- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago discusses why the Bulls' title window will shrink over the next two seasons.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer describes the progress that Byron Mullens appears to be making with the Bobcats based on his performances at the Las Vegas Summer League.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins says he feels "very good" about what the team has accomplished during this offseason, writes John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com.
4:33pm: Brook's deal averages $3.3MM annually, with a second-year player option, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (via Twitter).
4:21pm: Brooks' contract is expected to be worth about $3MM annually, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Sulia).
It's been another busy day of NBA free agency, and no team has been busier than the Nets, who've either signed, re-signed, acquired or traded 13 players today, according to the count of New York Times reporter Howard Beck (Twitter link). Many of those moves came as the team finalized earlier deals, like the swap for Joe Johnson, but some of the news was fresh, like the four-year extension for Brook Lopez. It doesn't appear GM Billy King and company are finished, either, as they're reportedly discussing a sign-and-trade deal for Antawn Jamison. We have plenty more on the moves to come here:
We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top….
- There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
- A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved. Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
- However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.
Earlier updates:
SATURDAY, 5:38pm: According to a tweet by Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the Suns have officially withdrawn their qualifying offer to Brooks, making him an unrestricted free agent.
3:10pm: Kennedy and Brooks have deleted their tweets, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, reporting mutual interest between Brooks and the Rockets, refers to Brooks as a restricted free agent. So, it appears the issue has not yet been finalized.
2:04pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld confirms the Suns have withdrawn the qualifying offer, making Brooks an unrestricted free agent (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 10:45pm: It appears that the Suns have withdrawn their qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks after the guard sent out a tweet reading, "Unrestricted :-)." If Phoenix has in fact pulled the qualifying offer from Brooks, he is now an unrestricted free agent.
Earlier today, we learned that the Rockets are no longer the frontrunner for Marcus Camby as the big man isn’t overly thrilled with the direction that the club seems to be going in. While the veteran hopes to play for the here-and-now, Houston’s moves this summer indicate that they plan on rebuilding. Here’s the latest on Camby and the Rockets..
After losing Goran Dragic to the Suns and agreeing to send Kyle Lowry to the Raptors, the Rockets are in need of a point guard. They've reportedly made an offer to Jeremy Lin, but he has yet to accept it, and even if he does, the Knicks are a good bet to match. Now, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Houston is eyeing former Rocket Aaron Brooks. The team will meet with Brooks this weekend, says Kennedy.
12:47am: The deal is for four years and $30MM, with $1MM bonuses if Dragic makes the All-Star team, says Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
12:00am: Shortly after agreeing to send Steve Nash to Los Angeles in a sign-and-trade deal, the Suns have filled their opening at point guard with unrestricted free agent Goran Dragic. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that the Suns and Dragic have agreed to a four-year contract worth $34MM. According to SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link), the fourth year is a player option.
The race for Steve Nash got awfully interesting yesterday, with a handful of developments making Nash's decision cloudier than ever. The Raptors agreed to sign Landry Fields to a hard-to-match offer sheet, removing the Knicks' best sign-and-trade chip from the equation. Meanwhile, the Lakers are making a push to land Nash in a sign-and-trade deal of their own, while the Mavericks, having missed out on Deron Williams, figure to turn their attention to Nash now. With all that in mind, we'll track today's Nash updates right here, with the latest developments added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, the Mavericks have made Nash a massive offer that rivals the Raptors' proposal.
Earlier updates:
1:47pm: Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports the Suns have issued qualifying offers to Robin Lopez and Aaron Brooks (Twitter link). The offer to Lopez is $4,001,917, and the offer to Brooks is $2,976,637. The Suns are reportedly planning to match offers other teams make to Lopez in restricted free agency.
1:40pm: The Magic have tendered a qualifying offer to Ryan Anderson, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports, via Twitter. The one-year offer is unlikely to be accepted and is largely a procedural move that will allow the Magic to match any offer that other teams can make after July 1. The offer to Anderson, who meets the starter criteria, is $4,385,416.