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NBA Trade Rumors: Pistons Nix Three-Team Trade Between Wolves And Cavs

The NBA trade rumors were swirling over the weekend, but the deal that would have netted the Minnesota Timberwolves the fourth and eighth picks in the 2011 NBA Draft in a three-team deal also involving the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers has apparently been nixed before it even began.

The Pistons were the only team to go public with the denial, via the Detroit News, which makes sense. In the trade rumored by ESPN's Chris Broussard, Detroit would have sent the eighth overall pick (which would have then been shipped to the Wolves) and Rip Hamilton to the Cavs in what basically would have amounted as a salary dump of Hamilton's $12.5 million contract.

Shortly after that report came out, Broussard made a correction of his own, Tweeting that "Detroit won't do 3-team deal as proposed. Would need to get players back in return for Rip and 8th pick...stay tuned."

I'm sure the Wolves would be willing to send Jonny Flynn or Nikola Pekovic if the Pistons were interested, but Detroit is probably looking for more than that if they're going to give up the eighth overall pick -- even if it is a weak draft class.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.