Source: Trade with Memphis involving McGrady, Brooks falls through

by Tom Martin on Jun 22, 2009 8:13 PM CDT in Blogging stuff Comment 24 comments

An inside source with the Houston Rockets told me earlier today that a potential trade with the Memphis Grizzlies fell through. The deal would have involved Houston sending Tracy McGrady and Aaron Brooks to Memphis for the Grizzlies' second overall pick in the 2009 draft and, possibly, an additional Grizzlies player or two.

No word on who made the offer, as well as who declined it. All I was told is that the deal was on the table and it one of the parties rejected it.

All signs point to Memphis GM Chris Wallace proposing the deal Houston GM Daryl Morey. Morey has stated that McGrady is not on the table, and while Houston may eventually try to move him, it won't be this week.

The fact that Brooks' name was also mentioned makes this a no-brainer for Morey and certainly nullifies the use for this report. But I thought that I would let everyone know, as this is a reliable source (told me about the Nicolas Batum/Donte Greene deals in advance). At least we know for sure that teams are interested McGrady.

And again, to keep everyone in the loop, as Morey said earlier, the most likely scenario is that we don't acquire a pick. If we do, it will be from the late first round to the mid second round.

Update!

Rockets forward Cook exercises option for next season - Chron.com
Brian Cook will be back in Houston next season.

Note: I will not be able to post live updates on Draft Night. Lee or Dave will probably be on the ball.

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phew

good thing that deal didnt go through…

not ABZ! i dont mind t-mac goin but not ABZ!

if osmehow we get the 2nd pick overall i think id want thabeet

by EveryHoustonTeamRox! on Jun 22, 2009 8:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

At least we know for sure that teams are interested McGrady.

Morey said that in an interview this morning, too. A lot of teams are interested in him.

The problem is that not only is he an expiring-contract player, he will almost certainly be able to contribute to a team at some point (the only question is to what degree). So the price tag is going to be high.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Jun 22, 2009 8:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

well

So the price tag is going to be high

Sweet. Deal him.

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 22, 2009 8:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you know,

there has to be someone who pays the asking price. The Rockets can’t just “deal him” to some hypothetical stupid team.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Jun 22, 2009 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

obviously

my sarcasm is weakening by the day.

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 22, 2009 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry

the sheer number of stupid posts being made around here has kind of deadened me to it. People will apparently believe the mind-numbingest shit.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Jun 22, 2009 10:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hate the offseason

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Jun 22, 2009 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's the drought, man.

Astros for like 2 months, then Little League World Series, then more Astros, and then football and basketball finally start in October.

Sucks.

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 22, 2009 10:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah...

I hope the Rockets do something interesting this week, or we really won’t have much to talk about. There’s only so much speculating a group of fans on a blog can make. Otherwise, the Brian Cook story may turn out to be one of the more exciting stories of the off-season. It’s really not as fun when your team doesn’t have a pick on draft night and waits until the end to make moves( good chance of both happening) ~~sigh~~

by Mejeh on Jun 23, 2009 12:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That would have been a terrible trade.

by VBG on Jun 22, 2009 8:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

well,

that would depend on what else was being offered. But the odd thing is that it would probably be a bad trade for both sides.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on Jun 22, 2009 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yay! Brian Cook is back on the team

He’s gonna use his towel waving expertise and win us a championship.

In all seriousness, I really don’t see him cracking the rotation. He has to compete with the veteren Brent Barry (usually a better 3pt shooter and helluvalot better playmaker) and Joey “Gorilla Dunking” Dorsey (matches Cook in height and is a far better rebounder and defender). There really isnt any room for him in the rotation. Though I really don’t blame him for wanting to come back to Houston, since who wouldn’t want to get paid 3mil to wave towels on a contending team?

by Mejeh on Jun 22, 2009 9:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

but it’s definitely not going to win any him favor with the coaching staff. They know good and well he’s exercising his player option because he probably wouldn’t even MAKE a team elsewhere – much less get paid upwards of $3M a year.

"I am from one of the top 15 cities in the world. Buffalo, New York." - TrentEdwardsHoF2018

by Artest4Prez on Jun 23, 2009 7:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cook...

I will seriously be amazed if he makes it past November with this squad. I will be doubly amazed if he actually sees floor time before then.

Cook will NOT be a Rocket by the season’s end unless there is a stipulation in his contract that says he will be if he exercises his option.

by jasonmicron on Jun 23, 2009 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh, I don't know...

I see Aaron Brooks becoming Chris Paul-light in about a year or 2. Throw in the fact that Brooks would play Houston 4 times a year is also disconcerting. Still, there are some positives:

1.) The #2 pick instantly becomes Ricky Rubio, giving us a great passer and finisher who could develop into a strong shooter soon enough

2.) The player to be named is most likely Rudy Gay, only because OJ Mayo and Gay didn’t play well together last year (according to rumors)

That would give Houston a starting 5 potentially featuring Rubio/Gay/Battier/Scola/Yao with a second unit of Lowry/White/Artest/Landry/Backup Center.

Yet, I’d need to do more homework on this trade.

B^2
"LeBron James is just an upgraded version of Ron Artest"
(Artest after Houston pummeled the Cavaliers 93-74)

by Nitroberg on Jun 22, 2009 10:13 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

sorry, but no

The second player could have been Darko Milicic because of the size of his contract. Memphis is not about to offer Gay/Second Rounder for Mac and Brooks, as good as they are.

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 22, 2009 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It could be BOTH Darko and Rudy Gay too

But I don’t want a stiff like Darko backing up Yao next year anyway. Besides, you do not deal Brooks/T-Mac for Darko/2nd pick. That’s as lopsided as the Pau Gasol deal. Sorry Memphis, Houston’s not dumber than you are.

B^2
"LeBron James is just an upgraded version of Ron Artest"
(Artest after Houston pummeled the Cavaliers 93-74)

by Nitroberg on Jun 23, 2009 7:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

all i know is

The Grizz would not offer us Rudy Gay and the second pick for that.

And yes, we made sure to turn down the deal. Like I said, this wasn’t really great information, just felt like telling everyone. Nothing happened – it could have gone down as…Wallace: “How about this?” Morey: “Hell no.”

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 23, 2009 8:40 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The only way...

The only way I would have seen this deal go down would have been the #2 pick and Gay for McGrady.

Well, the only way I would have wanted it to go down. The Grizzlies aren’t exactly known for keeping great players on their roster. I’ve determined that they love to sit down there at the bottom of the division.

by jasonmicron on Jun 23, 2009 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

"additional Grizzlies player"?

Do you mean the Rockets take on 3 players to the two they’re trading away?

Otherwise, the Rockets would need to use their trade exception on Haddadi and Arthur to create the salary space the Grizzlies need to be able to absorb McGrady & Brooks’s contracts. That would generate a $23M TE for the Rockets.

If a TE can be traded back to the same team it came from… The Rockets could use a TE for Haddadi, the Grizzlies have the salary space to absorb McGrady’s contract, then they use the TE for Brooks.

Of course these TE deals are dependent on what the salary cap will be set at usually two weeks into July. If the cap is the same or within 100k of the NBA’s projected figures the salaries would work.

by wayno on Jun 23, 2009 12:03 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ah, crap.

fixed that. my friend didn’t really specify the additional player thing – he stopped at the number 2 pick. contractually, that would not work, so yes, there would have to be an additional player or two.

The Dream Shake ...on Twitter.
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on Jun 23, 2009 12:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not as high on brooks as most others are

I have no problem trading him away for another PG or even starting Lowry as long as tha deal is right. tha #2 pick doesnt really make sense to me though. sure it’ll be something fun to talk about and probably helps in tha long-term but I dont see how it helps a team that’s ready to win a title right now unless the front office feels Rubio or thabeet are ready to contribute right now.

I'M DISRESPECTFUL TO DIRT!! CAN YOU SEE THAT I AM SERIOUS?
GET OUT OF MY WAY, ALL OF YOU. THIS IS NO PLACE FOR LOAFERS. JOIN ME OR DIE. CAN YOU DO ANY LESS?

by TitanFan2K on Jun 23, 2009 2:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know that the window is only now.

If the Rockets feel like McGrady won’t be able to make a significant contribution this year, then Rockets probably can’t win it all without making a big move. And if McGrady can’t really go this year, then the team doesn’t have lots of players getting old and with expiring windows, either.

by Metalate on Jun 23, 2009 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs