Even after a 24 hours of conversations with his agent, Mark Bartelstein, Devean George still hasn't changed his stance and won't accept being included in the blockbuster trade that would send Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks.
"I've talked to him continuously over the last couple of days," Bartelstein told Newsday late Thursday afternoon. "It's something he's not inclined to do. It’s not something I want to write in cement because people can change their minds. But right now his mindset is what it is. His focus is on playing tonight and getting a win."
The Mavs-Suns play one of only two games on the NBA slate Thursday night before the All-Star break begins. At least the game is on the road, so George won't have to be heckled by Dallas fans who want him to sign off on the deal, as was the case Wednesday night.
The impasse centers around George being on a one-year contract and facing the loss of his Bird free-agent rights if he accepts the trade. He would retain the right to be involved in future sign-and-trades if he were on more than a one-year deal. But as things stand, George doesn't want to give up that trump card. So for now, there's no deal -- at least not one with George included.
The Mavs and Nets are exploring other possibilities that include Dallas substituting two players for George (Eddie Jones and rookie Nick Fazekas or Jones and veteran Juwan Howard would work), with the Nets needing to send back veteran point guard Darrell Armstrong to avoid going over the 15-player roster limit. But Jones wants no part of the deal. While both sides remained optimistic Thursday that the trade will be completed -- with or without George -- there are no guarantees. The Feb. 21 trading deadline is now eight days away.
Comments (1)
Well done, Ken-doll. Thanks for the update. Good stuff.