Free Agent Rumors: Terry, Lewis, Bass, Young
As the first day of free agency continues, reports continue to pour in on teams reaching out to certain players, perhaps to schedule meetings or make contract offers. We've rounded up plenty of those items already today, but we'll use this space to follow a few more updates, as they come in….
Stephen Curry Extension Appears Unlikely
"Early indications" suggest that the Warriors and Stephen Curry will not agree to a contract extension this year, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Because he's entering the final year of his rookie scale contract, Curry is eligible for a maximum-salary extension of up to five years. If he and the Warriors don't work out a deal, he'll be a restricted free agent next summer.
Curry is slated to earn about $3.96MM in 2012/13.
Ray Allen Rumors: Sunday
It's possible that we've heard more rumors and rumblings about Ray Allen than any other free agent on the market so far. The flurry of activity surrounding Allen makes some sense — he's a veteran player with a championship under his belt, and could be obtainable for the mid-level exception, making him a popular target for contenders in need of a shooter. Here's the latest on Allen:
Pacers Reach Out To Omer Asik
With the Trail Blazers heavily courting Roy Hibbert and expecting to sign him to a maximum-salary offer sheet as soon as they can, the Pacers are exploring contingency plans. According to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter), Indiana has reached out to Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik.
Wells cautions that the Pacers' interest in Asik doesn't mean the team won't match the Blazers' offer to Hibbert. GM Kevin Pritchard and president Donnie Walsh are simply doing their homework, according to Wells. Asik is also drawing interest from the Rockets, who may be preparing an offer that starts at $8MM.
Earl Clark Exercises Player Option With Magic
SUNDAY, 12:53pm: Clark changed his mind on his option and informed the Magic on Friday that he has decided to opt in, according to Alex Kennedy (Twitter links). The move will put him on Orlando's books for $1.24MM next season.
THURSDAY, 2:08pm: Magic backup big man Earl Clark is declining his $1.24MM option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports, via Twitter. Clark signed a two-year, $2.4MM deal before the season that included the option. The Magic acquired Clark, a former 14th overall pick by the Suns, at midseason in 2010/11, but he's seen little playing time.
Suns To Meet With Robin Lopez, Michael Beasley
With a good chunk of cap room expected to be available, the Suns are scheduling meetings with both their own free agents and other teams', according to the team's official Twitter feed. President Lon Babby, GM Lance Blanks, and coach Alvin Gentry are in Los Angeles to meet with unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley and Suns restricted FA Robin Lopez. Babby also said the team hopes to meet with Eric Gordon, Raymond Felton, and Goran Dragic later in the week.
Josh Howard Drawing Interest From Mavs, Others
12:15pm: In addition to the six clubs reported by Spears, two other teams have expressed interest in Howard, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune. Howard is seeking a multiyear contract, according to Smith (Twitter link).
10:10am: Nearly two and a half years after the Mavericks traded him to Washington in a seven-player blockbuster, Josh Howard is drawing interest from his old team. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Mavs are one of a handful of teams showing interest in the small forward. Spears names the Jazz, Lakers, Nets, Spurs, and Celtics as other potential suitors.
Eric Gordon Rumors: Sunday
Eric Gordon is drawing interest from a number of teams, and at least one of them figures to sign him to the maximum-salary offer sheet he's seeking. The Hornets are expected to match any offer Gordon receives, so his suitors may just be jockeying for the right to tie up their cap for three days when the moratorium ends. Still, we're not entirely sure of New Orleans' intentions yet, so let's round up today's Gordon-related items right here:
Northwest Rumors: Millsap, McGee, T-Wolves
The Northwest has certainly been the NBA's most active division on the restricted free agent market so far today, with the Trail Blazers extending Roy Hibbert a maximum offer and the Timberwolves making a hard push for Nicolas Batum. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Portland's four-year offer to Hibbert is worth $58.4MM. I assume that's based on 2011/12's maximum-salary figures, which are likely to stay the same for 2012/13. Hibbert is leaning toward signing the offer sheet when the moratorium ends, which would give the Pacers three days to match it, says Berger.
Here are a few more Sunday updates out of the Northwest:
Hoops Rumors Originals: 6/25/12 – 7/1/12
With all the draft and free agent news and rumors pouring over the last few days, the week was light on original content at Hoops Rumors, but we still managed to publish a handful of new pieces. You can check out a recap of this week's news in our Week in Review post from this morning. Here's the original work from the Hoops Rumors team over the last seven days: