Sometimes the best trade is the one not made

	Despite a torrent of rumors all season, the Celtics seem intent for now on building around Paul Pierce, not without him. Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
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Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
 -- Robert Frost

Face it, Frost was way ahead of his time. He should have been a general manager. GMs at the trade deadline are like little kids running through department stores with their parents' credit cards: They know they have the power to spend but a limited time to do it. But sometimes the best avenue for success is the road not taken. In 2002 the Chicago Bulls swapped Brad Miller and Ron Artest to Indiana for Jalen Rose and Travis Best. While Miller became a star in Indiana and Artest led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in '04, Rose played two and a half uninspiring seasons in the Windy City while Best barely unpacked before he left town following the '02 season.

Think about it, Chicago. Instead of floundering in mediocrity, you could have boasted a lineup of Miller, Elton Brand (dealt to the Clippers in '01 for the rights to Tyson Chandler), Artest, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich. (I know history would change and that Hinrich and Gordon may not have been on the roster, but Jay Williams wouldn't have been either, so I'll consider it a wash.) Throw in Jamal Crawford and Luol Deng as backups and you're talking about a legitimate title contender.

Also in '02, Boston traded Joe Johnson to Phoenix for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. The Celtics wouldn't have made a run to the Eastern finals without Rogers, but how good would Johnson's stroke look next to Paul Pierce right now?

That brings us to the present, the '06 deadline, when some executives continued to act like a case study for attention deficit disorder (see Knicks, New York) while others chose not to sacrifice their futures in order to procure a few more wins for the present. Savvy? Stupid? Only time will tell. But as Frost says, sometimes it's the road less traveled that winds up making all the difference. Let's take a look at who made the right decisions in not making a move.

Boston Celtics, not trading Paul Pierce

The common school of thought in the NBA is that you need two superstars to win a championship. While Detroit has debunked that theory in recent years, it still stands to reason that at least one star must be present to act as a foundation for a team's future. Boston has some bright young players (Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, Delonte West) and some youngsters with question marks (Tony Allen, Gerald Green), but the center piece of the puzzle remains Pierce. He remains the single most important player the Celtics have had on their roster in the last 15 years. Period. He's the glue that holds the team, the organization, together; he's also the sole reason Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge remain employed, which is a pretty compelling reason to hold onto him like grim death.

L.A. Lakers, not trading Lamar Odom

Rome wasn't built in a day. Don't expect the Lakers to climb back to the top in a couple of years. The Kobe Bryant-Lamar Odom tandem isn't perfect, but the continuing maturity of Bryant along with Odom's rising comfort level in Phil Jackson's triangle offense will spell success for the Lakers before Jackson's contract expires in '08. Dealing Odom would have put enormous pressure on Bryant and set the rebuilding effort back at least two seasons.

Dallas Mavericks, not trading anybody

The dealing Dons (GM Donnie and consultant Don) have itchy trigger fingers, and Mark Cuban isn't afraid to shake things up, but what this team needs is continuity, not another round of new bodies. Avery Johnson has the Mavericks playing solid defense, and for once Dirk Nowitzki doesn't need to score 40 every night for Dallas to win. (To wit: During the Mavericks' 17-1 run Nowitzki posted 30 or more points twice.) It will be Dallas' role players (DeSagana Diop, Josh Howard, Devin Harris), not Nowitzki, who will determine the Mavericks' fate this season.

Minnesota Timberwolves, not trading Kevin Garnett

I feel bad for the Big Ticket, I really do. Minnesota is going nowhere, and KG, at 29, is starting to have that Charles Barkley-esque feel to his career. But Garnett is one of a kind, a versatile four who's capable of playing five positions. Shipping him out would be tantamount to collusion, as any serviceable team (Boston, New Jersey, Chicago) acquiring him would be guaranteed a trip to the conference finals. True superstars are rare, so when you have one, you ride him to the bitter end.