Mark Stein of ESPN.com is reporting that the Warriors and Pacers have agreed to an eight-player trade that includes the albatross-y contracts of Mike Dunleavy Jr. AND Troy Murphy and the albatross-y rap sheet of Stephen Jackson. I didn't think the Warriors would be able to get rid of either of those contracts, let alone both of them, but the only way it makes sense is in exchange for a pariah like Stephen Jackson.
I can only assume that this means the Warriors will be down to SEVEN players in uniform against the Clippers tonight, including recent NBDL call-ups Patrick O'Bryant and Renaldo Major (and Mickael Pietrus, whose ankle had better be ready to go). Given that Kelenna Azubuike was also a call-up, the Clippers have a chance to be embarrassed by the equivalent of Baron Davis and a summer league team tonight. Oh joy.
The trade breaks down as follows: Murphy, Dunleavy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod go to the Pacers in exchange for Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell. That ought to shake things up a bit on both sides.
I'm going to reserve judgement on this trade until I've had a chance to look at a little more, but I will say this. The Warriors just got better, if only because Nellie was clearly not going to play MDJr or Murphy a whole lot. And don't underestimate the power of a Lithuanian named Sarunas playing Nellie ball - Sarunas Marciulionis was my favorite Warrior of the Run-TMC era. It's also interesting that the Pacers have gotten rid of Harrington, after working so hard to bring him back to Indy this summer.
If you think this is going to quiet the Maggette for Junior trade talk, forget it. People can TALK about him going to Indy just as easily. And of course Corey almost ended up there last season for Ron Artest. In fact, it's a funny sort of full circle thing. Maggette almost goes to Indy for Artest, who goes to Sacto for Peja, who goes to NOOCH for a trade exception, which Indy uses to get Harrington, who goes to the Warriors for Junior. Wacky.