ESPN reports
Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson says he has requested a trade and prefers to be dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers or any of the NBA’s three teams in Texas.
Jackson’s wishes are rooted in a desire to play for a team that consistently makes the postseason, he says, something the Warriors have done only once in the past 15 seasons.
“At this point, I’m 31 years old. I have four or five years left,” Jackson told Dime Magazine on Friday. “I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring. So that’s where my mind is at now.”
Jackson, speaking to the magazine in New York during a promotional event for a shoe line, said the status of his demand is pending.
“It’s not about a decision I made,” he told Dime Magazine. “It’s just things are in the air right now. I really can’t get too much into it right now.”
“I’m just looking to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship,” Jackson said.
Thoughts
The trade demand
It’s not a strong trade demand.
There’s a good possibility for the Warriors to talk him out of it, or to just ignore it, if they wish to do so.
Because of this, I’m having trouble taking this seriously.
Trade value
Due to Jackson’s age, contract, and past indiscretions … I think he has low trade value relative to his talent, meaning that the Warriors aren’t going to get much in a trade.
An example of a trade — expiring contracts and possibily a low level to mediocre prospect.
The contract
Stephen Jackson is due $35.5 million over the next four years.
He has an increasing contract that will earn him $7.65 million next season, $8.45 million in 2010, $9.26 million in 2011, and $10.06 million in 2012.
Jackson has a bad contract but he’d be worth acquiring if a title contender felt he was a piece that would put them over the hump.
Age
Stephen Jackson is turned 31 years old near the end of the regular season last year.
He will be 35 years old by the end of his contract.
Stephen Jackson — The Game
Stephen Jackson is currently out of his depth as one of the Warriors go-to guys, but he’s a very good player as a the fourth or fifth option on a title contending team.
Reasons for Jackson being out of his depth:
- Scoring efficiency is mediocre with a true shooting percentage of around 53-54% over the past three years. They were also the best marks of his career.
- Other numbers — Jacks shot 41% from the field last year and 34% from three point range. His free throw shooting (82%) was his saving grace, and he has managed to increase his FTA’s per game by about 50% over the past two years in this larger offensive role.
- Jackson turns the ball at a prolific rate and led the league in turnovers per game last season.
- Jackson is a player with very good defensive ability … but he has been a mediocre defender for much of the past two seasons. Due to the offensive responsibilities on his plate, he has been unable to give enough energy + effort to his defensive duties, and as a result his defensive impact has lowered substantially.
- Jackson is a decent rebounder for a two guard but a very poor rebounder for a small forward.
These flaws in Stephen Jackson’s game lower his effectiveness. So the 21ppg, 6.5apg, and 5rpg looks great at first blush but his impact is actually a lot lower than that.
Still, we’re talking about a good player. Somebody who can be a difference maker. Someone with good value out there on the court.
Impact of a trade
If Stephen Jackson were to get traded, he could be a huge swing factor for the team that acquires him. The reason for this is the combination of his on-court talent, and the low trade price that’ll take to get their hands on him.
- If Jackson were to join one of the frontrunners for a title, one of the top five teams, he could suddenly make one of those squad the team at the front of the pack.
- If Jackson were to join a very good squad, he may be enough to help turn them into a title contender.
Golden State Warriors
I thought it was a mistake for the Warriors to give Jackson this contract last summer, and I think they’d be better off by trading Jackson.
The Warriors will receive some short term pain, but they’ll be better off in the medium and long term without Jackson on their books. The Warriors should be looking to build around their young core rather than trying to fit in a piece that doesn’t belong, which is exactly what they were trying to do when they signed Jackson to that extension.
I would also like to see the Warriors trade Corey Maggette in a salary dump. By trading those two players, the Warriors would be freeing up around $20 million a season for the next four years, and they could sign a superior player + better fit for their young team with that money.
Conclusions
I’m not sure we’ll see a trade here. There’s some smoke but nothing strong has been said or happened, and things could easily disappear by the time training camp has started. But if we do get a trade, then Jackson could play a major role in deciding who the next team to win a Championship is.
It’ll be very interesting to see how this situation develops over the next week or two.
khandor
September 1, 2009
Dave,
In spite of deficiencies, which you’ve done a good job of outlining here, I agree with your specific take on Captain Jack, and the added value he presents to a top notch team that is able to add him to their mix without disrupting what they’ve already got in the cupboard.
If the Warriors do end up trading Jax this season, he could well tip the balance in the receiver’s favour come playoff time. Like he was for the Spurs a few years back, he is a difference-maker for a team with legit title aspirations.
Dave
September 15, 2009
The NBA fined Stephen Jackson for his comments
I never knew players weren’t allowed to make trade demands publicly. Is this a new role? Or am I normally just oblivious to unimportant + largely irrelevant fines?