Rockets involved in illegal transaction!!!

Well, sort of. Sorry, I couldn't resist. It appears that the league forgot to check the CBA before approving the 3 team trade for Posey.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_1637132,00.html

NBA mistakenly OK'd 3-team trade
By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
December 28, 2002

The NBA admitted Friday that it shouldn't have approved last week's three-team trade, which included the Denver Nuggets. But nobody needs to worry. It won't be rescinded.

On Dec. 18, the Nuggets dealt guard James Posey to Houston and received forwards Mark Bryant and Art Long (since waived) and a first-round draft choice from Philadelphia and a second-round pick from the Rockets. The deal was completed when forward Kenny Thomas went from Houston to the 76ers.

NBA officials say Long was ineligible to be dealt until Dec. 30. League rules stipulate that free agents signed during the off-season cannot be traded until Dec. 15 or three months after they signed. Long signed Sept. 30.

"After the trade was approved, it was discovered that under the league's trade rules, Art Long was 12 days shy of the waiting period required before he could be traded," said NBA spokesman Mark Broussard, who said the league sent all teams a letter of explanation. "After taking into account the effect rescinding the trade would have on the teams and players involved, and the fact that it would have been allowable 11 days later in any event, it was decided to let the trade stand."

NBA officials realized the error the day after the deal. Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he learned about it on the night of Dec. 18.

"It was a clerical error," Vandeweghe said. "We're all human. The NBA did the right thing. The trade already had been announced, and you have to take into account players' feelings."