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Rafer Alston, one of the players at the heart of the Miami Heat's playoff revival in 2003-04, said Tuesday he is planning on a South Florida encore.
Alston, who had been moved out of the New Jersey Nets' rotation, completed a buyout Tuesday with the Nets, and plans to sign Thursday with the Heat.
"I'm coming," he said Tuesday night. "I can't explain in words how excited I am. I'm really excited."
In order to clear room for Alston in its backcourt rotation, the Heat on Tuesday traded seldom-used point guard Chris Quinn, as well as its second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and cash to the Nets.
In a bookkeeping matter, because something must be sent to the Heat in return in the Quinn trade, the Heat will get the Nets' 2010 second-round pick if it is No. 50 or higher. That, however, would require the league-worst Nets to finish with one of the NBA's 10 best records. Essentially, the Heat therefore traded Quinn for nothing, other than realizing a trade exception worth about $1.1 million.
Quinn, although healthy, had yet to dress for the Heat this season.
"There has never been a better person that has played for the Miami Heat than Chris Quinn," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. "He is one of the hardest-working, most-dedicated people that we've ever experienced. We want to wish Chris nothing but the very best as he moves on in his career."
Neither Riley nor anyone from his staff spoke about any other personnel machinations, including the fate of point guard Carlos Arroyo, whose contract will become guaranteed for the season unless he is released by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Alston, however, confirmed that unless a team claims him during the 48-hour waiver period, and therefore agrees to pay him his full $5.3 million salary for the season, he will sign Thursday with the Heat. He will receive almost all of his salary in the buyout from the Nets.
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Rafer Alston, one of the players at the heart of the Miami Heat's playoff revival in 2003-04, said Tuesday he is planning on a South Florida encore.
Alston, who had been moved out of the New Jersey Nets' rotation, completed a buyout Tuesday with the Nets, and plans to sign Thursday with the Heat.
"I'm coming," he said Tuesday night. "I can't explain in words how excited I am. I'm really excited."
In order to clear room for Alston in its backcourt rotation, the Heat on Tuesday traded seldom-used point guard Chris Quinn, as well as its second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and cash to the Nets.
In a bookkeeping matter, because something must be sent to the Heat in return in the Quinn trade, the Heat will get the Nets' 2010 second-round pick if it is No. 50 or higher. That, however, would require the league-worst Nets to finish with one of the NBA's 10 best records. Essentially, the Heat therefore traded Quinn for nothing, other than realizing a trade exception worth about $1.1 million.
Quinn, although healthy, had yet to dress for the Heat this season.
"There has never been a better person that has played for the Miami Heat than Chris Quinn," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. "He is one of the hardest-working, most-dedicated people that we've ever experienced. We want to wish Chris nothing but the very best as he moves on in his career."
Neither Riley nor anyone from his staff spoke about any other personnel machinations, including the fate of point guard Carlos Arroyo, whose contract will become guaranteed for the season unless he is released by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Alston, however, confirmed that unless a team claims him during the 48-hour waiver period, and therefore agrees to pay him his full $5.3 million salary for the season, he will sign Thursday with the Heat. He will receive almost all of his salary in the buyout from the Nets.
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