Caron Butler buzzing after San Antonio Spurs visit – NBA Update
Free agent Caron Butler is very pleased with the San Antonio Spurs after paying them a visit on Wednesday.
Butler had been invited to the training facility by the franchise that is looking to sign him on for next season.
The Spurs are arguably the best run organization in the NBA and they certainly left Butler in awe. Although there wasn’t too much word through official channels about the visit, it left a big enough mark on Butler to speak out
on a personal level.
"Just met with Spurs great visit first class all the way ..." Butler said in a message on the social networking website, Twitter.
The Spurs are looking at Butler and a number of other options to fill the role of starting small forward. The team went with Richard Jefferson last season at the number 3 but are believed to be not to keen on retaining his services.
In fact, sources have suggested that the Spurs are likely to use the amnesty clause, a relief measure in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, in order to lay off Jefferson’s contract. The player is set to earn over $9 million
next season and around $30 million for the total 3 years left on his contract.
If the Spurs use the amnesty clause on Jefferson, they will still have to pay out the contract to the forward. That money though won’t count against their salary cap space, making room for new blood, such as Caron Butler.
Butler represents a very viable option for a number of teams in this year’s free agency. The veteran is adept at defence and is a proven scorer, doing well in 29 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. He got injured though
around the turn of the year, forcing him to sit out the Mavericks NBA Championship winning run.
Dallas have been hit hard by the new rules and it is uncertain if they would be able to retain the services of a number of high profile free agents, including Butler, Tyson Chandler and point guard Jose Barea.
The 31 year old Butler seems to be in demand at the moment with a number of teams chasing after his signature. The teams to have contacted Butler include the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Los
Angeles Clippers and the Spurs.
Clippers star Mo Williams has actively tried to recruit him for the franchise, as revealed during Butler’s visit to the team’s facilities on Tuesday.
At 31 years old, Butler represents a sustainable investment for many teams, one that has proven its usefulness over a number of years. A drawback though is the horrendous injury the player suffered last season and whether he can
fully recover from it.
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