Sonics (Conveniently) Waive Brent Barry

When the Sonics acquired Brent Barry from the Spurs in the Kurt Thomas trade, it was obvious that the only reason they wanted him was because of his expiring contract. Today, that point was hammered home when it was announced that the Sonics waived Barry before he even had a chance to suit up.

There's talk than the Suns and Warriors might be interested in him, but he could always just return to San Antonio -- and in hindsight, it's only natural to wonder if that was the plan all along. From Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News:

[The] Spurs should want him back, and maybe this is a Jerry Stackhouse arrangement. The Seattle general manager who traded for and then waived Barry, Sam Presti, once worked for R.C. Buford.

Why this would be more likely to pass an NBA inspection: Unlike Stackhouse, who blabbed about how he would return to Dallas, thus scuttling his deal, Barry would be too smart for that.

Of course, for Barry to return to the Spurs he'd have to sit out for 30 days, during which time he'll be courted by other contenders hoping to change his mind with bribes of more playing time. Considering the NBA threatened to squash the Stackhouse trade because of a similar arrangement, it'll be interesting to see how the commissioner's office would react to Barry's return. Maybe there's not enough evidence for David Stern to actually levy punishment or block the move, but it might be a loophole he'll want to considering tightening up this summer.