You're sort of in the running for an 8-seed and the lottery pick you reached on last year is actually impressing. You've got a cool, young team with lots of fun players and some expiring contracts. Obviously this is totally the Ed that we know. Hamed Haddadi went to Toronto where he will promptly be waived prior to arriving north of the border because Visa issues are going to be a mess. They also had to take on Tayshaun Prince and the matter-less mass of Austin Daye, but opinions of those vary depending on who you ask. John Hollinger and the Memphis Grizzlies moved one of the most blatantly overpaid guys in the league and got the most valuable asset in the trade in young, talented, object of my affection, Ed Davis. They found their guys in Joe Dumars and the Detroit Pistons, who finally came up roses after a trade for the first time since the first Boy Band Era. The holdup over the past few days had been finding a team to take the expiring contract of Jose Calderon and make the deal work. He's shipping up to Canada, where he'll play for the Toronto Raptors and leading candidate for Most Ed Stefanski Move Of The Year Award, Ed Stefanski. The only guy in the league who has dealt with as many trade rumors as Andre Iguodala had has finally been traded. But even teams such as the Lakers and Bulls will likely have to be more responsible with their spending under the new deal, where repeat offenders are taxed at rates that multiply with each consecutive year they go over the cap.So it appears Rudy Gay's last moment in Memphis was a tough shot in the paint at the Wells Fargo Center over Evan Turner to beat the Sixers. Playing in a smaller market, the Grizzlies don't have the extra revenue from lavish television contracts like teams in Los Angeles or New York, which makes it that much more difficult to go over the cap. The collective bargaining agreement negotiated after last year's lockout makes the penalties for exceeding the salary cap far more punitive, and the system begins in earnest next season. The Raptors do run the risk of upsetting the chemistry on a tight-knit group, even if there were some questions of how Gay's scoring fit in with the ball-dominant frontcourt of Gasol and Randolph.īut there may be more deals like this one coming in the new NBA economy. Team officials said that move put the Grizzlies in position not to have to make a move this season. Just over a week ago, the Grizzlies sent valuable reserve Marreese Speights and two other players to Cleveland in a move that cleared $6.4 million in salary and avoided a $4 million luxury tax hit this season. Obviously they feel strongly centering the team around their outstanding interior duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but removing Gay from the equation eliminates probably their best isolation perimeter scoring option." "What's curious about the deal," says 's Royce Young, "is that the Grizzlies currently are fourth in the West at 29-15, and very much a legit contender. That's a big number for new owner Robert Pera, who took over the franchise last November and has quickly started addressing the team's salary situation. The 6-foot-8 small forward is due $16.5 million this season with $37 million more over the next two years. Gay, averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, signed a five-year, $82 million maximum contract in July 2010 with Memphis. We also appreciate everything that Austin Daye has done for our team both on and off the court over the past three-plus years." "We want to thank Tayshaun for his professionalism and contributions over the last 10 years. "Trading a player like Tayshaun Prince, who has meant so much to our organization and contributed to our championship success, is never easy," Pistons president Joe Dumars said in a statement. Prince and Daye have both spent their entire careers with Detroit, and Prince was the last link to the proud championship team of 2003-04.