Sonny Weems Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent
3:11pm: Kennedy clarifies (via Twitter) that the Raptors have withdrawn their qualifying offer, but not necessarily renounced their rights to Weems. I'd expect that to be the next step, but either way, Weems is an unrestricted free agent.
2:49pm: The Raptors have withdrawn their qualifying offer and renounced the rights to Sonny Weems, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The move makes Weems, who was initially a restricted free agent, unrestricted and free to sign with any team.
Grizzlies Shopping With Mini Mid-Level Exception
At the start of this year's free agent period, the Grizzlies were pursuing relatively big-name free agents such as Ray Allen, willing to offer the full mid-level exception. At the time, I expressed some skepticism that Memphis could offer the full $5MM mid-level if the team hoped to re-sign Darrell Arthur and Marreese Speights.
Sure enough, since agreeing to terms with both Arthur and Speights, the Grizzlies have turned their focus to the $3MM taxpayer MLE, says Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. According to Tillery, Memphis is eyeing players like Jodie Meeks, Willie Green, and Jordan Farmar.
Odds & Ends: Hinrich, Bulls, Meeks, Mayo, Tolliver
- Ersan Ilyasova plans to meet with Bucks owner Herb Kohl on Tuesday, which is seen as an important opportunity in the team's effort to retain the 6'10'' forward (Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times reports). Earlier this week, we reported that Milwaukee offered a deal worth around $40MM over five years.
Free Agent Rumors: Redd, Camby, Stiemsma
Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Crawford were among the players to reach agreements with new clubs yesterday, while Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin agreed to lucrative offer sheets that their current teams are expected to match. What will Friday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:
- The Suns and Bulls are the two teams "most heavily in the mix" for Michael Redd, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
- Marcus Camby will meet with the Heat tomorrow and the Knicks next, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen adds that Camby likely won't meet with the Rockets until there's resolution on Omer Asik.
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Dragic, Orton, Blazers
Day 3 of NBA free agency is underway, and the July free agent period hasn't lacked for action so far. We'll use this space to track a number of updates on second- and third-tier free agents as the day continues. Here's the latest:
- The Warriors, Lakers, and Bobcats are all interested in Antawn Jamison, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
- The Mavericks might clear cap space for next summer when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are unrestricted free agents, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
- Ersan Ilyasova's agent has said his client is seriously considering a "big offer" from a European club, according to HoopsHype.com.
- The Timberwolves continued negotiation with Nicolas Batum, Greg Stiemsma, and Jordan Hill on Tuesday, but no deal was reached, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
Earlier updates:
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).
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:
Sonny Weems To Return Next Season
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter), Sonny Weems plans to return to the NBA next season. The 6'6'' shooting guard will be a restricted free agent, and has drawn interest from the Celtics, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Clippers. He last played for the Raptors during the 2010-11 season before signing a one-year deal with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Euroleague during the NBA lockout.
Sonny Weems Drawing Interest
After spending the season in Lithuania, Sonny Weems is anxious to return to North America and test the NBA free agent waters this summer. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports that a number of teams have already expressed interest in Weems, with the Celtics among the clubs expected to pursue him.
Having sat out the season, Weems remains under the Raptors' control. He'll be eligible for restricted free agency, so the Raps would have the option to extend him a qualifying offer and then match any rival offers. It's not clear, however, whether Weems is a part of the Raptors' plan going forward.
"I haven’t heard anything (from the Raptors)," Weems said. "It doesn’t matter to me either way. My agent, Roger Montgomery, has been talking to many different teams and a lot of them are very interested. I’m just very excited for free agency. If I don’t go back to Toronto, it wouldn’t be a heart-breaker for me because it gives me a chance to start over and join another team."
Weems, 25, has played for the Nuggets and Raptors in his three NBA seasons. In 2010/11, he averaged 9.2 points in 23.9 minutes per game over the course of 59 contests.
