Last-Minute Shopping? Joe Smith,
Drew Gooden Bought Out

The two brawny power forwards pictured at right won't be wasting the time leading up to this summer's free agency languishing on a high lottery team. The excellent Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Oklahoma City agreed to waive cagey veteran Joe Smith in time to join a playoff team. Windhorst has sources that call the Cavaliers a lock as Smith's destination.

Drew Gooden, meanwhile, became a surprise addition to the buy-out list. Traded to the Kings a week-and-change ago, Gooden has played only one game in Royal Purple. But the rebuilding Kings have young talent in the frontcourt and no real need to, um, win. Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee first reported the possibility of a buy-out Saturday; it happened just an hour before the midnight Eastern deadline. San Antonio looks like a potential landing place.

But a team with no shot at either -- the Boston Celtics -- might be the biggest story out of the last-minute buy-outs.

Boston blew its veteran load earlier this week by signing Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury. The Starbury acquisition has been debated up, down, and all around since before Christmas. Whatever. But Moore is a far cry from both Gooden and Smith, and the Celtics had no reason to rush. Let's just say you didn't hear about too many teams blowing up Moore's phone. Denver and Utah reportedly had some interest, but Boston put on an unbelievable full-court press to land the lanky fellow starting the second Sacramento waived him. It was as if Moore had a treasure map with the O'Brien trophy marked with an X. (He does not own such a device, to my knowledge.)

Meanwhile, Cleveland will get much improved with Smith, a player who reportedly had huge interest in joining Boston pre-Mikki/Starbury. And if the Celtics think they'll stay in the clear so long as Gooden stays West, don't sleep on Orlando slipping into the sweepstakes. (Gooden played for the Magic for 1-1/2 seasons earlier this decade.) Even if he ends up in San Antonio or, say, Phoenix (just a guess), that's production Boston could use ... especially with Kevin Garnett on the shelf.