Shareef Abdur-Rahim will likely sign with the Brooklyn Nets and Stromile Swift just signed with the Houston Rockets.
The market for places for Antoine Walker to land just got smaller. Then again, New Jersey never wanted Toine and today's Houston rumor smelled fishy from the start.
I'm sure Bartelstein isn't thrilled about the options drying up, but he might be even more concerned with the market price these guys are setting. Stro hasn't accomplished what Walker has, but he is younger and twice as athletic. SAR hasn't won anything, but is a solid and stead 20/10 guy (or at least he was before Portland). Both settled for essentially the Mid Level Exception.
What can Walker hope to command if these guys couldn't break the bank? The majority of us think that Walker won't be around here next year. However, if he could be had at around the MLE, would your opinion of bringing back Walker change? Something to ponder. Remember too that if a sign and trade can't be worked out, the C's can still offer him more years than other teams can at the MLE. Question is, with Al Jefferson on deck, would they want to?
If not Boston, where else could he land? Best guesses are still New York, Chicago, Cleveland, or even Seattle (but please, no more of that Chad Ford idea, yuck).
Update: It is being reported that the Cavs have signed Saras.