March 1st is an important date on the NBA calendar.

March 1st is an important date on the NBA calendar. This is because the first of March is the date by which an NBA player must be released by his former club in order to sign with a new team the same season and still be eligible for a playoff roster. We see it every year – a handful of veteran players agree to buy-outs with their current teams, in hopes of signing on with a new organization, one that has playoff aspirations. Contending teams are often looking for reinforcements for the stretch run and beyond, while the recently released veterans are hoping to help provide the push that puts their new squad over the top.

The Buyout Crew: As teams start to look ahead after the trade deadline, there are several players that will be bought out or given their outright release.

All released players have to go through the waiver process which gives others teams the option of picking up that player's existing contract; a team with ample cap room could make a waiver claim on anyone who is released. Teams at or over the cap line have to wait out the waiver process and can negotiate with those players as unrestricted free agents.

As long as a player is waived before March 1st, that player is eligible for the playoffs regardless of when that players signs a deal. Players waived after March 1st can play regular season games, they just cannot suit up for the playoffs.

Here are some of the names expected to hit the waiver wire in the next few days.

Troy Murphy: Murphy is likely the prize of the Buyout Crew, he'll have a number of contenders looking to secure his services. As a 6'10 "stretch four" player he can step out and hit threes making him a coveted player.

The Orlando Magic, L.A. Lakers, Miami HEAT and Boston Celtics all have eyes for Murphy and the early word is he is leaning towards Boston.

Murphy is owed some $12 million this season, so none of the suitors interested in Murphy could claim him. It will be up to Troy on where he plays next.

Jared Jeffries: The Houston Rockets tried desperately to trade Jefferies yesterday but were unable to make a deal.

Jeffries is expected to be waived in the next 48 hours and he is already telling people around him that he'll be returning to the New York Knicks.

Jeffries played well for Mike D'Antoni but was traded away for cap purposes last year.

The market for Jeffries may not be very big, so landing in New York seems like the only option. However the Knicks would have to waive a player to create roster room for him.

Leon Powe: Powe got his release from the Cavs yesterday and is expected to re-join the Celtics once he clears waiver.

Powe was a favorite of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and with three open roster spots the Celtics have room to add a player like Powe.

T.J. Ford: Ford is expected to be bought out by the Indiana Pacers in the coming days, however Ford has said he would not take a buyout unless he had clear indications that he'd land on another team.

The Knicks, HEAT and Kings have been linked to Ford as a possible reserve guard. The Kings have enough space under the salary cap to make a waiver claim on Ford, however it's unlikely that they would make a claim when they could potentially sign him for far less money.

Most NBA teams try and get their roster business done quickly so they can move on with the bottom part of the schedule, so expect these players to make quick decision once they hit the market.

Heisley Talks Mayo: The Memphis Grizzlies had a deal to acquire Josh McRoberts from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Grizzlies' guard O.J. Mayo. The deal was agreed to, however both teams missed the 3pm EST cutoff and were unable to get the deal into the league in time to get it officiated.

Grizzlies' owner Michael Heisley says the breakdown was not on his team's side, rather it was the Pacers and that the decision to trade O.J. was more about getting another power forward than dumping a troubled Mayo.

"Indiana was not able to get it all together," Heisley said to David Aldridge of NBA.com. "People are going to say I have reservations (about the proposed trade). I think from our point of view, we were interested in the trade going forward. It was a very, very difficult conversation for us. It took us a long time to decide. We were getting a lot of players at the two and three position and we were getting a little skinny at the four. We had three candidates we were looking at and when we decided on one, O.J. had to be part of that trade. It wasn't that we were anxious to get rid of him."

"People call up for O.J. all the time," Heisley said. "We received a number of calls on O.J. What I would say to O.J. is there are a lot of people — including us — who think you're a good player. It's not that we're down on O.J., it's just that we've got a lot of players who've blossomed in recent time. It's not that they've beaten O.J. out, but we've just got a lot of players vying for limited minutes."

Sam Smith of Bulls.com is reporting the Bulls tried desperately to extract Mayo from Memphis, but were turned away by an ambivalent Grizzlies team.

Smith reports the Bulls offered multiple first-round picks, a returning player, and a willingness to absorb additional contract dollars only to be turned away.

The Grizzlies' reportedly had a deal for Mayo last year at the trade deadline and walked away.

No Promises From Deron Williams: The New Jersey Nets introduced Deron Williams yesterday, and while the team is hoping to build a contender around Williams, the threat of him leaving the team in July of 2012 is real, and Williams did little to quell the notion he'd walk away in a year.

"I won't know what I'm going to do until then, so I can't give an answer," Williams said to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "I can't really give any assurances. I don't know what the future holds, but there's definitely a strong possibility [I'll re-sign]... It all depends on how the next year goes: the collective bargaining agreement and the type of moves we make and people we bring into this organization."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous going to a team that was 17-40," said Williams.

Williams said he got more comfortable about the situation after talking with Nets' GM Billy King, and he's open to trying to help build something for the Nets.

"It really got me excited about the possibilities of competing for a championship in the next couple of years," Williams said. "They're very ambitious in going after a lot of guys. I'm going to help with that."

The Nets desperately needed a credible face for the franchise as they begin selling the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, which is set to open in 2012-2013, so the assets and the gamble the Nets have made on Williams was a necessary risk.

Sources close to the situation said earlier in the week Williams was the player they would build around, and would do whatever was necessary to surround him with talent.

Time will tell if that will keep Williams with the Nets and ultimately in Brooklyn.

Moving To Anaheim: Orange County California is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, so it's easy to see why the Sacramento Kings who are struggling to make ends meet in NoCal are looking to Anaheim to save their franchise.

The Kings have petitioned the NBA to extend the relocation deadline from March 1st to mid-April, as they'd like to discuss their options with the NBA's Board of Governors in April.


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