To maintain its zany pace and truly be the offseason that has everything, this summer had to have at least one mega-trade at some point.

Naturally, as if on cue, a four-team doozy was completed to satisfy all the above requirements.

The dogged efforts of New York and Philadelphia to broker a multi-team trade that would send Keith Van Horn to the Knicks -- but not Latrell Sprewell to the Sixers -- finally took shape Tuesday after several incarnations. The final product, which was completed Wednesday, is a four-teamer that might do more for the Minnesota Timberwolves than anyone else involved.

The trade hinged on the Timberwolves' willingness to gamble on Spree, and making that gambit -- as opposed to pursuing the more conservative acquisition of Sacramento's Hedo Turkoglu -- means Minnesota has a lineup that has never looked more worthy of the second round of the playoffs.

"It looks like the Wolves are taking the Lakers' approach," one rival general manager said. "Get all the talent and ask questions later."

San Antonio dropped out of the Spree Sweeptakes earlier in the week, deciding that it didn't want to make a major tweak to its championship chemistry, much as Gregg Popovich likes his fellow Warriors alumnus. Indiana was another potential participant in a four-way, with the Pacers desperate to acquire Minnesota's Terrell Brandon for the salary-cap relief tied to Brandon's contract, thereby giving the Pacers hope of keeping Brad Miller away from Utah or Denver.

In the end, it appears that Atlanta knocked the Pacers out with a big name the Sixers couldn't resist: Glenn Robinson. Had the Pacers been involved instead of the Hawks, the Sixers would have acquired Austin Croshere and Ron Mercer.

Instead, the proposed deal breaks down thusly for the clubs involved: