General managers around the league, including Wolves vice president Kevin McHale, continued to man the phones on Wednesday, trying to improve their teams. McHale has said it's unlikely the Wolves will make a trade. The latest:

? Saunders shot down trade rumors involving Knicks guard Charlie Ward, calling it "not an option.''

Why? "We've got Chauncey, we've got Terrell (Brandon), so if you're going to get a good player, how many guys do you have (at point guard) that are in the last year of their deal?'' Saunders said. "Probably not many of them. So you've got to take a guy who has another year left, and if you want to have that kind of money tied up in one position, that's pretty difficult.''

? Trade talks with the Denver Nuggets involving Brandon and Nick Van Exel are not dead, according to sources. Van Exel told reporters Wednesday he expects to stay in Denver, but there is one more possibility for a trade. The most likely candidate is Minnesota.

Two questions could help or hinder the deal: How will Brandon fare from his surgery this morning, and will Van Exel restructure the final two years of his contract, worth a combined $26.5 million in 2004-05 and 2005-06? If Van Exel is not traded today, talks could resume this summer.