4:58pm: The Raptors are "highly unlikely" to sign Chandler this week, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. If Chandler is a restricted free agent again this summer, Toronto could get involved, but would probably need his asking price to come down (Twitter link).
12:06pm: Wilson Chandler has received a FIBA letter of clearance and is now officially eligible for restricted NBA free agency, according to agent Chris Luchey (Twitter link via Sportando).
Restricted free agents aren't eligible to sign offer sheets as of March 1st, so Chandler will have just two days to try to secure an offer from a team besides the Nuggets. Denver would then have three days to match any offer.
If Chandler doesn't sign an offer sheet before Thursday, he could either sign with the Nuggets or sit out the season and become a restricted free agent again in the summer, when more teams could have interest (and money). A rest-of-season contract with the Nuggets would allow Chandler to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but Denver has indicated it doesn't plan to negotiate such a deal.
The Raptors appear to have interest in Chandler, but only have about $4.3MM in cap space, so the Nuggets wouldn't have much trouble matching any offer Toronto made. Yesterday, we heard Chandler and Luchey were in contact with an Italian team about the possibility of a rest-of-season deal.
hes better off signing for the rest of the season with the nuggets.
he might be better off signing for the remainder of the season because that makes him an “unrestricted” free agent in the summer if he does. But it’s not good for the nuggets and they won’t sign him to finish out the season. They want him long term and would lose an asset if they allowed him to become unrestricted. Waiting until the offseason and not signing him is the more likely scenario because that means he will be “restricted” and they can match anyones offer in the offseason
He’s a perfect fit for Toronto, DEN doesn’t need to overpay him.
Toronto’s Amir Johnson could definitely put up 15-10 on the Nuggets and trading him for Chandler in a sign and trade would be a fair deal imo.
Toronto could trade Calderon for Andre Miller as well if Denver wants, but either way I think Wilson Chandler going to Toronto would be huge and exciting.
On the Nuggets Chandler will be coming off the bench again and I just can’t see him playing up to the 7-10 million contract he’s bound to receive.