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:
Ainge: Ray Allen Is “Our Number One Priority”
Having reached an agreement with Kevin Garnett to bring him back to Boston, the Celtics have turned their attentions to another one of their veteran free agents — Ray Allen. According to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, GM Danny Ainge called re-signing Allen his "number one priority" with free agency underway.
"We want Ray back, and we’re approaching this as the first thing we have to get done," Ainge said.
Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Mavs, Cavs, Crawford
It's past midnight on the East Coast, and that means teams may negotiate with free agents from other clubs, as the NBA's offseason gets under way in earnest. Players can't officially sign contracts until July 11, and trades can't be made official until that date either. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of talk and agreements in principle between now and then, and if this evening is any indication, we're in for a busy couple of weeks ahead. There are several bits of news rolling in on free agents as July begins, so we'll round up what we're hearing around the late-night rumor mill here.
- The Lakers are seeking a point guard in free agency, and in addition to reaching out to Ramon Sessions, they're also targeting veterans like Chauncey Billups, Jameer Nelson, and Kirk Hinrich, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- In search of a center, the Mavericks have shown some interest in Hasheem Thabeet and Joel Przybilla, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
- The Cavaliers have expressed interest in Jonny Flynn, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. They're also eyeing Sonny Weems, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
Celtics Targeting Shooting Guards
Faced with the possibility that Ray Allen may have played his last game with the Celtics, Boston is targeting shooting guards early in free agency, according to various reports. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Celtics are pursuing Jason Terry and have interest in Nick Young, while multiple reports indicate the C's have contacted Jamal Crawford. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld adds O.J. Mayo and Sonny Weems to the list of players that have already been contacted by Boston (Twitter link).
Heat To Aggressively Pursue Ray Allen
The Heat consider Ray Allen their top priority in free agency and will start pursuing him when the free agent period begins late tonight, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Heat intend to offer the veteran sharpshooter their $3MM taxpayer mid-level exception, an opportunity for significant playing time, and the chance to win another title with the defending champions.
Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill
We keep hearing teams like the Mavericks, Nets, and Raptors named as potential suitors for Steve Nash, but if one of those teams misses out on both Nash and Deron Williams, its next target could be Jeremy Lin. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld hears from sources that one of those three clubs could sign Lin to an offer sheet, forcing the Knicks to match. Here are a few more free agent updates from Kennedy, with just over 12 hours left until the fun begins….
Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green
With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news:
Qualifying Offers: Friday
With the NBA's 2012 free agent period just two days away, teams continue to extend qualifying offers to free agents in order to make them restricted. If a qualifying offer is not tendered to a player eligible for restricted free agency, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Players who are tendered qualifying offers have the option to accept the one-year contract and hit unrestricted free agency a year from now, but the primary purpose of the offers are to ensure that the player's team can match any offers for him this summer. We'll track today's qualifying offer updates right here, with the latest added to the top of the page….
- The Cavs have made a qualifying offer to Luke Harangody, according to the joint Twitter account of Plain Dealer writers Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade. The tender is expected to be around $1.05MM.
Earlier updates:
O.J. Mayo To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Grizzlies will not extend a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo to make him a restricted free agent, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The decision means that Mayo will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, without the Grizz having the opportunity to match offers.
More Draft Rumors: Thursday
Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:
- After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Earlier updates: