Chad Ford: (12:05 PM ET ) Marc Stein just reported that the Nuggets have sent Watson to Seattle in a three-team deal. The Nuggets get Ruben Patterson and Reggie Evans. The Blazers get Vitaly Potapenko and Voshon Lenard.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2341845


Three-way deal brings Watson to Sonics

ESPN.com news services

The Seattle SuperSonics have reached an agreement on a three-way trade that will bring guard Earl Watson back to the Sonics, who drafted him in 2001, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports.

The deal, which is expected to be announced later Thursday, sends Seattle forward Reggie Evans and Portland swingman Ruben Patterson to the Nuggets.

Portland, in its ongoing quest for salary-cap relief, was eager to part with Patterson and acquire Denver guard Voshon Lenard (whose contract expires at season's end) and Seattle center Vitaly Potapenko (who has only one season left on his contract).

The Sonics also receive a future second-round pick from Denver in the deal, which has been sent to the league office for official approval.

LOL@Glenn for not looking at my official completed trade thread where I reported it FIVE minutes ago. Swat this shit.

Each trade is getting it's own thread, as we discussed yesterday.

The stickied thread should just be a compilation/list of finished deals, not a 43 page discussion thread, IMO.

Also it was 3 minutes, not 5.

As Ford said in his chat, unless there is another deal coming for Denver, I don't get this. They needed a SG badly, and get Patterson & Evans?

I also thought that maybe the Sonics would tank and go for cap room, but taking on Watson's deal makes it obvious that isn't happening.

I'm just glad Patterson went to Denver and not to Miami. I think it's a solid enough trade for Denver as they had zero use for Watson and added a perimeter defensive "stopper" and some interior muscle.

Now my fantasy team wins and loses. I have Watson so that is a bonus, however I also have Ridnour. Too bad Watson didn't go to another team.

I think it's good for Denver. They got rebounding help with Evans, and Patterson will help in the playoffs so Melo doesn't have to guard the main swingman. Yes, they do need a SG, but they can now move Nene and still have a solid backup PF to Kmart.

Yes, if there is another deal where they move Nene for SG help, then I think this deal is fine.

I'm also glad that Watson didn't go to Miami.

I think Patterson is going to be their SG actually. He's certainly going to be more than a back-up for Melo. He can focus on the main perimeter scorer and Melo can focus more on scoring sorta deal. I don't see another trade happening unless it is with the Knicks and involves K-Mart and Q/Crawford...

I'm also glad that Watson didn't go to Miami.

yeah, it seems like we're not going to make a move, so i just hope none of our primary competition makes moves to improve.

Looks like there were two additional players involved in this deal, Bryon Russell and Charles Smith.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=465~742~1027~638~1042~1828~674&teams=22~25~25~7~7~7~22

Byron Russel? I thought he was dead....

I am reading some reports that the trade was expanded to 4 teams: Seattle, Portland, Denver and Sacramento.

Seattle, Sacramento, Portland, and Denver

Portland: Brian Skinner, Voshon Leonard

Sacramento: Potapenko, Sergei Monia

Seattle: Watson, Bryon Russell, 2nd round pick

Denver: Ruben Patterson, Charles Smith, Reggie Evans

Can somebody confirm?

Yep.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2341845


Four-way deal brings Watson to Sonics
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com


Denver Nuggets guard Earl Watson, arguably mentioned in more trade scenarios this season than any other player in the league, is headed back to the team that drafted him.

The Seattle SuperSonics, desperate for a defensive-minded point guard as an alternative to Luke Ridnour, will receive Watson, swingman Bryon Russell and a future second-round pick from Denver in a four-team deal. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the trade has been forwarded to the league office for approval before Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline.

The Nuggets, after unsuccessful bids to make a splashier move for Ron Artest and then Steve Francis, will instead import Sonics rebounding specialist Reggie Evans, Portland swingman Ruben Patterson and the Blazers' Charles Smith as a salary-cap throw in.

The Blazers joined in on the Seattle-Denver talks in its ongoing quest for salary-cap relief and receive Nuggets guard Voshon Lenard and Sacramento Kings forward Brian Skinner. Lenard carries an expiring contract ($3.5 million this season). With Patterson due next $7 million next season, Portland saves just over $3 million in salary.

The Kings will receive Sonics center Vitaly Potapenko and Blazers forward Sergei Monia. Potapenko has only one season left on his deal at $3.7 million in 2006-07.

Portland, though, was hoping for much more significant savings before Thursday's deadline by sending center Theo Ratliff and swingman Darius Miles to New York for a Knicks package built around the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway. Denver was likewise interested in the financial relief attached to acquiring Hardaway and was prepared to part with Martin, who's in the second season of a seven-year deal worth $90-plus million. The Knicks were interested in bringing Martin back to the Atlantic Division in spite of the former New Jersey All-Star's slow recovery from offseason knee surgery.

Yet those scenarios evaporated when the Orlando Magic held out for Hardaway's expiring contract in Wednesday's Francis deal. No other trades with the Knicks could provide the financial relief Portland and Denver were seeking.

Watson was drafted No. 40 overall by Seattle in 2001 but has struggled for playing time behind Andre Miller and Earl Boykins in Denver despite signing a five-year, $29 million with the Nuggets in the offseason. He has been mentioned in numerous trade scenarios since becoming eligible to be dealt on Dec. 15.

Denver wants Evans to solidify its injury-plagued frontcourt rotation, with Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera all in and out of the lineup and Nene lost for the season on opening night to a knee tear. Nuggets coach George Karl, meanwhile, has been pushing hard for Patterson, overlooking the eight-year veteran's stormy history in Portland because he craves Patterson's perimeter defense.

Great Deal for Portland.

We get some salary relief this summer in Lenard. We dump that bum Sergei Monia. We add a needed big man to the roster. We clear an extra roster spot for this summer.

Great Deal for Portland.

We get some salary relief this summer in Lenard. We dump that bum Sergei Monia. We add a needed big man to the roster. We clear an extra roster spot for this summer.

Agreed on all points. Losing Ruben was worth it.

This wasn't all that big of a trade. The biggest name is Earl Watson, helps all teams. Don't the nuggets need a 2? They traded theor only player at the 2 other than Julius Hodge for another forward?

This wasn't all that big of a trade. The biggest name is Earl Watson, helps all teams. Don't the nuggets need a 2? They traded theor only player at the 2 other than Julius Hodge for another forward?

They start Buckner at the two and then when they bring in Boykins they play him with another PG alot.