HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets discussed trading Hakeem Olajuwon to the Toronto Raptors but ruled out a deal, coach Rudy Tomjanovich said Tuesday.

"Any deal involving Hakeem Olajuwon would be very hard for me to make," Tomjanovich said. "I have an emotional attachment to him and that's the way it is."

	Willis

	Olajuwon

Olajuwon appeared on the Fox Network program "The Last Word" Tuesday and said he would consider retirement if he was traded, but felt good after talking with Tomjanovich.

"I've been in Houston 19 years and I don't see myself being anywhere else," Olajuwon said. "That is something that when you get to that bridge, you have to cross."

Olajuwon is accustomed to hearing offseason rumors, but the latest trade talk surprised him.

"People were calling the house early this morning to find out what was going on," Olajuwon said. "I am happy because I talked to coach Rudy Tomjanovich, and we have a great relationship.

"We had an open conversation. If anything is done, it will be done the right way."

The Houston Chronicle and Toronto Sun reported Tuesday that the teams were discussing a trade for the star center. The deal reportedly involved Kevin Willis, Doug Christie and two first-round draft picks.

"I approached Houston and inquired about his availability, but they said no," Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald said Tuesday from Toronto.

Sources close to the talks said discussions started about two weeks ago, the Chronicle reported. Negotiations became more serious Sunday and Monday, the sources said.

Olajuwon, 36, is Houston's most-celebrated athlete, ranking with Nolan Ryan and Earl Campbell. In his 15 years with the Rockets, Olajuwon led the team to NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.

The thought of sending Olajuwon elsewhere was unthinkable to many in Houston.

"No. No. No. Not now. Not ever," Houston Chronicle columnist Fran Blinebury wrote Tuesday. "If you trade Hakeem, you end the dream, the fantasy, that has been his truly remarkable 15-year NBA career and our ride to the most wonderful places with him."

By dealing Olajuwon, Houston would have started a rebuilding process following consecutive first-round playoff losses.

A deal for Olajuwon would have a bearing on Charles Barkley's future. He is considering retirement and said he wanted to return only if he thought the Rockets were title contenders.

The deal reportedly would have involved Willis, who played two seasons with the Rockets before he was traded to Toronto last June for Roy Rogers and two first-round draft picks. Willis, 36, averaged 12 points and 8.3 rebounds last season.

The reports said Houston also would have gotten swingman Christie, 29, who played 3½ seasons for the Lakers and Knicks before spending the last three seasons in Toronto.