Mike Bibby reportedly was not happy in the days following his trade to the Washington Wizards from the Atlanta Hawks because he would prefer to be on a contender at this late stage of his career. Now, the Wizards appear to be granting Bibby's wish. The team will buy out the remaining part of his contract, according to NBC's Dan Hellie. Assuming the deal is completed by the end of the day, this will free Bibby to be eligible to play in the NBA Playoffs with whichever team signs him.
Bibby is under contract for $5.7 million this season and $6.4 million next season, and it remains unclear how much of that he would give back under this arrangement. Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld tends to drive a hard bargain in these situations, forcing Zydrunas ilgauskas to give a significant portion of his salary back when he was bought out last season.
Bibby has played in two games for the Wizards since being traded as part of a move that sent Kirk Hinrich to the Hawks. The 32-year old is averaging 9.1 points and 3.6 assists in just over 29 minutes per game this season. Portland, Miami and Boston have expressed interest in signing Bibby once he is bought out, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Players must be bought out by March 1 if they want to participate in the 2011 NBA playoffs, but they can sign at any point between then and the beginning of the postseason.