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**Dissonance19** · 07-11-2006, 05:49 PM

didn't see this posted

complete link

Quote:

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers were given significant added flexibility on Tuesday in their ability to trade and sign players.

The Maryland judge who last week ruled the teams couldn't sign a free agent to a deal longer than one year, changed that to four years. But the Hawks and Thrashers cannot go over the salary cap in order to sign a player.

It was not known what prompted the new ruling Tuesday from Montgomery County (Md.) Circuit Court Judge Eric Johnson.

"We now have the needed flexibility to be able to enter into player transactions for both teams," said Bernie Mullin, the president of the NBA and NHL clubs.

Even before Tuesday's change, the Hawks and Thrashers were fairly confident they could put together rosters as planned for the coming year. The Hawks already had initiated negotiations with free agent point guard Speedy Claxton, and the team is expected to announce Wednesday that Claxton has been signed to a four-year deal. That was planned before Johnson's ruling.

The Thrashers had already finished most of their free-agent negotiations, too, for next season.

However, without the added flexibility, the Hawks likely would have had difficulty negotiating a sign-and-trade deal involving free agent forward Al Harrington. It would have been a significant blow to the team to lose Harrington without receiving any compensation.

Johnson's new ruling specified that the Hawks can enter a sign-and-trade deal that would bring the team a new contract of up to four years.

ATLien · 07-11-2006, 05:53 PM

Wow. I totally forget the Thrashers existed til I read this thread. lol.

o.iatlhawksfan · 07-11-2006, 09:53 PM

So from what I read we can now aquire players with 4 years left on their contract, and with the way the new collective barging agreement is where most players are now on 4 or 5 year contracts that makes it much easier on Billy now.

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