May 2, 2008 1:50 AM

Will Camby be traded?

Rumors swirled last summer that Nuggets center Marcus Camby could be traded.
I didn't think there was a chance it would happen, and it didn't.

But I'm not so sure this offseason.

A source close to the situation called Camby the most likely of Denver's five big-salaried players (Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Nene being the others) to be traded. Sure, the Nuggets would rather deal Martin or Nene than Camby, but many consider them untradeable.

Think of Camby as a stock. He was at an all-time high a year ago after having won Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 11.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and a league-high 3.30 blocks

Now think of Camby as a stock that could be leveling off. He was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He upped his rebounding to 13.1 and blocks to 3.61, and his scoring dropped to 9.1

But where Camby really fell off was in the playoffs. He averaged a troubling 3.3 points while shooting 5-of-21, although he did average 13.3 rebounds.

Was Camby worn down after playing in a career-high 79 games? Perhaps.

Nevertheless, the Nuggets have to project whether Camby, 34, might be starting to slide. Because he now has a good bit of trade value.

Camby, who has two years left on his contract, could help the Nuggets clear some money off their bloated payroll. And he could bring back a package of solid young prospects and/or draft choices.

Camby would have value to a team believing it needs a big man to a take a big step in the playoffs. And his contract is reasonable.

Camby has a base salary of $8 million next season, with possible incentives that could reach $3.79 million. In 2009-10, he has a base salary of $7.65 million and incentives that could reach $3.725 million.

Among his incentives each season are $500,000 total if he plays in 50-54 games, $1 million total for 55-59, $1.5 million total for 60-64 and $2 million total for 65 or over. In the first four years of that contract, the once injury-prone Camby has earned $7 million of a possible $8 million in bonuses for games played.

Camby's contract has been a bit of a Catch-22 for the Nuggets. Obviously, they've wanted him to play in as many games as possible, figuring that means more wins. Still, it can make it interesting for payroll planning considering the Nuggets are deep into the luxury tax.

At least Camby didn't put as much of a dent in the payroll this season as had been at one time projected. Camby last season earned $3.25 million for total incentives, $2 million for games and $1.25 million for statistical bonuses that only kick in if he averages 10 or more points.

Due to averaging less than 10 this season, the only bonuses he got on top of his $8 million base salary were $2 million for games played. That's still a $4 additional hit for the Nuggets when one considers the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. But at least the Nuggets didn't take a $6.5 million hit due to Camby's bonuses ($3.25 million doubled).

We'll see this summer what might happen to Camby. It's no secret he hasn't always been pleased with his limited role in the offense, but he's done a good job hiding his displeasure, with the exception of an offhanded comment every now and then.

It definitely would be a risk to trade Camby since the Nuggets would then need a starting center. Nene is a candidate, but his health issues are always a concern.

But it's not out of the question Camby could be dealt. Stay tuned.

-- Chris Tomasson

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Posted by Chris Tomasson at 1:50 AM | Comments (5)