NBA Free Agents 2011: Gilbert Arenas and Likely Amnesty Clause Victims

The amnesty clause is the NBA equivalent of a get out of jail card free card for all 30 teams in the league.

Each team gets one opportunity to rid themselves of the worst contract on their team and move on with more cap flexibility. The catch is, you still have to pay their 2011-2012 salary; it just doesn’t count against your total payroll. Because of that, it doesn’t make much sense to turn a player that has some degree of talent into a sunk cost unless the team is in desperate need of cap relief or that player is absolutely worthless/a team cancer.

Well, this is the NBA, so of course, there are players that fit into this category. While it may not be as many as we originally thought, here are five players that are headed to the waiver wire. 

1. Baron Davis, Cleveland Cavaliers

I think most people saw this coming all the way back in June when the Cavs drafted point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 overall pick.

Davis is a very frustrating player to watch. One year, he’s in shape and shocking the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs; the next, he is overweight and jogging up and down the floor, growing a beard to hide his double-chin.

He has two years, $28.6 million left on his deal, and the Cavs have enormous holes to plug at forward and shooting guard before they would even think about paying that much for a 32-year-old that simply hasn’t been the same since bolting from the Warriors to the Clippers for the big bucks. 

2. Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Magic

The Magic have stooped to the level of drunk dialing Dwight Howard in a desperate attempt to keep their superstar. The first step is clearing as much cap space as possible, and the decision is easy. Arenas is scheduled to make $19.2 million this season, $20.8 million next year and $22.3 million in the contract's final year.

Wow.

I’m not sure a streaky jump shooter that has lost all of his explosiveness after multiple surgeries is worth a tenth of that. He is clearly nothing more than a seventh or eighth guy that gives you 15-to-20 minutes a night…certainly not worth his current contract.

This one is a no-brainer. 

3. Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors

The speedy point guard has had roughly the same production every year of his career, which doesn’t cut it when you’re scheduled to make $20.3 million over the next two years.

Calderon has never averaged 13 points in his career, and his turnovers are increasing. Combine that with a shooting percentage that has gone from 52 percent in 07-08 to 44 last year. His skills have clearly eroded, and he really doesn’t do much for a Raptors team that is trying to get younger.

With Jerryd Bayless on board to run the point, the Raptors can dump Calderon and look to overpay one of the big free agent forwards to fill a more immediate need.

Yay! More overspending.  

4. Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs

Here is the one guarantee on the list.

Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Spurs fully intend on sending Jefferson and his three years, $30.5 million left on his contract far away from San Antonio.

The Spurs are looking to fill the void by providing the mid-level exception to a player like Caron Butler or Josh Howard, according to the report.

Both players would be an upgrade over Jefferson, who averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 rebounds last year. 

5. Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors

As the Warriors make a push to land Chris Paul, they need to clear up cap space for him to sign a long-term extension, and getting rid of a guy with three years and $27 million left on his deal is a good start. Especially when that guy’s shooting percentage has dropped almost 10 perentage points in the span of four years, and has seen a significant drop in his points and rebounds.

Biedrins can’t play a lick of defense, and he just doesn’t seem to be the kind of player new head coach Mark Jackson wants on his team.

The Warriors are thinking big, and getting rid of Biedrins is the first step.