Carter’s days with Heat
are apparently through

The former UH guard failed to
exercise an option on his
contract for this season

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From staff and wire reports

Failing to keep track of the small print in his contract has cost Anthony Carter his spot with the Miami Heat and the $4.1 million the former Hawaii guard would have earned next season, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Carter had a player option for a third and final year under his deal, and only had to inform the Heat by Monday that he would exercise that option and remain under contract. But Carter missed the June 30 deadline, effectively releasing the Heat from its end of the bargain and Carter from the Heat.

It appears that he and his agent simply forgot, and let the date slip by.

"Somebody just mentioned this to me," Carter's agent Bill Duffy said Thursday night when contacted for comment by the Sun-Sentinel. He then abruptly ended the phone call, the newspaper said.

Neither Carter nor Duffy were available for comment yesterday.

Now a free agent, Carter, who has battled injuries and played sporadically the past two seasons, is unlikely to be offered more than he NBA minimum for a player with four seasons of experience, approximately $700,000.

Meanwhile, the Heat suddenly become one of only a handful of teams with the salary cap room to make major deals in this offseason's free-agent market. Miami could sign a single superstar, such as Jason Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal, or two quality NBA players, with speculation including names like P.J. Brown, Gary Payton and Lamar Odom.

Carter had agreed to play the 2000-01 season at the NBA minimum salary to help the Heat sign free agents, and was rewarded with a three-year, $12 million deal in July 2001.

Having starred at Hawaii from 1996 through 1998, Carter was noted for donating time and money to UH after he had established himself in the NBA. In 2002 he gave $100,000 to start the Anthony Carter Endowed Scholarship Fund for the Hawaii basketball program.

He had his share of big moments with the Heat, but struggled along with the team's 25-67 record this season.