Tariq

Abdul-Wahad

The Mavericks are still hoping to negotiate a contract buyout.

Abdul-Wahad has been out since the start of the season with a knee injury. The Mavs might give him a look to see if he could be of any use during the playoffs.

Abdul-Wahad has suffered from chronic knee pain for the last three seasons. If he fails the exam, the Mavericks could waive him and pay the remainder of his salary, although insurance would cover most of the $6.75 million.

The team is trying to arrange a buyout of Abdul-Wahad’s last three years. They are making progress towards a buyout of Evan Eschmeyer’s deal.

Both players have struggled the last few seasons with knee pain. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said Eschmeyer probably would not be able to take part in any of training camp. Abdul-Wahad’s situation is less clear. It’s quite possible that neither will play in a game for Dallas this season.

Chandler won’t play on Saturday as he recovers from hip surgery, but the good news here is that Gallinari is back in action after missing Game 1 with a sprained ankle. Now let’s just hope he comes out of tonight’s game without any setbacks.

Chandler is getting additional rest for his bulging disc, while Martin suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday’s win. J.R. Smith will continue to play big minutes as the Knicks utilize a small lineup with Chris Copeland and Steve Novak seeing more run off the bench.

If he fails the physical, it might mean the Mavs have cleared the necessary hurdles for insurance to cover 80 percent of the $6.75 million Adbul-Wahad is owed this season.

They’re brining in Erick Strickland for training camp, and Strickland could actually make the team.