The trade exception that the Hornets gave the Pacers in exchange for Peja Stojakovic have led some to wonder about the motives behind the move.  Some believe that it was for the Hornets to win favor with the Pacers in attempts to help in a potential relocation, while also keeping Al Harrington out of the Western Conference.

Andy Miller, the agent for Harrington, said he and Harrington were still considering other offers when the Hornets and Pacers agreed to the trade. He added that he didn?t think the Pacers ?under any or every circumstance were going to get Al Harrington.?

?I have no idea about the relationship between the two owners,? Miller said. ?Being actively involved in the whole process, I can tell you that when it was announced that (the Pacers) received a trade exception, we hadn?t made a decision whether we were going to Indiana or any other team that was pursuing us.

?So from a conspiracy theory perspective, it doesn?t have any weight, because we?re not a part of that theory and we hadn?t made a decision yet.?

According to an NBA source, the Suns, Warriors and Kings have contacted the Sonics with offers for Chris Wilcox in a sign-and-trade deal.

The Sonics want an All-Star caliber forward in return for Wilcox.

According to a source that spoke with Gery Woelfel this week, the Warriors are still in the picture for Jamaal Magloire.  Golden State attempted to acquire Magloire before he was dealt to Milwaukee by the Hornets.

The Bucks are reportedly interested in Troy Murphy but have reservations about his pricey contract.

After a special edition featuring the Atlanta Hawks went to air last week, RealGM Radio will continue to profile individual teams leading up to the 2006-2007 NBA season.

This week, Aaron Bronsteter and James Gould give listeners an in-depth look at Oakland's finest, the Golden State Warriors.

Bronsteter and Gould chat with Dave Del Grande of the Oakland Tribune about the Warriors and the direction of the team.

The Indiana Pacers are closing in on acquiring Al Harrington via a sign-and-trade deal, according to a report on ESPN by  Marc Stein.

Multiple front office sources believe that the deal is as good as done.

The Pacers' chief competition, the Golden State Warriors, expect Harrington to end up in Indiana with a six-year $57 million deal.

Harrington, sources said, initially told interested suitors he was expecting a six-year deal worth at least $66 million. For the Pacers to pay that much, Atlanta almost certainly would have to be willing to accept a package built around Indiana center Jeff Foster. But Foster, by all indications, is not part of the forthcoming trade.

Indy's unforeseen trade exception from the Peja Stojakovic sign and trade gets Harrington fairly close to his financial target and the team he likes best.

With a modest cash payment believed to be in the $250,000 range, Indiana convinced the Hornets to participate in a sign-and-trade swap for Stojakovic instead of signing him outright.

Without the $7.5 million trade exception resulting from that maneuver, Indiana wouldn't be able to complete a sign-and-trade for Harrington unless the Hawks were willing to take back contracts in the same monetary range as Harrington's new first-year salary.

Troy Murphy of the Warriors was in very unfamiliar territory on Friday night.

Instead of standing under a basket going for a rebound or behind the 3-point line taking a jumper, Murphy found himself in the third base coach's box, working for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League as part of "Troy Murphy Night."

"I'm a huge baseball fan," the NBA forward said about 90 minutes before lifting his 6-foot-11 frame off the bench in the dugout and trotting to the coach's box in the bottom of the first inning.

Once there, the New Jersey native looked out of position -- literally.

Kevin O'Connor of the Utah Jazz said on Monday that he expects Derek Fisher to arrive in Utah "late this week" to take a physical that will complete a four-player trade with Golden State.

In exchange for Fisher, the Jazz sent Devin Brown, Keith McLeod and Andre Owens to the Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors have waived guard Will Bynum, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.

Had Bynum remained on the roster beyond July 16 his contract would have become guaranteed.

The Warriors, Pacers and Al Harrington are waiting on the Atlanta Hawks for a resolution to the forward's free agent status.

The club is not yet sure what they want in return as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

Rumored possibilities, according to the Contra Costa Times, include Jeff Foster from the Pacers and Troy Murphy from the Warriors.  

"I can't say something is imminent," Atlanta general manager Billy Knight told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. "There's nothing on the table that needs to be decided on immediately. We're talking to people. That's where we are."

Will Bynum should know by Sunday what he will be doing this coming season, and the decision by the Warriors may have more to do with his contract situation than his performances on the court.

If Bynum is on the roster after Saturday, his contract for next season is guaranteed. Even more, he'll compete for the Warriors' backup point guard spot, a wide-open race that likely won't be decided for months.

"It's been kind of rough," Bynum said. "I've just been working hard, trying to let the cards fall where they may."