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Free Agent Rumors: Lin, Hinrich, Kaman, Nash

July 2nd, 2012 at 10:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While a report surfaced last night suggesting that the Knicks may be reluctant to match a backloaded offer to Jeremy Lin, it doesn't appear that such an offer will come from Brooklyn. According to TNT's David Aldridge, the Nets haven't reached out to Lin, and appear to be viewing Steve Nash as Plan B if they can't lock up Deron Williams. Let's round up a few more free agent tidbits from around the league….

While an earlier report (linked below) from K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls will only offer the minimum to Kirk Hinrich, Johnson says he's now emerging as the team's top target (Twitter link).
Chris Kaman had a "positive" meeting with the Pacers today, but no offer was made, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Lin and Nash may be an either/or proposition for the Knicks.

Earlier updates:

Lin has received interest from a number of teams, including the Raptors, Mavericks and, contradicting Aldridge, the Nets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld writes. At least one of those teams has considered making Lin a backloaded offer, according to Kennedy.
Lin and fellow restricted free agent Greg Stiemsma have withdrawn from the USA Olympic select team. Lin is off the team because of contract concerns, as Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets, and Stiemsma is nursing a foot injury, tweets Howard Beck of The New York Times.
Jamal Crawford will spend Tuesday with the Clippers, frontrunners for his services, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The Celtics, Sixers, Suns and Wolves are also interested.
It's likely the Bulls won't pick up C.J. Watson's option, but that could change if they don't match Omer Asik's offer sheet from the Rockets, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Restricted free agent Devin Ebanks has drawn the eye of the Magic, Thunder, Nets, Hawks and 76ers, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
The Warriors, one of the teams on Brandon Roy's list of finalists, would like to bring him aboard, but can't afford to commit cap space to someone whose status is so uncertain, says Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group, who adds that if Roy is unwilling to sign for the minimum, it's unlikely he'll be a Warrior (Twitter link).
The Bulls are pursuing Derek Fisher, write Ramona Shelburne and Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, and the Heat, Mavs and Thunder are also on the radar for the veteran guard. The report also confirms the team's interest in Brandon Roy (linked below).
Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com hears that John Lucas III is a good bet to re-sign with the Bulls (Twitter link).
Marco Belinelli is drawing interest from teams targeting shooting guards, and the Mavericks are one possibility for him, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Berger also tweets that interest in unrestricted free agent centers Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby has increased since Omer Asik agreed to a deal with the Rockets.
Goran Dragic is expected to meet with Rockets officials today in Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has been in contact with Brandon Roy about the possibility of signing with Chicago, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Roy has met with the Timberwolves and Mavericks, and intends to meet with the other three clubs on his wish list before making a decision, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
While they're rumored to have interest, the Cavs haven't made an offer to Alexey Shved, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
Chris Wilcox, recovering from aortic surgery, has been cleared for full-court contact, his agent tells TNT's David Aldridge.
Steve Novak is drawing heavy interest, as nearly a dozen teams contacted his representatives yesterday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman says the Knicks are targeting Anthony Tolliver as a possible alternative if Novak gets away.
The Suns and Pistons are among the teams pursuing Michael Beasley, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.
Amick also says the Raptors, Suns, Nets, Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets have expressed some interest in Goran Dragic.
The Bulls' talks with Kirk Hinrich have focused on the veteran's minimum, which is unlikely to get it done with eight teams in the mix, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
The Wizards have reached out to a handful of their own free agents as well as John Lucas III and Hinrich, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
Jonny Flynn is receiving interest from the Hawks in addition to the Cavs, says Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

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Latest On Steve Nash

July 1st, 2012 at 8:42pm CST by Luke Adams

8:42pm: Nash met with the Raptors and Knicks today while the Nets will make their pitch tomorrow morning, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Nets like Nash both as a potential Deron Williams replacement and teammate.

4:22pm: Nash is meeting with the Nets today, a league source tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).

1:39pm: Nash tells ESPN.com's Marc Stein (Twitter link) that he's eager to talk to the Mavericks if their pursuit of Deron Williams falls through. However, Stein hears that the Knicks and Raptors are Nash's top two choices at the moment, in no particular order.

1:16pm: The Suns are interested in Landry Fields as part of a possible sign-and-trade deal for Nash, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Again, such a trade would have to include other pieces in addition to Fields, and Nash would probably have to accept a below-market-value salary to choose the Knicks over other suitors. But the Suns do have interest in Fields.

11:18am: The Knicks have had "exploratory talks" with the Suns about a potential sign-and-trade for Nash, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Such a deal would allow Nash to make more than the $3.09MM mini mid-level exception the Knicks can offer.

To match salaries, the Knicks would probably have to offer at least two or three players such as Iman Shumpert, Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, and Steve Novak. Even then, Nash could make more money elsewhere, and would be playing a part in depleting the Knicks' roster in order to get to New York. Nash to the Knicks continues to look like a real long shot to me, though that's just my speculation.

The Suns, meanwhile, haven't scheduled an in-person meeting with Nash, but contacted him last night, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

12:48am: The Knicks, Raptors, Nets, Mavs and Suns are making early recruiting pitches to Steve Nash, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, via Twitter. The Heat and Pacers are also involved, according to TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link), but the Trail Blazers are not, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick.

While Portland was viewed by some teams around the league as a contender for Nash, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian tweets that the Blazers aren't looking to bring aboard aging veterans or quick fixes. Freeman adds in a pair of tweets that, while Portland may decide to sign a veteran point guard, the team won't add anyone to compete with rookie Damian Lillard for the starting gig. Any acquisition must be okay with backing up and mentoring the sixth overall pick.

As for Nash, we've heard over the last couple days that the Raptors' pitch to the Canadian star is expected to be aggressive and extensive. According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (Twitter link), the Raps are pitching Nash on post-retirement opportunities with the franchise, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that Toronto has Nash hero Wayne Gretzky ready to call the point guard on Sunday to help with the recruitment.

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Free Agent Rumors: Terry, Lewis, Bass, Young

July 1st, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

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….

Ainge: Ray Allen Is “Our Number One Priority”

July 1st, 2012 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Lakers Eyeing Jose Calderon

July 1st, 2012 at 1:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors don't necessarily have to amnesty Jose Calderon to create the necessary cap space to make Steve Nash an aggressive offer in free agency, but it seems like the team is at least considering it. Clearing Calderon from their books could give the Raptors the flexibility to try to sign not just Nash, but another quality free agent as well. If Toronto does decide to use its amnesty provision on Calderon, the Lakers may have the inside track on picking him up, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

Magic, Heat, Suns Interested In Jordan Hill

July 1st, 2012 at 12:38am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Free Agent Notes: Nelson, Pacers, Terry, Duncan

June 30th, 2012 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Jameer Nelson decided yesterday to opt out of his contract, which will make him an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, turning down his player option with the Magic doesn't mean Nelson doesn't want to return to Orlando. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, signing a long-term deal with the Magic is still Nelson's number one goal, and the point guard confirmed as much on Twitter today

"Like I have said over and over," Nelson tweeted. "I'd love to stay a Magic and I would love to play for the best fans in the NBA. And I still have faith that it can happen. So again thanks you guys for all the support."

Here are a few more updates on some soon-to-be free agents….

Heat To Aggressively Pursue Ray Allen

June 30th, 2012 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Ronny Turiaf To Opt Out Of Contract

June 30th, 2012 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Ronny Turiaf will not exercise his option to remain with the Heat, choosing instead to become an unrestricted free agent, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Had Turiaf picked up his option, he would have been under contract for another year at $1.2MM.

Turiaf was traded from the Wizards to the Nuggets at the deadline for salary-matching purposes in the JaVale McGee/Nene deal. After Denver released him, the 29-year-old signed with Miami for the team's playoff run, inking a contract that included a player option as an "insurance policy." While Turiaf wasn't overly productive in the regular season or playoffs with Miami, he at least showed he was healthy, which should earn him more than a $1.2MM guarantee on the open market.

Chris Bosh Withdraws From Olympics

June 29th, 2012 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of teammate Dwyane Wade pulling out of the Olympics due to injury concerns, Chris Bosh has decided to withdraw as well, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Agent Henry Thomas told Winderman that Bosh has pulled out of the London games to deal with his lingering abdominal injury.