Battle of California - Kings, Sharks, and Ducks

"How can (the Braves) want to get rid of a guy so bad and then end up getting a shortstop and two good prospects like that in return?"

League source says Boston remains in talks w Wiz for Jamison, but Miami also now among teams w interest.

The Wizards' desire to move Butler has only increased in recent days, since they found out they will indeed get some cap relief from the NBA this season after losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton to suspension for the rest of the season. Washington's cap number will be reduced almost $4 million, according to sources -- pro-rated amounts of the remainder of Arenas's $16.1 million and Crittenton's $1.47 million salaries -- taking its cap number to a little more than $74 million. The cap threshhold is $69.9 million, meaning Washington could avoid paying tax if it can pare another $4 to $5 million in salaries off its books.

That means Butler, though I suspect the Wizards will ask inquiring teams to remove Mike James and/or DeShawn Stevenson from their payroll as well.

Butler winding up somewhere in Texas is most likely, with Washington probably deciding between Dallas' and Houston's competing offers before next week's All-Star Game. The Wizards are determined to get a young player back, though, and the Mavericks' only non-geezer is rookie guard Rod Beaubois -- while Houston has a young guard like Kyle Lowry and an expiring big man contract in forward Luis Scola to pair with McGrady's $22 million expiring deal.

For weeks we've assumed that Antawn Jamison is the Wizard most likely to be moved, but that's not true, according to GMs who have had conversations with the Wizards. They say the team is reluctant to move Jamison, a franchise cornerstone.

Butler, on the other hand, is very much available, and the Wizards shouldn't have much trouble finding interest: Butler has only one year remaining on his contract and he can still play, at age 29 (he turns 30 on March 13).

One issue that could slow negotiations is the fact that the Wizards don't want to just give Butler away; they want both cap relief and a young asset. But that might be a heavy price in this market.

The Mavericks have their eyes on Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala and Sacramento’s Martin, but a source says they’ve lost interest with the Washington Wizards’ Caron Butler over his so-so season.

Kevin (Omaha)

Thoughts on the Nets moving Devin Harris, and if so, what will it take to get him?
Chad Ford (1:25 PM)

As I've been writing for the past 2 weeks, he's available. The question is ... for what? The Nets are going to want something serious back in return. One idea I've heard floating around is Caron Butler for Harris.

There has been considerable Internet chatter the last two weeks that Caron Butler's days with the Washington Wizards are numbered.

There have even been rumors Butler, the former Park High School star, could be headed to the Milwaukee Bucks. That would indeed be a great move for the Bucks, who desperately need a prime-time small forward. What's more, Butler has said in the past he wouldn't mind playing in Milwaukee and being closer to his family and friends.

But don't look for Butler to be dealt anytime soon. I'm hearing Butler, a two-time NBA all-star, figures prominently in the Wizards' plans and could be with the team for years to come.

With Yao and TMac out, Houston's season is a lost cause. Furthermore, they'll have an eye toward 2010 free agency if they can shave a little more salary. Also, they just signed Ariza to a long term deal which creates a log jam at SF. With that the case, I think they'd be open to a Battier trade. Battier is 31 and won't be in his prime by the time Houston manages to rebuild.

I'd love to add Battier to our roster. We're still a bit overweighted on offense and lack quality defenders in our starting lineup. If we could somehow swap Miller for Battier, it would really vault us into "contender" status.

So how do we make it happen?

A simple trade of Miller for Battier plus Brent Barry would work, but I don't think Houston does that. They'd ultimately be just giving Battier away for an expiring contract. They're gonna want more.

What about:

Washington trades: Miller, Stevenson, Young
Houston trades: Battier, Barry, B.Cook

Brewers acquired second baseman Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for outfielder Cole Gillespie and RHP Roque Mercedes.
Lopez was hitting .305/.368/.416 with six homers and six steals for the Diamondbacks. The Brewers figure to install him as their primary second baseman and leadoff hitter, leaving his fantasy value largely unchanged. This figures to end Mat Gamel's stint in Milwaukee, as Craig Counsell can now share time at third with Casey McGehee. The Diamondbacks could call up Rusty Ryal for a trial at second base. He shouldn't be a long-term option, but when the alternatives are Augie Ojeda and Ryan Roberts, he's worth a shot.

But the writers of CSI should set to work on a script that explains Miller's lone season in Minnesota, which was one of the most perverse, distasteful wastes of a player's tailor-made role on a ballclub that I've ever witnessed. Instead of Mike Miller, the Wolves got a second-rate Jason Kidd, a guy who played like he wanted to patent the no-look inbounds pass; who frequently drove through three opponents in traffic so that he could leap at the hoop and then suddenly contort-spin himself for a zip-pass to an increasingly less surprised Telfair for a clanked trey; who angrily cited the fundamentals of hoops inventor James Naismith to a hapless beat writer who dared to ask why one of the game's best shooters wasn't shooting; who lay on the court in writhing agony at least 20 times during the course of the season (I don't think I'm exaggerating), then would either crawl on his belly to the bench, get helped off by teammates, or, most frequently, move as if walking on glass shards for a good two or three minutes, yet never allow himself to be taken out of the game. Miller was TOUGH and he was UNSELFISH, goddammit, and the more I watched him chew the scenery like Nicholas Cage as Macbeth while the triple-teamed Jefferson and the Wolves sank to the bottom of the league in FG%, the bigger the shingle I hung out as a Mike Miller hater.