The Clippers had a "positive meeting" with Jamal Crawford in Los Angeles and made the former Blazer a contract offer, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Crawford is still considering a handful of other teams, however, including the Timberwolves, 76ers, Grizzlies, and Suns. Here are a few more Wednesday morning Clippers items:
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:
The Clippers, who'll meet Tuesday with Jamal Crawford, plan to make him an offer for the $5MM mid-level exception, and will offer Chauncey Billups a one-year, $4MM contract, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The team is also eyeing center Ryan Hollins.
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:
Blake Griffin doesn't hit free agency this summer, but the Clippers figure to make his future a top priority in the coming days nonetheless. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, when free agency begins, the Clippers are expected to offer Griffin a five-year extension, with an opt-out after four years. Griffin is expected to agree to either that offer or a four-year extension, says Turner. Here are the rest of the Clippers rumors from Turner's piece:
The league and the National Basketball Players Association have reached a settlement that will extend Bird rights to four players claimed off waivers this season, but will limit the retention of Bird rights for players claimed off waivers in the future, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times (Twitter links). From now on, full Bird rights will only be retained if the player is claimed off amnesty waivers. Otherwise, such players will retain only early Bird rights (Twitter links).
THURSDAY, 4:06pm: The union and the league are moving toward a settlement in the case, which could be finalized as soon as Friday, Howard Beck of The New York Times writes. The most likely outcome will allow players claimed off waivers to retain some form of Bird rights, Beck says.
June 22, 7:28pm: The NBA players' union doesn't think that an appeal from the league can be resolved by July 1st, which would effectively mean that the union's win will stand, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
June 22, 2:25pm: The NBA will appeal Dam's ruling, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt adds that the appeal will be heard by a panel, but that no date has been set yet (Twitter link).
June, 22, 1:37pm: Kenneth Dam, the arbitrator tasked with making a decision on last week's Bird Rights hearing, has sided with the NBPA, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times. Dam's decision means that players claimed off waivers won't have their Bird clocks reset. As such, Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak will have Early Bird rights this offseason, while Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson will regain full Bird rights.
Chris Paul will be entering the final year of his contract this summer, but it seems an extension isn't the first thing on his mind these days. Paul tells Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post that his number one priority this offseason is making sure the Clippers are able to re-sign Chauncey Billups, who played just 20 games for the Clips before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in February.
Chauncey Billups saw his 2011/12 season cut short after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a February game against the Magic, but the 35-year-old has no plans to retire and is looking forward to free agency this summer. Billups spoke to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post about his future, and provided a handful of noteworthy quotes. Here are the highlights from the interview:
Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles looked at some specific names that could surface on the Lakers' radar if Ramon Sessions is not on the roster next season, mentioning Aaron Brooks, Raymond Felton, and Kirk Hinrich as guards who could be available for the team's mini mid-level exception. You can read more of tonight's miscellaneous links here, including rumblings about Atlanta's offseason activity, a minor update on Derrick Rose, and an in-depth look at Charlotte's new head coach…