NBA Trade Deadline 2010

While the NBA trading deadline has come and past, teams that have made trades have established themselves as contenders while others are preparing for this summer's key acquisitions.

This has been true in not only the NBA, but in other sports as well as it seems teams have preferred to look ahead toward next year instead of trying to make a run for the postseason. In the NBA, 16 teams made trades prior to the February 18 3 p.m. deadline. Out of those teams, eight are currently in the playoff contention while the other eight are two games or more out of the playoffs. The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of these teams that have made a change, and though they are almost surely out of contention, they in return receive cash and a player (Darko Milicic, remember him he was the number two draft pick in the 2003 draft) who is looking for a steady home.

The most famous and notable trade this season was done by the New York Knicks who receive Tracy McGrady and his enormous expiring contract deal. This sets up the Knicks with $30 million in cap space and possibly be able to sign two notable players to long term deals.

In baseball's off-season, many teams were unwilling to pay players, especially those over the age of 30. Last season it was Manny Ramirez (age 36 in 2009) and his demand (well the demand from agent Scott Boris) to receive a four year deal topping $ 100 million. In the end he settle with the L.A. Dodgers making $25, now in 2010 he is slated to make the same on incentives that he has attached with his deal. This season its been Johnny Damon (age 36 in 2009) (and agent Boris) who has been holding out for a two to four year deal. He eventually settled with the Detroit Tigers and their one year $8 million deal, he was making $52 million in just four seasons with the New York Yankees.

With all these trades and players moving around, its no wonder that a few players only stay on a team for most of their career like Derek Jeter, and Kobe Bryant. For a fan, its becoming hard to root for a sports team if you have a favorite player that played for the team for so long and then gets traded. Look at when the Timberwolves gave up Kevin Garnett in 2007, and when the Seattle Mariners in a span of three years loss players Randy "Big Unit" Johnson (1998), Ken Griffey Jr. (2000), and Alex Rodriguez (2001).

Some teams however have been able to survive after losing players like Oakland Athletics "MoneyBall" GM Billy Beane, who has been known to build up young talent like Barry Zito (2000), Mark Mulder (2000), and Nick Swisher (2004), then traded them away due to budget constraints.

The NFL has recently constructed the famous Franchise Tag allowing teams to sign players with this tag for six years instead of four it was originally. Maybe this will keep players from going to other teams. But the problem with that tag is that if a player and a team cannot co-exist, then the chances of trading a player will be hard especially since with this tag, a player is making more than $16 million per season.

Whatever the situation is professional sports will never be the same as teams will not be able to hold on to their star players, unless your the Yankees and in that case you might as well cheer for them. By the way, their going for World Series number 28!