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By Don Drysdale

Sometime around the all-star break in mid-February - more than a month later than initially announced - the Sacramento Kings expect Chris Webber to return from off-season knee surgery. It's a tribute to the coaching staff and the players that the Kings have maintained one of the league's best records with Webber sidelined.

Naturally, Kings fans are anxious to see just how good the team can be once Webber is healthy, gets his sea legs and is assimilated into the new-look rotation.

But there also is, perhaps, a little bit of this kind of thinking: If the Kings have done this well without Webber so far ...

What is Chris Webber's value around the NBA? I'm not saying the Kings should trade him, but wouldn't it be interesting to explore the possibilities? Don't the Kings owe that to themselves?

The Kings have been in position to win a championship the last two seasons behind Webber only to come up short. While some fans scoff at the notion that the team's window of opportunity is closing, it is a fact that Webber, Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie are all over 30 while Vlade Divac routinely gets mail from AARP. If the Kings don't win a title this year - and the Western Conference is more brutal than ever, top to bottom - when will it happen?

Trading a superstar - and Webber is one of the league's top 10 players when healthy - is never something to be done lightly. But Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were traded, and Webber has been traded three times previously, so never say never. Are there deals out there involving Webber that might make the Kings more capable of winning a championship this year and/or ensure that they remain an elite team for years to come?

The temptation, naturally and perhaps rightly, is to wait for Webber to get well and see how things go. The Kings have a lot going for them and as much reason for optimism as any team. But there's a little voice in the back of my head pointing out that the last four years (not counting this one), Webber has missed an average of 15 games due to injury. What if he comes back this season only to sprain an ankle (again) and miss 10 games? Would that just take the heart out of the team? Could the Kings better use the next couple of weeks working a couple of healthy players into their rotation than waiting for Webber?

Following are 10 trade scenarios that might make some sense for the Kings and their potential trade partners. Here's a caveat: I'm going off internet-posted salary figures, so it's a certainty that few of these proposals will be workable exactly as written. But they are, at least, starting points for discussions. Most, if not all of the proposals, would require the Kings to include other players - a Gerald Wallace, Darius Songaila, Jabari Smith or the injured Lawrence Funderburke (who might be attractive to some teams since his salary comes off the books next year). In a couple of scenarios, the Kings might have to up the ante even more to pull off the deal or take on some dead weight, at least temporarily, to make things work under the cap.

Generally, these scenarios assume the Kings would demand the following for Webber: a replacement at power forward, a starter or potential starter at shooting guard, and depth at the big positions. The scenarios, in no particular order:

* Webber to Boston for Paul Pierce and some combination of Walter McCarty, Mark Blount or Chris Mihm. Why the Kings might do it: A young, superstar-caliber shooting guard in Pierce (26 years old) plus added depth up front, where they're currently counting on some pretty marginal players. Why the Celtics might do it: What this team is doing now ain't working. Webber would be even more of a force in the Eastern Conference. Arguably the Celtics' two best players, Pierce and Ricky Davis, do more or less the same things. Bottom Line: The Kings would probably be just as good, but in a different way. They wouldn't have Webber in the post, but they'd have a great slasher in Pierce, who can post up almost any guard and is also an outside threat. McCarty, Blount and Mihm aren't great, but size counts, and Mihm is young enough to develop. This trade would help the Kings now and in the future.

* Webber to New York for Allan Houston, Kurt Thomas and Frank Williams. Why the Kings might do it: If in their heart of hearts the Kings think that now is the time for a championship run, this deal gives them two starters who could put them over the top. It forces other teams to adjust the way they play against Sacramento. Why the Knicks might do it: Because they're in the change mode, want to win immediately, and Webber is the kind of "name" player that sells in the Big Apple. Bottom Line: This is a deal for now, not the future. Houston is 32, Thomas 31. The Kings' window of opportunity to win a championship wouldn't get any larger, although their prospects of winning this year and next might improve. Houston, who has some injury concerns of his own at the moment, is a big-time shooter. With proper floor spacing, the trio of Houston, Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby would be incredibly difficult to cover. Thomas isn't in Webber's class offensively, but his rebounding and defense are at least comparable. A lot of teams think Williams, 24, has a good future, though he might not be a major help right now.

See the second page of this article.