It remains unclear just how seriously the San Antonio Spurs are considering trading point guard Tony Parker to get a higher pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. One rival general manager told Ken Berger of CBS Sports that the talks weren't serious. But the latest NBA trade rumor involving Parker tells a different story.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers had a deal worked out that would send Parker and the Spurs' No. 29 pick to the Blazers for Andre Miller, Nicolas Batum and the No. 21 pick, but talks died when the Spurs insisted on throwing in Richard Jefferson. Jefferson has three years and over $30 million left on his contract, so it's not a surprise the Blazers balked at that.
The Spurs seem to be throwing Jefferson into any rumors involving Parker, which is sure to cool most teams. Portland appears to be one of those teams. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian reports that a deal simply will not happen between the two teams. Perhaps someone else will be enticed enough by Parker to take on Jefferson's contract as a result.
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