Miller And Gooden Given Amnesty – NBA Roundup For July 17th

UNDATED (AP) — The Miami Heat are designating Mike Miller as their amnesty player, a move that may save more than $30 million in luxury tax payments over the next two years. Miller spent three seasons in Miami, helping the Heat win two titles and playing big roles in each playoff run.

Miller was due $12.8 million over the next two seasons, which he still gets. But his salary will not count against Miami's cap, nor factor into a luxury-tax hit that would have exceeded $30 million in 2014.

Miller tells The Associated Press he understands the move, though he's disappointed to leave a championship club.

In other NBA news:

— The Milwaukee Bucks have waived forward Drew Gooden and designated him as their amnesty player. Gooden had two years and about $13.4 million remaining on his contact. He still receives the money, but it doesn't count against the Bucks for salary cap purposes.

— The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a two-year contract with forward Jeff Pendergraph. He spent the past two seasons with Indiana, mostly in a reserve role. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season with the Pacers.

— New Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge, nearly a year after he smashed his Cadillac SUV into a utility pole on eastern Long Island. The judge placed Kidd on interim probation. In exchange for the guilty plea, Kidd also agreed to speak to Long Island high school students about the dangers of drunken driving.