Trade talk: NBA trade buzz gets louder as deadline approaches - ESPN Trade buzz as deadline approaches
By Marc Stein
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Vince Carter is the name that was repeatedly linked with Szczerbiak's contract throughout the first few months of the season, but you certainly don't hear that link anymore.
Carter to San Antonio, meanwhile, is another long shot, but something you might have to monitor this week.
The Spurs indeed have some interest in Vinsanity and have weighed the feasibility of lodging a bid. But, given that they're not breaking up their big three, they'd almost certainly have to trade Roger Mason, Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and at least one other regular (such as Kurt Thomas or Michael Finley) to make it happen. They'd also have to believe that Carter is an over-the-top piece to take the highly un-Spurs-like step of shaking up their roster so forcefully ... and doing so in-season.
There is reason to believe that the Spurs don't believe Carter meets that prerequisite, judging by Tim Duncan's comments during All-Star Weekend.
"No offense to Vince; obviously he's an excellent player," Duncan said. "We'd love to have him. But to give up most of our team to add one guy, I don't think that's the way you want to go."
And ...
"It's a long season and we have a lot of guys who have been here a long time and understand the way we want to play," Duncan said. "Just to insert one new piece and try to teach him in half a season the way we want to play isn't the way that we work."
San Antonio's bigger problem here, even if management thinks the idea is better than Duncan makes it sound, is actually the economics. Carter is scheduled to earn $17.5 million in the 2010-11 season, with $4 million of his $18.3 million guaranteed in 2011-12. Those are huge numbers for the small-market Spurs to swallow.
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