Bibby buyout enhances Hinrich trade

The Kirk Hinrich trade -- Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong to the Hawks for Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, and a 2011 first-round draft pick -- seemed like a decent move at the time, because the Wizards essentially acquired two first-round picks (Crawford from 2010 and the actual 2011 draft pick). But Bibby really, really did not want to play for the rebuilding Wizards, and he has apparently agreed to a deal in which he will forfeit his entire $6.2 million salary next season to escape from Washington. Bibby will likely land with the Miami Heat.

Bibby's generous decision transforms the trade from a good one to a great one. Instead of the two assets in Crawford and the draft pick, the Wizards get the expired contract of Bibby as well. According to Michael Lee of The Washington Post, Bibby's deal will eat up $1 million on next year's cap, but that's definitely better than having to pay his full salary.

Lee also ended his latest post on the buyout with this:

One league source described the situation with Bibby as, "Fall out of the sky luck."

Luck got the Wizards John Wall, and they could certainly use as much of it as they can get.

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The Wizards have also reached a buyout agreement with Al Thornton. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, as long as Thornton clears waivers, he will play for the Golden State Warriors, who, oddly enough, the Wizards face tonight.

Thornton, 27, has been a decent player this season -- averaging 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 47.1 percent shooting -- but he has struggled to stay on the floor and has dealt with a multitude of injuries. The Wizards evidently did not view Thornton as a player worth keeping around beyond this season, especially for his 2011/2012 qualifying offer of nearly $4 million.

Could the Wizards and Bibby reach a buyout?

Mike Bibby isn't happy to be on the Wizards, and according to The Washington Post's Michael Lee, Ernie Grunfeld and David Falk, Bibby's agent, have had "preliminary discussions" on a potential buyout.

Here's more, via Lee:

. . . [N]o formal proposals have been made. Bibby makes $5.8 million this season and is on the books for $6.4 million next season. Bibby would have to sacrifice a lot of money and get waived by Tuesday in order to be eligible to join a playoff team this season.

Portland, Miami and Boston are reportedly interested in signing Bibby if he can reach an agreement. Grunfeld has said he wouldn't close the door on any situation as it relates to a buyout. According to a league source, the Wizards tried to move Bibby again, almost immediately after acquiring him from the Hawks, but were unable to get anything done before the trade deadline.

Really, most of the discussions are probably about that $6.4 million number Bibby is due next season. The Wizards are likely playing hardball on the matter -- which they should -- and if Bibby really does want to get out of Washington to play for a contender this season, he'll have to give back a decent chunk of change.

If the Wizards do reach a buyout agreement with Bibby, the team will have one problem, though it's a small one for a young, rebuilding team: There isn't another point guard on the current roster. The Wizards could bring back Mustafa Shakur, who signed two 10-day contracts earlier this season. Those deals have expired though, and he's not listed on the current Wizards roster. If the Wizards do choose that option, they'd have to sign Shakur for the remaining 20-plus games, since they can't offer him another 10-day contract. The Wizards could also choose to go in a different direction and bring in someone else, probably from the NBDL.

A few games ago, when Kirk Hinrich was still on the Wizards and injured, Josh Howard played point guard when John Wall was on the bench. I doubt the Wizards would want to play the rest of the season with Howard as the backup point guard, but I guess it's at least possible. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday.