Aaron McKie Somehow Still In NBA

It’s funny to think that had there not been an amnesty clause in the NBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement, Aaron McKie would still be a member of the 76ers. Instead, he was collecting $7 million for the final year of the contract he signed after the 76ers went to the 2001 Finals and working as a volunteer assistant with the Sixers. See, if you’re making $7 mil, you can afford to volunteer.

(Thought: Did Billy King really think Aaron McKie would be contributing to the 76ers still in the 2007-08 season? Really?)

McKie played last year in a limited role for the Los Angeles Lakers but was, essentially, retired. The Lakers, though, still held his rights (somehow) as some weird NBA rule. (According to this list, the 76ers still technically hold the rights to Rick Mahorn. And Rodney Rogers!) When the Lakers needed a player to make the cap space on a deal for Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol, they re-signed McKie for a reported $750,000 for the rest of the year and sent him to the Grizzlies.

And now he’s going to be a player/assistant coach to Marc “Knees” Iavaroni for the Grizzlies. Weird, huh?

Phew, the NBA is complicated.