Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News relays word from a member of the San Antonio Spurs organization that Kevin Garnett may be on the team's radar when they consider free-agent options this summer.
Saturday night in Miami may have marked the end of an era as the Celtics' season came to a close after the Heat took Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. While Rajon Rondo and the youth of Avery Bradley and Greg Stiemsma give the Celtics building blocks heading forward, the team must decide how to address Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen's status as they become free agents this summer. Let's check in on the latest news and headlines out of Boston as we anxiously await the fate of the Big 3…
Brandon Bass, fresh off a 101-88 loss to the Heat, told reporters on Saturday that he wants to return to the Celtics after enjoying his first season with the team, reports Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. The former LSU star proved to be a strong contributor during the playoffs as he averaged 11.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 20 contests. Bass, 27, arrived in Boston from Orlando after being traded for Glen Davis and Von Wafer just prior to the start of the 2011/2012 season.
Throughout the playoffs, we've been tracking soon-to-be free agents week by week as they make their final impressions heading into the offseason. With 12 members of the Finals-bound Thunder possessing guaranteed contracts for next season, most of the cases have been closed. So, here's a look at the three impending free agents who made the most significant leaps throughout the entire postseason, and the three who took the greatest steps back.
Tomorrow night, the Celtics will either advance to the NBA Finals or face a summer of uncertainty, with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen as unrestricted free agents. Win or lose, this "big three" will go down as a success for Celtics executive Danny Ainge, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com. If the Celtics win tomorrow and advance to face the Thunder, it will set up an interesting referendum on Ainge's trade that sent Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City. There's plenty of other news swirling around the Atlantic as the draft and free agency near, including a promise for the son of the Celtics coach.
Plenty of the bigger names among this year's free agent class are in their 30s, and it's that over-30 group that ESPN.com's Ric Bucher focuses on in his latest Insider piece. Bucher spoke to GMs, scouts, and personnel experts that gave him feedback on this summer's free agents, including tidbits on Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Jameer Nelson, and plenty more. Here are a few highlights:
The Nets may be looking to find a way into the first round of this month's draft, but a number of teams are considering moving their first-rounders. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), every club besides the Cavs that has multiple first-round picks is trying to trade one of them for a young player. The Blazers, Celtics, Warriors, Rockets, and Hornets all fit the bill, with two first-rounders each. Let's round up a few more of today's draft rumors….
- Teams inquiring on the 10th overall pick are being told by the Hornets that taking on a contract like Emeka Okafor's or Trevor Ariza's won't be enough to land the pick, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Tim Duncan called the loss that ended the Spurs' season last night "very, very disappointing," but told Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News that the disappointment wouldn't be a factor in the decision facing the free agent this offseason.
"Not really," Duncan said. "Bottom line is the summer is going to come. The summer is going to be here, and it is what it is. I’ll figure it out when I come to it. I haven’t even thought about it, and I really don’t care. I’ll figure it out when it happens, just like everything else."
Let's round up a few more morning notes from around the league….
For much of the season, there were rumors that Boston's "Big Three" were playing their last games for the Celtics. Now, as Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes, the Celtics are on the verge of forcing the Heat to break up their Big Three if Miami fails to rally in the Eastern Conference Finals. There's been plenty of speculation today about the future of the Heat, but that team isn't the only one casting an eye toward the future.
Kevin Garnett reminded the world on Tuesday night that a 36-year-old player can still be a game-changer as the man known as The Big Ticket put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-90 victory over the Heat. The Celtics, deemed underdogs by perhaps even their own mothers, have willed themselves to come within one victory of beating the Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging a double-double in the series as he's scoring 31.8 PPG and grabbing 10.0 RPG against Boston. The Heat, losers of three in a row, face a win-or-g0-home game in Boston on Thursday with a Game 7 in Miami looming. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Eastern Conference Finals…