ATLANTA -- The Mavericks traded Antoine Walker and Tony Delk
to the Hawks on Wednesday for Jason Terry, Alan Henderson and a
first-round draft pick.
While Atlanta general manager Billy Knight thinks the deal is a
small step in the process of overhauling his roster, Dallas
might have filled its most pressing need.
"We don't have enough big people, we don't have enough guards,
we don't have enough shooting, we don't have enough rebounding, we
don't have enough defense, we don't have enough shot-blocking,"
Knight said. "We don't have all of those things. Other than that
we have everything we need."
Asked when the Hawks -- 28-54 last season -- can be competitive,
Knight said: "I really don't know. We're not finished doing
anything yet."
Terry, the Hawks' first-round pick in the 1999 NBA draft,
averaged 16.8 points and 5.4 assists last season but is more of a
combo guard than a pure point guard. The Mavericks needed a point
guard after losing Steve Nash to free agency, and they see Terry as
a scorer who has flourished in coach Don Nelson's system.
The Hawks see Walker as a crucial piece in their rebuilding efforts.
The 6-foot-9 Walker can play either forward position. Walker has
averaged 19.9 points in his career, including 14 points with 8.3
rebounds last season.
Like Terry, the 6-foot-2 Delk can score from the point guard position
but is too small for a full-time role at shooting guard. Delk
averaged six points while playing only 15.4 minutes per game for
Dallas last season.
With the trade, the Hawks will have a new starting backcourt.
They traded shooting guard Stephen Jackson to the Indiana Pacers
for forward Al Harrington last month.
Knight and new coach Mike Woodson met with free agent center
Erick Dampier in Utah last month. The team also has re-signed
center Jason Collier.
In about 15 months, Knight has almost completely turned over the
roster he inherited from Pete Babcock.
Knight was hired to replace Babcock on April 2, 2003. With the
exits of Terry and Henderson, forward Chris Crawford would be the
only remaining player from the Babcock era.
The Mavericks need Terry as a replacement for Nash, who
signed with the Phoenix Suns.
The financial implications may weigh slightly in Atlanta's
favor. Both Henderson and Walker are entering the last year of
contracts, but the trade frees Atlanta of the last two years of a
three-year, $24 million contract Terry signed last year.
When healthy, the 6-9 Henderson provided depth at center and
power forward, but he has battled injuries much of his nine-year
career. A knee injury limited Henderson to six games last season.
"Alan has had some recent injury problems but certainly he's a
class guy and he's feeling completely up to speed and ready to
play, he says," Knight said. "He's been working out every day and
playing ball and finished his rehab and is back in good form."
Nelson was on vacation in Maui. A Mavericks
official said Nelson's son, president of basketball operations Donn
Nelson, was out of town on business.
As ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported on Tuesday, the trade increases the likelihood that Jason Kidd will be staying with the New Jersey Nets in the short term. One source close to the point guard told ESPN.com last week that Kidd believes Mark Cuban might be the only owner in the league willing to absorb the remaining five years and $90 million on Kidd's contract, and the Mavericks could choose to use Terry in a trade package to pursue Kidd closer to the February trade deadline.
Cuban did not immediately return an e-mail request for a comment on the trade.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.