In the NBA, where bad contracts are more common than lane violations, every team executive dreams of a way to expunge his mistakes.
Can that Eddy Curry deal be undone? Can we make Gilbert Arenas disappear? Is there a purple pill we can take? Is there an app for that? Sadly, no. But the NBA is giving every team a multimillion-dollar do-over as part of its new labor deal. The league calls it the “amnesty” clause. General managers call it a get-out-of-jail-free card. It will be available starting Dec. 9, when the NBA reopens for business.
Under the amnesty provision, each team can waive one player and remove him from the salary cap — creating room to sign another player and saving millions in luxury-tax penalties. The money does not disappear. The player must still be paid. But the provision could give a few teams some relief.
According to a draft of the rule, a team can use the provision in any offseason, subject to two restrictions: The player must have been signed before July, and must be on the team’s current roster. In other words, a team cannot sign or trade for a player now and apply for amnesty later. The provision is meant for past mistakes, not future cap calamities.
The New York Times
