The Kings have waived small forward Caron Butler and power forward Duje Dukan, sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical.
That frees up more roster space, though Butler had already exercised his player option worth $1,551,659 for next season. Deleting Dukan from the roster gives them a little more cap room, since Dukan’s $874,636 contract was not guaranteed.
Butler might have trouble finding a new team if he doesn’t retire, though Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical believes the Heat might have some interest. The Kings obviously would have moved his contract if they could have found a taker. The 36-year-old barely saw the floor during the 2015/16 season, playing a total of 176 minutes in 17 games for the Kings. Most of his absences were primarily the result of DNP-CDs.
Dukan signed with the Kings after going undrafted last June. The University of Wisconsin product spent most of the season with the Kings’ D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, before appearing in one April game with Sacramento. Dukan can still play on the Kings’ summer team even though he’s been waived, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee notes.
Butler I understand they would waive, especially after the Barnes signing. Not sure when Dukan’s deal would be guaranteed, but he would have been good to bring to training camp.
I hope that Butler does find a new home. I played against him in pee-wee basketball.
Caron Butler would be the perfect vet presence the Lakers are seeking at back up SF. He played for the Lakers before and would be a great fit with the second unit.