The New Jersey Nets opened two roster spots on Monday, trading swingman Bernard Robinson, centre Mile Ilic and cash considerations to the New Orleans Hornets for veteran guard David Wesley.
The Nets have told Wesley not to report and the team will eat the guaranteed portion of his US$1.75-million contract, general manager Ed Stefanski said. The team will waive Wesley at some point, he added.
Wesley's salary will count against the NBA's $55.63-million salary cap. The trade also helped the team get under the league's luxury tax level of $67.87 million, Stefanski said.
Teams have to pay a $1 tax for every $1 they are above the tax figure.
"What it does for us is that it gives us roster flexibility," Stefanski said. "We now have 13 guys, and the max you can have is 15. We feel good about that flexibility going forward."
There are no immediate plans to fill either roster spot, Stefanski said.
Wesley has averaged 12.5 points and 4.4 assists during 14 seasons in the NBA, including the 1993-94 campaign with the Nets. He played in 35 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, averaging about 10 minutes.
Robinson appeared in 10 games with the Nets after being acquired from Charlotte in January.
A second-round selection in the 2005 draft, Ilic appeared in five games as a rookie in 2006-07, getting one rebound in six minutes. He also appeared in nine games with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League, averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.78 blocks.
"In Mile's case, obviously, he's happy," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "There was no opportunity for him to play here and that's a credit to the other guys here. I think with Bernard, he was coming around, but the way we looked at it was it was a way to create roster flexibility down the line."
The Nets have told Wesley not to report and the team will eat the guaranteed portion of his US$1.75-million contract, general manager Ed Stefanski said. The team will waive Wesley at some point, he added.
Wesley's salary will count against the NBA's $55.63-million salary cap. The trade also helped the team get under the league's luxury tax level of $67.87 million, Stefanski said.
Teams have to pay a $1 tax for every $1 they are above the tax figure.
"What it does for us is that it gives us roster flexibility," Stefanski said. "We now have 13 guys, and the max you can have is 15. We feel good about that flexibility going forward."
There are no immediate plans to fill either roster spot, Stefanski said.
Wesley has averaged 12.5 points and 4.4 assists during 14 seasons in the NBA, including the 1993-94 campaign with the Nets. He played in 35 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, averaging about 10 minutes.
Robinson appeared in 10 games with the Nets after being acquired from Charlotte in January.
A second-round selection in the 2005 draft, Ilic appeared in five games as a rookie in 2006-07, getting one rebound in six minutes. He also appeared in nine games with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League, averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.78 blocks.
"In Mile's case, obviously, he's happy," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "There was no opportunity for him to play here and that's a credit to the other guys here. I think with Bernard, he was coming around, but the way we looked at it was it was a way to create roster flexibility down the line."
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