Finances Played Role in Lack of NBA Trades at Deadline

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Feb. 20 -- The Wizards and New Jersey Nets had different problems as Thursday's trade deadline approached, but they wound up in the same boat: unable or unwilling to make a move.

The Wizards were open to trading a few players, including center Etan Thomas and guard Mike James, but couldn't strike a deal. They weren't willing to part with either Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler -- at least not for what other teams were offering.

The Nets were openly shopping their star player, veteran shooting guard Vince Carter, but couldn't find a deal that made sense in part because Carter is owed a whopping $16.3 million next year and $17.3 million in two years.

Like Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld, who would have loved to clear salary, Nets President Rod Thorn wanted to move Carter but couldn't find a deal that made basketball as well as financial sense.

"You don't want to give good players away," Thorn told reporters in words that echoed those of Grunfeld on Thursday evening. "Sometimes, something may not be in your interests short term, but it may be in your interests long term."

As usual, rumored trades involving big names -- like Jamison, Butler, Carter, Richard Jefferson, Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire -- did not materialize.

One issue was, teams like the Wizards and Nets were boxed in by a market that featured a lot more selling than buying. That theme could again dominate this summer as teams look for ways to shed salary or remake their teams.

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