The New Jersey Nets have assigned rookie center Mile Ilic to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Colorado 14ers.  Ilic is the first player assigned by the Nets to the D-League.

Ilic, a 7?2? center from Serbia, was the second round (43rd overall) pick of the Nets in the 2005 NBA Draft.  He has appeared in five games this season, totaling six minutes of action.  Ilic is the 19th NBA player assigned to the D-League this season.

Vince Carter has been rumored to be heading anywhere from Orlando to Charlotte to even right across the river. But after scoring 26 points in a win over the Kings on Friday,

Carter revealed for the first time - at least publicly - what his true feelings may be. Though he has the ability to opt out of the final year of his contract once the season is over, Carter made it known that he'd like to stay with the Nets.

Speaking on the YES Network postgame show, Carter was told that team president Rod Thorn had earlier said, "We'd obviously like to sign him."

Carter responded by saying, "Hey, that sounds good to me. We're going to try to work it out. Hopefully I can be a Net for years to come."

Only a few days ago, it seemed the Nets were prepared to trade Carter. There has been much speculation that he'd like to play for Orlando, just over an hour away from his hometown of Daytona Beach. But the chances of that happening seem slim now that Magic general manager Otis Smith has bashed Carter's game, telling a Florida paper that he was reluctant to trade 21-year-old Darko Milicic for the 30-year-old Carter.

"I'm not going to take a step back and fall for what I call fool's gold," Smith said. "It shines and it glitters, but it just doesn't stick or pass the test."

Published reports from New Jersey indicated that the Suns were attempting to acquire Jason Kidd by offering Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell and a draft pick.

"Raja gets about three calls at 7:30 this morning," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We're not trading Raja. That's nuts. That's crazy."

David Griffin, the team's vice president of basketball operations, said he spoke to several teams from across the league, but in the end it just didn't "make sense to break up this team."

The Orlando Magic rejected a potential trade earlier in the week to acquire Vince Carter because they were unwilling to bundle a package of players that included Darko Milicic, Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu.

The Nets wanted all three in return for Carter, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer.

"Yes, I talked to Rod [Thorn, Nets general manager] about that [Vince Carter trade],'' Magic General Manager Otis Smith said Thursday. "I won't get into the particulars, but the price was too steep.''

A source in the Eastern Conference with knowledge of the talks between the two teams, confirmed that the Nets were asking for Milicic, Ariza and Turkoglu.

On Thursday, Isiah Thomas denied making a formal offer for the Nets' Vince Carter in recent days. However, as the Post's Fred Kerber reported yesterday, the Knicks indeed offered for Carter a package of Channing Frye, Jerome James and Malik Rose.

The Knicks did not offer Jamal Crawford, but the Nets were rebuffed when they tried to get rookie Renaldo Balkman added.

The Knicks also offered Frye and Francis for Jason Kidd.

As for contacting the Nets about Carter, it was "just due diligence," Thomas said.

"It's safe to say there's 29 other teams we made contact with," he said. "I've been pretty straight-up with you guys. I don't see anything on the horizon. We contacted 29 teams to see who was available. New Jersey was one of them.

"We did our homework," Thomas added. "I didn't make an offer."

It was revealed on Thursday that Jason Kidd has a cracked rib.

?I guess the implication was that it was being concealed, which would be a falsehood,? Frank said after practice today. ?The reason Jason wasn?t able to play in those last two games against San Antonio and Toronto, and the All-Star game, was because of his back. Does he have a cracked rib? Yes. But that wasn?t what was preventing him. He?s played with the cracked rib.

?We?re not going to divulge every knick, knack, bruise, bump, if it?s not preventing a guy from playing,? Frank said. ?Now he?s in a situation where he?s still sore, both back and rib.?

Chad Ford of ESPN spoke with Jason Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz, on Thursday morning and said that the New Jersey point guard will remain with the Nets.

At least two general managers revealed that the Nets discussed a deal with the Knicks for Vince Carter that would have included Jamal Crawford and Channing Frye. Another player, believed to be Malik Rose, would have to be included for salary-cap purposes. A league source said that the Knicks are refusing to part with David Lee, and that could potentially kill the deal.

A Knicks source said the team is not close to acquiring Carter, although the same official acknowledged that Thomas is still fond of the Nets' All-Star shooting guard.

See if you can find a way of getting Carter into a Knicks' unform without giving up Lee by using RealGM's Trade Checker.

League sources said the Lakers, who have been rumored to be a potential landing spot for Jason Kidd, are still very much interested in acquiring the All-Star point guard, and are willing to include anyone but Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum in the deal. The Nets want Bynum, a promising 19-year-old center from New Jersey, which could prove to be the deal-breaker.

A source said Kidd played last night's game with a cracked rib, which was the reason he missed two games before the All-Star break. The Nets called the injury a lower back strain. Kidd scored six points in last night's loss but had 14 assists and nine rebounds.

If Carter is dealt, he went out in style, scoring a season-high 46 points. The Nets are said to be more interested in trading him than Kidd, and because Carter is younger and more of a scorer, the Nets could demand more in return for him. He also has the ability to opt out of the final year of his contract after the season, which could complicate matters.

Both players said last night's game held no sentimental value just because it could have been their last in New Jersey.

"Whatever happens, happens and we can move forward," Kidd said. "We'll soon find out."

"I'm not worrying about it," Carter said. "If it happens, that's just what happens. I'm a basketball player and my job is to put my uniform on and perform for my team every night. Wherever that is in the morning, that's what I'm going to do."

Before Wednesday's loss, Jason said he had not spoken to Nets president Rod Thorn or general manager Ed Stefanski on Wednesday.

Numerous reports have speculated that Kidd would end up with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kidd said the Lakers were the only team he had heard was seriously interested in him.

"Whatever happens, whether I stay or go, basketball doesn't change," he said as he sat at his locker. "The game doesn't change. It's just different cities. You never know in this league. Anything can happen.

"With Phoenix, I didn't see that coming," he said. "But that worked out for the best. If I'm traded to where everybody's expecting I'll be traded, I'm sure it will work out for the best. I just have to move on. That's just the nature of the business."

Do you have a way of getting Kidd to L.A.?  See if it works in RealGM's Trade Checker.