That's the best way to describe the Blazers swapping rookie point guard Taurean Green for Denver's third-year gunner and rarely used Von Wafer in the waning hours of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Not exactly Big Ben Wallace to Cleveland, Shaq to Phoenix or Jason Kidd to Dallas (finally) is it? Well, that all depends on how the eventual arrival of Spanish import Rudy Fernandez – likely this coming summer - impacts the future of the franchise.

That's why Portland did what Portland did.

No one wanted to see Green go – a genuinely likable kid off the court, an extreme talent on the floor and someone both General Manager Kevin Pritchard and head coach Nate McMillan think highly of - but a spot had to be opened for Fernandez (whom Portland owns the rights) sometime.

Thursday was that time.

"We want to thank Taurean Green and wish him all the best for the future, which I think will be a bright one in this league," said Pritchard via a team press release. "We had a positional need to fill with some of the injuries we're having to endure and with Von Wafer we think we're getting a player who can provide us with some offensive firepower."

To clarify: Green will now gain valuable playoff experience backing up his boyhood idol in Denver's Allen Iverson.  Forward James Jones' return to the lineup from his gimpy knee is unpredictable and perhaps the addition of Wafer – who appeared in 21 games for the Nuggets this season – will help alleviate the Blazers outside shooting woes of late.

Of course there is no mention of Wafer's expiring contract or the understanding a roster spot had to be cleared - now for later - in order to even consider Fernandez suiting up for Portland next year.

The 6-6 swingman is currently averaging 20.2 points per game for DKV Joventut in the Spanish League, and just led DKV to a victory in the in-season eight team tourney Spanish Cup. But there have been murmurs - straight from Fernandez himself – that he's only concerned about honoring his current DKV contract and isn't considering making the leap to the league anytime soon. He signed with DKV last July and the contract runs through 2010-11.

"Right now I have a contract with DKV Joventut, and I'm only thinking about that," Fernandez recently told the Spanish League Web site.

"There are always rumors about if I will be in the NBA," he said. "Now I wear this jersey, I have won the Copa del Rey and I have two more seasons remaining. Right now, I'm only thinking about this contract that I have."

Apparently the Blazers have other plans though, which obviously will include Paul Allen's deep pockets. If Mr. Allen was willing to eat Steve Francis' contract for a reported $30 million, surely he could dig around in his sofa to help pay off Fernandez's $2.2 million buyout from DKV (NBA teams can only contribute $250,000 to a buy-out in these cases).

With that number in mind, it's hard not to pencil Fernandez into Portland's immediate future.

Slip the Manu Ginobilli-esque Fernandez's name alongside Greg Oden's when discussing the Blazers makeup next season, and neither Pritchard nor McMillan bat an eye. It's as if gospel has been spoken. They easily could shoot down or dismiss the idea in conversations, but neither disputes the mention as merely hypothetical.

Instead, the assumption of Fernandez's arrival lingers.

Expect Portland to help buy out Fernandez's remaining DKV contract at the end of this year and well before the start of summer league.

That's the deal.