Kerry Kittles to be Left Unprotected

Kittles could be a Net loss

Kerry Kittles turns 30 on June 12, the same day the Nets are expected to submit their expansion draft to the league with his name on it.
With the Charlotte Bobcats entering the NBA next season, a Nets source said the franchise's second all-time leading almost certainly will be left unprotected for the June 22 expansion draft.

All non-NBA Finals teams must hand in their list 10 days before that draft. However, whether the Bobcats take Kittles remains to be seen.

Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff has said that the only veterans he wants are those with one or two years remaining on their contracts. However, Charlotte, which must select at least 14 expansion players, will start with just two-thirds of the league's salary cap (perhaps $31 million). A Bobcats source said the team likely would pass on Kittles because of how much he'll make.

However, according to expansion rules, teams can entice the Bobcats by offering them draft picks and up to $3 million to select certain players to get them off their cap.

"I'm not sure what we are going to do," Nets CEO Rod Thorn said regarding protecting players. "You never know what transpires between now and the end of the season, who is going to be hurt, who is not. You look at what you have and who you think might be picked."

I'm assuming the Nets are indeed hoping to strike a deal with the Bobcats and re-sign Kittles to a much smaller deal. If not...why are they so willing to part with him? I would have thought that they would prefer to explore trade possibilities rather than letting him go for nothing.