Andrei Kirilenko for Ben Wallace Would Help Utah Jazz Re-Sign Deron Williams

February 10 08

My AM Take: Chicago is shopping Ben Wallace. Utah had been shopping Andrei Kirilenko. And every malcontent with a contract has been discussed in potential trades for these two.

Surprisingly, a Bulls-Jazz deal of Big Ben for AK-47 had never been mentioned. Until now. League sources and various media outlets are reporting that Chicago and Utah are finally talking swap.

It has been no secret around the NBA the Bulls have engaged in expletory trade talks regarding Wallace in recent weeks, most notably with the Lakers before they acquired Pau Gasol. There also have been rumours of talks with the Knicks, perhaps the most intriguing match is the Utah Jazz. ( Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune)

This scenario is odd. Why would the Jazz want an over-the-hill veteran like Wallace? Simply put, his contract is attractive (This point is well-made in Smith’s piece).

The former All-Star has two years, 28 million dollars left on his contract, while Kirilenko is on the books for another three years at close to 50 million dollars.

That’s a tidy savings of 22 million dollars. Utah, as a smaller market, must tighten their purse strings to re-sign emerging superstar Deron Williams. The muscular table setter will surely command a max salary once he’s eligible to renegotiate his rookie contract.

Other clubs will chase Williams if Utah can’t ink him to a second contract. For example, suppose the Mavericks move Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. After a few years, Kidd retires. Team Cuban can then make a run at Williams as a free agent, who just happens to call Dallas home.

Suddenly, Wallace in a Jazz uniform doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. Of course, I have no idea how he’d click with Utah coach/taskmaster Jerry Sloan.

What do you think of a Wallace-Kirilenko trade? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.

The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA appearing Sunday through Friday on HoopsVibe.com. Errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another coffee. Click here to read and subscribe to his blog.

12 Comments: Andrei Kirilenko for Ben Wallace Would Help Utah Jazz Re-Sign (...)

Posted by

on 05.18.2008

BAD TRADE! dont do it, Andrei Kirilenko can do pretty much everything Ben Wallace can do. Kirilenko is a good part of the Jazz, he can knock down 3’s under pressure and can block! Ben wallace is not worth it. .

Posted by

on 03.14.2008

Please dont trade AK or loose Deron Williams .

Posted by
Basketball John
on 02.14.2008

I would have to sit out the rest of the season if the Jazz did this trade. Wallace is 7 years AK senior. AK had a terrible year last year, but he’s back to his old self this year. He’s single-handedly kept the Jazz in a lot of games.Wallace has no offense and his numbers in the areas he has excelled at are at almost career-lows.Bad, bad trade for the Jazz. And the Jazz and Bulls haven’t talked. This was speculation by the author. He’s pulling crap out of his can.And above all else, like I wrote in my column, http://ba/nba-articles/is-this-the-secret-to-success-in-the-nba-ar47262.html, Miller wants stability. This doesn’t help.AK isn’t going anywhere unless the Jazz get bowled over with an offer. .

Posted by

on 02.13.2008

This is the smartest choice the Jazz can make. AK47 is not as good as he used to be and is over-rated. He complains about petty things and his contract is soon to end also. Do u really think AK47 is gonna re-sign with Utah. 2nd Ben Wallace is a good defender and is a good center defense wise that Utah never had. If u really think Ostertag or Collins was good, your crazy. And for those of you who go by stats, its not by stats. Because a post appearence would make some teams beat us by the perimeter. (And thats hard to do)So this is one of the best trades I heard of and on top of that it would bring up a lot of our youngs at the 2 and 3 spot to step up. Like CJ Miles (he’s good), Morris Almond (killing the D-League), and Kyle Korver (self explanitory).Plus Derron Williams will be able to get a max contract and make his money he deserves. .

Posted by
F00k you
on 02.12.2008

dumb trade. .

Posted by
Jazzfan
on 02.11.2008

To the moron who talked about trades. The jazz didnt trade for Carlos Boozer Or mehmet Okur they got them in the free agent market. By the way the trade makes alot of sense. Wealso have to think about resigning boozer here shortly. .

Posted by
Carolina Girl
on 02.11.2008

I agree, Ben Wallace u should have stayed in Detroit!. No u were so concerned with personal glory and fame and money. Now u got your money for sure, but u are about to be tossed like a ball around the league. Now look at Detroit, they are just as good when u left, even better!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to accpt your role, u are a defender and rebounder, not a Dam offensive producer! I know u miss your water, becuz your well is running dry in Chicago right now! What a case of I TOLD YOU SO!!!! .

Posted by
Diva
on 02.11.2008

All I have to say is that Ben Wallace should’ve stayed his azz in Detroit and he wouldn’t be getting bounced aroung the league like he’s doing. He’s obviously not satisfied in Chicago and they’re not happy with him because he’s not turning out to be what they expected and they’re now realizing he wasn’t worth the $60 million they put on the table for him, so they’re now trying to get rid of him. The same will happen for Shaq with leaving Miami for Phoenix. He’s a mis-fit and they’re going to find out that he’s not worth his deal either. .

Posted by
Kurtis Murray
on 02.11.2008

Why do we need a starting center? We got Boozer, Okur, and Millsap. I see no need for Wallace. Of course the contract is attractive so we can sign Deron to a max deal however, I think their are other possibilities out there and I think we can pull something off that makes sense to fill our weaknesses in the process. Signing or trading a guy that is due 14 million dollars for a back up job doesn’t sound great to me. .

Posted by
that one guy
on 02.10.2008

to the guy who’s 2 spots under me: do u watch basketball? incase u didn’t notice utah’s number 1 priority is re-sign d-will. statlines aren’t everything. they need to unload ak-47 so they have enough cash to re-sing d-will .

Posted by

on 02.10.2008

Utah’s main priority is signing Williams. Miller won’t go over the cap because Utah is such a small market. In a sense this is a smart trade ... .

Posted by

on 02.10.2008

Do you really think that Utah is as dumb as you think?

Look at AK’s stat line and look at Ben Wallace’s Stats.

Whoever proposed this article is smoking something (wanting to share apparently).

Utah will not give up AK for Big Ben.

Not worth the return. Larry is more willing to pay the luxury tax before taking it up the rear like this proposed deal.

And we all know Larry is not a foolish businessman.

The Jazz are known for good trades (e.g. Kyle Korver, Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer, Derek Fisher, etc).

I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with this article. .

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	About Oly Sandor
Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Andrei Kirilenko for Ben Wallace Would Help Utah Jazz Re-Sign Deron Williams

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