Marc Stein at ESPN reports that the effective market for AI is two teams-- Boston and Denver-- with Philly already having rejected the matching salaries Denver has to offer.
Allen Iverson answers were scarce in the desert. There were early rumblings in Vegas that the Sixers indeed were considering a multiplayer deal that, at its core, would have swapped Iverson for Kenyon Martin and Andre Miller. That's more than the Sixers got for Charles Barkley, you'll recall, but Philly ultimately declined.
No real mystery why, either. Taking on Martin, alongside Chris Webber, would give the Sixers two high-priced alumni from the scary world of microfracture knee surgery, which wouldn't exactly boost Billy King's approval rating around town.
Philly's problem, though, is that no team in circulation wants Iverson more than Denver, which can't make a much stronger offer than Martin and Miller or Marcus Camby and Miller. Boston remains highly interested, as well, with Paul Pierce said to have given the concept his blessing, but that appears to be as deep as the list goes at present. Barring unexpected amendments to the list, Philly will have to deal with at least one of those teams, even if the trade ultimately takes the form of a three- or four-team scenario.
Or else the Sixers can bring Iverson back in October after he has spent a summer more out there on the trading block than he ever had been.
Atlanta continues to stand out as the most ideal Iverson destination on this scorecard, especially after A.I. moved his family there this summer. Iverson makes basketball and business sense at Philips Arena -- maybe more than anywhere else on the NBA map. The Hawks need a ticket seller, have room for a dynamic star to pair with Joe Johnson and possess several quality youngsters to assemble into a quality trade package. Ongoing ownership uncertainty with the Hawks, however, keeps them on the periphery.
What next? The vibe circulating in the Vegas stands is that no one will be surprised if this saga consumes most of the summer, with Philly naturally hoping that waiting will persuade serious bidders to step up their offers. I'm not so sure.
Over at SI.com, Kelly Dwyer has a long piece that echoes the sentiment that Boston is in a very good negotiating position and should focus on not overpaying for AI.
let's go over what should be common knowledge regarding the Boston Celtics' rumored pursuit of Allen Iverson:
• For all intents and purposes, Iverson and Celtics superstar Paul Pierce should be able to coexist. Both are determined offensive players who show a keen interest in winning above all else, but they've also proven willing to give up the ball in late-game situations to lesser players if it means a better chance at winning. It's hard to imagine Pierce balking at sharing the ball with AI, or vice versa, with the game on the line.
• Rumors that Iverson could go to Denver (for Marcus Camby and Andre Miller) or Los Angeles (for Clippers Corey Maggette and Shaun Livingston) could only have come out of the Sixers organization, as they try to set an outrageous tone for trade offers.
• Philadelphia's best trade for Iverson, as Chris Mannix pointed out last week, is with the Boston Celtics. Yes, they're 40-year divisional rivals, but Sixers GM Billy King can't let that cloud his vision when trying to dump a 31-year-old whom he owes $60 million.
Given all of the above, the only issue left to sort out is how many assets Celtics GM Danny Ainge is willing to part with for the seven-time All Star.
Our advice: not much.
Boston has to be careful. To paraphrase Miles Davis while deleting a string of hilarious but wildly inappropriate blue words: They can't give too much away. Nobody is breaking down King's door to get Iverson at this point, and as training camp approaches, the Sixers GM can only get more and more uneasy at the notion of welcoming such a publicized piece of trade bait back into the fold. Ainge has to wait King out, make him sweat and only send the Wally/Green/Telfair troika (which works, cap-wise) to the Sixers for AI.
I'm a little surprised that Dwyer doesn't bring up the Oden sweepstakes in his discussion of Philly's motivations. Unquestionably, the 76ers quickest route to relevance, respect and the second round of the playoffs would be to trade Iverson for Jefferson, Green and assorted other trinkets; lose an epic number of games in 06-07; land Greg Oden with the first pick of the '07 draft; and embark on a decade of competing with the Cleveland LeBrons for the Eastern Conference Championship.
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