DENVER -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas is bracing himself for the storm. For at least the next six weeks he has a new attachment to his name when it comes to clandestine trade talks and media reports: expiring contract.
Players with that designation are the center of the NBA's universe at this time of year, trade season.
"I'm sure there are going to be some teams that take a very hard look at me," Ilgauskas said before the Cavs took on the Denver Nuggets to begin their five-game Western trip Friday night.
"Because so many teams are trying to dump salary, I know the talks are going to pick up."
That is what an expiring contract does. NBA trades have to be balanced by the salaries of the players being swapped, within 25 percent by rule. But the numbers that have to match are the salaries this year, not the future.
So by trading for a player like Ilgauskas, who makes $11.5 million this season, for a player with a long contract can save a team tens of millions in the future. In Ilgauskas' case, the offer is potentially even sweeter than normal.
According to a source, Ilgauskas' payment schedule included half of his salary paid last summer and the rest of the $5.75 million spread out over payments during the season. That means a team that would trade for Ilgauskas would be left with a relatively small prorated portion to pay off Ilgauskas' remaining salary.
The most a team could save on such a transaction is $3 million, but every little bit helps. Especially because Ilgauskas has a kicker in his contract that would award him a $1.7 million trade bonus.
Adding even more intrigue to an Ilgauskas trade is the prospect that he could ask for a buyout of his contract if he's sent to a non-contender. In that case, he'd potentially take slightly less money to get out of the end of the deal and make it up by re-signing with a contender. Again, saving the team that might trade for him significant dollars.
"I have read about that and I've seen it happen before with other guys but no one has talked to me about anything like that," Ilgauskas said. "My desire is to stay here and play with this team but I know everything else is out of my control."
Right now the Cavs probably couldn't afford to trade Ilgauskas and not get him back via a buyout. The so-called "buyout and return" is a loophole in the current collective bargaining agreement that will probably be closed in a few years. Teams like the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons have used it effectively in the past.
Such a scenario may be needed because Ilgauskas has been playing so well in his first season coming off the bench. He went through a shooting slump in November, which seemed to be kicked off by a six-game stint in the starting lineup in place of an injured Shaquille O'Neal, where he shot just 29 percent over nine games.
But he's found a groove over the past month, shooting 55 percent and averaging 8.8 points over the past 13 games. His size has helped the Cavs deal with the height of elite teams such as the Lakers and Magic, games where he's been on the floor at the same time as O'Neal.
"He had a lot going on, it wasn't just the change to coming off the bench," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He adopted two wonderful little boys and when you have a family at home your schedule is a little different. So it was an adjustment period with that, too. But he's had the kids for a while and gotten a solid routine and he's gotten that on the floor. He's got a better feel and you can see it."
Ilgauskas is feeling so good about his role at the moment that he's apparently decided to table any retirement talk. At the beginning of the season, he said this season could be his last.
"The minutes aren't as massive as they used to be," Ilgauskas said. "I'm not as beat up, usually this point of the year you start to feel the physical toll but I feel better than last year at this point. I want to play as long as I feel like I enjoy playing and I contribute and I want to play past this season."
Dribbles: Cavs guard Daniel Gibson got engaged to his girlfriend, singer and reality show star Keyshia Cole, over New Year's while at home in Houston. The couple is expecting a baby boy. . . . That was the good news, the bad news is Gibson, who played at Texas, lost a bet on the BCS National Championship Game to Mo Williams, who played at Alabama. Gibson will now have to wear Alabama gear for the next week, starting with a sweatshirt Friday. . . . Leon Powe will probably start practicing with the team when the Cavs get back from the trip. "I've been in there for a few drills already," said Powe, who had ACL replacement surgery in May. "But my doctors won't let me play until after the All-Star break."
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