Spears: Keep An Eye On Richard Hamilton Buyout

Posted by Brian Robb on Feb 22, 2011 1674019 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F02%2F22%2Fspears-keep-an-eye-on-richard-hamilton-buyout%2FSpears%3A+Keep+An+Eye+On+Richard+Hamilton+Buyout2011-02-22+19%3A44%3A30Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D16740

Former Boston Celtics beat writer Marc Spears, who currently writes for Yahoo! Sports, appeared on the Dale and Holley show on WEEI this morning to talk NBA trades. Spears is one of the most well connected reporters out there, especially when it comes to the C’s, so it caught my eye a bit when he mentioned the player to keep an eye on right now is Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons. Here’s Spears talking about the C’s interest in Hamilton and whether or not he will be bought out:

“The one guy to keep an eye on is Rip Hamilton. The Celtics definitely want him but the question is whether he is going to be bought out. The situation, from what I’m hearing in Detroit, they have to find some kind of solution to that. I can’t see them keeping him. “The problem is, he’s got two years on his deal after this year. It’s beyond fixing. Rip and the coach (John Kuester) don’t see eye-to-eye. It’s just gone too far. I think the franchise knows they have to move on. There’s even been some talk about Rip being open to giving back some money just so he can get out of there.”

“For him to get out of that situation, go to Boston, come off the bench and kind of revive his career, that might help his longevity in the league long term. It’d certainly be a financial hit for him though.”

CH’s Analysis: Realistically, this is still a pipe dream scenario, but it’s definitely encouraging to hear Hamilton may be willing to give up some money to get out of Detroit. The problem is it’d have to be a lot of money. Joe Dumars signed the former Connecticut star to an ugly extension a couple years back, and he has two more years of his contract at 12.5 million years per year, (last year he’s only guaranteed 9 million).

So while both sides may be ready to move on, Hamilton is probably going to have to give up a lot to escape purgatory for the next couple seasons. Will the 33-year-old be willing to give up the sizable amount of cash for a chance at another ring, knowing it will cost him millions in both current and future salary? That’s a question we won’t know for sure until probably after the trade deadline ends.

However, if the C’s don’t end up making a move by this Thursday, it may be a sign that a Hamilton buyout is on the way. There would be heavy competition for Rip’s services from the Bulls amongst several other contenders to be sure, so a move to Boston can’t be seen as a sure thing. It is nice to know however it’s still a faint possibility.