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Mark Cuban created a bit of a stir recently when he suggested that using the amnesty clause on Kobe Bryant might make a lot of financial sense for the Lakers. Cuban, Kobe, and the Lakers all recognize that the team would never make such a move on its franchise player, but the Lakers and a handful of other teams are likely to consider using the amnesty provision this summer to clear an unwanted contract from their books for cap and tax purposes.

For a full refresher on how the amnesty clause works, be sure to check out our Hoops Rumors glossary entry, but here are the basics: Starting in 2011/12, each team was eligible to amnesty one player, eliminating his cap hit from the books while still paying him his full salary. Only contracts signed under the previous CBA are amnesty-eligible, and the amnesty period comes around just once a year.

Bryant is one of just 37 NBA players still eligible to be amnestied, a number that could be reduced by the time this year's amnesty period arrives in July. Like Kobe, stars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant won't be wiped off their respective teams' books via amnesty, and other amnesty-eligible players on cheap contracts, like DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Larry Sanders, will be safe as well. But of those 37 amnesty-eligible guys, there are still plenty that could be in danger of being released this summer. Here are the players to watch:

• Andrea Bargnani, Linas Kleiza (Raptors): As unlikely as it is that Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo would ever amnesty the player he drafted first overall and signed to a long-term extension, Bargnani will still have two years and $22.25MM on his contract after this season. Colangelo was unable to find a taker for the big Italian at the deadline, and Bargnani's play hasn't improved any since then. If his value continues to decline, the amnesty clause will have to at least be considered. However, it's still more likely that Toronto uses its amnesty to clear Kleiza's $4.6MM player option from the books, which could help the team sneak below the tax line next season.
• Carlos Boozer (Bulls): Boozer continues to be healthy and productive for the Bulls, but his contract is a bit of an albatross. Whether it's next season, when Boozer earns $15.3MM, or in 2014/15, when he's making $16.8MM, the veteran forward will remain an amnesty candidate if only because clearing that cap hit would get Chicago well below the tax threshold with more punitive penalties on the way.
• Drew Gooden (Bucks): No longer a part of the team's rotation, Gooden has played a total of 140 minutes for the Bucks this season. If he were on an expiring contract, he'd be a candidate for a buyout today, but Gooden still has two more years remaining after this one, at $6.69MM apiece. With Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, and J.J. Redick all expected to become free agents, Milwaukee could create a significant chunk of cap space. Depending on which players the Bucks attempt to re-sign and where team salary ends up, it may make sense to clear Gooden from the books as well.
• Mike Miller (Heat): The Heat have more than one questionable contract that's eligible to be amnestied, including that of little-used Joel Anthony, which has two more years and $7.6MM remaining on it. Miller's price is highest though, at $12.8MM for the next two years, and it appears unlikely he'll even be healthy enough to play that long. Amnestying Miller wouldn't take Miami out of the tax, but it would significantly reduce a bill that's set to increase exponentially next season.
• Kendrick Perkins (Thunder): Perkins remains an important piece of Oklahoma City's defense and frontcourt, but his big contract, which pays him close to $18.7MM over the next two seasons, could eventually make him an amnesty candidate. If OKC does want to move that money though, a more likely scenario would involve trading him along with a combination of young players and/or draft picks.
• John Salmons (Kings): It appears a new ownership group will decide whether or not to pay the remaining guaranteed money on Salmons' deal, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Kings (or SuperSonics) decided not to amnesty him this July. Salmons is overpaid in 2013/14 at $7.58MM, but his 2014/15 salary ($7MM) is only partially guaranteed for $1MM, so he'll be on an expiring contract of sorts next season.
• Tyrus Thomas (Bobcats): For a player that has only appeared in 18 games this season and isn't a part of Charlotte's long-term plans, $18MM+ is a steep price over the next two years. I very much doubt the Bobcats will find a taker for Thomas' contract, so it would be a surprise if he isn't amnestied this July.
• Charlie Villanueva (Pistons): The Pistons' front office would probably love it if Villanueva chose to turn down his $8.58MM player option for 2013/14, but that's not happening, as Villanueva himself has confirmed. Monroe is the only other Piston eligible to be amnestied, and that also isn't happening, so if Detroit wants to make use of the amnesty provision, it has to be Villanueva and it has to be this summer. Given how unproductive the veteran forward has been and how much cap room Detroit is poised to clear, I expect the Pistons to make use of the amnesty clause.
• Metta World Peace, Steve Blake (Lakers): If the Lakers re-sign Dwight Howard to a max deal, team salary figures to be somewhere north of $100MM, which will mean a gigantic tax bill. Amnestying Bryant ($30.45MM) or Pau Gasol ($19.29MM) would result in more savings, but Kobe's not going anywhere, and Gasol will still have trade value. That makes World Peace ($7.73MM player option) and Blake ($4MM) as potential amnesty targets if the Lakers look to reduce their tax bill.

Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren't the only updates you'll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you'll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here's a rundown of a few of them:

• In addition to our list of 2012/13 free agents, we also have free agent lists for both next summer, and the summer of 2014, which will continue to be modified as needed.
• Our Free Agent Tracker, which features data sortable by team, position, contract years, and contract amount, currently includes last summer's signings and will be used to track the upcoming summer's deals as well.
• Throughout the season, we've been keeping tabs on roster counts for each NBA team, the year's D-League assignments and recalls, and all the in-season trades consummated this year.
• Our tentative 2013 draft order tracks this season's "reverse standings," allowing for an early look at what next June's draft order might look like.
• Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed since 2007, sorting by player, team, year, and other variables.
• On Mondays at 4:00pm CT, I answer readers' questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of our past live discussions here.
• Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is created, is used, or expires.
• We're also tracking teams' amnesty provisions — using our complete list, you can check to see which clubs have used the amnesty clause and which will carry it into next summer.
• The Hoops Rumors glossary helps explain some of the more complex concepts in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere every Sunday in his weekly Hoops Links feature.
• If you're looking to catch up on a few days worth of content, our Week in Review posts round up the week's news and rumors, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site's original content for the week. Both round-ups are published every Sunday.
• Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section on the right sidebar for more original pieces from the Hoops Rumors writing team. Recently, we explained how this year's deadline deals worked under CBA rules, listed the teams projected to be taxpayers this season, and examined last year's key post-trade-deadline transactions.

As we've outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Hoops Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don't want to follow all the site's updates, you can follow team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don't have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, you can also easily follow all our updates on your favorite player.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Josh Smith as his free agency approaches, you can visit this page. If you're interested in whether the Raptors may revisit trade talks involving Andrea Bargnani this summer, all Bargnani-related updates are located here.

Every player we've written about has his own rumors page. You can find your player of choice by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post where he's discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Smith's page is located at hoopsrumors.com/josh-smith.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags we use at the bottom of posts. Items related to the 2013 NBA draft, for instance, can be found on its rumors page. If you want to check out the latest updates on the sale of the Kings to Chris Hansen's Seattle investment group, those are all available here.

For all the rumors we heard over the last several weeks about Josh Smith, Monta Ellis, Kevin Garnett, and a handful of other big-name players, Thursday's trade deadline ended up being fairly quiet, as J.J. Redick and Thomas Robinson were ultimately the most significant trade chips on the move.

Still, as quiet as the deadline may have been, there were 12 deals completed on Wednesday and Thursday. Many of those trades involved teams moving around back-of-the-bench pieces for cap or tax purposes, so it's worth examining exactly how each deal worked in financial terms.

As I explained when I looked at last year's deadline deals, the two clubs involved in a trade can often break down the deal in different ways, using the traded player exception rules. It can sometimes be advantageous for a team to consider a trade as two or more separate deals in order to obtain trade exceptions and/or maximize its future flexibility.

So without further ado, here's the breakdown of this year's deadline trades:

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Just because the trade deadline is over doesn't mean we have to wait until the offseason for NBA teams to make more significant moves. Plenty of transactions take place once trading is done for the season, from buyouts to notable 10-day deals and, more recently, signings involving players returning from China.  

One notable post-deadline signing has already taken place, as the Knicks have brought Kenyon Martin aboard with a 10-day contract. Richard Hardy of HoopsWorld looks at some other players who could wind up on new teams in the coming days and weeks. To help give you more of an idea of what sort of moves to expect, here's a glimpse at what happened after last year's March 15 trade deadline:

• March 18: Nuggets sign Wilson Chandler to a five-year deal. The total package is worth $37.858MM, including $6.137MM in deferred compensation. — Chandler spent most of last season playing in China and after his return engaged in protracted negotiations with the Nuggets on the long-term deal. He could have waited to sign until the summer, when other teams could bid on him as a restricted free agent. The Nuggets could simply have signed him for the rest of the season, but that would have meant he'd become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Instead, both sides made a lengthy commitment, though injuries have kept Chandler from making much of an impact this season.
• March 19: Greg Oden clears waivers — The Blazers finally cut ties with their oft-injured No. 1 overall pick from 2007. He still hasn't played in an NBA game since December 2009, but he's eyeing a return. 
• March 21: Blazers claim J.J. Hickson off waivers from Kings — Hickson believed he would clear waivers, as most players do, so he was all set to sign with the Warriors before Portland snatched him up. The big man had a sudden revival with the Blazers, more than tripling his points-per-game mark to 15.1 from the 4.7 he put up with Sacramento. He's continued to play well, averaging a double-double this season as Portland's starting center on a one-year, $4MM contract he signed in the summer.
• March 21: Thunder sign Derek Fisher to one-year, $2.33MM deal — Oklahoma City used part of its mid-level exception to land the veteran point guard, and he helped shepherd the team to the Finals. This year, Fisher may be a late-season addition again, as he is apparently eager to return to the NBA.
• March 21: Heat sign Ronny Turiaf to two-year, minimum-salary deal — The Nuggets waived him after receiving him as part of the Nene Hilario/JaVale McGee deal. He started seven playoff games for the Heat, though he only averaged 10.1 minutes per game in a dozen postseason contests last year. The second year of his contract was a player option, and Turiaf declined it over the summer in hopes of a raise. Instead, he wound up signing with the Clippers for the same minimum salary he would have earned with Miami. 
• March 23: Spurs sign Boris Diaw to minimum-salary deal for the rest of the season — Diaw revived his career after a buyout from the Bobcats, and went from the worst team in the league to one that tied for the NBA's best record. He started all 14 playoff games for San Antonio, averaging 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, and re-signed with the Spurs for a two-year, $9.2MM contract this summer.
• March 26: Raptors sign Alan Anderson to first 10-day contract — Toronto eventually signed Anderson for the rest of the season, and in the summer the team inked him to a minimum-salary deal for this year as well. He's become an indispensable part of Toronto's rotation, averaging 11.0 points in 25.5 minutes per game in his time with the Raptors.

After weeks of trade rumors and speculation, the 2013 deadline finally arrives on Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm central time. As we count down the final days until the deadline and look forward to seeing which players end up on the move, we'll direct your attention to a number of resources and links that will help prepare you for the week:

• Over the course of the season, we've profiled a number of players we consider to be trade candidates, including Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, J.J. Redick, and others. You can find all those pieces linked right here.
• Not every NBA player is eligible to be traded this week. We listed the players ineligible to be dealt, and also rounded up the guys who have the ability to veto trades.
• A number of traded player exceptions, including a massive $13MM TPE for the Nuggets, are set to expire at the deadline. The list of expiring exceptions is here, while the complete list of outstanding trade exceptions is here. If you're unclear on how exactly these exceptions work, you can read our glossary entry.
• Generally speaking, players on expiring contracts are more likely to be moved than guys with another year or two left on their deals. Our list of 2013/14 free agents includes all the players currently on expiring contracts, plus those who have some form of option for next season.
• We recently took a look at the teams just above or just below the luxury tax line. Those clubs could be particularly motivated to avoid taking on salary as they weigh potential trade offers.
• Given the possibility that a few first-round picks could change hands this week, be sure to keep tabs on our tentative 2013 draft order to see where those draft picks might land.
• If you're looking to keep up with rumors on a particular player, check out our instructions on how to follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.

As Thursday's trade deadline approaches, one of the most pressing concerns for many league executives will be whether a proposed deal will push their teams into or out of the league's luxury tax. This year, the tax threshold is $70.307MM, and any team that finishes the season above that figure must pay the league a dollar for each dollar it exceeds the cap.

Next season, the penalties become even more severe, as taxpaying teams will have to pay at least $1.50 for every dollar over. Teams above the tax "apron," the point $4MM above the tax line, will no longer be able to accept players in sign-and-trade deals as of this summer. In 2014/15, teams that have been taxpayers for at least three years in a row get socked with an even stiffer tax rate of at least $2.50 for each dollar over. Executives who are looking ahead may want to avoid the tax this year to get out of that repeater rate.  

The league uses a slightly different formula than its standard team salary measurements to determine which teams must pay the tax, counting only the bonus money the team pays out at the end of the year, rather than projected figures. The NBA also adds the difference between a first- or second-year player's minimum salary and what a third-year player would make to a team's tax figure, moving some clubs a few hundred thousand dollars higher. That means some teams are either slightly closer or farther away from the tax than indicated here, but not by so much that it pushes a club over or under the line.

The Grizzlies have already made a pair of trades that took them from about $4MM over the tax line to more than $8MM below it. So, they're not on either list here showing teams less than $5MM above and below the tax. The numbers have been rounded to the nearest $1K.

Teams less than $5MM above tax line

• Warriors: +$849K
• Celtics: +$1.275MM 
• Bulls: +$3.754MM

Teams less than $5MM below tax line

• Spurs: -$749K
• Thunder: -$826K
• Clippers: -$953K
• Pistons: -$1.741MM
• Jazz: -$3.237MM
• Hawks: -$3.378MM
• Raptors: -$3.379MM
• Pacers: -$4.013MM

HoopsWorld, ShamSports and Larry Coon's NBA Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.

This season's trade deadline is just six days away, and while the NBA's focus may be on All-Star weekend, we can expect plenty of GMs and executives to be discussing potential deals in between events in Houston this weekend.

In preparation for the deadline, we've profiled a number of players we believe are candidates to be traded, examining the likelihood of a deal, a team's motives for making a move, and potential suitors. Our trade candidate series, which links to all of our pieces to date, can be found at any time under "Hoops Rumors Features" on the right sidebar.

So far, Jose Calderon is the only player from our list to be dealt, and a number of would-be trade candidates, such as Pau Gasol, Anderson Varejao, and Leandro Barbosa, have suffered serious injuries, greatly reducing the possibility of a deal. Still, it'd be surprising if at least a couple more of our trade candidates aren't on the move in the next few days. Whether it's a lower profile player like DeJuan Blair or Timofey Mozgov, a bad contract like Carlos Boozer, Kris Humphries, or Andrea Bargnani, or a star like Josh Smith remains to be seen.

As you prepare for next Thursday's deadline and await the next big rumor, be sure to check out our trade candidate series for a primer on players who could be wearing different uniforms in a week.

Trade rumors are dominating NBA headlines these days, but not every team is looking to the trade market to add reinforcements. Some clubs have made minor additions by way of 10-day contracts, or used those deals to get a look at a handful of different players.

Because teams can't sign the same player to more than two 10-day deals, some players have received what amounts to a 20-day trial run with a team before being inked for the rest of the year, while others haven't been brought back after their initial 10-day contract.

Using Hoops Rumors' 10-day contract tracker, here's a look at the teams and players that have taken advantage of 10-day deals so far this season:

One 10-day contract:

• Josh Harrellson (Heat)
• Lazar Hayward (Timberwolves)
• Damion James (Nets)
• Jeremy Pargo (Sixers) (active)
• Donald Sloan (Hornets)
• Maalik Wayns (Sixers)

Two 10-day contracts:

• Chris Johnson (Grizzlies) (active)
• Shelvin Mack (Sixers)
• Dominic McGuire (Pacers)
• Jannero Pargo (Hawks)

Two 10-day contracts, followed by rest-of-season contract:

• Chris Andersen (Heat)
• Mickael Gelabale (Timberwolves)
• Mike James (Mavericks)
• Chris Johnson (Timberwolves)
• Jarvis Varnado (Heat)

Many of the players signed to one or more 10-day contracts this season have made little impact — guys like Josh Harrellson and Damion James barely saw the floor during their brief stints with their respective teams, and Jarvis Varnado is inactive most nights, despite signing with the Heat for the season.

Still, a handful of the players on these lists have been key contributors for their clubs. Mickael Gelabale is averaging 6.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG with a .569 FG% for the T-Wolves, while Chris Andersen has become a part of Miami's rotation, averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG. Jeremy Pargo has also looked good early on with the 76ers, scoring double-digit points in his first two games with the team.

Yesterday, we heard about a Bobcats proposal that would send Ben Gordon to the Nets for Kris Humphries. That came on the heels of news that the Bulls and Raptors have talked about a potential trade involving Carlos Boozer and Andrea Bargnani. In both scenarios, the teams would be swapping players who make eight-figure salaries. By and large, none of the four have proven a worthwhile investment.

Such is often the case as teams have to figure out the best way to deal with the strain on their salary caps. Sometimes, those clubs find a trade partner, whether it's someone who wants to swap one overpaid guy for another, or a team that's willing to absorb a large expiring deal to create flexibility in the future. On occasion, a player whose salary is too hefty for one team fits just fine on another, as with Toronto's acquisition of Rudy Gay from the Grizzlies.  

With the trade deadline approaching, here's a rundown of other players making $10MM or more this season who aren't delivering commensurate production. The list doesn't include Derrick Rose, Danny Granger, and Andrew Bynum, who haven't played this year because of injury. Each player's 2012/13 averages in points, rebounds and assists per game, along with his salary for this season, are in parentheses.

• JaVale McGee, Nuggets (10.1 PPG/4.8 RPG/0.4 APG; $10MM): McGee makes the most of his limited time on the floor, posting a 21.7 PER in 18.6 minutes per game. Still, four years and $44MM is a lot for a part-time player, and the Nuggets aren't averse to trading someone they just signed long-term, as they did last year when they acquired McGee for Nene.
• Corey Maggette, Pistons (5.3/1.4/1.1; $10.924MM): He and Jose Calderon represent close to $22MM worth of expiring contracts Detroit could package in a deal. The Pistons would reportedly rather use their upcoming cap space to improve via trades than to pursue free agents.
• Richard Jefferson, Warriors (4.0/1.6/0.7; $10.164MM): He was deadline fodder last year, and with an $11MM player option for next season, Golden State probably wouldn't mind sending him packing two years in a row. Still, the Warriors seem content to sit back and see what they've got now that Andrew Bogut is back.
• DeAndre Jordan, Clippers (9.2/7.3/0.4; $10.533MM): He's scoring at a career-best rate, but the Clippers are paying more than $1MM for each point per game he averages, which could make L.A. anxious to part ways.
• Pau Gasol, Lakers (13.4/8.0/3.6; $19MM): His struggles have been well-documented, but the Lakers would probably have a hard time finding takers for a $19MM-a-year guy who could be on the shelf for the rest of the regular season.
• Eric Gordon, Hornets (17.0/1.5/2.8; $13.669MM): Friday was just the 26th game Gordon has played in his two seasons as a Hornet, and he's yet to display the 22.3 PPG form he displayed in his final year with the Clippers. Both Gordon and New Orleans appear open to a trade.
• Amare Stoudemire, Knicks (14.1/4.6/0.4; $19.949MM): He's a bench player who's due more than $65MM between this year and 2015, when his contract is up. The Knicks would surely love to find a taker, but they'd be lucky to do so.
• Hedo Turkoglu, Magic (2.9/2.4/2.1; $11.816MM): Orlando has been trying to dump Turkoglu since before the Dwight Howard trade, but may have more luck this year, with only half of next season's $12MM guaranteed.
• Stephen Jackson, Spurs (6.7/3.0/1.4; $10.06MM): His numbers are approaching career-worst levels across the board. The Spurs may be content to let his contract expire at the end of the year, but if another team can take him off their hands in exchange for a guy who can better aid San Antonio's title chances this season, the Spurs might just do it. 
• Emeka Okafor, Wizards (8.8/8.6/1.2; $13.49MM): He's averaging career lows in points and minutes, but his per-36-minute rebounding rate this season is his all-time best, and he has an above-average 16.3 PER. That probably still isn't enough to get another team to take him on for the nearly $28MM he's owed this year and next.
• Nene, Wizards (12.7/6.7/2.8; $13MM): He was traded in the first season of a five-year, $65MM last year, so anything can happen. But he's only just now back to regularly seeing more than 30 minutes a game after dealing with plantar fasciitis, and the timing doesn't seem right for a deal.

ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.