The trade deadline on Feb. 18 wasn’t the last day in which teams could improve on the court and financially. The lead-up to the March 1 waiver deadline also allowed teams to improve for the stretch run while also providing clubs with opportunities to save money with an eye on the summer.

The Vertical Front-Office Insider Bobby Marks takes a look at the teams that made moves before the March 1 waiver deadline.

BASKETBALL AND FINANCES

Miami

The trade-deadline deals of Brian Roberts and Jarnell Stokes helped the Heat go under the luxury tax but they are walking a tightrope to stay there. Both trades saw Miami go $218,000 below the tax and gave the Heat a small window to stay there.





View photos Joe Johnson should help Miami in the playoffs. (AP) More

Signing seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson to a pro-rated minimum contract pushed Miami over the tax by $44,000 for a short period of time. Although Johnson will be paid $414,000, the Heat will only have a $262,000 cap hit. Johnson should pay off huge for Miami come playoff time.

The Beno Udrih buyout put the Heat $46,000 below the tax line. Udrih shaved $90,000 off the $540,000 that Miami owed him.

Miami will now be in line to receive $2.5 million in league tax distribution with the ability to sign a player in April.

ADDING TO THE BENCH FOR THE STRETCH RUN

Atlanta

The Hawks used the open roster spot created from the Shelvin Mack trade to sign Kris Humphries.





The veteran Humphries will be paid $1 million of the $2 million remaining on the pro-rated room mid-level. The $1 million contract Humphries signed is the equivalent of a $4 million deal a free agent would sign in the off-season.

Dallas

The Mavericks added depth to their bench by signing David Lee to the pro-rated room exception worth $2.08 million. For financial purposes, the Lee contract is equal to a player signing a $6.8 million contract during the summer. Lee will be paid $40,000 a day for 52 days of work, not 170 days like players who sign as free agents.



To create a roster spot for Lee, Dallas waived John Jenkins. Phoenix eventually claimed Jenkins saving, the Mavericks $288,000 in salary while also wiping clean his cap hit for this season.

Golden State

The Warriors released Jason Thompson to create a roster spot to sign Anderson Varejao. Although Varejao will be paid $458,575, the Warriors will only incur a $289,755 cap hit. Golden State will also add close to $500,000 to its tax bill at the end of the season because of the signing.



Golden State will pay Thompson the remaining balance of $1.8 million for 2015-16 and will have his $6.9 million full salary hit its cap. Golden State will stretch the amount owed to Thompson in 2016-17 over the next three seasons starting in July. The Warriors will have a $945,126 cap hit on their books starting next season.

Toronto

Toronto added to its already deep bench by signing Jason Thompson.



The Raptors will incur a $245,000 cap hit with the signing. Thompson will earn $328,000 on top of his salary that Golden State will continue to pay.

In order to create a roster spot, Toronto released Anthony Bennett. The Raptors will pay Bennett for the remainder of the season while also being charged $947,000 for cap purposes.

San Antonio

To open a roster spot to sign Andre Miller, San Antonio waived point guard Ray McCallum. McCallum’s $947,000 cap hit will stay on the Spurs’ books and they will pay him for the remainder of the season.



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