Eddie Jones: I won't be traded

[Big Bid'Ness]

From:Realgm/Dallas Morning News

Veteran swingman says he's not an option to replace George in deal

If the Jason Kidd trade is to be salvaged, it will happen without Eddie Jones being involved.

Jones said after Wednesday night's game that he has no intention of being traded to a non-championship contender.

"There is no next stop for me," Jones said. "I'll go home."

It doesn't appear that's an option for the Mavericks anyway. An NBA source said late Wednesday that the team is still hopeful that the deal as constructed would get an OK from Devean George, whose unwillingness to give up his early Larry Bird free-agent rights blocked the deal that the Mavericks had in place.


Kidd, along with Malik Allen and Antoine Wright, would have come to the Mavericks, with New Jersey receiving George, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagana Diop, Moe Ager, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations.

When the dust settled and the deal was in limbo, so were all the players involved, which makes for an uncomfortable situation.

"It's tough," Diop said. "I don't care who you are, it's tough. You're a human being, and you don't know if you're going to be here or not.

"You never know who's going to be here tomorrow."

Stackhouse and Harris were hanging in the wind for several hours as the trade was believed to be finalized, then was blocked.

Stackhouse was in a particularly delicate situation because he supposedly would have returned to the Mavericks in a month after a buyout by the Nets that would have been partially funded by the Mavericks.

"Obviously there have been a lot of reports going on, but I hadn't heard anything officially from the team or anything," Stackhouse said before the deal had been squelched. "It's just business as usual until something else happens."

Stackhouse was clear about what he expects to happen if he is bought out in any trade scenario.

"Obviously, if that happens, my first choice would be to come back to Dallas," he said. "We just settled in and bought a house here and my family's here. I don't know. It's just kind of a wait and see."

Harris, meanwhile, said trade talk was "part of life" for him and all players. He recycled his line from a week ago, saying "I'm just a spectator to the madness."

Stackhouse, at least, didn't have to go out and play because he's recovering from a hamstring injury. Ditto for Harris, who has a bone bruise in his left ankle. Stackhouse was asked if the speculation was bothersome.

"You look at a talent like Jason Kidd, if it does happen, you're getting one of the greatest competitors that ever played in the game," Stackhouse said. "I just don't know right now. It's one of those things where I'm kind of out of the loop, too. Until somebody says something to confirm everything, I'm here at work."

 

[bulls12]

Man, who else will step in and make sure this trade gets done?

 

[Yankees2772]

If they can't get the trade done, David Stern might alleviate the rules about salary caps just to make this trade pass... The ratings for the NBA Playoffs have been far down - but if they have Kidd/Terry/Howard/Dirk, Kobe/Odom/Gasol/Bynum, Parker/Manu/Duncan, Nash/Amare/Shaq, etc... It can only help =p

Disclaimer: I doubt that'd happen