Van Exel Will Agree to Deal

Denver Nugget officials spoke with Nick Van Exel and said the all-star point guard, stung by his trade from the Lakers and considering whether to refuse to report, has decided not to fight the deal and will soon take a physical to make it official.

Neither team was concerned that Van Exel would come around and the notion of the trade being voided was never given serious consideration. As of Friday afternoon, Van Exel was still not returning calls from the Laker executive who had been his most vocal supporter through the years, Jerry West.

“I’m very disappointed,” West said. “I’d like to think his growth as a person, I helped contribute to that.”