Salary swap: Davis, Dickau dealt to Warriors
ESPN.com
The Golden State Warriors traded Nick Van Exel to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday for veteran center Dale Davis and backup guard Dan Dickau, a league source told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.
The Oregonian reported Tuesday that Dickau told the newspaper he had been traded. Blazers general manager John Nash would not comment when reached by the paper.
The trade is essentially a salary swap by both teams; Van Exel and Davis are in the last year of their deals.
The Warriors no longer needed Van Exel now that they've signed guard Derek Fisher. However, they did need another veteran center to back up Adonal Foyle with free agent Erick Dampier likely leaving the team through free agency. Dampier is expected to agree to a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks this week.
The deal doesn't make as much sense for the Blazers. They have Damon Stoudamire at the point along with lottery pick Sebastian Telfair. Telfair's played so-so in the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league and may have prompted the Blazers to look for more immediate depth at the position. While the deal shores up their back court, it hampers their front court to a certain extent. Theo Ratliff is the starter, but he has a history of injuries. His only real back-up now is Vladimir Stepania. Van Exel has a $12.7 million team option on his contract next season. It's unlikely that the Blazers will pick up the team option.
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