Hawks stand pat on trades, now look to Ilgauskas

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PHOENIX -- The Hawks didn’t make any trades before Thursday’s NBA deadline, no surprise since general manager Rick Sund had said all along he wouldn’t break up the team’s core to make a deal.

With few other desirable contracts outside their top players, the Hawks couldn’t find a trade that made sense. However, people with knowledge of the situation said the Hawks have had a change of heart on their plan to keep the roster at the league minimum of 13 and will consider signing veterans who are bought out of their contracts by the end of this month.

Veteran center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is high on the Hawks’ wish list if he receives a buyout from the Wizards, the people said Thursday. And his agent, Herb Rudoy, said the Hawks are among the teams Ilgauskas would consider.

But that’s a potential Hawks move for the future with plenty of uncertainty. For now, the Hawks will move forward with their current roster.

“We like our core guys,” Sund said Thursday. “I think we are positioned pretty well. We will learn some more [about the team] going forward in the last month-and-a-half and the playoffs.”

Among the Hawks’ Eastern Conference rivals, only Cleveland made a major trade. The Cavaliers got forward Antawn Jamison from Washington as part of the three-team trade involving Ilgauskas.

Otherwise, the trade deadline passed relatively quietly in the East.

The Magic stood pat. The Celtics reportedly were waiting on league approval to complete a trade with the Knicks for reserve guard Nate Robinson. The Bobcats could be tougher first-round opponents for one of the top East teams after they acquired Tyrus Thomas from Chicago and Theo Ratliff from San Antonio.

The Hawks, who continue a four-game road trip tonight at Phoenix, are 34-18 and trail Orlando by 1.5 games in the Southeast Division. The Celtics were a half-game behind the Hawks before playing at the Lakers late Thursday.

“Until the end of the season I don’t look at the win column, I look at the loss column,” Sund said. “Here the trade deadline has passed and, after Cleveland, you have three teams [Magic, Hawks and Celtics] with 18 losses jockeying for position.

“I think we are pointed in the right direction. As long as we stay healthy, and that’s an important key, we can compete for these playoff spots going down the stretch.”

Ilgauskas could help the Hawks in the playoffs. At 7-foot-3 and 260 pounds, he would satisfy the Hawks’ desire for another beefy center to contend with Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal.

Ilgauskas could back up Al Horford at center, and the two could play together in a lineup with Horford at power forward. The Hawks’ other options at center are primary reserve Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins and Randolph Morris.

Ilgauskas was traded from Cleveland to Washington on Tuesday in a three-team deal, but he’s seeking a buyout of the prorated portion of his expiring $11.5 million contract. The Wizards are cutting salary as they look to rebuild, and Rudoy, the agent, said Ilgauskas wants to play for a contender.

Rudoy said Thursday he hadn’t spoken to the Wizards about a buyout. Ilgauskas, 34, is taking a few days to think about his future.

“If he decides to leave Cleveland, once he gets the buyout -- and we hope we will have several options -- he will only go to a team that can win a championship, period,” Rudoy said. “He will not be on a team that has no chance. He wants to play for one of the top teams, and Atlanta certainly is one of those teams.”

Sund, citing NBA tampering rules, declined to comment on Ilgauskas.

Rudoy said “a lot of teams are very interested in” Ilgauskas but declined to name them. In addition to the Cavs and Hawks, the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets also are reported to be interested in Ilgauskas.

Under league rules the Cavaliers would have to wait 30 days after Ilgauskas is waived to re-sign him, while another team could sign him immediately. Ilgauskas would have to be waived by March 1 to be eligible for a playoff roster.

The Hawks are over the salary cap and have no exceptions available, so they would be limited to signing Ilgauskas to a prorated veteran's minimum contract.

Ilgauskas, a 12-year NBA veteran from Lithuania, was averaging career lows of 20.5 minutes, 7.5 points, and 5.3 rebounds for the Cavs this season. He once was an offensive threat in the post but has become more of a perimeter shooter late in his career and, according to the Web site 82games.com, Ilgauskas has slipped to 38 percent shooting on jump shots this season.