New Jersey Nets President Rod Thorn has announced on Tuesday that free agent forward Robert Traylor has failed his physical and will not be joining the Nets for the 2005-06 season.

The New York Post is reporting that the Nets have agreed to terms with center Tractor Traylor, and the deal will become official if he passes his physical.

Traylor was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

The Nets are now reviewing other potential guard candidates. The Nets have DerMarr Johnson, Wesley Person, Casey Jacobsen and Jason Kapono on their radar.

Aaron McKie gave the Nets the thumbs-down yesterday, refusing their one-year offer to accept a two-year, $5 million deal with the Lakers.

The 6-5 swingman, a recent amnesty cut by Philadelphia, was the Nets' primary target to fill their backup wing slot, but their offer of the veteran's minimum (one year, $1.1 million) was blown out of the water by Phil Jackson, who has an extraordinary track record for extending the careers of big guards well past their prime.

"The bottom line was that it was too good to turn down, and an excellent opportunity for Aaron from the standpoint of having a major role," agent Leon Rose said last night. "And it helps that Jackson uses veteran guards (Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, et al.), another factor that came into play."

Rose told Nets general manager Ed Stefanski of McKie's decision yesterday, but the Nets did not come off their one-year offer for a 32-year-old guard who is coming off his worst season. The team will now concentrate on filling out its rotation by pursuing free-agent forward Tractor Traylor, who has been offered a starting salary of $1.6 million.

Among the available free agents who can handle the role intended for McKie are Devin Brown and Greg Buckner, though the Nets have not pursued either player so far in this off-season.

Robert ?Tractor? Traylor appears to be just days away from striking a deal with the New Jersey Nets.

"Tractor wants to be a Net and the Nets want to have Tractor," Traylor's agent, Andre Colona, said yesterday. "If I were a betting man, I'd say something would be done by early next week."

"I think the identity of our group is our bigs are going to be mean, tough, nasty guys who [can] score but are going to be really good screeners and rebounders, and they're going to close and protect the paint," Nets? coch Lawrence Frank said.

League sources claimed that the Nets are close to reaching an agreement with Cleveland free agent Robert "Tractor" Traylor, the 6-8, 284-pound hulk who could fortify the forward line.

Traylor did not have his option picked up by the Cavaliers earlier this summer.

The Nets have $1.6 million remaining from their mid-level exception.

The New Jersey Nets have waived guard Ron Mercer Nets President Rod Thorn announced today. The team also announced that Mercer will be designated as the team?s amnesty player as allowed in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Signed as a free agent on August 12, 2004, the 29-year old Mercer appeared in 18 games for the Nets last season, averaging 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and just over one assist per game.

He missed a total of 63 games due to injury, which included 42 games due to a left knee injury, for which he had arthroscopic surgery on November 15, 2004. Mercer missed the final 20 games of the season with a lower back strain.

The New Jersey Nets intend to speak with recently released Philadelphia amnesty clause victim Aaron McKie sometime this week.  However, they are still interested in seeing who else might be available on the market as a result of the amnesty rule.

"He is somebody we would definitely take a look at," Nets president Rod Thorn said. "We want to see who goes under the amnesty rule Monday. Then we will prioritize those guys."

The Sacramento Kings signed forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim on Friday, three days after a deal sending him from Portland to New Jersey fell through.

The Nets rescinded their trade with the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, claiming the nine-year veteran's right knee had failed physical exams. The Kings wasted no time reasserting their interest in Abdur-Rahim, quickly closing what's believed to be a one-year deal for the NBA's midlevel salary cap exception, worth about $5 million.

Abdur-Rahim has averaged 19.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in a career with Vancouver, Atlanta and Portland. The veteran forward has never reached the playoffs -- but that seems likely to change with the Kings, who added him to a starting lineup that now could be one of the NBA's strongest.

Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, moved swiftly to complete the latest move in his yearlong makeover of the franchise, which has parted ways with Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Doug Christie, Cuttino Mobley and Bobby Jackson since last summer. With Abdur-Rahim in town, Maurice Evans and Darius Songaila now are likely to leave as free agents.

Jeff McInnis signed a two-year deal with the New Jersey Nets on Thursday to back up Jason Kidd.

"I still think I am a starter in this league," McInnis said by telephone from Charlotte, N.C. "The short-term contract will give me an opportunity to be a starter in this league, whether with New Jersey or not."

The Philadelphia 76ers announced they have traded center/power forward Marc Jackson and cash to New Jersey for a conditional 2006 NBA Draft. This will be Jackson's fourth different team in six seasons.

Sixers President Billy King made the announcement on August 9th. The move clears a little bit of cap room for Philadelphia, who have signed two of their three young free agents, Kyle Korver and Samual Dalembert, to long term contracts. The third, Willie Green, will have on his left knee on Aug. 16th.

The Nets add a big body to replace the roster spot saved for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who was originally going to be dealt in a sign-and-trade deal with Portland for the Nets' trade exception. However, New Jersey rescinded the deal due to concerns reagrding the long-term health of Abdur-Rahim's right knee. Abdur-Rahim has never missed a game because the knee.