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 Where is everybody going? Penny traded to Suns; free agents continue to find homes
Posted: Friday August 06, 1999 02:12 PM
PHOENIX (AP) -- Upon his arrival in Phoenix, Penny Hardaway promised to be better. "Me and coach Ainge are going to be super. You won't hear a peep out of me. Honestly, you won't," Hardaway said Thursday night following his trade from the Orlando Magic. On another busy day of player movement in the NBA, no move was bigger than the one sending Hardaway to the Suns for Danny Manning, Pat Garrity and two future first-round draft picks. Also, Rick Fox re-signed with the Lakers for big money, and Lorenzen Wright reportedly agreed to join the Lakers, too, at a price far below his market value. Dell Curry signed with Toronto, Calbert Cheaney turned down a trade to Miami and signed with Boston instead, Terry Porter signed with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, and John Wallace left Toronto to return to the New York Knicks. Hardaway got a seven-year, $86 million contract, the largest allowed under the league's collective bargaining agreement, and will team with Jason Kidd in a star-studded backcourt. It was bitter day for the Magic, who parted with the last member of the 1995 team that went to the NBA Finals and got relatively little in return. Suns coach Danny Ainge called Hardaway "the most skilled all-around player in the game." "All of a sudden, I really believe this puts us as one of the elite teams in the NBA." It was a major coup for the Suns, who had no room under the salary cap to go after free agents, let alone one the stature of Hardaway. Suns president Jerry Colangelo said the acquisition "ranks right up there with any acquisition we've ever made." The Magic tried to work out a deal with the Lakers, Raptors and a few other teams, but all dropped out of the bidding by the middle of the week. "I have nothing against Orlando. I came to Phoenix and fell in love with Phoenix," Hardaway said. "I thank the Magic for going through with the deal because they didn't have to. They saw the same thing I saw; it's time for me to just move on and start a new career. I wanted to do it here in Phoenix." Hardaway's image as one of the NBA's rising superstars took a beating in recent years. He was accused of orchestrating the departure of coach Brian Hill, then sat out most of the 1997-98 season, but still played in the All-Star game. He also had an uneven relationship with Magic coach Chuck Daly, who resigned after the 1999 season. Hardaway said he had said and done things in Orlando in recent years "that were out of character for me" and looked forward to a fresh start. In other news:
We're getting a player of great character," Toronto general manager Glen Grunwald said. "He'll provide firepower off the bench, we're looking forward to having his veteran presence and his shooting ability." Celtics coach Rick Pitino didn't commit to inserting Cheaney in his starting lineup, but said the six-year veteran, who played forward and guard for the Wizards last season, would help fill the hole left by Mercer at shooting guard. "I think it was time for a change," Cheaney said. "The last two or three seasons were disappointing for me. It was time for a fresh start." The SuperSonics negotiated Thursday with free-agent guard Vernon Maxwell, but did not reach an agreement. Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Seattle also offered Hawkins to the Warriors for Marshall. The Sonics also made an offer to Trent, who played for Dallas last season, that was not immediately accepted. With Seattle, Golden State and Sacramento out of the Richmond sweepstakes, it appeared Miami was the only team left trying to make a sign-and-trade deal with Washington. "I still give it some hope, but all these deals are very hard to do," said Richmond's agent, Mike Sharpe. "It's a tough situation, but we haven't stopped trying." The Raptors increased their offer to Oakley by $500,000 annually, but the sides remained $2 million apart per year. "If he had his way, he'd sign with Toronto and be traded to Los Angeles both for the desirable location and the team's closeness to being able to compete for a championship," said Oakley's agent, Charles Grantham. "But he still has no problem staying in Toronto." Wallace, who was traded from New York to Toronto nearly two years ago, returned to the Knicks as a free agent. "Watching them on TV in the finals I hoped they would win, but I wished I was there at the same time," said Wallace, who signed under the $2 million middle-class exception.
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