Trade season is always a wild time in the NBA. The funny thing about trade rumors is that to say one team is talking to another team really isn't news simply because every team is talking to somebody about something come February. And sometimes the most interesting deals are the deals that didn't actually get done.
The Denver Nuggets are one of the teams that couldn't get a deal done prior to the deadline. However, multiple sources told HOOPSWORLD the team was involved in some substantive discussions last week.
The Nuggets had months worth of dialogue with the New York Knicks with regard to acquiring David Lee and that dialogue continued right up until the deadline. The Nuggets were willing to part with Linas Kleiza and the first round pick they acquired from Charlotte last summer, but that wasn't enough to get the Knicks to sign off. Another scenario that involved the Nuggets parting with Johan Petro, Charlotte's first round pick and Oklahoma City's second round pick was proposed, but the Knicks opted to hold on to Lee.
The Nuggets also had substantial dialogue with regard to acquiring Jeff Foster from the Indiana Pacers. The Nuggets were willing to part with Petro and Steven Hunter in a deal along with both of the aforementioned draft picks. The deal was a complicated one and would have involved trade exceptions from both teams. In the end, it essentially would have amounted to a number of smaller, aggregated trades as opposed to one big trade. The bottom line is, though, Foster would have been on his way to Denver.
The Nuggets thought they were close to a deal for Foster when Tyson Chandler was dealt from New Orleans to Oklahoma City. However, when that trade was rescinded the Pacers backed away from talking with Denver and became more focused on trying to acquire Chandler in exchange for Rasho Nesterovic's expiring contract. Had the Chandler to Oklahoma City deal not been rescinded, the Nuggets very well could have worked out a deal for Foster.
Some news outlets reported that Denver was in on discussions involving Brad Miller and John Salmons. However, multiple sources denied that any serious discussions took place between Denver and Sacramento. One very connected source in Denver told HOOPSWORLD those rumors were "pure fantasy." He added: "I don't know where that one got started, but it was pure fiction."
The end result was that Denver did not end up making a trade. However, it certainly wasn't for lack of effort.
Such is life in the trading game.
