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Free Agent Rumors: Lakers, Mavs, Cavs, Crawford

July 1st, 2012 at 3:00am CST by Chuck Myron

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:

The Mavericks are interested in Anthony Randolph, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Jamal Crawford was contacted by six teams tonight, with Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifying the Celtics, Suns, 76ers, Timberwolves, and Clippers, while Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com says the Pacers were also in touch.
Seven teams contacted Ian Mahinmi when free agency opened, but the Mavericks weren't one of them, says Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
The Kings have reached out to Terrence Williams, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
There are five or six teams ready to make Lou Williams a contract offer, tweets John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has already called Ramon Sessions to open dialogue about a new contract, says Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports clarifies an earlier item on Omer Asik (linked below), tweeting that a Blazers contingent met with Asik tonight, but that GM Neil Olshey was meeting with another player.
After his meeting with the Rockets tonight, Omer Asik will sit down with Blazers GM Neil Olshey, who plans to make him an offer, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Rockets free agent Goran Dragic wants to be the starter no matter where he winds up, Wojnarowski also tweets.
The Clippers will talk with Nick Young, Randy Foye and Jamal Crawford, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Lakers unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill will meet with the Wolves on Monday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Nets are committed to reaching a deal with Mirza Teletovic but are waiting to find out what happens with Deron Williams first, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak contacted Devin Ebanks via text message about re-signing him, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey is meeting tonight with Bulls restricted free agent Omer Asik, and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune hears the Rockets are prepared to offer Asik a deal worth $8MM a year (Twitter link).
The Mavs may have interest in Wolves unrestricted free agent Michael Beasley, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
The Clippers had contact tonight with Chauncey Billups' representatives, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

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Clippers Rumors: Griffin, Paul, Martin, Evans

June 30th, 2012 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

Blake Griffin doesn't hit free agency this summer, but the Clippers figure to make his future a top priority in the coming days nonetheless. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, when free agency begins, the Clippers are expected to offer Griffin a five-year extension, with an opt-out after four years. Griffin is expected to agree to either that offer or a four-year extension, says Turner. Here are the rest of the Clippers rumors from Turner's piece:

League, Union Reach Bird Rights Settlement

June 29th, 2012 at 6:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The league and the National Basketball Players Association have reached a settlement that will extend Bird rights to four players claimed off waivers this season, but will limit the retention of Bird rights for players claimed off waivers in the future, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times (Twitter links). From now on, full Bird rights will only be retained if the player is claimed off amnesty waivers. Otherwise, such players will retain only early Bird rights (Twitter links).

NBPA Wins Bird Rights Ruling

June 28th, 2012 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 4:06pm: The union and the league are moving toward a settlement in the case, which could be finalized as soon as Friday, Howard Beck of The New York Times writes. The most likely outcome will allow players claimed off waivers to retain some form of Bird rights, Beck says.

June 22, 7:28pm: The NBA players' union doesn't think that an appeal from the league can be resolved by July 1st, which would effectively mean that the union's win will stand, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

June 22, 2:25pm: The NBA will appeal Dam's ruling, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt adds that the appeal will be heard by a panel, but that no date has been set yet (Twitter link).

June, 22, 1:37pm: Kenneth Dam, the arbitrator tasked with making a decision on last week's Bird Rights hearing, has sided with the NBPA, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Dam's decision means that players claimed off waivers won't have their Bird clocks reset. As such, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak will have Early Bird rights this offseason, while Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson will regain full Bird rights.

Paul: Bringing Back Billups Is “Top Priority”

June 25th, 2012 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul will be entering the final year of his contract this summer, but it seems an extension isn't the first thing on his mind these days. Paul tells Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post that his number one priority this offseason is making sure the Clippers are able to re-sign Chauncey Billups, who played just 20 games for the Clips before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in February.

Chauncey Billups Talks Recovery, Free Agency

June 21st, 2012 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Chauncey Billups saw his 2011/12 season cut short after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a February game against the Magic, but the 35-year-old has no plans to retire and is looking forward to free agency this summer. Billups spoke to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post about his future, and provided a handful of noteworthy quotes. Here are the highlights from the interview:

Odds & Ends: Lakers, Hawks, Rose

June 19th, 2012 at 7:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…

Clippers Rumors: Griffin, Paul, Young, Williams

May 22nd, 2012 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We already rounded up a series of Tuesday morning Lakers updates, so let's take a look at what's going on with Los Angeles' other team. Here's the latest on the Clippers….

2:35pm:

Although Mo Williams has expressed a preference to pick up his 2012/13 player option and remain in Los Angeles, GM Neil Olshey isn't ready to take that as gospel yet. "Guys say a lot of things right after the season but I’m sure that [agent] Mark Bartelstein hasn’t really explored all his options yet," Olshey told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. "But once those are on the table, Mo will make an informed decision."
The Clippers wouldn't mind adding a two guard with some size, and a floor-spacing power forward, or "stretch four."
Olshey isn't worried about being able to bring in additional talent: "We’ve got trade exceptions, we’ve got one-year contracts, we’ve got draft picks we can move and the most exciting thing is now we’re a destination."
While the Clippers don't figure to have Chauncey Billups' Bird rights, since they claimed him off amnesty waivers, Non-Bird rights will be more than enough if they want to re-sign him — amnesty rules allow the Clips to offer up to 120% total salary, including the amount the Knicks are paying, rather than just 120% of the $2MM+ he's earning in L.A.

NBPA Releases Statement On Bird Rights Issues

May 15th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA players' association, released a statement this evening addressing free agency issues involving J.J. Hickson, Chauncey Billups, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, reports USA Today's J. Michael Falgoust (via Twitter). All four players are hoping that an arbitrator will allow them to keep valuable rights as they hit free agency this summer.

“Bird and Early Bird rights are among the most valuable rights that players have by a player to select a team through free agency. We will ask the arbitrator to resolve this dispute on an expedited basis and prior to the commencement of free agency."

By allowing these players Bird and Early Bird rights, teams will be able to go above the salary cap to retain their own players. This directly impacts the Trail Blazers (Hickson), Clippers (Billups) and Knicks (Lin and Novak). Hoops Rumors writer Chuck Myron broke down the situation in great detail earlier this week.

Union Seeks Ruling On Bird Rights, Waiver Claims

May 14th, 2012 at 5:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

The player's union is challenging the NBA's declaration earlier this year that players who are claimed off waivers lose their Bird rights, Howard Beck of The New York Times reports. The union is seeking an arbitrator's ruling by July 1, which would have significant impact for several free agents and their teams.

If the union is successful with their challenge, it will be easier for many of the teams who claimed players off waivers this year to re-sign their players. The most prominent examples are the Knicks with Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak, the Clippers and Chauncey Billups, and the Blazers and J.J. Hickson. All of those players were claimed off waivers this season and are at the end of their contracts. If the union's challenge is successful, the teams will be allowed to retain those players using either Early Bird, in the case of Lin and Novak, or full Bird rights, as with Billups and Hickson. There were an unusually high number of players claimed off waivers this year, but the other four players on that list were either waived for a second time this season without being claimed, or have contracts in place for next year.

The league clarified its interpretation of the rule earlier this year, shortly after Lin became a sensation for the Knicks. It cited a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that said players lose their Bird rights when they're waived, regardless of whether a team claims them. The union contends that because everything else about a player's contract remains intact if he's claimed off waivers, the Bird rights should remain as well. Bird rights are tied to the number of years a player spends with a team. He must have finished at least two seasons with a team to have Early Bird rights and three for full Bird rights. Beck says that the union's case also compares a waiver transfer to a trade, arguing that because Bird rights are retained in trades, when players are sent to another team against their will, the same should be true when they're waived and claimed, also against their will.

The union and the league must select an arbitrator before the matter can proceed. Since, as Beck writes, much of the union's case centers around the spirit of the law, and the league is going off specific language in the CBA, it seems unlikely the arbitrator will rule in the union's favor. Still, it will be interesting to see how the pending case will affect teams as they prepare for the draft, which takes place three days before the date by which the arbitrator has been asked to rule.