Amnesty Clause Might as well be Called "Rashard Lewis Clause"

[Built Ford Tough]

Most likely amnesty cut: Rashard Lewis

 

How likely to use amnesty this season? Slam dunk

 

Other amnesty candidates: None

 

Analysis: After the Magic grossly overpaid him in an attempt to win an NBA championship and then used his monster salary to trade for Gilbert Arenas, Lewis has been synonymous with the league's new amnesty rule since we started hearing about it back in the spring. That conveniently overlooks Lewis' prominent role in helping Orlando reach the NBA Finals in 2009, but facts are facts: He's an amnesty lock some two years later.

 

And that's because the Wiz, once they shed the nearly $30 million in guaranteed money left on Lewis' deal, can instantly become a major player in both the free-agent and trade markets. Taking your time with the amnesty clause is a nice new luxury to have, but there's no need when there's an immediate payoff of substantial cap space to be had.

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7147880/nba-most-likely-amnesty-candidates

 

So, umm, is it even worth attempting to explain why the Wizards should use the clause on Lewis? Not likely.

 

However, it is worth discussing just exactly what cutting him means. Do you think that by getting rid of him and creating a surplus of cap space the Wizards could actually make a splash in free agency? It is highly unlikely that a stud like Howard or Williams or Paul are going to sign in Washington, but they could find some really valuable pieces to pair with Wall, their 2012 draft pick and some high potential players such as Vesely and McGee.

 

Do you realistically believe that shedding Lewis' cap hit could be the final piece in the Wizards playoff puzzle?

[fish7718]

Do you realistically believe that shedding Lewis' cap hit could be the final piece in the Wizards playoff puzzle?

No.

 

[AboveLegit]

So, umm, is it even worth attempting to explain why the Wizards should use the clause on Lewis? Not likely.

 

However, it is worth discussing just exactly what cutting him means. Do you think that by getting rid of him and creating a surplus of cap space the Wizards could actually make a splash in free agency? It is highly unlikely that a stud like Howard or Williams or Paul are going to sign in Washington, but they could find some really valuable pieces to pair with Wall, their 2012 draft pick and some high potential players such as Vesely and McGee.

 

Do you realistically believe that shedding Lewis' cap hit could be the final piece in the Wizards playoff puzzle?

I don't think using the amnesty on Lewis is a slam dunk at all.

 

Michael Lee makes a convincing argument about this.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/should-the-wizards-use-amnesty-clause-on-rashard-lewis/2011/10/31/gIQAjj51ZM_blog.html

 

Is the cap space really that valuable? If the Wizards were contending, sure it would make sense, but they're not, and so at this point, cutting him won't make sense. He's a good locker room guy, and our projected payroll next season is going to be on the lower end regardless. We don't have any stars to replace him with right now. If our salary was above the soft cap level, then yes, we would amnesty him.

 

Keep him now, who knows, there might be a team in need of trading their DPOY/MVP candidate for some good young talent, cap relief via expiring contracts, and high draft picks...