Trade deadline watch
For all the scenarios, all the intrigue, the NBA trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. on Thursday without a major deal going down. Jason Kidd and Vince Carter are still members of the New Jersey Nets, Pau Gasol is still with the Memphis Grizzlies and Mike Bibby is staying with the Sacramento Kings.
The biggest trade on Thursday turned out to be the Portland Trail Blazers' middling deal of Juan Dixon to the Toronto Raptors for Fred Jones. Also, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Alan Henderson and his expiring contract to the Utah Jaz, and the Dallas Mavericks traded guard Anthony Johnson to the Atlanta Hawks for draft considerations.
The Mavericks never found the role for Johnson that they envisioned after acquiring him from the Indiana Pacers over the summer.
As several executives and player agents said Thursday, so much of the unwillingness of teams to make trades centered partly on their reluctance to trade No. 1 picks that could turn out to be lottery selections. This June's NBA draft promises to be one of the deepest in years.
