What's it worth to ya?

Would Van Exel give up millions to be traded?

How badly does Nuggets point guard Nick Van Exel want to be traded? He's been saying he does for two months, but is he really willing to sacrifice to make it happen? With Thursday's 6 p.m. EST NBA trade deadline fast approaching, we're about to find out.

According to sources, the Nuggets have a deal for Van Exel on the table. It could be to Boston for Kenny Anderson and Joe Johnson. It could be to Portland for Damon Stoudamire and Bonzi Wells. Or it could be to another club, via a three-way.

The rub is that Van Exel would have to agree to give up the last two years ($24 million) of his current deal, which is set to expire in 2005-06. Van Exel earlier said he would do so if Denver sent him to a team of his liking, but now he is waffling. His agent, Tony Dutt, says it isn't going to happen.

We can't say we blame them. Van Exel, after all, will be 32 with 11 NBA seasons under his belt in the summer of 2004. How many teams, in this era of salary caps, will be willing or able to pay him the $10 million per season he'd be giving up now?

As one NBA player said, "No way [Van Exel's] gonna give that up! What do they think, he's crazy?"

For all their talk, NBA players don't often give up paper like that to play for a particular team. Even Charles Oakley, who is practically begging to get out of Chicago, would rather stay in purgatory than forgo the remainder of his $7 million deal and sign for the $1 million veteran's minimum with a playoff contender.

In the NBA, as in life, money talks.

Any takers on Jackson?

One rumored deal has Jackson and center Erick Dampier going to the Knicks in a three-way trade with Phoenix that sends Penny Hardaway and Marcus Camby to Golden State. Another deal has him going to Milwaukee, along with teammates Danny Fortson and Larry Hughes, in return for Glenn Robinson and a No. 1 pick. There's also rumors he could be part of a three-way Van Exel trade, with Nick at Nite going to the Bay Area and Mookie Blaylock and Dampier to the Bucks. Presumably, either Robinson or Tim Thomas would wind up in Denver, along with other assorted players to make the deal work under cap rules.

Bulls will rue the day

The Bulls will probably regret trading Ron Artest in a few years, but Tuesday's blockbuster trade at least puts an end to their vacillation over how much to play the kids. Rookies Tyson Chandler (7-foot) and Eddy Curry (6-foot-11) now figure to see the bulk of the playing time in the frontcourt.

Each has made progress in recent weeks, and the remaining 30 games will provide a chance to see how good they can be. With the 6-foot-8 Jalen Rose added to a mix that includes 6-foot-9 small forward Eddie Robinson and 6-foot-5 point guard Jamal Crawford, Chicago is quietly putting together a lanky, athletic squad. The continued improvement of 6-foot-8 Marcus Fizer and surprising second-round draft pick Trenton Hassell also bodes well for Chicago's future.

Unfortunately for Bulls fans, it's going to take a long time, and the rest of this season could be ugly.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

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