Heat's buyout of Beno Udrih has several teams upset
Several NBA teams are upset by an unusual agreement between the Miami Heat and veteran guard Beno Udrih that will get the team out of paying the luxury tax, sources told ESPN.com.
On Monday, the Heat agreed to a contract buyout of Udrih, and he will be placed on waivers, sources told ESPN. The move will drop the Heat below the repeater tax line and create a windfall of approximately $2.7 million. It might also help them avoid future luxury-tax penalties because the league punishes repeat taxpayers.
Heat president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg approached Udrih about accepting a buyout after Joe Johnson agreed to sign with the Heat over the weekend, sources said. The Heat, who made a series of trades at the deadline to get out of the tax, were then looking for a solution to add Johnson and remain out of the tax. Signing Johnson pushed the Heat $43,894 above the line.
Udrih, apparently wanting to help the franchise, agreed to leave enough of his $2.17 million salary on the table to help the Heat with their tax situation, sources said. By getting out of the tax, the Heat save about $110,000 in taxes and are now in line to receive a $2.6 million payout from tax-paying teams.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14870954/miami-heat-buyout-beno-udrih-several-teams-upset