The Jazz are poised to salvage something out of the Howard Eisley affair after all.
And they love what they're in line to get, too.
Just a few days ago, the Jazz feared free agent point guard Eisley would leave Utah to sign with the Dallas Mavericks — and they would get nothing in return.
Monday morning, though, the Jazz were about to complete a four-team multiplayer trade that, pending NBA approval, will bring strong-rebounding Golden State Warriors forward Donyell Marshall to Utah.
While Marshall is the centerpiece of the deal from their perspective, the Jazz also would acquire Bruno Sundov, a 7-foot-2 Croatian center from Dallas, and Bill Curley, a free-agent journeyman power forward from Golden State who has also played for Detroit, Minnesota and Houston.
Departing Utah are forward Adam Keefe, a former Jazz starter who is off to Golden State; forward Scott Padgett, a rookie last season who is now headed to Dallas along with Eisley; and a draft pick.
The megadeal, a strikingly close version of the one they worked furiously to make last Friday, would start with the Jazz re-signing Eisley, the former heir apparent to John Stockton who last Monday rejected their five-year, $20 million offer. The Jazz will then trade Eisley to the Mavericks, who had planned on signing him to the $2.25 million midlevel salary-cap exception slot if they could not work out the sign-and-trade that now seems to have fallen into place.
The other major component of the deal is a sign-and-trade that involves Boston power forward Danny Forston moving to Golden State, which has been working all summer long to find a way to acquire him. Besides Eisley and Padgett, Dallas will also receive guard Dana Barros from Boston. The Celtics will land Dallas guard Robert Pack, Dallas big man John "Hot Rod" Williams and one of two 2001 first-round draft picks owned by the Jazz.
An undetermined amount of cash, most or all coming from Dallas, also will change hands in the multifaceted transaction, which the league must make sure conforms to the NBA's complicated Collective Bargaining Agreement and salary-cap rules.
Several players were added to the deal to make sure it does, including Curley. The Mavericks reluctantly included Sundov, a 1998 second-round draft pick who has played sparingly (17 games) in the NBA.
"Bruno (Sundov), by the way, is one of the hardest working, nicest guys on the team," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail on Monday morning. "You will be pleasantly surprised. . . . He really is a player and we are sad to see him go."
The anticipated addition of Marshall excites Utah executives working to upgrade the roster of the Jazz, who already this offseason have re-signed reserve point guard Jacque Vaughn and added veterans John Crotty, John Starks and Danny Manning to replace Eisley, retiring shooting guard Jeff Hornacek and free agent forward Armen Gilliam.
Marshall, a 6-foot-9, 230-pounder from the University of Connecticut, was selected by Minnesota fourth overall in the first round of the 1994 NBA Draft.
The Pennsylvania native was traded in his rookie season to Golden State, where last season he averaged 14.2 points and a career-high 10 rebounds per game — making him one of just eight NBAers to play in 30 or more games and post a scoring-rebounding double-double average in 1999-2000.
Marshall, not known for his defense, is a small forward who can also play power forward. He would join Manning in providing off-the-bench help behind Karl Malone and Bryon Russell.
Representatives of all four teams worked over the weekend to finalize the trade, which developed as a result of Golden State's interest in obtaining in Forston, who also was being pursued by the New York Knicks, Dallas' desire to move Pack, Utah's hope that Eisley would not sign elsewhere without it getting something in return, and Boston's hope for the same with regard to Fortson.
Last summer, swingman Shandon Anderson — who is represented by Dan Fegan, the same agent that Eisley and Padgett employ — left Utah for Houston for the midlevel exception. The Jazz were left standing empty-handed.
This summer, Jazz basketball operations vice president Kevin O'Connor vowed to try to recoup something for Eisley should he opt against returning to the Jazz.
Sunday afternoon, Cuban indicated the Celtics may have been holding up the potential four-team deal. They also were said to be discussing a potential trade that would have involved sending Marshall and others to Boston for Forston and Barros — a transaction that would have bypassed the Jazz and Mavericks altogether. Late Sunday night, however, all four teams came to agreement.
E-MAIL: tbuckley@desnews.com