Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Unsubstantiated rumors circulating on the internet have suggested Washington and Toronto may have had speculative talks about moving Gilbert Arenas for Vince Carter. Washington would have to include one or two other players to make salaries match but even on a straight-up basis this trade doesn't make sense.
Who would have ever thought that Vince Carter wouldn't even fetch Gilbert Arenas in a trade? Yet that's where we seem to be. Carter averaged three more points and about the same number of assists and rebounds as Arenas last year, yet he stands to earn 33% more in salary. He fills seats when he plays but he is not at risk of being the league's leading scorer like his cousin Tracy McGrady and he's not in danger of being the league's assist leader.
What does he bring to the table? He's an incredibly talented and versatile wingman who is looking to win now and win by moving teams. Is Washington a contender, even with Carter in the mix? Not really. Would he be happy here? Not really.
The cheapest sort of deal Washington could make would be Arenas, Juan Dixon, and either Jared Jefferies or Jarvis Hayes for Carter. That's just too much to give up.
The reputed source of this rumor seems to be a reporter at the Orlando Sentinel but there has been no official story to date. You may find discussions of this topic on various message boards.
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Brent Jones ofThe Baltimore Sunwrites: Marques Douglas and Ed Hartwell joined the Washington Wizards' Etan Thomas and Juan Dixon to address students at Randallstown High School yesterday.
Aaron Wilson ofThe Carroll County Timeswrites: Defensive end Marques Douglas and linebacker Ed Hartwell, along with the Washington Wizards' Juan Dixon and Etan Thomas, visited Randallstown High School for an assembly.It was essentially a pep rally after a shooting incident this spring.