NBA trade talks heat up

NEW YORK — Emeka Okafor sat inside a hotel ballroom completely unaware he was setting a record for most shoulder shrugs. On the day before the NBA draft, Okafor still had no idea where he'll be headed — or whether he'll be chosen first or second.

It was a fitting welcome to the world of uncertainty that the NBA has become, with virtually no one untradeable now that Shaquille O'Neal and Tracy McGrady are being shopped.

"Well, there is one guy who won't be traded," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said, making a reference to Tim Duncan.

Personnel managers, team executives and coaches were all part of what felt like a leaguewide caffeine binge Wednesday, the possibility of several imminent blockbuster trades making them as hungry to consume information as they were to disperse disinformation.

For the moment, all eyes were on Orlando general manager John Weisbrod, who holds two of the most important cards — McGrady, and the No. 1 pick in Thursday night's draft — in what has evolved into a 30-team poker tournament.

Was Weisbrod bluffing Wednesday when he said no deals were imminent?

"There are plenty of deals out there right now" for both McGrady and the No. 1 pick, Weisbrod said. "But we're certainly not going to rush anything.

"These are the two biggest chips we have to use to improve a team that was a pretty bad team last year. There's no time pressure. We're going about it as methodically as we can."

Weisbrod said there were at least seven teams under consideration for a trade involving McGrady, neglecting to specify whether the Houston Rockets were still one of them.

Houston thought it had the inside track to acquire McGrady for a package of players that included Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, but that deal was looking more and more dead with each passing hour.

The Atlanta Hawks were known to be one of the teams making a push to acquire the No. 1 pick from the Magic.

"We've worked on it diligently," general manager Billy Knight said. "Now, all we can do is sit back and wait. Whatever happens, happens."

The Hawks would want to select local prep star Dwight Howard with the first pick, which would be just fine with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who seem to be leaning toward Okafor, a 6-foot-10 junior from Connecticut, as their preferred choice at No. 2.