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….
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.
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:
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:
Goran Dragic Seeks Deal Starting At $10MM
It was only a few months ago that Goran Dragic was Kyle Lowry's backup in Houston, putting up solid but unspectacular averages of 7.5 PPG and 3.4 APG prior to the All-Star break. When Lowry was sidelined with a bacterial infection, however, Dragic emerged with a monster second half that included post-ASG averages of 16.3 PPG and 7.3 APG, making him a coveted free agent this summer. And now, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Dragic is seeking a contract that "starts in the $10MM range."
Eric Gordon Seeking Four Years, $58MM
SUNDAY, 1:21am: The Hornets are prepared to match a maximum offer for Gordon, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (via Twitter). Four years and $58MM represents the max salary the 23-year-old could earn from rival teams.
SATURDAY, 11:12pm: Eric Gordon is seeking a four-year, $58MM deal in meetings with the Pacers, Rockets, Suns and Blazers, reports ESPN's Chris Broussard. The Hornets' restricted free agent is also considering sit-downs with the Bobcats and Mavericks (Twitter links).
Magic, Heat, Suns Interested In Jordan Hill
With free agency underway, Jordan Hill appears to be something of a hot commodity. We've already heard today that the Warriors are expected to kick the tires on the big man, who will also meet with the Timberwolves on Monday. The Lakers have interest in bringing Hill back, and have had a "very good discussion" with his agent tonight, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). McMenamin says the Magic have expressed interest as well (Twitter link), while Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets that the Heat and Suns are also in pursuit.
Suns Targeting Eric Gordon
Although it's looking increasingly less likely that Steve Nash will be re-signing in Phoenix, the Suns are eyeing a number of potential targets to pursue using their expected cap space. Among those targets, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, is restricted free agent Eric Gordon. Coro says the Suns are preparing to make a "large offer" to Gordon, who could command in the neighborhood of $12MM annually.
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….