Bulls and Knicks Finalize Six-Player Deal

August 5, 2004 -- The Chicago Bulls announced today that they have re-signed guard Jamal Crawford and traded him and forward Jerome Williams to the New York Knicks in exchange for center Dikembe Mutombo, forward Othella Harrington, guard Frank Williams and center Cezary Trybanski. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. This trade is conditional upon the players passing their physicals.

“Over the course of these negotiations we’ve stated all along, that if we were going to move Jamal Crawford, it would be imperative for us to receive financial flexibility from a cap standpoint,” said Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson. “Not only does this deal help us in that regard, but the players that we acquired have added depth to our roster and will help us this season.”

Mutombo, a 7-2, 261-pound center, comes to the Bulls with 13 years of NBA service. The 38-year old native of Kinshasa, Zaire is an eight-time NBA all-star and has played for New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Denver. Last season he played in 65 games, made 56 starts and posted averages of 5.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 1.89 bpg (14th in the NBA) in 23.0 mpg. For his career, he has averaged 12.2 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 3.33 bpg and 1.4 apg in 36.0 mpg and shot .520 from the floor.

Mutombo has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times, been selected to the NBA All-Defensive team six times and earned All-NBA second team in honors in 2001, to go with third team accolades in 1998 and 2002. He ranks fourth all-time in league history with 2,996 rejections and holds the career record for most consecutive seasons leading the NBA in blocked shots per game (three, 1993-94 through 1995-96).

Harrington, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, is an eight-year NBA vet who has played with New York, Vancouver and Houston. Last season he appeared in a career-low 56 games with the Knicks and averaged 4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg in 15.6 mpg and shot .495 from the field. He has played in 463 games over his career and averaged 8.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg and shot .508 from the field.

Harrington has averaged 8.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg in his career while Williams produced 3.9 ppg and 2.2 apg in 12.8 mpg last season. (Williams: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE Getty Images)

“Frank is a young player who hasn’t played a lot in his two years in the league,” Paxson said. “Going into year three, we expect him to get a chance to play some minutes in our backcourt and he will have the opportunity to prove himself.”

Trybanski, a 7-2, 240-pound center, is the NBA’s first-ever Polish-bred player and came to New York via Phoenix last January. Last season, the 24-year old Warsaw native appeared in seven games with the Suns and Knicks and played a total of 15 minutes; he scored one point and grabbed one rebound in that time. He missed 41 games last year due to left patella tendonitis. In his two seasons in the NBA, he has appeared in 22 games and logged 101 minutes.

Crawford, a 6-5, 190-pound guard, averaged 11.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 rpg, 26.0 mpg, shot .397 from the field and .339 from three-point range in 244 games with Chicago. Last season with the Bulls, he started 73 of the 80 games that he played and averaged a team-high 17.3 ppg, 5.1 apg, 3.5 rpg and 1.39 spg in 35.1 mpg. Originally selected by Cleveland with the eighth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, he came to the Bulls via a draft-day deal in exchange for center Chris Mihm (seventh pick) and cash considerations.

Crawford

Williams

Williams, a 6-9, 230-pound forward, appeared in 68 games last season, including 52 with the Bulls, following his acquisition in a six-player trade with the Toronto Raptors (12/01/03). On the year, he averaged 6.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.32 spg and 1.1 apg in 24.1 mpg. In 508 career games over eight seasons, he has tallied 6.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1.11 spg in 22.7 mpg and shot .502 from the field.