About that trade deadline...

In case anyone out there was wondering (and something tells me somebody might have been):

The trade deadline has come and gone, but trades can still be made, though players must clear waivers first. How does the process work? The Globe's Gordon Edes gives us a quick primer on the waivers process:

You're going to hear of many players put on waivers between now and the end of August. If a player clears waivers, that is, doesn't get claimed by any team, he can be traded to any team. If he gets claimed by one team, he can only be traded to the team that claimed him. If he gets claimed by more than one team, he goes to the team with the worst record in his league that claimed him, and can only be traded to that team. If he's claimed by teams in the other league, he goes to the team with the worst record, and can only be traded to that team. Of course, not trading the player remains an option. He can be pulled back from waivers once in August. If he is placed on waivers again before September, he can't be recalled a second time. Or, if a team is just hoping to dump a player's salary, it can simply allow a team that claimed that player to have him for a small waiver fee.