The candidates were Reggie, Batum, Mann, Fi, Oturu. Everyone else is either in the top 8 (qualifying for “bigger trade” status) or Patrick Patterson, who has a no-trade clause. Declining Fi’s option and making him an expiring seems to indicate really strongly that when it’s time to shed salary, Fi’s 2M is where they’ll turn. As you said–and it’s exactly what Rob and I said when we critiqued the selections of Fi and Oturu to begin with–you can find replacement-level bigs for the minimum every year.

You could replace Fi w/ an emergency big like Dedmon (or whoever else becomes available on the buyout market) plus fill the 15th roster spot with whoever the trendy buyout guard/wing of the year is. Trevor Ariza and George Hill could both pursue buyouts from OKC although the Thunder will try to trade them first. If the Spurs flip Patty Mills’ expiring at the deadline he could get bought out but they don’t figure to be buyers in trade talks. Tony Snell in Detroit? PJ Tucker if Houston goes down the toilet? Garrett Temple could give some money back to the Bulls and try his luck again. This is all just guessing, we’ll have to see what rumors actually emerge as we get there.

Still a little surprising given it’s pretty rare not to at least pick up that 3rd year, but imagining Fi and Oturu both on the team past the trade deadline was always probably unlikely. I thought Fi would have at least some value around the league as a former 1st round pick that some mocks had going in the middle of the 1st round. But I think that’s even unlikely at this point.

Fi is now an expiring contract, which means the Clippers are gonna trade his $2,075,880 salary (along with cash + future 2nd?) for nothing and have $2,615,385 in hard cap room and 2 open roster spots.

I wonder what Dewayne Dedmon is up to?