He is their franchise, a player the organization consults with when making any kind of move.  He is an All-Star, a leader, and a handful for any defense.  But is he also gone?

We are talking about Denver Nuggets power forward Antonio McDyess.  McDyess is currently signed to a contract worth $67.5 million that runs through to 2003-04, but he can opt out after next season which has the Nuggets in a worrying situation.  Denver has been trying to sign McDyess to a contract extension, but if he declines the Nuggets face losing him to free agency after next season, something the organization considers to be foolish on their part.  For this reason the Nuggets, as they were forced to do with Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel before him, may be forced to trade him in an effort to at least salvage something.

"First of all, I don't want to trade him,"  Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "I guess you would have to consider it, but he might be difficult to trade because any team you would trade him to would be in no better position than we are to sign him."

That, of course, is dependant on the destination.  A team such as the Los Angeles Lakers or the Orlando Magic, who have the climate and the success, would have an easier time signing a player like McDyess to an extension than the Nuggets, who again had another losing season this year and appear to be in a constant rebuilding phase.

Kyle Ringo of the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Nuggets will have an opportunity to negotiate an extension in January next year thanks to a special clause which was written into McDyess contract back in 1999, a clause which is also allowable in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"The way the contract is written things are stacked in his favor, that's for sure," Vandeweghe said. "But that's the way the collective bargaining agreement is, and that's the way his contract is and we just have to work from there."

Vandeweghe and the Nuggets already have a big summer ahead of them with three draft picks to contend with and a coaching position to fill.  As usual the Nuggets say they will consult with McDyess on any decisions, but will he be around long enough to take advantage?