[ESPN]No Mention of Rockets in trade talks

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...nist=sheridan_chris&page=TradeDeadline-080212

I was hoping their would be a Rockets reference in this article but unfortunately no. If the Hornets get Ben Gordon and the Rockets still haven't made a trade I'm going to be a bit mad.

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About a month ago, we told you how NBA executives believed Pau Gasol would be the next big name traded. They were as right on that as they were wrong on Shaquille O'Neal, whom many felt was among the NBA's most untradable players.

Well, many of those same folks are now saying that Ron Artest will be the next to go, with Jason Kidd coming in a distant second.

Why a distant second?

Because as they've shopped the disgruntled Kidd, the New Jersey Nets have been presented with offers that, if accepted, would leave the Popovich Commission in an uproar. (For those of you who missed it, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacted to the Gasol trade by saying there should be a committee with the power to veto NBA trades that make no sense. Mark Cuban later seconded the motion.)

Further, Kidd's representatives are trying to steer him to one of his three preferred destinations: Dallas, Cleveland or the Los Angeles Lakers, and that is scaring off other teams with the goods to get him.

Artest, meanwhile, is being publicly melancholic over his potential departure from the Kings, who are trying to include Kenny Thomas in any Artest deal.

Sources told ESPN.com that talks between the Kings and Nuggets, first reported by the Sacramento Bee, involved a larger deal than has been reported. In addition to wanting to include Thomas in their outgoing package, the Kings were believed to be seeking Linas Kleiza and Nene.

There remains a chance the talks could be restarted, sources said, if Sacramento were to drop its asking price, but the most the Nuggets are currently willing to surrender is a package of Eduardo Najera and a first-round draft pick.

"If Artest opts out like everyone expects, you're basically talking about a rent-a-player deal," said one Western Conference executive familiar with the Nuggets-Kings talks.

As disappointing as Eddy Curry has been, he might have trade value.

Another source told ESPN.com that the New York Knicks made overtures recently indicating they were willing to trade centers Eddy Curry and Jerome James for Artest and Thomas, but the Kings were balking at taking on the remaining two years and $12.8 million owed to James.

"The whole point of trying to package Artest with Thomas (due $7.9 million next season and $8.6 million in 2009-10) is to clear cap space. The Kings don't want another guy (James) clogging their cap for two more years," the source said.

The Nuggets' willingness to give up this June's first-round draft pick will keep them a player in the Artest stakes, but it also could make the difference in their pursuit of Memphis point guard Kyle Lowry, who is being shopped by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis also is fielding offers for Mike Miller but is trying to include little-used, heavily compensated forward Brian Cardinal (two years remaining at $6.3M and $6.75M) in any deal.

The Nuggets, Bulls, 76ers, Heat, Warriors and Nets are among the teams seeking to acquire Lowry, the 24th overall pick in 2006 who became expandable when the Grizzlies acquired Javaris Crittenton from the Lakers in the Gasol trade.

"The Grizzlies want to have at least three first-round picks this summer," the source said.

A few other situations that are impacting the trade market:

• Despite his denials, Sam Cassell would welcome a buyout from the Los Angeles Clippers, who would prefer to trade him. The Nuggets are in the mix here, too, but if Cassell gets a buyout, he will almost certainly join the Celtics.

• As hard as the Nets are trying to trade Kidd, they are devoting nearly as much attention to shopping Vince Carter. One prominent player agent, who did not want to be identified, said a Carter-Jermaine O'Neal swap -- with the Nets tossing in an additional piece -- would be the likeliest endgame if the Pacers are unable to find a preferable deal for a young prospect and expiring contracts.

• The Chicago Bulls are being described as "all over the map" in their trade talks. In addition to trying to move Ben Wallace, one source said the Bulls are now "as open as they've ever been" to trading Ben Gordon. Discussions recently broke down between the Bulls and Hornets over a deal that would have sent shooter Rasual Butler to Chicago.