Jeff Denberg of the AJC writes that minutes after the final home game of the month, Jason Terry issued a rather poignant plea to anyone who would listen that he not be traded away from the Hawks.

"Atlanta has become my home," he said. "The Hawks are my team. This is where I want to be for the rest of my career."

As today's 3 p.m. trade deadline approaches, Terry appears to have very little to worry about. Hawks vice president and general manager Pete Babcock has been steadfast in saying he does not want to trade Terry and sees little value in doing so.

"We like Jason as a player and as a person," Babcock said. "He's a high energy player. He's very enthusiastic. He's not perfect, but he makes things happen on the court."

One more reason not to trade him:

"He doesn't make enough money," Babcock added, dealing with one of the anomalies of the modern NBA game.

The midseason maneuvering has become one of trading contracts to deal with the salary cap and an impending luxury tax. With a $2.153 million contract this season and $2.933 million as a qualifier next season, Terry doesn't make enough money to allow his team to make a mega-deal trade.