Each NBA Team's Possible Amnesty Rule Cuts (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2!

The latest reports covering the NBA lockout say that the owners have supposedly agreed to the inclusion of an amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement talks.

With the amnesty clause, NBA teams can choose one player that they would like to waive and buy out the remainder of the contract, without it having any effect on the salary cap.

If the owners win out (vs. the players' union), and the NBA decides to install a hard cap model in the next collective bargaining agreement talks, then teams may have to use the amnesty clause on well-established veterans in order to fit under the required salary cap number.

The following slides show both “Likely” and “Possible” amnesty-related cuts for 15 NBA teams if agreed upon in the next collective bargaining agreement talks. In part Part 1 I broke down potential cuts for the other franchises.

Milwaukee Bucks

Likely: Shaun Livingston (1 year, $3,500,000 + Team Option of $3,500,000), Beno Udrih (1 year, $7,232,500 + Player Option of $7,810,000)

Possible: Stephen Jackson (2 years, $19,320,000)

The Milwaukee Bucks traded John Salmons back to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade on draft night. Now, they can shed salary in their backcourt, possibly starting with Shaun Livingston, who will play behind Brandon Jennings.

Beno Udrih may be an option here, but it is hard to say without seeing him play with Jennings in the backcourt. Stephen Jackson may be another possibility, but the Bucks may be thin at the small forward position if they do release him.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Likely: Darko Milicic (3 years, $15,674,500)

Possible: Luke Ridnour (3 years, $12,000,000)

The Minnesota Timberwolves hopefully will make moves that bring in reliable and experienced veterans over younger players. Darko Milicic is a candidate to get released from his three-year contract.

Point guard Luke Ridnour may be another possibility, since Ricky Rubio is in the fold. Maybe the team can bring in another point guard on a smaller contract to show Rubio the NBA ropes.

New Jersey Nets

Likely: Travis Outlaw (3 years, $21,000,000)

Possible: Johan Petro (2 years, $6,750,000)

The New Jersey Nets now have the opportunity to get themselves out of Travis Outlaw’s contract. Now with Deron Williams on board, the team can make moves that will hopefully convince him to stay in Brooklyn long-term.

Johan Petro may be another candidate, but he is a decent big man who rebounds, plays defense, and scores occasionally. You sometimes have to slightly overpay for big men in the NBA.

New Orleans Hornets

Likely: Trevor Ariza (2 years, $14,049,600 + Player Option of $7,727,280)

Possible: Emeka Okafor (2 years, $25,982,500 + Termination Option of $14,487,500)

The New Orleans Hornets could lose David West via free agency and possibly Chris Paul also. They only have five players under contract for next season. The team needs to find a way to bring in players that will somewhat appease either Paul or both West and Paul (assuming they are open to re-signing with the Hornets).

Trevor Ariza may be a possible candidate due to his horrible shooting percentage, even though he is a decent defender, and an all-around player. Emeka Okafor may be another candidate, but he has found a nice role with the team. If the team decides to let go of Ariza or Okafor, then Paul may be on the way out also.

New York Knicks

Likely: Renaldo Balkman (2 years, $3,350,000), Ronny Turiaf (1 year, $4,360,000)

Possible: Chauncey Billups (1 year, $14,200,000)

The New York Knicks wished that this clause were available earlier, when they had players like Eddy Curry on the team. Renaldo Balkman may be a candidate, as he did not play many minutes during his second stint with the team.

Chauncey Billups is a long shot, only since his maturity fits very well next to Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Likely: Nate Robinson (1 year, $4,500,000)

Possibly: Kendrick Perkins (4 years, $32,555,936)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have so many young players on their roster, that it is really hard to tell who they should release with the possible clause.

One possibility is Nate Robinson, who has only one year left on his contract, and will be playing behind both Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor.

Kendrick Perkins may be another option, but it would be a GREAT shock to the system he is axed.

Orlando Magic

Likely: Gilbert Arenas (3 years, $62,423,763 including a Termination Option after the first year)

Possible: Hido Turkoglu (2 years, $22,831,700)

The Orlando Magic should use the clause on Gilbert Arenas and his massive contract. If the Magic waive Arenas, they can hopefully re-sign Jason Richardson, who is an unrestricted free agent.

Turkoglu is another possibility, but he can play multiple positions and is a player that Dwight Howard may want if he decides to stay in Orlando for some more time.

Philadelphia 76ers

Likely: Andres Nocioni (1 year, $6,650,000)

Possible: Elton Brand (1 year, $17,059,727)

The Philadelphia 76ers can use the amnesty clause on Andres Nocioni, who has not had that much of a role since coming to Philadelphia last season. Elton Brand may be an intriguing option, but he only has one more year left on his contract and is a favorite of head coach Doug Collins.

The 76ers should worry about finding a way to keep Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young on the roster next season.

Phoenix Suns

Likely: Josh Childress (3 years, $19,682,500), Mickael Pietrus (1 year, $5,300,000)

Possible: Steve Nash (1 year, $11,689,062)

The Phoenix Suns should waive Josh Childress, who signed with them last season, after spending time playing in Greece. With three more years left on his contract, the Suns tried to deal him during the trade deadline, but no team really wanted him (at least at that price).

Mickael Pietrus may be another option, but he is a shooter, and the Suns like those kind of players more than others.

Portland TrailBlazers

Likely: Ryan Gomes (2 years, $1,750,000)

Possible: Brandon Roy (3 years, $49,925,520 + Player Option of $19,587,680)

The Portland TrailBlazers could waive Ryan Gomes, who is no longer with the team, or Brandon Roy, who has bad knees that no one knows how long he can salvage an NBA career. It may be a good “basketball” move, but not a “PR” move for sure.

With Roy out, the team can look to build around their core players under head coach Nate McMillan.

Sacramento Kings

Likely: Francisco Garcia (3 years, $18,300,000), John Salmons ($24,160,000 + Team Option of $7,000,000)

Possibly: Jason Thompson (2 years, $7,131,051)

The Sacramento Kings can unload either John Salmons, who they re-acquired in a trade on draft night, or Francisco Garcia.

Garcia has dealt with various injuries over the past two seasons, and it may be time for free agent Marcus Thornton to have a more prominent role on the team.

Jason Thompson is another possibility, but due to the dearth of big men in the NBA, the Kings can trade him in order to get some assets in return.

San Antonio Spurs

Likely: Richard Jefferson (2 years, $19,446,000 + Player Option of $11,046,000)

Possibly: Tony Parker (3 years, $37,500,000 + Player Option of $12,500,000)

The San Antonio Spurs should axe Richard Jefferson, who has struggled to find a role since joining the team in a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks. Jefferson took a pay cut last season, but his game still has not changed for the better.

Tony Parker may be another long-shot candidate, but the Spurs would rather trade Parker for qualified assets.

Toronto Raptors

Likely: Linas Kleiza (2 years, $9,205,000 + Player Option of $4,600,000)

Possibly: Amir Johnson (3 years, $18,000,000)

The Toronto Raptors did not have Linas Kleiza for much of the 2010-11 NBA season as he had a knee injury. They should use the amnesty clause on him and bring in some veteran, defensive-minded players to help the team out.

With head coach Dwane Casey on board and Bryan Colangelo looking to keep his job north of the border, hopefully they can bring some defensive players, and move some of the redundant pieces on the current roster.

Utah Jazz

Likely: Mehmet Okur (1 year, $10,890,000), Devin Harris (2 years, $17,891,000)

Possibly: Al Jefferson (2 years, $29,000,000)

The Utah Jazz have a lot of big men on their current roster. Mehmet Okur was injured for almost all of last season, and may not be in the rotation for the coming year due to the development of Derrick Favors and rookie Enes Kanter.

With Okur out, the Jazz can use their extra cap space to invest in other players.

Washington Wizards

Likely: Rashard Lewis (2 years, $45,942,000), Mike Bibby (1 year, $1,125,474)

Possibly: JaVale McGee (1 year, $2,462,400)

The Washington Wizards are rebuilding with young players. Rashard Lewis, who came over in the Gilbert Arenas trade last season, has a massive contract and is taking time away from other potential young players that fit in the team's long-term plans. So, Lewis is the first choice to be released.

Mike Bibby, who is no longer on the team, has some money owed to him, but Lewis should be the first candidate to be released via the potential amnesty clause.