Sunday, February 17, 2002 - From Chris Webber to Tim Hardaway to Shawn Kemp to Latrell Sprewell to Juwan Howard, it seems every year there is a marquee NBA player who makes it difficult for his team to trade him. With the trading deadline Thursday, this season's poster child is Denver Nuggets point guard Nick Van Exel.

Van Exel, who is averaging 21.4 points and 8.2 assists, could be an asset for a playoff contending team. But because of his history of causing distractions, a high-priced long-term contract and his demands to be traded, he's made it difficult for the Nuggets to find a trading partner.