Elton Brand and Amnesty Candidates Contenders Should Target

On your marks...get set...AMNESTY!

Teams around the NBA have until July 17 to scrub one contract each from their respective salary caps using the one-time amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement.

Not all teams, though. Seven used theirs last year to excise the likes of Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis and Brandon Roy.

And while middling teams with ample cap room will have the first crack at those who fall through the cracks this time around, don't be surprised if some of those who are let go fall off the waiver and into range for a capped-out contender or two, just as Agent Zero and B-Diddy did in 2011.

That's assuming, of course, that so many teams actually decide to "amnesthetize" players this summer. These seven players—all either rumored to be cut loose or having already been so—would be good fits for championship hopefuls out there.

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Elton Brand

So far, Elton Brand is the only player who's been "amnesthetized" so far this summer. The Philadelphia Sixers opted to part ways with Brand, who's due just under $18.2 million in the final season of his original five-year contract.

Brand was a shell of his former self during his four years in Philly. He ditched the Clippers in 2008, shortly after recovering from an Achilles injury and was slowed further by a shoulder ailment in 2009.

In any case, Brand now belongs to the waiver wire, where he's likely to be looked at by the cap-flushed Dallas Mavericks, among others. Perhaps the Clippers, with Lamar Odom back on board, will make a play for Brand if/when he's passed over by everyone else.

Darko Milicic

Aside from Brand, any talk about amnesty candidates qualifies as speculation based on player performance and team salary concerns, among other considerations.

That being said, Darko Milicic currently stands out as one of the more likely names to hit the waiver wire in the coming days. For one, Milicic played sparingly last season for the Minnesota Timberwolves under head coach Rick Adelman, boxed out in large part by the emergence of Nikola Pekovic at center.

More importantly, if the Portland Trail Blazers opt not to keep Nicolas Batum, the T-Wolves will likely have to clear some more cap space to fit the Frenchman (and his massive offer) in their books. Darko's deal isn't prohibitively expensive ($5.2 million guaranteed in 2012-13, $1.7 million guaranteed in 2013-14), though it's still very much expendable.

Any playoff hopeful in need of some size off the bench (i.e. the Clippers, the Lakers, the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs) would be wise to keep their eyes on the guy who's greatest achievement came in 2003, when he was drafted ahead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, among others.

John Salmons

If every team didn't need to fill up 85 percent of its salary cap each season, then the Sacramento Kings would undoubtedly give John Salmons a long, hard look under the amnesty provision. The 32-year-old swingman has already been squeezed out of a starting role by Tyreke Evans and figures to see his minutes dry up even more with the need to find playing time for Jason Thompson and rookie Thomas Robinson in the front court.

But, the Kings currently have some ground to make up before they reach the salary floor, much less come up against the ceiling.

That being said, Salmons is owed about $8 million this coming season and will have two years remaining on his deal thereafter. As such, he'll likely find his name bandied about in this discussion next year as well, supposing he doesn't wind up on the waiver wire this time around.

If he does, he'd be an excellent fit coming off the bench for just about any contender, thanks to his skills as a scorer and shot creator.

Metta World Peace

Like the Kings with Salmons, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a bit of a predicament with Metta World Peace, albeit on the other side of the spectrum.

On the one hand, the 32-year-old's skills seemed to be in considerable decline last season, even as his instability persisted, both on and off the court. What's more, the Lakers are already well over the luxury tax threshold and, as such, could certainly use the dollar-for-dollar financial relief that would come with wiping his salary (about $7.3 million next season, $7.7 million thereafter) off the books.

On the other hand, with the Lakers having already exhausted their financial flexibility, they can't risk cutting MWP and relying on a hodgepodge of low-rent small forwards (i.e. Devin Ebanks) to soak up minutes.

Also, it may be too soon to give up on MWP as a player; his performance improved considerably over the course of the 2011-12 season, as he re-adjusted to Mike Brown's coaching style and (more importantly) got in shape after a lockout-lengthened offseason.

Should the Artist Formerly Known as Ron Artest come off the Lakers' payroll, though, expect him to interest any team looking for a former Defensive Player of the Year with the size and brute strength to fluster the likes of LeBron James and Paul Pierce, among others.

Carlos Boozer

The Chicago Bulls, like the Lakers, have a hefty contract on their hands and financial concerns to iron out, but a perceived need to hang onto said contract in the interim, lest the team go down the tubes entirely.

I'm referring, of course, to Carlos Boozer. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star has been a disappointment in the Windy City, to say the least, and is owed $47.1 million over the course of the next three seasons.

Team owner Jerry Reinsdorf is apparently loath to dip into luxury-tax territory for the first time in franchise history, which would likely require that his front office find someway to offload Boozer, Joakim Noah and/or Luol Deng.

But, with Derrick Rose out with a knee injury for at least the first half of the upcoming season, the Bulls will need all the reinforcements they can cobble together, making the departure of any of their front-court staples a dubious proposition.

As overpriced as Boozer is as a Bull, he (and his 17 points and nine rebounds per game) would make him an eminently attractive option for the Mavs, et al. as a cut-rate pick-up on the waiver wire.

Josh Childress

Once upon a time, Josh Childress was a double-digit scorer off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks.

Then, Childress went to Greece for two seasons, came back to the states and has hardly been heard from since signing on with the Phoenix Suns in 2010.

Luckily for Childress, there might be a more prominent role in store for him in the seasons to come, what with Grant Hill skipping town and the Suns gearing up for a full rebuild.

Then again, Phoenix's front office could see the three years and $21 million left on Childress' contract as an expense better allocated to to available free agents.

If so, Childress has a strong-enough track record as a scoring sixth man to find a steady role as a reserve with a team in the playoff picture.

Drew Gooden/Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

The Milwaukee Bucks front court is crowded with big bodies, with the re-signed Ersan Ilyasova adding to a collection that already includes Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders, fellow free-agent signee Samuel Dalembert and rookie John Henson.

And that's without so much as mentioning Drew Gooden and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, both of whom could find themselves on the chopping block as a result. Gooden is owed about $20 million over the next three seasons, while Mbah a Moute is slated to make around $14 million in that same span.

Gooden is the more consistently productive of the two, but Mbah a Moute is five years younger and plays much better defense.

Still, the Bucks aren't (and shouldn't be) in any rush to dump either one. They still have some flexibility under the cap and could push to trade those two bigs rather than eat one of their salaries.

That being said, either Gooden or Mbah a Moute would likely be among the more attractive players on the waiver wire if Milwaukee were to drop the hammer in the days to come.