without him.

Brown had other troubles as well, having been arrested for speeding in 2002, stopped for DUI a year later and breaking his foot in a pickup game last summer.

Brown never felt he was given a fair shot with the Wizards. He believed that Michael Jordan and Collins rushed him before he was ready. "They throw me into the fire and they have to blame someone. So they bashed me," Brown said last October.

Grunfeld and Eddie Jordan were more accommodating, but Brown was never able to move beyond past tribulations in Washington. Brown told those close to him that he feared the Wizards would keep him beyond this season, that the team was afraid to let him become the next power forward to leave the organization and blossom elsewhere -- an impressive list that includes Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace. In Los Angeles, Brown would play with Bryant, the all-star guard, and for Jackson, the legendary coach who was re-hired last month after he was let go a year before. "He's looking forward to playing with Kobe," Tellem said. "He has a great admiration for him. And, playing for Phil Jackson. He's received phone calls from Phil. He's talked to him a number of times, and [Lakers owner] Jerry Buss and [minority owner] Magic Johnson. They really made him feel very comfortable about the move."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01142.html

crazyhorse1 · Post by **crazyhorse1** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:10 pm

I'm one of the unfortunates who some time ago adopted Kwame as his favorite player and can't shake the feeling inspite of horrendous disappointment with Kwame himself and anger over how he's was mangled by Michael Jordan, as well as ignored as an offensive threat during his "so-called" development. The guy wasn't ready to play just out of high school, either physically or emotionally. His fault? I don't think so. Jordan's screw up. Heck yes, right up there with his moronic trade of Hamilton to Detroit.
I hope Jackson handles the kid (yes, the kid) correctly, puts the ball in his hands and helps him reach his potential. Jordan was a great basketball player, but as a GM he was a total washout.
Kwame's a walking testiment to THE MAN's ridiculous judgement.

Gibbs' Hog · Post by **Gibbs' Hog** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:15 pm

Kwame is a baby. I'm glad he's gone. Other than one, maybe two decent games, he did absolutely nothing for the Wiz over the last, what, 4 years?

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:16 pm

crazyhorse1 wrote:Kwame's a walking testiment to THE MAN's ridiculous judgement.

The post-Michael-Jordan-era Wizards are a testament of that, overall. Mike was a nice show pony on the court, but thank God we now have a professional at the helm.

In a way, I'm sad to see Kwame go, but it is evident he was not going to produce as a player in a Wizards uniform. I'm excited for his opportunity to start over in LA, under the tutelage of Phil Jackson. If anything, he'll get an opportunity to get his career on track.

Best wishes, Kwame.

- Redeemedskin O:)

vife · Post by **vife** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 2:05 am

Laron profit got sent with him to a non guaranteed contract, that blows. i liked him.