Welcome to the NBA trade deadline, 2008. Pull up a chair and toss your rumors on the table.
There are plenty of those flying around, and will continue to be plenty for the next 24 hours until tomorrow’s 3 p.m. deadline passes. I’ll be heading over to Jersey in a bit to cover you on anything going down on the Vince Carter front.
I’ve been assured by a well-informed front office source that the Nets’ plan is to see what this group can do post-Jason Kidd before deciding what to do with Carter. The organization isn’t concerned only with record and clinching a playoff spot – although with Carter, Richard Jefferson and Devin Harris, that remains a possibility in the weak Eastern Conference. What team officials will be looking at over the last two months of the season is playing style, chemistry, what works and what doesn’t with this new group.
If Rod Thorn gets bowled over by an offer for Carter, the Nets will give it strong consideration. That is believed to be unlikely, but then again nobody – including the Nets’ brass – thought they’d get what they got for Kidd. My bet is the Nets stick with what they’ve got and deal with Carter in the summer. Don’t hold your breath for a Carter-for-Zach Randolph deal.
Things have been quiet on the Ron Artest front, I’m told. Zero interest from the Knicks since a December discussion fell apart. The Nuggets have made overtures, but Denver ownership is wary of Artest’s baggage as well as that accompanying Zach Randolph. My guess there is that Sac-Town will find a taker for Artest, maybe a team that doesn’t have as many existing head cases as the Nuggets do.
The trade talk has been at an unusually high level across NBA front offices, so there will be plenty of updates throughout the night and into the morning. Some other players league-wide who could be on the move include: Andre Miller, Kyle Lowry, Ben Gordon, Bell Wallace, Mike Miller, Jermaine O’Neal, Michael Pietrus, Jason Williams, and Ricky Davis. All the big deals – Gasol, Shaq, Kidd, etc. – have been done. We think.