Sixers Notes | Buyout deal lets Sixers cut Webber loose
The team didn't say what it will pay to undo his contract's last two years. The ailing star's playing time had dropped.
NEW YORK - Less than two years after acquiring Chris Webber as a scoring partner for Allen Iverson, the 76ers agreed with him on a buyout of the rest of his contract, president and general manager Billy King said last night.
King said the buyout agreement had been sent to the NBA office, which signed off on it late last night. The Sixers are expected to place Webber on waivers this morning, and if he is not claimed within 48 hours, he will become a free agent.
King would not reveal any terms of the buyout of the contract, which had the rest of this season at a $20,718,750 annual salary and next season at $22,312,500 remaining. It is believed, however, that the Sixers' salary-cap numbers will drop slightly, possibly putting them under the luxury-tax threshold of $65.42 million.
The Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets reportedly are very interested in Webber, 33, as are the New York Knicks, the Sixers' opponents last night. He is believed to want to play for a team with a chance to go far in the playoffs.
In a statement released last night by his agent, Aaron Goodwin, Webber said, "I believe this is the best situation for both parties, and I look forward to continuing my basketball career."
Webber also said, "I wish the 76ers' organization the best, and I thank the fans for their support during my time in Philadelphia."
King said the agreement with Webber, who was acquired Feb. 23, 2005, in a six-player trade with Sacramento, had provided "clarity for our organization."
"I talked to Chris, and I think he's a pro," King said at halftime last night. "He did everything that was asked of him. It's a situation where we're going in a different direction. I think this will allow Chris to go in a direction that will help him and will help us."
Webber, who missed 11 of his last 14 games with the Sixers, counting last night, with right foot and ankle problems, was not at Madison Square Garden.
The forward, who came to Philadelphia from the Kings with Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner, had been expected to team with Iverson to form a ferocious one-two scoring punch.
The two all-stars did just that, combining to average 53.2 points last season, more than any other NBA tandem. But the Sixers finished just 38-44 and missed the playoffs, and the two players could not find the same chemistry this season.
"I think at that time" of the trade, King said, "we were at a different point and place than we are now."
Webber averaged 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 18 games with the Sixers this season, a far cry from his averages of 20.2 points and 9.9 rebounds last year and 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in his 13 NBA seasons before this one.
He has scored 16,661 career points, 70th on the all-time list.
"Obviously, last year he was very good," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said before last night's game. "This year has not been probably where he'd like to be. He was averaging 20 points and almost 10 rebounds last year, so I think his play has been great. You can always find things to nitpick about [in] someone's game, but I think overall his game has been fine."
Webber missed only five games because of injury last season and talked in the preseason about how much stronger his left knee felt. He underwent microfracture surgery on the knee in June 2003.
Back, foot and ankle injuries, however, bothered him this season.
Webber sprained his right ankle and bruised his right foot in a Dec. 13 game against Boston. He sat out four games, returned for three, and had been out ever since.
"You have to take things as they are," Cheeks said when asked whether he had expected more from Webber. "You have to look at it and put him on the floor and see what happens.
"When Chris steps out on the floor, he gives you what he has. He's a very good offensive player and a very good passer, and he's a very good team defender."
Webber's playing time diminished to 30.2 minutes per game, and he played sparingly in fourth quarters. Iverson played his last game as a Sixer on Dec. 6, was told to stay away from the team for six games, and was traded to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 19.
Webber and the Sixers had been talking about a buyout for more than a week. The process did not take any longer than usual, King said, but amending Webber's contract to allow for a buyout required a good deal of paperwork.
"When you do anything with a contract, it has to go to the league for approval," King said. "Any time you sign a player or make a trade, it goes to the league. So you just don't amend a contract without the league saying it's OK."
Sixers Notes |
Chris Webber's Statistics
Year, team G FG% FT% PPG
1993-94 Golden State 78 55.2 53.2 17.5
1994-95 Washington 54 49.5 50.2 20.1
1995-96 Washington 15 54.3 59.4 23.7
1996-97 Washington 72 51.8 56.5 20.1
1997-98 Washington 71 48.2 58.9 21.9
1998-99 Sacramento 42 40.9 45.4 20.0
1999-00 Sacramento 75 38.4 75.1 24.5
2000-01 Sacramento 70 40.5 70.3 27.1
2001-02 Sacramento 54 38.4 74.9 24.5
2002-03 Sacramento 67 39.1 60.7 23.0
2003-04 Sacramento 23 36.1 71.1 18.7
2004-05 Sac.-76ers 67 35.4 79.4 19.5
2005-06 76ers 75 38.6 75.6 20.2
2006-07 76ers 18 30.2 64.3 11.0
Totals 779 37.8 65.0 21.4