Mutombo Trade Analysis
By Gene Huh
Earlier today, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo and forward Roshown McLeod from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for center/forward Theo Ratliff, forward Toni Kukoc, center Nazr Mohammed and guard Pepe Sanchez.
How this Trade Affects Philadelphia
With Theo Ratliff, the Sixers were the best team in the Eastern Conference, but a wrist injury will keep Ratliff out for at least another month. Mutombo is one of the few players in the league with the shotblocking ability to replace Ratliff's devastating interior defense. He also adds the dominating rebounding and physical presence (sharp elbows) that the smaller, more youthful Ratliff can never provide. McLeod is a tall small forward with some scoring ability and only a $1.5 million cap number for next season. This trade clearly demonstrates that the Sixers feel that this is their year to win a championship and that they are willing to sacrifice the future to obtain it. Mutombo's contract will expire at the end of this season, so the Sixers will have to resign the 34-year-old center for big money. However, they do benefit by dumping Toni Kukoc, a player who never fit into the defensively-oriented schemes of 76ers head coach Larry Brown.
How the Trade Affects Atlanta
Atlanta benefits by trading a 34-year-old All-Star center that they would not have been able to re-sign for a 27-year-old All-Star center with a contract that runs through the 2005 season. Ratliff may not have Mutombo's size or rebounding ability, but he is the best shotblocker in the league. In Kukoc, the Hawks gain a terrific offensive player with passing skills and shooting ability. Once you add Kukoc and Ratliff to a Hawks team that already has Brevin Knight, DerMarr Johnson, Lorenzen Wright and Jason Terry, suddenly Atlanta has a solid nucleus for the future. The only downside for the Hawks is that Kukoc ($6.8 million cap number next year) and Ratliff ($8.6 million) will put the Hawks' cap number at approximately $42 million next season. Sanchez and Mohammed are trade-fillers whose contracts will expire after this season.
Who Won?
If the Sixers win the title this season, they will be clear winners. However, if they somehow lose Mutombo to free agency during the offseason (probably unlikely) or don't go far in the playoffs, the trade will look a little shakier. Mutombo may be even older than his listed age, but well-conditioned NBA centers can play for a very long time. Ratliff is an outstanding defensive player, but he has been a very fragile "slow-healer" in the past, unlike the very durable Mutombo (aside from this past season's malaria). Right now, it looks like the Sixers are the big winners, but the Hawks did not make out too badly.
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