Post by FLCeltsFan on Jul 9, 2012 18:37:14 GMT -5
Top NBA amnesty candidates
Andray Blatche, Carlos Boozer and Darko Milicic all could be sent packing
By Larry Coon | ESPN Insider
The NBA's July moratorium comes to an end Tuesday, so beginning Wednesday teams are free to put ink to paper, collectively committing hundreds of millions of dollars to this year's pool of free agents. But just as many once-prized purchases eventually find their way to pawn shops and donation bins, the NBA provides its teams with an opportunity to do a little housecleaning of their own.
It's the amnesty clause -- a one-time opportunity to kick a player to the curb, and take his contract off the team's books.
This year's amnesty period runs from July 11-17, during which teams may waive one player. The team must continue to pay his salary, but the player no longer counts against the team's salary cap or luxury tax. For teams looking to clear cap space to chase free agents or reduce an onerous luxury-tax bill, the amnesty clause can be a magic bullet.
Long gone
The following players were waived via the amnesty clause in 2011, making their teams ineligible to use the amnesty clause again.
TEAM PLAYER
Cleveland Cavaliers Baron Davis
Golden State Warriors Charlie Bell
Indiana Pacers James Posey
Brooklyn Nets Travis Outlaw
New York Knicks Chauncey Billups
Orlando Magic Gilbert Arenas
Portland Trail Blazers Brandon Roy
Here are the ground rules: Amnesty is a one-time opportunity, so the seven teams that used the amnesty clause in 2011 (see sidebar) have to sit and watch this time. To be eligible, the player had to be with the team continuously since day one of the current CBA. In other words, a team cannot use the amnesty clause on any player it has signed or acquired via trade under the new agreement. And once waived via the amnesty provision, the team cannot re-acquire the player for the life of his waived contract.
Teams are free to choose the year in which they use the amnesty clause on a player, or to not use the amnesty clause at all. The 23 teams that didn't dump a player last December can take advantage of the opportunity this week, or they can wait another year.
And proving that one man's junk is another man's treasure, the amnesty clause also gives teams the opportunity to pluck players off the waiver wire at a reduced rate. Other teams can submit a bid for a player who has been waived via the amnesty clause, in a process called a partial waiver claim. The team with the highest bid gets to keep the player, paying only the amount of its bid. The waiving team then gets to reduce the amount it still owes the player by a corresponding amount.
For example, last season the New York Knicks used their amnesty clause on Chauncey Billups, who had one year left on his contract at about $14 million. The Los Angeles Clippers submitted a winning bid for about $2 million. Billups became a Clipper with Los Angeles paying $2 million of his salary, and the Knicks picking up the remaining $12 million.
Partial waiver claims are available only to teams under the salary cap, and a team's bid amount can't exceed its cap room. This keeps players who have been waived via the amnesty clause from congregating together and joining contending teams at cut-rate prices.
Teams must meet a minimum payroll each year, which this season is 85 percent of the salary cap. Even though players waived via the amnesty clause are wiped from the team's books, they still count toward the team's minimum payroll obligation -- so teams don't have to shy away from using the amnesty clause because they need to have more salary on their books.
With the ground rules out of the way, here's our annual team-by-team breakdown of which teams are likely to use their amnesty waiver this season, and which players are likely to be set free. Keep in mind that most teams are in no rush to cut productive players, even if they are expensive. Unless the team needs to clear additional cap room for a free agent or get out from under a hefty luxury-tax bill, it is much more likely to keep its players than to pay them to leave.
Teams are also more likely to use the amnesty clause when their player has a better chance to be picked up through a partial waiver claim, because they owe less money when a player is claimed by another team. For this reason a team might wait another year to use the amnesty clause on a player with two or three years remaining on his contract, reasoning that such a player might command a higher bid later in his contract. So as with all other front office gamesmanship, correctly utilizing the amnesty provision requires a hefty dose of strategy.
Atlanta Hawks
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Zaza Pachulia
Notes: New GM Danny Ferry already unloaded the Hawks' "most likely to be waived via the amnesty clause" candidate, Marvin Williams.
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Boston Celtics
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: There are no bad contracts on the Celtics' roster that are amnesty eligible.
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Charlotte Bobcats
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates:DeSagana Diop, Matt Carroll
Notes: Although the team's 2011-12 campaign was among the all-time worst and Diop remains the most likely candidate to get the ax, it's more likely the team will stand pat this year.
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Chicago Bulls
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Carlos Boozer
Notes: The Bulls are desperately trying to stay below the tax line, especially if they match Omer Asik's offer sheet from the Houston Rockets. But this is one time that desperate times do not call for desperate measures. The Bulls are much more likely to wait a year or two before making a tough decision on Boozer.
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Dallas Mavericks
Most likely amnesty cut: Brendan Haywood
How likely to use amnesty this season: Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: Using the amnesty clause on Haywood once seemed like a foregone conclusion as the Mavs maneuvered to clear cap room for the likes of Deron Williams. But after failing to land a big-name free agent, the Mavs are no longer desperate for the cap room.
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Denver Nuggets
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Chris Andersen
Notes: The Nuggets are more inclined to save their amnesty for later, when they might be closer to the tax line.
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Detroit Pistons
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Charlie Villanueva
Notes: Joe Dumars has maintained that he has no intent to dump Charlie Villaneuva.
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Houston Rockets
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: Daryl Morey seems to be conducting an experiment to see if an entire NBA roster can be converted to future draft considerations. Players like Luis Scola have trade value, so it's more likely Morey sits this amnesty period out.
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Los Angeles Clippers
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Ryan Gomes
Notes: Another team without a bad contract to use the amnesty clause on. Mo Williams would have been a dark horse candidate, but the Clips traded him to the Utah Jazz.
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Los Angeles Lakers
Most likely amnesty cut: Metta World Peace
How likely to use amnesty this season: Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: Mitch Kupchak has been trying to move World Peace, and if he fails it's possible he will use the amnesty clause in order to take a bite out of the team's tax bill.
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Memphis Grizzlies
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: The Grizzlies are still a year or two away from pulling the trigger on an amnesty waiver.
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Miami Heat
Most likely amnesty cut: Mike Miller
How likely to use amnesty this season: Slam dunk
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: Ray Allen's arrival in Miami likely signaled Mike Miller's departure. Despite his Game 5 heroics in the Finals, his body is breaking down, he is owed $5.8 million this season and his team is firmly entrenched in luxury-tax territory.
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Milwaukee Bucks
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Drew Gooden, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Notes: The Bucks are another team more likely to stand pat this year, saving their amnesty for later when another team is more likely to claim the player they waive. Gooden would likely be that player, although Mbah a Moute is also a possibility.
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Minnesota Timberwolves
Most likely amnesty cut: Darko Milicic
How likely to use amnesty this season: Slam dunk
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: David Kahn intends to offer Nicolas Batum a maximum contract the first chance he gets. In order to do so, he will need to clear additional cap space. Milicic is likely to be shown the door.
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New Orleans Hornets
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Jarrett Jack
Notes: Dell Demps could trade Jack if necessary, so there is no reason to use the amnesty clause on him.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: While Sam Presti has to be worried about his tax bill in a couple of years, everyone on the team is either a valuable contributor, has a short contract or has trade value.
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Philadelphia 76ers
Most likely amnesty cut: Elton Brand
How likely to use amnesty this season: Slam dunk
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: Unless the Sixers can pull off a miracle trade in the next week, Brand being waived via the amnesty clause is a foregone conclusion in order to give the team enough cap room to sign Nick Young and Spencer Hawes.
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Phoenix Suns
Most likely amnesty cut: Josh Childress
How likely to use amnesty this season: Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: The Suns are ready to move on from the Steve Nash era, but may hold onto their amnesty for one more year in order to be players in the 2013 free-agent market.
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Sacramento Kings
Most likely amnesty cut: John Salmons
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: One of the cheapest teams in the league would be loath to pay a player $8 million to play somewhere else.
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San Antonio Spurs
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: None
Notes: As reported here last season, Spurs owner Peter Holt was the leading proponent for an amnesty clause that teams could "pocket" for later use. But while Richard Jefferson may have had an outside shot of being shown the door last season, the team has no likely amnesty candidates this season.
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Toronto Raptors
Most likely amnesty cut: Amir Johnson
How likely to use amnesty this season: Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: Jose Calderon
Notes: The Raptors now say they intend to keep Calderon to play him with Kyle Lowry. Using the amnesty clause on Amir Johnson remains a possibility, especially since he would likely be picked up on waivers, which would save the team additional money.
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Utah Jazz
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Jump ball
Other amnesty candidates: Raja Bell
Notes: The Jazz are working on a buyout agreement with Bell, who clashed with head coach Ty Corbin last season and is unhappy in Utah. The team is likely to use its amnesty clause on Bell if it is unable to reach a buyout agreement.
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Washington Wizards
Most likely amnesty cut: None
How likely to use amnesty this season: Outside shot
Other amnesty candidates: Andray Blatche
Notes: Washington will keep its options open, but its most likely action is to stand pat.
