"Rafer Alston, one of the players at the heart of the Miami Heat's playoff revival in 2003-04, said Tuesday he is planning on a South Florida encore.

Alston, who had been moved out of the New Jersey Nets' rotation, completed a buyout Tuesday with the Nets, and plans to sign Thursday with the Heat.

"I'm coming," he said Tuesday night. "I can't explain in words how excited I am. I'm really excited."

In order to clear room for Alston in its backcourt rotation, the Heat on Tuesday traded seldom-used point guard Chris Quinn, as well as its second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and cash to the Nets.

In a bookkeeping matter, because something must be sent to the Heat in return in the Quinn trade, the Heat will get the Nets' 2010 second-round pick if it is No. 50 or higher. That, however, would require the league-worst Nets to finish with one of the NBA's 10 best records. Essentially, the Heat therefore traded Quinn for nothing, other than realizing a trade exception worth about $1.1 million.

Quinn, although healthy, had yet to dress for the Heat this season.

"There has never been a better person that has played for the Miami Heat than Chris Quinn," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. "He is one of the hardest-working, most-dedicated people that we've ever experienced. We want to wish Chris nothing but the very best as he moves on in his career.""