Shaquille O'Neal Not in Atlanta's Plans

Filed under: Cavaliers, Hawks, Spurs, NBA Free Agents

The Atlanta Hawks are ruling out the possibility of signing free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal.



A source close to the situation said Thursday that Atlanta's ownership doesn't want to exceed the luxury-tax threshold of $70.307 million. The Hawks are about $4 million shy right now.



With that in mind, the Hawks still need to fill their roster with three players. So unless the legendary O'Neal, who made $20 million last season, suddenly wants to play for the minimum or barring some unexpected sign-and-trade offer from Cleveland, he's out of Atlanta's picture.



There was a report of a possible sign-and-trade with O'Neal, who played for the Cavaliers last season, going from the Cavaliers to the Hawks for forward Marvin Williams. But that was shot down by the source, saying the Hawks expressed no desire to trade one of their starters.



The Hawks are pleased with their lineup of center Al Horford, forwards Josh Smith and Williams and guards Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, believing they have one of the better starting units in the NBA.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/16/shaquille-oneal-not-in-atlantas-plans/