Basketball : NBA transfers/trades in 2007/2008 season

transfers news

Phoenix 4.3 : The Phoenix Suns have signed guard Gordan Giricek to a contract for the rest of the season after the 30-year-old waived by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Suns general manager Steve Kerr called Giricek "an excellent shooter, a solid defender and a proven playoff performer." Giricek has averaged 9.6 points in 362 NBA games with Memphis, Orlando, Utah and Philadelphia.

Boston 4.3 : The Boston Celtics have signed veteran Sam Cassell. The 38-year-old averaged 12.8 points for the Los Angeles Clippers this season before negotiating his long-rumored exit. Cassell is headed to Baltimore to attend the funeral of a family member and won't be available when the Celtics host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. He is expected to be available on Friday when Chicago visits Boston, but whether he plays will be the coach's decision.

Detroit 4.3 : The Detroit Pistons have signed center Theo Ratliff, who was released Friday by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 13-year veteran signed a free-agent deal with the Pistons, the team he started his career with in 1995. Ratliff only played 10 games for Minnesota this season.

Dallas 4.3 : The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent Tyronn Lue to be their backup point guard. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Sacramento Kings waived Lue on Friday. He was acquired from Atlanta on February 16, but never played for the Kings. Lue averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.2 rebounds over 17 minutes in 33 games for the Hawks.

New Orl. 22.2 : The New Orleans Hornets acquired swingman Bonzi Wells and guard Mike James from the Houston Rockets. As part of the deal, the Hornets sent veteran guard Bobby Jackson, rookie guard Adam Haluska and second-year forward Marcus Vinicius to Houston, then Houston sent Vinicius, the rights to Malick Badiane and cash to Memphis in exchange for the rights to Sergei Lishouk. New Orleans also received cash from Houston and agreed to exchange second-round draft picks if the Hornets' second pick is higher than the Rockets's.

San Ant. 21.2 : The San Antonio Spurs acquired Kurt Thomas from the Seattle SuperSonics for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round draft pick. In 42 games with the SuperSonics, Thomas averaged 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. The veteran forward, in his 13th NBA season, gives the defending NBA champions much-needed size to complement Tim Duncan.

Clevela. 21.2 : In an 11-player trade that was completed shortly before Thursday's deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired center Ben Wallace from the Chicago Bulls and forward Wally Szczerbiak from the Seattle SuperSonics. The Cavaliers sent guard Larry Hughes, forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, and guard Shannon Brown to Chicago for Wallace and forward Joe Smith. Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West arrived from Seattle in exchange for forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall. The Cavaliers will also get Chicago's second-round pick in 2009, while the SuperSonics will receive guard Adrian Griffin from the Bulls.

Dallas 20.2 : The New Jersey Nets and Dallas completed a trade sending Jason Kidd to the Mavericks, who now have one of the NBA's best point guards as they look toward the playoffs. The eight-player deal, in the making since before the All-Star break and talked about a lot longer than that, sends Kidd, forward Malik Allen and guard Antoine Wright to Dallas for point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop and swingman Maurice Ager, plus retired forward Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell. New Jersey also gets two first-round draft picks and $3m. So, Kidd was reintroduced in Dallas 14 years after the Mavericks made him the No.2 pick.

Phoenix 7.2 : Shaquille O'Neal, one of the league's top centers for more than a decade, was traded by Miami to the Suns for four-time All-Star forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. O'Neal promised to bring experience and leadership to help his new team "get over the hump" and win an NBA title. The trade is one of the most unexpected in NBA history, and many around the 14-time NBA All-Star thought the trade possibilities included spots like New York or Dallas. A few hours after the Heat traded O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns, Miami fell to Detroit 100-95 and dropped to an NBA-worst 9-38.

Miami 6.2 : Shaquille O'Neal, a 14-time NBA All-Star, is prepared for the Miami Heat to trade him and the Phoenix Suns were poised to deal two players for the center. The Heat are discussing a deal to send the 35-year-old to the Suns for forward Shawn Marion and point guard Marcus Banks, citing two people close to the situation and one of O'Neal's representatives it didn't identify. O'Neal was planning to be in Phoenix on Wednesday, which, according to several reports, is when the Suns plan to have him take a physical.

San Ant. 4.2 : The San Antonio Spurs bolstered their backcourt by signing point guard Damon Stoudamire. The addition gives the Spurs another option while Tony Parker nurses a left heel injury. Stoudamire has averaged 13.8 points and 6.3 assists in his 13-year career. He averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 assists in 29 games for the Grizzlies this season.

LA Lake. 2.2 : The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks. "We need a little scoring inside without Andrew Bynum," coach Phil Jackson said. "It gives us a post-up threat right now, and he's a good passer. We like that."

"It shows a great deal of commitment from the organization," said Kobe Bryant. "It's a great step. Jackson said Gasol could make his debut when the Lakers visit Washington on Sunday.

Charlotte 31.1 : The Charlotte Bobcats have signed point guard Earl Boykins, the second-shortest player in NBA history, for the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old has been out of the league since he decided last summer not to exercise the $3m player option on his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. Boykins has averaged 9.8 points and 3.4 assists in his nine previous seasons, and averaged 14 points and 4.5 assists in 35 games with the Bucks last campaign.

Gold. St. 29.1 : Chris Webber has returned to the Golden State Warriors and coach Don Nelson, more than 13 years after a battle between the two men led Webber to force a trade. Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin said Tuesday that the free agent forward had signed a contact, but did not release details of the deal. The five-time All-Star hasn't played in the NBA this season and he last appeared in the 2007 playoffs with Detroit. Webber might be with Golden State by Friday when the club returns home to face Charlotte.

Philadel. 30.12 : The Utah Jazz traded disgruntled guard Gordan Giricek and a conditional first-round pick to Philadelphia for 3-point ace Kyle Korver on Saturday. Giricek had fallen out of favor with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan after the two had a heated exchange during a timeout in a December 19 game at Charlotte. The reserve guard was ordered to the locker room, was sent home for three games and never played again for the Jazz. Giricek averaged 4.3 points in 22 games for the Jazz this season, while Korver averaged 10 points in 25 games with the 76ers.

San Ant. 29.12 : The San Antonio Spurs signed guard Keith Langford. The 6-foot-4 Langford has been playing with the Austin Toros, the Spurs' affiliate in the NBA Development League, where he averaged 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in nine games. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Also, the Spurs waived guard Darius Washington.

Charlotte 15.12 : The Charlotte Bobcats acquired center Nazr Mohammed from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for center Primoz Brezec and forward Walter Herrmann. Mohammed was averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21 games for the Pistons. The Bobcats have gotten very little from Brezec, who has been starting but averaging only 1.9 points and 2.2 rebounds a game. Herrmann had failed to crack the Charlotte rotation under Vincent, in his first season.

"We get great financial relief, and it is a deal we had to make from that perspective, but we are also getting two guys we like," said Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. "These are two players that we've talked to Charlotte about in the past."

LA Clipp. 15.12 : The Los Angeles Clippers signed free-agent guard Richie Frahm. Frahm, a 30-year-old 3-point specialist, has averaged 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 130 career games with Houston, Minnesota, Portland and Seattle. He played for Italy's Benetton Treviso in 2006-07 after averaging 3.4 points in 32 games for Minnesota and Houston the previous season.

Sacram. 2.11 : The Sacramento Kings have signed guard Beno Udrih, potentially filling a hole in the team's lineup while Mike Bibby is out with a thumb injury. Udrih, who won two NBA championship rings with the Spurs, was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves after they acquired him in a trade with San Antonio earlier in the day. He appeared in 207 regular-season games in San Antonio, averaging 5.2 points and 1.8 assists.

Miami 25.10 : The Heat traded three-time All-Star forward Antoine Walker to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a five-player deal that came one day after Miami completed a winless preseason. Walker, backup center Michael Doleac, oft-injured forward Wayne Simien and a conditional first-round draft pick were sent to Minnesota for former Miami swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount.