Buyouts Galore

The Kings bought out the remainder of Drew Gooden's contract and the Thunder bought out Joe Smith's last night before the 11:59 p.m. deadline. Both players will be playoff-eligible for whoever signs them. Most likely, Smith will head to Cleveland and see significant playing time in Ben Wallace's absence (Wallace is out with a broken leg).

The suitors for Gooden appear to be Dallas and San Antonio.

Adonal Foyle and Stromile Swift were also waived. The only shooter to hit the open market was Luther Head. There's a rumor circulating that the Nets are interested. The pro-rated portion of the minimum contract would pay him $215,000 for the rest of the season. Why the Nets would be willing to part with that money for a marginal shot at the playoffs and the Sixers would not with a chance to move up to the #5 seed is beyond me. Head fits more of a need with the Sixers than the Nets as well.

Of course, the decision will ultimately come down to Luther, so he may prefer the Nets if they can offer him more playing time. I haven't read anything indicating the Sixers have shown interest, which is a bit disappointing.