The Charlotte Bobcats wanted to load up on draft picks. The Denver Nuggets were happy to sit out the entire draft.

The Nuggets traded the 20th pick to the Bobcats yesterday in exchange for a future, protected first-round pick. The Bobcats, who also hold the ninth pick today, may now get a chance to address needs at center and point guard.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, will have no picks today. Denver, which was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, had already traded its second-round choice to Seattle.

Not having a first-round pick saves the salary cap-strapped Nuggets from having to the pay the luxury tax on a guaranteed rookie contract.

"Tough roster to make. You look at a young guy coming in, where does he go?" said Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien. "Again, you look at the positions and it's tough finding minutes for young guys."

Denver will get Charlotte's first-round pick next season if the Bobcats make the playoffs. If they don't, Charlotte keeps it. The pick would then be protected by a sliding scale, where Charlotte would retain it if it's in the top 12 in 2010, top 10 in 2011, top eight in 2012 and top three in 2013. Charlotte would have no protection for the pick in 2014.

RAPTORS-PACERS

The Toronto Raptors have agreed in principle to acquire six-time All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal from Indiana for point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, the 17th pick in the draft and a player to be named, The Canadian Press reported.

While The Canadian Press reported the deal yesterday, citing an unidentified person close to the negotiations, Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo said he was in the midst of "four or five" conversations with teams involving Ford and a combination of Toronto's No. 17 pick and/or other Raptors players.

HORNETS-TRAIL BLAZERS

The Hornets have agreed to send their first-round draft pick, the 27th overall, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for cash that could help New Orleans add a key free agent to a rising young squad.

The deal awaits league approval and may not become official until today's draft has begun, according to a person who works in the NBA and is familiar with the transaction. The person spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday because the deal hadn't been formally announced. The Trail Blazers already have the 13th overall selection and adding the 27th pick would give them five draft picks overall, including three in the second round.