Were the Hawks so unimpressed with Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson that they'd be willing to trade their leading scorer --- in essence --- for nobody?

Hawks director of basketball operations and interim general manager Billy Knight confirmed Tuesday night that the team has had conversations about a possible blockbuster four-team trade involving Robinson, New York Knicks forward Latrell Sprewell, Philadelphia 76ers forward Keith Van Horn and Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Terrell Brandon's contract.

In the complicated deal, which could be completed today, Robinson would move to the 76ers, with Van Horn going to Knicks and Sprewell leaving for the Timberwolves. Brandon --- and his $11.1 million in salary cap relief --- would come to the Hawks. Other players could be thrown in the mix for cap purposes.

"It's premature," Knight said. "We are talking about a deal, but no deal is a done deal until the deal is done."

Acquiring Brandon would be a shrewd move for the Hawks if Brandon sticks to his decision not to play again --- "That's the only way we'd do it," Knight said. If so, his huge contract will move off the books in February, more than two years after he played his last game for the Timberwolves, and take the Hawks out of luxury tax territory next year.

Knight had tried to persuade Hawks president Stan Kasten to use the $4.9 million midlevel exception this summer, but with more than $50 million tied up in the 10 players currently under contract, Kasten fears paying the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. Most of the big-name free agents already have found homes, but this move would put the Hawks on the offensive, giving them the flexibility to sign restricted free agent Jason Terry and pursue other available free agent options at small forward like Lamar Odom, James Posey or Stephen Jackson --- without paying double.