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Rice shipped to Jazz; shooter Jackson signsAfter a relatively quiet offseason, the Rockets started training camp Tuesday with the attention-grabbing clap of a pair of major roster moves. The Rockets sent veteran forward Glen Rice and two draft picks -- next season's first-round pick and a pick acquired from Chicago -- to Utah to pick up center John Amaechi and a chunk of spending money. They then immediately used the extra cash to sign free-agent shooter-for-hire Jim Jackson to a three-year contract worth, according to sources familiar with the deal, $7.3 million. Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said the deals were made to free the Rockets from the luxury tax hit they expected without hurting themselves and even potentially strengthening the roster at small forward. "It's just so much easier to live under the cap," Dawson said. "If you can't do that, you try to live under the luxury tax (because of) the restrictions. This enabled us to get under the luxury tax and enabled us to get Jim Jackson." The Rockets sent Rice, in the final season of a contract that uses $9.6 million of cap space, to Utah along with the draft choice next season for Amaechi and a second-round pick. The trade moved them from $59.5 million in guaranteed contracts to $53 million, $2 million less than the figure expected to trigger the luxury tax. Having moved from that threat, they were free to sign Jackson, who had long been considered the top free agent still on the market. The trade with the Jazz also gave the Rockets a $7 million trade exception, the difference between Rice's and Amaechi's contracts, potentially allowing them to trade for a player that makes as much as $7 million more than a player dealt in any trade in the next 12 months. Though such a deal would return the Rockets to a luxury tax hit, the trade exception is considered valuable for future trades and is especially useful when acquired after the summer free-agency period because it could potentially be used in a sign-and-trade free-agent deal next summer. "It loosens us up so if something else comes up, we're able to look at it," Dawson said. "A lot of people were in our situation as far as the luxury tax goes. Right now, we're out of it, so that's a big relief. We're one of the people that can do some things if the right thing comes up." The Jazz are expected to approach Rice about a buyout of his contract. Rice would not discuss the deal or his plans. "We're going to sit down with him and his agent and go from there," Jazz vice president Kevin O'Connor said. Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Jazz Agree to terms with BellUtah Jazz Sr. Vice President of Basketball Operations, Kevin O’Connor announced today that the team has agreed to terms for a two-year contract with Raja Bell. Pending the outcome of a physical, the team will sign the guard to a contract early next week. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not released. The 6-5 guard has earned 32 starts in 75 games last season for the Dallas Mavericks and averaged 3.1 points in 15.6 minutes. In his three year NBA career, Bell has seen action in 154 games and has averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 assists in 13.6 minutes per game. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Terry returns, recruits othersWho says Jason Terry isn't a point guard? Hawks coach Terry Stotts called him "one of the best point guards in the East" at a news conference Thursday announcing that the team matched the three-year, $22.5 million offer sheet Terry signed with the Utah Jazz. And shortly after he was signed and sealed, Terry was delivering assists left and right. After expressing his excitement about staying in Atlanta --- "This is the only place I wanted to be," he said --- and shaking hands with the Hawks' new ownership group, which was in attendance, Terry said he is aiding general manager Billy Knight in his free agent pursuits. "I've already been on the phone, talking to whatever free agents we have left, namely [San Antonio Spurs forward] Stephen Jackson," Terry said, flashing a grin. "[I'm] trying to coerce him to come on and join us. I told him, 'There is a spot open for you in that backcourt. You'll fit in real well with us . . .and help us win.' " Terry, approaching his fifth season in the league, will earn about $8 million this season, including a $4 million signing bonus. With Terry in place, the Hawks' payroll will be about $51 million for just 10 players. The team still needs starters at small forward and shooting guard. Via Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Jazz Sep 2003 Archive
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