From ESPN.com
The San Antonio Spurs have added some frontline help, trading for Seattle Sonics forward/center Kurt Thomas.
Seattle will receive guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round draft pick.
"Kurt Thomas is a tough, physical player who can defend, score and rebound," Spurs general manager RC Buford said in a statement. "We feel he will be a great addition to our roster and will add depth to our frontcourt."
The deal was first reported by Yahoo.com.
Thomas, 35, was in his first season with the Sonics after being acquired in July 2007 from the Phoenix Suns. Seattle also received two first-round picks in that deal, as Phoenix tried to shed salary. He is now in the final year of a contract that pays him $8.1 million this season.
Thomas has averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in a 13-year career. He is putting up 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season. Barry, 36, is averaging 7.3 points and making 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Elson, 31, is averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.
"For everything he's done in the NBA and what he brings to a team and what he brought to this team, I learned a lot being around him," Sonics guard Earl Watson said, according to the Seattle Times. "Especially on the court and off the court. Rarely do you get a big man who knows the game like a guard. I expect to see his numbers improve because of the type of guys around him."
This is your classic "getting better by taking a player away from another team" trade. Rumors were swirling that the Mavs wanted to trade for Thomas. While Barry was beloved in San Antonio, he's not the player he was two years ago and his leg injury doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. While I wish they could have held onto their first round pick, the Spurs got better while putting themselves in good fiscal shape for the future. I'll write more about this deal when I can actually wrap my head around it.
No comments:
Post a Comment