Mike Bibby could reach a buyout agreement on the final two seasons of his contract with the Washington Wizards on Monday, reports Dan Hellie of NBC 4 in Washington, D.C. Bibby was traded to the Wizards before the NBA trade deadline last week. March 1 is the deadline for players to be released from their contracts and allowed to appear in the playoffs for another team.
Mike Bibby Buyout With Wizards In Works, According To Report
Bibby is under contract for $6.4 million for the 2011-12 season; it’s unclear how much of that Bibby will be willing to give up in exchange for the freedom to latch on to a team for a championship run now. Bibby would not be expected to pull anywhere close to $6 million as a free agent at season’s end, and any team he’d sign with for the stretch run this season could only give him a pro-rated amount of the veteran’s minimum, which will come out to a few hundred thousand dollars, depending on when he signs a contract.
Bibby had been with the Atlanta Hawks since early 2008, when a trade from the Sacramento Kings helped catapult the Hawks into primetime. Bibby, never particularly fleet of foot, has slowed considerably as he works through his 30s, and averaged a career-low 8.5 points per game in the postseason last year. The Hawks were swept out of the second round by the Magic after triumphing over the Bucks in seven brutal games.
It's unclear what team would look to sign Bibby, though the Miami Heat have an unsettled rotation at point guard, the Boston Celtics are shallow behind Rajon Rondo and the New York Knicks have been rumored to be looking for a back-up point guard.
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