Bob Young of the Arizona republic reports that the Suns and the Wizards have been discussing a trade, but the trade is not likely to go through. A rumored deal that would have sent forward Bo Outlaw to the Washington Wizards for forward/center Christian Laettner is apparently not going to happen, according to a league source.

By acquiring Laettner, the Suns could save money against the salary cap in the future, because his contract is for about $5 million and Outlaw will get $6.5 million in the upcoming season. Both are signed through the 2004-05 season. The sticking point is that both also have so-called "trade kickers" in their contracts, which cannot be waived. (RealGM note: trade kickers can be waived, but only if the player agrees to do so.)

Outlaw has a 10 percent kicker and Laettner has a 15 percent kicker. That means the Suns would have to pay Laettner 15 percent of the remaining value of his contract. The Wizards would pay Outlaw 10 percent of his remaining value. (RealGM note: While Laetner?s trade kicker could pose a problem, Outlaw?s trade kicker has already been activated when he was traded from Orlando to Phoenix and is no longer a factor.)