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Wheeling and dealing Michael Jordan has a busy first day on the job
Posted: Friday January 21, 2000 10:48 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- On his first full day on the job, Michael Jordan snubbed Jerry Krause. Jordan, the new team president and part-owner of the Washington Wizards, worked the phones Thursday and alerted several teams that the Wizards are eager to make a deal. When Jordan contacted the Bulls, however, he called coach Tim Floyd instead of calling the general manager, Krause. "They're getting the word out that they want to get something done," one Eastern Conference general manager said. Even though Jordan is eager to deal, the collective-bargaining rules as they relate to the salary cap make things difficult. A look at the Wizards' assets and their tradability: Juwan Howard: Makes $15 million this year, $56 million over the next three years, which makes him virtually unmovable, given the dropoff in his game over the past two years. Rod Strickland: Makes $10 million this year and is classified as a base-year compensation player, which means the Wizards can receive only $7.5 million worth of players in return (after Feb. 4). They also must trade him to a team with $2.5 million of cap room, which considerably reduces the trade options. Mitch Richmond: Makes $10 million this year, with three years remaining on a $40 million contract. Averaging a career-low 16.8 points and shooting 43 percent (shot 41 percent last season, his first in Washington), this from a former All-Star who never averaged fewer than 21.9 during his 10 seasons in Sacramento and Golden State. Also a base-year compensation player, Wizards can only get $5 million worth of players back for Richmond this season and must find a team with $5 million in cap room to deal with. Isaac Austin: Has $10.9 million and two years remaining on the contract he signed with Orlando prior to last season. Lost his starting job just a month into the season and has been playing behind Jahidi White. His trade value has plummeted, so it will be a test of Jordan's trading skills to see if he can get something decent in return. Perhaps he can, since big men are a scarce commodity. Tracy Murray: The best 3-point shooter on the team, he makes $2.7 million this year and $12 million over the next three years. Some playoff-bound team may be willing to sacrifice youth or draft picks for one of Jordan's most tradeable assets. Michael Smith: The veteran power forward is in the last year of his contract, making $2.4 million, and could be attractive to a team trying to clear salary-cap space for next summer's free-agent class. Richard Hamilton: The rookie is having a disappointing season, shooting a shade below 39 percent playing behind Richmond, but it's unlikely Jordan would want to trade him. Aaron Williams, Jahidi White and Laron Profit: All fall into the category of young players making little money who are worth hanging onto.
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