6/20 ESPN's Eastern Conference Rumor Mill (Take a look at Toronto/Miami)

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Eastern Conference Rumor Mill
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Friday, June 20
Updated: June 20
1:53 PM ET



Western Conference Rumor Mill

What happens when the biggest trade broker in the draft loses it's most valuable trade chip to a motorcycle accident?



Williams
The league rumor mill grinds to halt.

Such is the Chicago Bulls' predicament after Jay Williams' suffered a broken leg and possible other injuries Thursday.

As late as Thursday afternoon rumors were churning that the Bulls were on the verge of a big deal for one of their prize point guards -- Williams or Jamal Crawford. According to one league source, the trade talk was so hot and heavy that GM John Paxson was forced to back out of his trip to France to see Mickael Pietrus, sending B.J. Armstrong and Pete Myers instead.

Now everything is moot. With Williams' long term health in doubt, Paxson can't afford to trade either player. That's too bad, considering one of the rumored deals had the Bulls shipping Williams, Donyell Marshall and Marcus Fizer to Boston for Antoine Walker.

Without the Bulls in the mix, things won't be nearly as hot and heavy this summer.

Atlanta Hawks


Robinson
On the Block: Glenn Robinson
The Skinny: In February, everyone on the roster was on the trading block -- Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jason Terry, Theo Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed -- now with the sale of the team imminent, everything's on hold. When owner David McDavid finally takes the reins, hires a coach and GM (Pistons international scout and former Mavs scout Tony Ronzone is rumored to be a frontrunner) the team can begin dealing again. The first order of business, get the Big Dog out of the house. Robinson put up great numbers last season, but the team played better when he was out nursing injuries.

Boston Celtics
On the Block: Antoine Walker
The Skinny: Danny Ainge claims he won't shop Walker. But that hasn't stopped him from listening to offers. Many GMs believe Walker is available, and several teams are interested. The hottest rumor had the Celtics talking with the Bulls about the above-mentioned deal for Williams, Fizer and Marshall. With Williams' future in doubt, there's another possibility that might make some sense: Walker and the No. 20 pick to the Raptors for Antonio Davis and the No. 4 pick in the draft. The Celtics are pretty high on Chris Bosh.

Chicago Bulls


Fizer
On the Block: Jay Williams/Jamal Crawford?, Marcus Fizer, Jalen Rose
The Skinny: No one was in a better position to pull off a blockbuster trade on draft night than the Bulls. However, that all changed with Williams' accident. At the time, the Bulls were positioning themselves to land a veteran, sweet-shooting small forward with either their No. 7 pick or with a combination of one of their two point guards and Fizer. Now, the team is back to square one until they get an idea of the extent of Williams injuries. Right now, things don't look good, which is a shame. A lot of people believed that Williams would have a breakout year this year -- especially if he was moved to a different team.

Cleveland Cavaliers
On the Block: Ricky Davis?, Darius Miles?, Dajuan Wagner?, Chris Mihm
The Skinny: The minute the Cavs landed the No. 1 pick in the draft, the rumors started that at least one of the Cavs young three -- Davis, Miles or Wagner -- would be gone. Most assumed it would be Davis, who plays the same position as LeBron James and Wagner. Not so fast. Several teams called to inquire about Davis and were rebuffed by GM Jim Paxson. According to those sources, Paxson plans to start James and Davis together in the backcourt. The Cavs are also pleased with how vigorously Miles is working out this summer. They plan to bring Wagner, the perfect spark plug, off the bench. That means, unless someone gives them an offer they can't refuse, Mihm may be the only real trade bait they have this summer. Considering his stock is hovering right around Enron's, that can't be good.

Detroit Pistons
On the Block: Cliff Robinson, Michael Curry, Corliss Williamson
The Skinny: Larry Brown might not like it, but with young players like Darko Milicic, Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur clamoring for playing time next year, GM Joe Dumars will try to nip the situation in the bud and trade away a few veterans before the term "logjam" starts appearing on a daily basis. The question is, do any of these guys have trade value. All three have reasonable contracts, but Robinson's poor playoff performance (get a rebound Cliff ... just one), Curry's utter lack of an offensive game and the four years remaining on Williamson's contract makes this a tough sell.

Indiana Pacers


Harrington
On the Block: Al Harrington, Austin Croshere
The Skinny: Harrington isn't technically on the block. The Pacers aren't shopping him. But they know, and everyone else knows, that if they're going to land a top flight point guard, they'll have to part with Harrington to get it done. They have interest in Gary Payton, but right now it doesn't look like he has interest in them. They'd love to move Croshere, but so far no one's biting on that nasty contract.

Miami Heat
On the Block: Eddie Jones, Brian Grant
The Skinny: The Heat don't have enough cap room to make a dent in the free-agent market, unless they get Jones or Grant off the books. That's going to be a tough sell unless Dallas falls in love again with Brian Grant. Their best bet is to package one of the two with the No. 5 pick. Right now, they aren't having much success.

Milwaukee Bucks
On the Block: Sam Cassell.
Not only are the Bucks planning for a future without Gary Payton, they're also trying to see what Sam Cassell would fetch on the open market. A couple napkins and a few ketchup packs would do.

New Jersey Nets


Kidd
On the Block: Jason Kidd
The Skinny: Just kidding. Get it? Seriously with all of this talk of sign-and-trades to Sacramento, San Antonio and just about everywhere else, we pause to ask the question no one is asking. Why? Force Kidd to take a job he's less comfortable with in San Antonio, if he really wants to bolt. The minute the Nets open that door, Kidd will push right through it.

New Orleans Hornets
On the Block: Ummm ...
The Skinny: Can someone trade the owners? Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn aren't going anywhere, so what does it matter?

New York Knicks


Sprewell
On the Block: Latrell Sprewell, Kurt Thomas, Charlie Ward
The Skinny: For the past three years every potential Spree trade scenario has been hashed and rehashed. We're not going to get into all that here. But one trade rumor bears mentioning. A deal to send Spree to the Rockets for Cuttino Mobley and Glen Rice could be in the works. We know that Rice bombed the last time he played in New York. But the cap relief would be nice, and it would free up some space for the Knicks to take a top notch small forward like Maciej Lampe.

Orlando Magic
On the Block: Grant Hill
The Skinny: Anyone? Please?

Philadelphia 76ers
On the Block: Eric Snow
The Skinny: Larry Brown never appreciated him, but now that Brown is gone, he's safe, right? Not so fast. Several teams looking for a veteran point guard (read Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta and Seattle) would love to get their hands on Snow. The big question is whether John Salmons is ready to come in and be the new whipping boy.

Toronto Raptors


Davis
On the Block: Antonio Davis
The Skinny: His name is everywhere at the moment. He could end up in Dallas. Boston is a possibility. So is Portland. The Raptors have tired of Davis' attitude towards Canada. They need fresh blood, and teams seem willing to pay. Don't be surprised if they package him with their No. 4 pick and land Rasheed Wallace, Antoine Walker or Raef LaFrentz.

Washington Wizards
On the Block: Jerry Stackhouse
The Skinny: Now that Michael Jordan's out of there, expect the Wizards to do some serious cost-cutting this summer. Their primary goal is to move Stackhouse while they can. The most prominent rumor has them packaging Stack and Christian Laettner for Terrell Brandon's expiring contract. That would give the Wizards major cap room in 2004.