ESPN NBA

I don't see it happening, and neither does Shareef Abdur-Rahim's agent Aaron Goodwin.

BUT... according to Goodwin as quoted by Sam Amick in the Sacramento Bee, the Kings are willing to do just about anything to get Shareef Abdur-Rahim, including offering Portland players in a sign-and-trade:

"The beauty of the Kings was that, originally, they were willing to go out and do whatever they could to get Shareef," Goodwin said. "They discussed sign-and-trades with Portland, who didn't cooperate. (Still), we appreciated that fact. ...

"They are absolutely a serious team that we're looking at. ... I enjoy a great relationship with Sacramento's owners and know it's a situation where there's a need for (Abdur-Rahim's) style."

So, it's our duty to go shopping. Let's look at the Sacramento roster and see if there's anything that meets Portland's needs for a backup power forward, or is worth getting anyway (even if it might mean paying luxury tax).

• The Kings have a restricted free agent, Lithuanian Darius Songaila, who might make sense. He's a rugged fellow who lots of people think might blossom in years to come.
• Brian Skinner's salary is in the ballpark, but he doesn't get all that many rebounds and his free throw shooting is bad and getting worse. That's hardly the sign of a good work ethic.
• Kevin Martin is a tremendous young wing player who's super cheap. If Portland can get him, somehow, it's worth it, even though wing players are the last thing that roster needs.
• There's always Corliss Williamson. I like him in a lot of ways. But his strength is scoring in the half court. If you got him, you'd still need another big man to fast break with Telfair.

And, at least under the old NBA collective bargaining agreement, draft picks count as zero when matching salaries, so it would be tough for Sacramento to send Portland a pick to help get Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

This is pie-in-the-sky speculation. But how about something like Dairus Songaila and Kevin Martin for Sergei Monya and Shareef Abdur-Rahim? Something like that might be doable.

But again, I don't think any sign-and-trade will happen at all, with anyone. I really don't.