Late August isn't typically an active period for NBA transactions, but one notable move took place on this day 12 years ago. On August 30th, 2000, the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Heat completed a three-team deal that sent Shawn Kemp to Portland, Brian Grant to Miami, and three players and a first-round pick to Cleveland. The Blazers ended up getting the short end of the swap -- after averaging 17.8 PPG and 8.8 RPG the year before, Kemp's averages dipped to 6.3 PPG and 3.8 RPG in two unproductive seasons in Portland. The Blazers ended up releasing Kemp long before his massive contract came to an end.
12 years later, here are this afternoon's odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves president David Kahn has spoken to Mickael Pietrus' camp about the former Celtics wing, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. Pietrus isn't likely to accept a minimum-salary deal, so the T-Wolves would probably have to trade a player to make the 30-year-old a real option.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel concedes that another veteran addition or two could help the Heat, but cautions not overstate the team's need.
- In a mailbag for Pistons.com, Keith Langlois fields readers' questions about the Pistons' rookies, possible trade scenarios, and a handful of other topics.
- Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge examines which players will play at which positions for the Trail Blazers now and down the road.
