DEERFIELD, Ill. — John Starks is stuck with the Chicago Bulls. For now.
Arbitrator Kenneth Dam said Friday he didn't have the jurisdiction to rule on Starks' unusual request to leave the Bulls and join a playoff contender.
Starks offered to forfeit the rest of his $4 million salary if the Bulls would waive him, clearing the way for him to sign with a team headed for the playoffs.
The case will likely now go to a grievance arbitrator.
"I can't talk about that right now," Starks said when reached at his hotel.
Starks made it clear when he was traded to Chicago from Golden State last month that, at age 34, he wanted to play for a contender. Bulls general manager Jerry Krause tried to trade Starks before last week's deadline, but there were no takers.
Starks then asked to be released, saying he was willing to give up roughly $900,000 in salary.
"If this team was in the playoff race, I'd love to be here. No question," he said Thursday night. "But that's not the case. ... Every player that plays the game wants to win a championship. I'm no different."
The New York Knicks and Miami Heat were interested in adding him if he won his case, several league sources said.
The players union argued that, if Starks was willing to give up his salary, the league shouldn't stand in his way of joining a team with a shot at a championship.
But the league countered there is no provision in the collective bargaining agreement for such a move, so it shouldn't be allowed.
Dam agreed with the league, saying it hadn't circumvented the collective bargaining agreement. But if the league didn't circumvent the rules, Dam said, the case should be heard by a grievance arbitrator. Dam is a system arbitrator.
"It appears very likely this matter will be brought up before the grievance arbitrator within the next week," union spokesman Dan Wasserman said.
The NBA is happy with Dam's decision, spokesman Brian McIntyre said.
"We felt the rules were upheld and we have to be consistent for all 29 teams," he said. "You can't be changing rules in the middle of the season."
The Bulls can still release Starks and let him sign with another team, but they'd have to pay the remainder of his salary. Starks would still be shut out of the playoffs, too.