The Rafer Alston buyout is done and the Nets are finalizing their deal with the Heat to acquire point guard Chris Quinn.
Alston, basically, agreed to knock $1 million off the $3.107 million he had remaining on his $5.25 million salary. Once he clears waivers, then he'll join Miami. The Heat, meanwhile, are sending the fourth-year PG Quinn – picking up the remainder of his $1.05 million salary in this his final contract year, about $640,000 – and a 2012 second rounder to the Nets.
The Nets are sending a $1.2 million trade exception plus a protected second rounder in this year's draft – a pick they'll never give up unless there is divine intervention in New Jersey. The pick is protected to 50. Anything lower, it stays put.
Right, it's staying put.
So everybody said real nice things about Alston but nobody really shed a tear.
"Skip came and played hard every day," said team president Rod Thorn.
"I can't say enough good things about Rafer," said interim coach/GM Kiki Vandeweghe who admitted the buyout was "more of an understanding."
Alston, who filled the voids created by the absences of Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling, inadvertently created problems. He was being honest criticized rookie Terrence Williams for not seeking veteran advice and later, while pointing out the Nets' penchant for dropping heads when trailing, caused a firestorm as it seemed he was ripping teammates. He wanted to be with a winner while seeking a deal for next year and he'll get his chance by returning to Miami.
Quinn, a 5.6 ppg career scorer, has not played this season. But then again, neither have the Nets.
One team source insists there are numerous "irons in the fire" on the trade front while another said virtually every deal that has become public, including Eduardo Najera to Dallas for Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams, is "stone dead."
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