Recent rumors of a three-team swap that reportedly had the Thunder getting only financial freedom in the deal lead many to believe that this year's trade deadline could be a unique one.
"I think what it tells you is that as we get to the deadline, we're going to see a ton of deals that are solely financially driven," said one league executive. "Teams are cutting the bottom line, especially in light of the economy, the fact that the cap might stay flat this year and go down the following year, which means the luxury tax number will go down, too. If you have escalating deals and a de-escalating tax, that's the trend you're going to see."