A variety of factors — including a poor economy, weak season-ticket sales, a declining salary cap and the LeBron sweepstakes itself — could conspire to make this an unhappy off-season for most free agents.
"Although we respect Vikram's decision again to decline salary or an incentive award for 2010, we believe that his performance would merit a different outcome," Mr. Parsons said in a statement.
GIANTS AND HOWRY AGREE The San Francisco Giants took another step to bolster their bullpen, agreeing a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the free-agent reliever Bobby Howry, who was declined salary arbitration by the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Mr. Bush earned $70,554 as governor of Texas after declining his salary for those days that he was campaigning for the presidency.
He closed the store in 1974, rejoiced at the park's opening in 1976 and then, after leaving the council in 1977, worked — full time, but declining a salary — for the city's cultural arts commission and what was called the City Spirit office.
Corporate sponsorships and investments declined, hitting salaries and making players yet more susceptible to gambling syndicates.
As tax revenues have declined, deputies' salaries have taken a hit, and volunteers have helped scour for bodies in the brush.
By the early 1980's, the league was declining as N.B.A. salaries escalated and pro teams, wary of injuries on asphalt, forbade their players from participating.
International sanctions on the military government and a declining economy made salaries of civil savants unattractive.
For Webb to initially decline a salary, Gandhi said, was in itself suggestive.
