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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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Odds & Ends: Miller, Mavs, Martin, Cavs, Olympics

July 1st, 2012 at 2:45am CST by Luke Adams

Brad Miller decided earlier this year to retire at season's end, and went on an emotional note in April, receiving a standing ovation in his final game with the Timberwolves. But according to agent Mark Bartelstein, it's "not a certainty" that his client will retire, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

I have to wonder what Miller's contract situation is, for the T-Wolves' sake — his $5.1MM 2012/13 was only partially guaranteed, so if he'd been waived by June 30th, he would've received $848K of it. If he'd officially filed for retirement, he would have forfeited the salary. But if neither of those things happened, will Miller still be on Minnesota's books for $5MM+? We'll have to wait for some clarification on that front, but in the meantime, here are some odds and ends from around the league, as free agency begins:

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.

Beasley, Randolph Become Unrestricted FAs

June 30th, 2012 at 6:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves announced that they will not be making qualifying offers to Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph, making them unrestricted free agents. Both moves were widely anticipated.

The qualifying offer for Beasley, the second-overall pick in the 2008 draft, would have been for $8.17MM. Randolph, who averaged 7.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG last season, could have been given a qualifying offer for a shade over $4MM.

Kennedy On Lin, Gordon, Mayo, Hibbert, Hill

June 30th, 2012 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

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….

Odds & Ends: Rockets, Magic, Wolves, Green

June 30th, 2012 at 12:32am CST by Chuck Myron

With less than 24 hours to go until teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents, the focus has shifted from the draft and incoming rookies to where NBA veterans will end up. No free agent is more coveted than Deron Williams, but he's narrowed his choices to the Mavs and Nets. There are plenty of quality players left for other teams, however, including Roy Hibbert and Eric Gordon, whom the Rockets will target, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, adding that the team is also going after Omer Asik. Here's more on the free agent plans of teams around the league and other late-night news:

Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Nash, Kings, Kirilenko

June 29th, 2012 at 11:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The major news of the day in the Pacific Division, and the league, for that matter, is the four-team trade that brings Lamar Odom back to the Clippers, his original NBA team. Ray Richardson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes about several key decision the Wolves have to make Saturday, many of which may be tied to the team's pursuit of Pau Gasol via trade with the Lakers. Richardson mentions that Michael Beasley has been working out in Los Angeles with former Laker Norm Nixon, who says his old team would "love" to sign Beasley. Nixon doesn't speak for the Lakers in an official capacity, of course, but it's just one more intriguing tidbit as Sunday's start to free agent negotiation's draws near. Here's more from the West Coast:

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says it seems Steve Nash's days in Phoenix are over, as the Suns appear unwilling to come close to the $11.7MM he earned in 2011/12. Coro believes another team will give Nash an offer that approaches that figure.

Earlier updates:

Odds & Ends: Deng, Batum, Jennings, Warriors

June 29th, 2012 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Eight years ago today, the Rockets made one of the biggest trades in team history, sending Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato to the Magic in exchange for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines. GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets may have been looking to make a similarly big splash this June, but draft day came and went without a major trade from Houston. Still, if nothing else, the Rockets accumulated a ton of talent Thursday night, drafting Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones with their three first-round picks.

Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the NBA:

Timberwolves To Continue Pursuit Of Pau Gasol

June 29th, 2012 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves reportedly made attempts to acquire Pau Gasol earlier in the 2011/12 season, and it appears the team's pursuit of the Lakers big man will continue into the offseason. Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press reports (link via Yahoo! Sports) that when the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams to Charlotte for the No. 2 pick, it would have been part of a bigger move to land Gasol. While that deal didn't happen, Minnesota is expected to keep trying to acquire the Spaniard this summer, says Krawczynski.

Bobcats Turned Down Derrick Williams Trade

June 28th, 2012 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Bobcats reportedly have five offers for the No. 2 pick on the table, but there's at least one proposal from the Timberwolves that isn't being considered. According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (Twitter link), the T-Wolves offered Derrick Williams for the second overall pick and were quickly turned down by Charlotte.