Not official but pretty damn likely... Earl Watson trade

[djthesonicsfan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3826213

The three way deal with the Bobcats & Mavericks makes a lot more sense after realizing Stackhouse's contract can be bought out next year.

[Big_Mac79]

Presti talks a lot about the kind of player he wants. It's mostly transplanted jargon from his days with San Antonio. A big part of that is commitment to defense & team play. Neither of which are exactly Crawford's strenths. And "on the cheap" is relative. Presti may not have to give up much to get Crawford, but he'll have to pay Crawford. Another Presti point of emphasis he brought with him from his days with the Spurs is salary structure. He wants to pay his team leaders, his best guys, the most money with the rest trickling down from there. Crawford's salary would put him at the top of the salary pile, but no way would Presti consider Crawford a team leader type.

Jackson is a more interesting idea. Haven't really given that one much thought.

Is there a way in which a player could be forced to decline his player option? Or do teams usually pay them off to decline it?

[djthesonicsfan]

There's an infinite number of ways to write a contract, but the 99% meaning of "player option" is that it's up to the player to determine if he will continue with the contract at the previously agreed upon salary. So no, a team can't force a player to decline his player option & they would be obligated to pay that salary if the player exercised his right.