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While a majority of the players were assembling in New York as part of the All-Star Weekend, Amar’e Stoudemire is doing the opposite. Night of the All-Star Game league sources confirmed that New York Knicks and Amar’e Stoudemire have agreed to a buyout. He will be officially waived on Monday and will be a free agent on Wednesday at 5 pm.
With teams needing to shell out $23.4 million to claim him off waivers, Stoudemire’s chances of becoming a free agent on Wednesday are really high. After averaging 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in the first season of his five year $99 million contract, Stoudemire’s game has taken a hit every year since. Putting up 12 points and grabbing 6.8 rebounds per game in the 36 games so far, Stoudemire will take his chances and intends to sign with a contender.
"It's not an easy decision to make," Stoudemire told Yahoo! Sports. "Over time, we will see how things pan out. You give yourself a break during the All-Star break. You think about it with your family.That will give me a good solid week on how to weigh out the rest of the season."
Acoording to ESPN.com, the Dallas Mavericks are front runners to lure the 6 foot 10 forward in order to strengthen their weak front court bench. However, the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns are also showing interest. The Mavericks look to be a good situation with the assurance of minutes behind Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler.
"All possibilities at this point are still open," Stoudemire said last week. "The door is still open for that. But at the same time, I am with the Knicks now. I got to stay optimistic about things and what we are doing here. I can't really focus on the future, because it's not here.
"We still have a couple weeks left before it's all said and done. It's a decision I have to make with my family to figure out the best scenario for the near future."
Aged 32 with weak knees, Stoudemire might be a defensive liablity, but is sure to provide some offense, given his field goal percentage of 54% in limited minutes.
