From Chris Tommasson of the Rocky Mountain News:
A source said McDyess, who was due nearly $15 million, will be bought out for about $6 million. McDyess was acquired last Monday from Detroit (along with Chauncey Billups and Cheikh Samb for Allen Iverson), but didn't want to play for the Nuggets.
A source said McDyess, 34, had little leverage. If he didn't want to play for Denver and was unwilling to take a generous buyout, his only other option would have been retirement, and then he would have gotten nothing.
McDyess' agent, Andy Miller, who wouldn't discuss financial arrangements, said the paperwork likely will be finalized Monday. McDyess would then clear waivers Wednesday, and be a free agent able to immediately sign with any team except Detroit. If it's true McDyess wants to return to the Pistons, NBA rules don't allow him to re-sign with them until 30 days after being waived.
Assuming this timeline holds true, the earliest McDyess could re-sign with the Pistons is December 13. Even if he wants and/or intends to sign with the Pistons now, that's a long time for other contenders to get in his ear and talk about how he's the missing piece (Orlando?) and how much more money they can offer (Cavs, Lakers) or how nice it would be to play near his offseason home (Houston). (Boston is also interested, but I don't see what they have to offer aside from the chance to ride coattails.)
Also, just to clarify, I initially thought Tommasson was off by a million when he said McDyess was owed nearly $15 million, but he's apparently right. McDyess' salary with the Pistons was $6.8 million this year and next for a grand total of $13.6 million, but his contract apparently included a 10% trade kicker, meaning had he agreed to play in Denver he would have made $14.96 million.
If my understanding is correct, the most the Pistons can offer this year is the bi-annual exception of $1.9 million, but between that and the $6 million he'll receive from Denver, he can more than make up his original salary this year. As for next season, well, the Pistons will have more than enough cap space to accommodate him with -- oh, I don't know -- let's say a one-year, $6.8 million deal.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying that, should Dumars and Miller share a knowing wink and a nod, McDyess might be convinced to return on the assumption that he'll eventually get back every penny he would have earned had he not been traded in the first place.
Or something. Dumars doesn't seem like he strays too far from the straight and narrow, and a handshake deal for the future sounds an awful lot like Kevin McHale's Joe Smith shenanigans that set the Timberwolves back for years.
In any case, stay tuned: 30 days is a long time, but we should have a good idea what he intends to do within a week.