Another Idle Day for Shaw

Brian Shaw spent another day in limbo, stuck between the Lakers and teams perhaps as intrigued by Shaw (Miami) as they are with sticking it to the Lakers (Dallas).

A valuable, veteran guard who is respected in the Laker locker room--”We need him,” Kobe Bryant said Friday night--Shaw missed Thursday’s game on waivers, Friday’s as a free agent, and might not be signed in time to play tonight against the Utah Jazz.

Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Saturday afternoon that there was no progress in negotiations with Shaw’s agent, Jerome Stanley, and that Shaw’s free agency would last at least another day.

“I’m hopeful he’d be in uniform [tonight],” Kupchak said. “But I have no indication he will be.”

The Lakers waived Shaw Wednesday so they would not have to pay his $2.25-million salary, which was to become guaranteed in December. The club hopes to re-sign Shaw at the veterans’ minimum $1 million, and in the process save themselves from the luxury tax after the season. Some teams have projected that savings at as much as $10 million.

The salary cap figures to be about $42.5 million this season, but that is not the important figure. Most teams are well over that.

The luxury-tax ceiling has been estimated at about $55 million, and would only come into effect if payrolls add up to more than 61.1% of the league’s basketball-related income. That won’t be determined until after the season.

In a nutshell, if the Laker payroll is above the luxury tax ceiling, ownership would have to pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, but there is much more.

The money collected from the dollar-for-dollar tax would be redistributed to teams that are not over the threshold.

Also, teams spending more than the luxury tax would not receive a full share of a second fund, the players’ escrow account. Players will have 10% of their salaries garnished beginning in February, and that, too, will be distributed among the 29 teams.

*

Shaquille O’Neal’s 16-for-18 performance from the line Friday night was his best career percentage, .889, in a game in which he had at least 15 free throws.

He was 13 for 13 against the Denver Nuggets on April 17.

*

Since April 1, including the postseason, the Lakers are 26-1. The lone loss, of course, was to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In overtime. ... The Lakers have not trailed after the first quarter in their three games. ... Phil Jackson canceled practice Saturday.

TONIGHT

vs. Utah, 6:30

Fox Sports Net

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KLAC (570).

Records--Lakers 3-0, Jazz 1-2.

Record vs. Jazz--1-0.

Update--The Lakers beat the Jazz, 105-101, Thursday night in Salt Lake City. John Stockton suffered a laceration on the inside of his right--and shooting--index finger, but he came back to play Saturday night in a 91-74 victory at Seattle. Stockton’s 19 points led the Jazz against the Lakers. Kobe Bryant scored 39 points and Shaquille O’Neal scored 31.

Tickets--(800) 462-2849.