Sources: Two deals on table for A.I.

By Jared Trexler
Reporting by John McMullen

Like the sands through a hourglass, these are the days of A.I.'s life.

With his bags packed but nowhere to call home, the Allen Iverson trade saga has reached a fevered pitch.

The Phanatic -- in the media center at tonight's Sixers game against Boston -- has talked to various NBA sources over the last hour and discovered that the Sixers turned down one deal already, with two other deals at the forefront and another 3-way blockbuster on the back burner.

#1: Golden State and Philadelphia
A national NBA source told The Phanatic that the deal "sitting on GM Billy King's desk" has point guard Baron Davis, center/forward Andris Biedrins and a third unidentified player coming to Philadelphia in exchange for A.I. and forward Steven Hunter.

Davis, the seven-year pro out of UCLA, logs just under 36 minutes a night for the Warriors this season, averaging 19.7 points, 8.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds. The other player the Sixers covet -- NOT Monta Ellis according to our sources -- is Andris Biedrins, a 6'11" native of Lativa, complete with quick feet and solid toughness for an international player. Biedrins is averaging 11.7 points and 9.7 rebounds this season. Golden State was hesitant on including Biedrins in the trade, instead trying to pawn off Notre Dame product Troy Murphy (10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds) or Mickeal Pietrus (13.7 points, 5.2 boards). Either Pietrus or Ellis, who the Sixers are "high on" just not as much as Biedrins, could be the third unidentified player.

#2: Indiana and Philadelphia
This deal is No. 2 on King's desk, right beneath the Warriors trade. The Pacers would send point guard Jamaal Tinsley, forward Marquis Daniels and a third unidentified player to the Sixers for Iverson and either Hunter or an unidentified player.

Tinsley, a five-year veteran out of Iowa State, is a prototypical NBA point guard, dealing out 6.3 assists to 2.8 turnovers (better than 2-to-1) along with 12.4 ppg this season. The trade couldn't go through until Friday because of Daniels, who can't be moved until then because of a concrete rule in the Collective Bargaining Agreement -- 90-day Trade rule -- that prohibits his trading before December 15 (thanks to the comment that pointed out the issue). Daniels has yet to adjust to his new team, averaging only 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest. That is almost half of the production he put up in Dallas last season, when he totaled 10.2 points and 3.6 boards a game. The Sixers WANT the third unidentified player to be Danny Granger, according to our NBA sources. Granger has the combination of athleticism and strength conducive to a long, successful NBA career. He averaged 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds during his rookie season out of New Mexico before averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds this season.

Indiana is hesitant to give away the young talent.

According to our NBA sources, those are the two deals ON THE TABLE (King may be reading them as we speak).

A "tentative" 3-way blockbuster between the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Sixers has moved to the back burner. That trade, which according to our sources is smoldering with the possibility of being rekindled, would send Kings point guard Mike Bibby and forward Kenny Thomas to the Clippers, Iverson to the Kings and bring young, promising stars Shaun Livingston and Corey Maggette to the Sixers.

Philadelphia LOVES this trade, but the other two sides wavered in earlier discussions, moving it to the background.

The Sixers have also REJECTED one trade, which would have sent Maggette and guard Cuttino Mobley to the City of Brotherly Love for A.I. The problem? Mobley's $30 million left on the remaining three years of his contract.

Also, a Boston media source told The Phanatic that Celtics GM Danny Ainge "wants" A.I., but franchise player Paul Pierce does not. "It's all lip service," the source said in reference to Pierce's public statement about his willingness to team with Iverson. "Paul wants his shots," stated the source.

Things are gaining steam inside the Wachovia Center. The Phanatic will have up-to-the-second news and updates as we find them out.