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Free Agent Rumors: Kirilenko, Andersen, Collison

July 5th, 2013 at 11:32pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a busy night in NBA free agency, as Dwight Howard has decided, after much back-and-forth, that he'll sign with the Rockets. His decision appears to have set in motion a domino effect, with Jose Calderon heading to the Mavs and a pair of ex-Jazz players agreeing to terms with the Hawks. Here's more on the latest from around the league:

The Wolves and Andrei Kirilenko didn't speak about the notion of a return today, but the team hasn't given up and retains his Non-Bird Rights, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reports via Twitter.
With several teams showing interest in him, Chris Andersen remains in "decision mode," according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Andersen, who was expressed a desire to re-sign with the Heat, figures to make a decision early next week, says Zwerling (Twitter links).
Darren Collison will be prioritizing winning over salary or a starting role in free agency, sources tell Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. According to Ingram, Collison has been in contact with the Cavs, Kings, Spurs, and Clippers so far. We had previously heard about Cleveland's interest, but the rest of that list of potential suitors is new.
The Blazers are still pursuing Dorell Wright, but they're one of several teams with strong interest, according to The Oregonian's Jason Quick. (Twitter link). His agent, presumably Greg Lawrence, tells Quick a decision is coming soon.
Though the Hawks used up some of their cap space on agreements with Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll tonight, Atlanta remains the team most likely to make a lucrative offer to try to lure Nikola Pekovic from the Wolves, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
The Hawks were considering an offer to Mo Williams before they decided to do a deal with Millsap instead, tweets HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis.
The Knicks had strong interest in re-signing Chris Copeland, but never made him an offer before he chose the Pacers instead, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
The Nets are still seeking to sign a backup point guard, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Blazers, Iguodala, Knicks, Morrow

July 4th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the Trail Blazers have struck a deal to acquire a big man (Robin Lopez), the team figures to move on to address other needs. As Jason Quick of the Oregonian tweets, Portland's focus could shift to a wing player next, with Francisco Garcia, Matt Barnes, and Corey Brewer representing possible targets.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the Association:

Andre Iguodala will likely make a decision on a team early next week, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
The Knicks are likely out of the running for Matt Barnes and Nate Robinson now that the team no longer has its full mini mid-level exception, tweets Zwerling.
Before they agreed to sign C.J. Watson, the Pacers expressed interest in Robinson, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
Kennedy also tweets that free agent shooter Anthony Morrow has been in contact with the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks.
A source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) that the Mavericks weren't willing to commit $8MM a year to J.R. Smith, let alone $10MM. The market for Smith was fairly modest, according to Berman.
Jared Dudley wasn't looking to be traded out of Phoenix, and is open to returning to the Suns at some point down the road. But as he tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, if the Suns were going to move him, Dudley couldn't have asked for a much better fit than the Clippers.

Stein’s Latest: Nets, Spurs, Cavs, Belinelli, Neal

July 4th, 2013 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

In between arguments about the relative merits of In-N-Out Burger, ESPN.com's Marc Stein has found time this afternoon to pass along several nuggets related to free agency. Here are the highlights from the ESPN.com scribe's Twitter account:

The Nets are still targeting point guards, with Shaun Livingston and John Lucas III among the players on the team's radar, says Stein (via Twitter). The club lost C.J. Watson to the Pacers in free agency.
Prior to agreeing to sign with the Spurs, Marco Belinelli had a more lucrative offer on the table from the Cavaliers, says Stein, adding that Belinelli couldn't resist the lure of the Spurs' "all-world operation" (Twitter link).
There are "strong indications" that restricted free agent Gary Neal won't be returning to the Spurs, which is why the team moved quickly to bring Belinelli aboard, tweets Stein. According to Stein (via Twitter), Neal is receiving interest at a price point that San Antonio is reluctant to match.

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Smith, Billups, Martin, More

July 3rd, 2013 at 8:37pm CST by Alex Lee

The news that the Celtics have landed Brad Stevens to be their next coach has shocked the NBA world. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News points out, via Twitter, that of the twelve new head coaches hired this offseason, eight have now been first timers, adding that the Sixers will probably make it nine of thirteen. The Stevens hire has also led to some speculation that Rajon Rondo will be on his way out of Boston. The Pistons have explored the possibility of trading for both Rondo and/or Rudy Gay, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). For what it's worth, Rudy Gay tweeted tonight that he hopes to play a full season in Toronto this year.

With the NBA offseason in full swing, let's look at some of the news churning out of the rumor mill:

After meeting with several teams in Los Angeles the past few days, unrestricted free agent Josh Smith will return to his home in Atlanta today to contemplate his future, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.
It might be tough for the Clippers to keep Chauncey Billups after their acquisitions of J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, reports Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears. Billups, 36, has drawn interest from the Cavaliers, Spurs, Mavericks, Kings, Nets and Wolves.
Per ESPN's Chris Broussard on Twitter, unrestricted free agent Kenyon Martin is drawing interest from the Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Knicks and Nets. However, Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that no offers have been made.
After visiting with the Cavs for two days, Earl Clark was impressed with what Cleveland had to say, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News, who spoke to Clark's agent. Deveney has been all over the Clark rumors, and really likes how he would fit in Cleveland now that they took Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall.
Considering the withdrawal of the Kings' offer to Andre Iguodala, the Nuggets are now in a much better spot if they are aggressive in trying to re-sign him, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Like many of the top free agents, Iguodala's options hinge on Dwight Howard's destination and in the meantime, Dempsey writes, now is Denver's opportunity to strike.

Spurs In Serious Talks With Marco Belinelli

July 3rd, 2013 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs are engaged in "serious talks" with unrestricted free agent Marco Belinelli, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Belinelli is coming off a one-year deal with the Bulls, having averaged 9.6 PPG while shooting 35.7% on three-pointers in 2012/13. The 27-year-old signed for the bi-annual exception last summer, and figures to be in the market for a mid-level-type deal this time around.

Having reached agreements to bring back Tiago Splitter and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs almost certainly won't have any cap space available during the offseason, but the club should have its full $5.15MM mid-level exception. San Antonio is likely discussing a deal for Belinelli that would use that MLE, though perhaps not the entire thing — the Spurs could break up that exception and use the $5.15MM to sign multiple players, if they so choose.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), if the Spurs aren't able to reach an agerement with Belinelli, the club still plans to re-sign its own free agent guard, Gary Neal.

This post was first published on July 4th at 2:27pm CST.

FA Updates: Evans, Josh Smith, Pekovic, Clark

July 3rd, 2013 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans has been one of the most intriguing stories in free agency so far, with the Pelicans having extended a four-year, $44MM offer to the 23-year-old. Still, Evans has yet to agree to sign that offer, and there's no guarantee he'll do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The situation remains fluid, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) believes if the Kings make Evans a comparable offer, he'd prefer to sign it and stay in Sacramento.

Let's round up a few more of today's free agent updates….

As they continue to explore the possibility of making a big splash, the Warriors are trying to set up a meeting with Josh Smith, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia). However, Smith doesn't seem as interested in the Warriors, who Thompson says "aren't going to jump as high as others to get him."
Don't expect a whole lot of movement in talks for Nikola Pekovic until after Dwight Howard makes his decision, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says (via Twitter) the Cavaliers are being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Earl Clark, meeting with him yesterday and again today, though no offer has been extended yet.
Dorell Wright met with the Thunder yesterday and was presented with one- and two-year contract offers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Wright received a similar proposal from the Trail Blazers. The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Mavericks also have interest in Wright, says Spears (via Twitter).
Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from four NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, listing the Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Clippers as possible suitors for the 25-year-old.

Latest On Matt Barnes, Clippers

July 3rd, 2013 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

11:51am: Barnes will begin meeting with other teams today, tweets Shelburne.

10:30am: After agreeing to acquire Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick yesterday, the Clippers remain "very interested" in re-signing Matt Barnes, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. That interest appears to be mutual, with Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reporting that Barnes would still like to return to L.A.

However, according to Broussard, if the Clippers don't "do something fast," Barnes will begin meeting with rival suitors. The Mavericks, Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, and Spurs have all shown interest in Barnes, says Broussard. Various reports have also linked the Trail Blazers and Lakers to the veteran forward.

L.A. only has Barnes' non-Bird rights, but still has the full mid-level exception available as well. A non-Bird offer from the Clips for Barnes would limit his starting salary to about $1.48MM, whereas an offer using the MLE could start at any salary up to $5.15MM. Given how well Barnes played for the Clippers in 2012/13 and how many suitors he appears to have, I'd be surprised if the 33-year-old was willing to settle for that $1.48MM first-year salary.

Bucks, Spurs Interested In Kyle Korver; Nets Out

July 3rd, 2013 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

9:39am: The Spurs are another team to keep an eye on in the Korver sweepstakes, tweets Stein. San Antonio should have at least the full mid-level exception available.

9:01am: Several teams are pitching offers to Korver that the Nets are unable to match, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who hears that the Bucks proposed a three-year, $20MM deal (Twitter links).

7:53am: Despite an earlier report indicating that a Kyle Korver signing was essentially "in the bag" for the Nets, it doesn't appear he'll be heading to Brooklyn after all. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter links) reports that the Nets, without enough money to offer Korver, are out of the running for the free agent sharpshooter.

It comes as no surprise that the Nets, who only have the $3.18MM mini mid-level exception available to offer outside free agents, wouldn't be able to compete with rival offers for Korver. When I examined the 32-year-old's free agent stock earlier in the year, I predicted that he'd at least match the three-year, $15MM contract that expired this summer. It appeared for a time that Korver would be willing to accept a discount to join the Nets, but it seems that's no longer the case.

Brooklyn has also been linked to Marco Belinelli, who provides a similar skillset to Korver and would be more likely to sign for the mini mid-level. Now that the Nets seem to be out of the running for Korver, perhaps the club will pursue Belinelli or another outside shooter more aggressively.

FA Updates: Brown, Oden, Iguodala, Pistons

July 2nd, 2013 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

We passed along a few free agent updates this morning, but while that may have been our first round-up of free agency notes for the day, it certainly won't be the last. Here's another set:

Euroleague standout Bobby Brown is drawing plenty of interest from teams on both sides of the Atlantic, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein names the Knicks, Clippers, and Trail Blazers as potential NBA suitors for Brown, while noting that he also has "multiple big offers" to continue playing overseas.
One source tells Stein (Twitter link) that the Spurs and Heat are likely in the lead ahead of the Cavs and other teams for Greg Oden, though that list could continue to evolve, given the complexities of his comeback.
The Warriors, who had previously been named as a potential suitor for Andre Iguodala despite a lack of cap flexibility, met with the free agent swingman yesterday, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Pistons are talking to agent Mark Bartelstein about bringing back free agent point guard Will Bynum, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The team has also talked to Bartelstein about Jose Calderon, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
Although talks aren't serious at this point, the Timberwolves have exchanged text messages with Andrei Kirilenko's camp, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

Kyler On Pekovic, Spurs, Iguodala, Pelicans, C’s

July 2nd, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Here's the latest on free agency from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld:

The Trail Blazers are expected to extend a "massive" offer to Nikola Pekovic, according to Kyler. After acquiring Thomas Robinson, Portland won't have the necessary cap room to make a huge offer, but perhaps the team has another move in mind to clear some space.
Al Jefferson, who is expected to meet with the Bobcats this week, has been linked to the Spurs as well. Kyler also hears from sources that San Antonio "kicked the tires" on a possible Marcin Gortat trade, so the Spurs are exploring ways to add a big man.
The Mavericks may make Andre Iguodala a "serious offer" if they miss out on Dwight Howard, says Kyler.
If Tyreke Evans wants to join the Pelicans, New Orleans would be open to moving Greivis Vasquez or Austin Rivers, either in a sign-and-trade with the Kings or in a separate deal, according to Kyler. However, the team seems more inclined to hang on to Eric Gordon.
Sources close to Rajon Rondo say the Celtics have pledged to be aggressive in putting together a roster around him that will be competitive in 2013/14 and beyond, writes Kyler.