It's not quite amnesty day, or get-out-of-a-bad-deal Tuesday, but Dec. 15 still resonates for the Heat. As the first day when teams can trade players who signed in the offseason, Dec. 15 stands second only to the Feb. 18 trading deadline on the NBA's personnel calendar. By rule, "A free agent who signs a contract cannot be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever is later." There are, however, exceptions, and the Heat has a few.
Foremost, any player re-signed to a one-year contract or one-year contract with an option cannot be traded without his consent.
For the Heat, that means center Jamaal Magloire can be dealt this season only with his permission. Further, center Joel Anthony, because he has a one-year deal and a player option for 2010-11, can only be dealt without his permission if he first invokes his option year.
In each case, it is the player, not the team, that ultimately controls any move.
Also, because they were signed late in the offseason, Shavlik Randolph is not trade eligible until Dec. 28 and Carlos Arroyo not until Jan. 12.
Based on the Heat's recent play, some sort of player move in the coming days does not appear out of the question.
GRIZZLIES 118, HEAT 90: Coming out sluggish for a second consecutive game, the Heat allowed 37 first-quarter points and never could find an answer for Rudy Gay, whose 41 points were not only a career high, but the most against the Heat this season. The Heat never could get a handle on Memphis' athleticism or height, as it dropped to .500 for the first time this season, as well as 6-7 at home.
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