GregB wrote:No one will be driving up the price for him. If he signs with Boston it will be for the minimum. I am pretty sure that any money he signs for comes off his buyout.
It's possible he does sign for the minimum, but nothing comes off his buyout. Once they reach an agreement, he gets put on waivers. Teams can technically claim him off waivers and pick up his full salary, but the probability is very low. Only after he has cleared waivers and Memphis is fully on the hook for the agreed amount can he sign elsewhere, and since he has cleared waivers there would be no responsibility to his previous team. Whatever Boston pays him goes right on their cap.
The only way I see it as a minimum deal is if it's for the remainder of this year only. If it's multi-year then it will have to be for a decent amount, since at his age, the next contract may be the last one.