The agent for Washington Bullets center Gheorghe Muresan looked into a trade for his client last month, and the team that reportedly showed the most interest was the Utah Jazz.
The 7-foot-7 Muresan, last season's Most Improved Player, was disenchanted with a reduction in his playing time and with the way he was being played, according to Frank Hughes, Bullets beat writer for the Washington Times. So Muresan's agent, Bill Sweek, contacted Washington GM Wes Unseld just before the Feb. 20 trading deadline to explore the possibility of getting his client traded.Sweek emphasized that he did not demand a trade, but only called to see whether Unseld was considering trading his client, and to let Unseld know Muresan wouldn't oppose such a move.
Sweek made preliminary calls and determined that several teams, foremost the Jazz, were interested in Muresan. Sweek said that Unseld told him that several teams called about Muresan's availability, including the Jazz, but that Unseld was not interested in any of the players from the teams that called.
Muresan does have some bargaining power. The Bullets have an option to pick up the final year of his contract this summer. If they do, Muresan would make $2 million plus as much as $800,000 in incentives next season, then become a free agent the following summer.
In other words, it may be in the Bullets' best interests to trade him now before he becomes a free agent.
Sweek said if the Bullets decide to pick up Muresan's option, he may tell the team to seek a trade, because otherwise he won't plan on coming back to the Bullets once he becomes a free agent.
"I hate to hold a gun to their head," Sweek said. "But I could phrase it like 'How do you think Gheorghe is going to feel if he becomes a free agent and things haven't changed?' "
Apparently, Muresan was reluctant to have Sweek make the call to Unseld.
"Initially, he didn't want to (ask to be traded) because he didn't want to cause any problems with (new coach) Bernie Bickerstaff," Sweek said. "He wanted to see if things got better."
Sweek said Muresan relented when he realized Bickerstaff planned to use him the same way as former coach Jim Lynam.
Last season, Muresan averaged 10.5 shots in 29.5 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 14.5 points a game and led the league with a 58.4 field-goal percentage. He also averaged 9.6 rebounds per game.
This season, he's playing 25.4 minutes a game and getting just 7.1 shots, even though he is second in the league with a 58.8 field-goal percentage. And he's making just 1.5 turnovers a game, compared to 1.88 last season. He's averaging 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Sweek said Muresan feels that his teammates run a few plays for him, and if he doesn't score they don't go back to him.
"I'm disappointed because it seems like if Gheorghe makes one mistake, they look away from him for the rest of the game," Sweek said. "And that is not the case with the other players on the team. I just think Gheorghe might be a better fit somewhere else."