Goran Dragic, Suns Agree To Four-Year Deal
12:47am: The deal is for four years and $30MM, with $1MM bonuses if Dragic makes the All-Star team, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
12:00am: Shortly after agreeing to send Steve Nash to Los Angeles in a sign-and-trade deal, the Suns have filled their opening at point guard with unrestricted free agent Goran Dragic. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the Suns and Dragic have agreed to a four-year contract worth $34MM. According to SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link), the fourth year is a player option.
Free Agent Rumors: Hill, Dragic, McGee, Shved
Happy Fourth of July to all of our American readers! Even though it's a holiday, we're expecting more free agent developments, so we'll be providing our usual updates all day long. Here are a few of Wednesday's more minor free agent rumors, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets that Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash in signing with the Lakers or retire.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that the Suns are unwilling to offer Goran Dragic the $10MM per year he is reportedly seeking.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that negotiations between JaVale McGee and the Nuggets are "going well."
Earlier updates:
Latest On Goran Dragic
8:45pm: CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reports (via Twitter) that the Charlotte Bobcats have been in contact with Dragic's camp and will be making him an offer tonight. He adds in another tweet that the Mavericks, Raptors, and Suns are also pursuing Dragic and that he is still "far apart" in talks with the Rockets.
8:41pm: With Deron Williams re-signing with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday and Steve Nash's stunning trade to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier today, the Rockets' Goran Dragic is arguably the best point guard remaining in free agency. ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets that, following the Nash trade, the Phoenix Suns will be aggressively pursuing Dragic.
Mavericks, Jason Terry Part Ways
Yesterday, it was reported that the Boston Celtics had reached an agreement with free-agent shooting guard Jason Terry, but that Terry would give his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, the chance to match Boston's offer. However, Terry tells Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson on Wednesday that the Mavericks did not offer him a contract, and he will likely sign with Boston in the coming days.
Ersan Ilyasova Has Five-Year Offer From Bucks
6:03pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Ilyasova's five-year offer from the Bucks is worth approximately $40MM. He adds that, while the Nets are considering Ilyasova as a fallback plan if they are unable to trade for Dwight Howard, the Bucks do not appear interested in facilitating a sign-and-trade.
12:00pm: Unrestricted free agent power forward Ersan Ilyasova has a five-year contract offer on the table from the Bucks, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The amount of the offer is unknown, says Woelfel.
Knicks Emerge As Frontrunners For Steve Nash
5:15pm: NBA.com's David Aldridge tweets that Nash has yet to make a final decision on where he wants to play. He adds that the Suns are waiting on the Hornets' decision on matching Eric Gordon's offer sheet before engaging in sign-and-trade talks.
2:25pm: The Mavericks and Raptors haven't conceded yet, and remain in discussions for Nash, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
12:35pm: The Lakers were also exploring a sign-and-trade deal for Nash, but their efforts so far have been blocked by the Suns' brass, who have no desire to send Nash to a division rival, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Jason Kidd Discusses D-Will, Mavs, Future
There were rumors as free agency approached that Deron Williams and Jason Kidd might come as a "package deal," with Kidd signing wherever D-Will ended up. It doesn't appear that will happen, but Kidd suggested to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com that it was a real possibility. He also discussed Williams' decision and attempted to explain the star point guard's thought process. Here are a few highlights from the discussion….
Raptors Still Trying To Acquire Kyle Lowry
The Raptors continue to try to acquire Kyle Lowry from the Rockets, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Raps appear to be fading in the Steve Nash sweepstakes, but even if they're able to land Nash, the team will still have interest in trading for Lowry, says Stein.
Odds & Ends: Noah, Cavs, Pistons, Raptors
The U.S. squad for the 2012 Olympics has been hit hard by injuries, but Team USA isn't the only country that will see NBA players miss the London games. Already facing concerns over Tony Parker's health, France will be without Joakim Noah this summer, the Bulls big man told L'Equipe (French link). K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune confirms the news, noting that Noah will miss the Olympics to rest and rehab the ankle he sprained in the playoffs.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA on Independence Day….
Latest On Magic Coaching Search
Now that new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has spent a couple weeks on the job, the team will turn its attention to hiring a new head coach. Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the Magic are expected to interview Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, Quin Snyder, and Jacque Vaughn for their head coaching opening.