I still don't want carter....I hope this does not happen.
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Carter deal possible, but is it probable?
NEW YORK - With the All-Star break in their rearviewmirror, the Spurs are in Gotham tonight, preparing to resume their rodeo road trip Tuesday against the Knicks.
For the time being, at least, Vince Carter still resides across the Hudson River in New Jersey.
The Nets forward was at the center of trade talks throughout All-Star Weekend, with one rumored deal having him packing his bags for San Antonio.
That alleged deal - Roger Mason Jr., George Hill, Bruce Bowen and Fab Oberto for Carter - appears to be a non-starter. But there are signs the Spurs are still interested in Carter, and that the Nets are still interested in shopping him.
Teams have until Thursday's trade deadline to pull the trigger on any deal. It should be noted that in recent days, Nets president Rod Thorn has said he doesn't think Carter is going anywhere, and Spurs forward/de facto CEO Tim Duncan has said he wouldn't want to trade half the roster for one scorer.
Still, the Carter-to-Spurs rumor is one that won't die.
The hurdle the Spurs would face in dealing for Carter, or any other high-dollar player, is simple arithmetic.
There are two ways for the Spurs to be able to put together enough in outgoing salaries to clear space on their payroll for Carter's $14.7-million tab.
One option would be for the Spurs to include a high-dollar player of their own - Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker, for instance. We've been assured it will be a snowy day in Laredo before that happens. Those two are all but untouchable.
Another would be to assemble a package multiple, smaller-dollar players, such as in the deal mentioned above. However, a four-for-one trade would force the Nets to waive three of their own players before it is consummated, a step New Jersey might find unpalatable. There is a reason, after all, that in-season, four-for-one trades rarely happen.
Of course, there could be a third option. Robert Horry is still hanging out on his couch in Houston, unofficially retired.
The Spurs could sign him to a contract worth whatever amount is needed to swing a deal for Carter, then include him in the swap. New Jersey would waive him immediately, and Horry could enjoy life as this year's version of Keith Van Horn.
If it were to somehow be executed, a deal for Carter would be the biggest trade-deadline splash the Spurs have made in ... well, maybe ever. It would also be the riskiest. The Spurs would be blowing up a large part of their rotation to add one player, albeit a special one.
The Spurs would be on the hook for Carter's salary this season, plus a combined $33.6 million the next two seasons.
