Both Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz ended up in Dallas. Marc Jackson ended up in Minnesota.

And the Orlando Magic, who were reported to be in the market for those three players before the NBA trading deadline last Thursday, ended up with their roster unchanged.

"Nothing really came remotely close," general manager John Gabriel said, claiming that the salaries of most of the players who were available -- especially Van Exel and Jackson -- discouraged any activity by him.

Other than the Magic's assortment of future first-round draft picks, teams were most interested in obtaining backup center Don Reid. But Jackson, who isn't much bigger than Reid, comes with a $4.5 million price tag that would have all but wiped out the salary-cap room Gabriel has created to pursue free agents in 2003.

LaFrentz, a first-round pick by the Denver Nuggets in 1998, will be a free agent after this season. But Magic coach Doc Rivers believes the Mavericks already have an agreement to retain LaFrentz.

Another trade of significance had the Boston Celtics picking up forward Rodney Rogers and guard Tony Delk from the Phoenix Suns. Magic guard Jud Buechler, who began the season with the Suns, was as stunned by that as he was by the resignation of Scott Skiles as their head coach.

"Bryan Colangelo (the Suns' president) knows what he's doing," Buechler said. "They've got a bigger plan. What that plan is, I'm not quite sure."

WHAT GOES UP...

Monty Williams, who was a 74.1 percent free-throw shooter for the Magic two years ago, saw his figure drop below 60 percent this season after an 0-of-6 performance Feb. 16 at Houston. Rivers places the blame on Williams' unusually high arc.

"That thing is as high as I've ever seen a free throw," he said. "I told him at the beginning of the year, Monty, why did you change your free throw?' And he didn't realize he had, which scared the hell out of me."

"I've always shot them like that," Williams said. "So I've just got to go up there and make them. That's it."

Assistant coach Johnny Davis worked with Williams for three days between games after the Magic's victory over the Rockets. Williams was perfect on all three attempts from the line Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It'll pay off," he said. "I've just got to realize how important they are instead of just junking them up there like I have been. I want to do better. I will do better."

BETTER BENCH

The Magic got only 18 and 11 points from their bench in consecutive games before the non-starters regained their form in the 119-102 win over the Clippers.

Even without the 29 points registered during fourth-quarter garbage time, the bench got contributions early from Williams and Patrick Ewing. Rivers brought in Ewing for Horace Grant with 4:08 to go in the first quarter, and while the 39-year-old center was beaten more than once by Michael Olowokandi on the defensive end, he hit his first three shots.

The Magic had gone into the game averaging 32.2 points a contest from their bench, second only to the Detroit Pistons (33.5). And Rivers was unconcerned about the lack of production at Houston because the starters put up 42 points in the first quarter.

"There was no bench in the NBA that could have kept that going," he said. "If we play like that every first quarter, we're going to win them all."

HOCKEY TOWN?

The Magic weren't the only major-league team practicing Friday at the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland. The Detroit Red Wings -- or at least those players who didn't have Olympic commitments -- used the facility's ice rink in preparation for a game at Tampa when the NHL season resumes.