Mavs say no trade on table
Wallace-Wells reports
11:59 PM CST on Saturday, November 8, 2003
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
SAN ANTONIO – The Mavericks vigorously denied that they were working on any trade with the Portland Trail Blazers after reports circulated in Portland that a deal had been consummated.
Just moments after the Mavericks had beaten San Antonio on Saturday, owner Mark Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson scoffed at the trade, which reportedly would have sent Antawn Jamison and Michael Finley to Portland for Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells.
"It's bull," Cuban said. "There's absolutely no reason to make a change. We want this team to stay together and play together. We got a great, great, great group of guys."
Told that reports in Portland said that the deal was waiting only for approval by Cuban and Blazers owner Paul Allen, Cuban said: "It's not going to happen. The only call I'm making is to the NBA office about the referees in this game."
Blazers executives have been growing tired of their players' reputation as a team full of ne'er-do-wells and are hoping to revamp their image. Finley and Jamison are two of the most respected players in the league in that regard.
But both have huge contracts that stretch well into the future and would put as much as a $124 million drain on the Blazers' salary cap over the next four seasons.
When Nelson was asked about the deal he simply laughed.
"And you can quote me on that laugh," he said.
The Mavericks' reputation as wheelers and dealers certainly made the trade believable in spite of the thuggish reputation of Wallace, who holds the record for most technical fouls in a season and who has feuded often with teammates and management.
Wells was fined $10,000 last week for making an obscene gesture at fans during a game.
"It's like a lot of things said by the media – made up," Cuban said.