February is always a great month for transaction aficionados as contending teams enjoy their last best chance to shore up playoff rosters, while also-rans position themselves for the future. The trade deadline looms just 10 days out -- 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 19, but that's just Phase 1. The second phase is the post-deadline buyout market. That consists of veterans cut loose by non-contenders looking to save some dollars, while freeing up potentially valuable players to latch on with a contender.
One player who reportedly is mulling whether to join the buyout group is Amar'e Stoudemire, who is in the last year of the massive five-year, $99.7 million deal he signed with the New York Knicks in summer 2010. If Stoudemire is set free, he could have a major impact on this season's wide-open title chase and surely would be heavily targeted by potential playoff teams.
Let's look at some different aspects of a possible Stoudemire buyout, FAQ-style.