One measly, minor deal made for the slowest NBA trading deadline in 13 years.
The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks made the first and only trade of the day Thursday, with guard Anthony Johnson going from the Hawks to the Magic for a conditional future second-round draft pick.A three-way trade that would have sent Los Angeles Clippers forward Maurice Taylor to the New York Knicks fell through, and everywhere else there proved to be plenty of talk and no action.
"I thought there would at least be a couple of salary cap-related deals," Seattle SuperSonics general manager Wally Walker said.
Instead, all the players whose names popped up in recent rumors -- from Isaiah Rider to Derek Anderson to Brevin Knight to Jamie Feick to Ike Austin -- remained where they were.
"I'm disappointed," Taylor said. "I had a chance to go to a team that maybe has a chance to get to the championship."
"Evidently (the Clippers) chose not to do it, and again that shows you what type of organization they are," Taylor said.
The deal that was scuttled would have sent Taylor to the Knicks, John Wallace from New York to Vancouver and Othella Harrington from the Grizzlies to the Clippers, several league sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press. Several draft picks also were involved.
Taylor was so upset that the deal fell through that he initially refused to get off the team bus when the Clippers arrived at the Target Center in Minneapolis .
Taylor, who has said he won't re-sign with the Clippers when he becomes a free agent next summer, eventually relented and played in Los Angeles' 116-91 loss.
Not since 1987, when Ben Poquette was the only player traded (going from Cleveland to Chicago), had there been only one player dealt on deadline day.