Haywood has what one NBA executive called “the best spread provision in the NBA’’ in his contract. In layman’s terms, any team that waives Haywood can spread out the payments for the remainder of his contract until 2026, according to an NBA source.
That means the team that owns his rights and waives him would be responsible for no more than $2 million per year over the next 14 years.
That clause in the deal is a huge incentive when it comes to including Haywood as a possible sweetener in trade talks that are going fast and furious as teams gear up for the frenzy that will begin as soon as the NBA finals end. Other teams see that as a very appealing contract.
via Clause in Haywood’s contract could make him ‘sweetener’ in trade talks | Dallas Mavericks News - Sports News for Dallas, Texas - SportsDayDFW.
To be clear, the Mavericks can’t waive him, his money still goes on the books. But they can trade him, a team can waive him, and then pay him out. For a team like the Bobcats with oodles and oodles of cap space, that’s huge. Every little bit of space the Mavericks can fanagle is going to help them with their plans for the summer and acquiring Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.
That’s a big deal. The spread provision hasn’t been used yet in the NBA but it’s a major help to any team looking to save money. The Bobcats, for instance, could acquire Haywood and then spread out not only the money owed to Haywood which helps for cap purposes, but the cap hit as well. It’s a pretty phenomenal boost for a team that needs it. Any team that takes on Haywood can get a year of service out of him, then minimize the damage.
This could help Dallas out in a big, big way.
