http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4641 Recent articles about Emeka Okafor en-us Options are dwindling for both teams and free agents as teams continue to make moves. Here is what is going on around the league today: Josh Childress has indeed left the Hawks to play in Greece. The Journal Constitution is reporting that Childress has agreed to a a three-year, fully guaranteed contract worth far more than the $20 million originally proposed. It will remain to be seen how this affects NBA free agency in the future. Any player not getting what they want can flaunt a European contract at their team and will have to be taken seriously. But, there are still many players who want to be in the NBA even if they are making far less than they could in Europe. Josh Smith, the Hawks' other big free agent, was wined and dined by the Sixers and then they signed Brand. Then, he was wined and dined by the Clippers before they got Camby. Now, the only team under the cap that could offer him more than the MLE is the Grizzlies but they are in cost cutting mode. So, it seems that Josh Smith is stuck with the Hawks unless they can work a sign and trade with someone. Sources say that the Hawks are offering Smith a six-year deal worth $60 million. The Journal Constitution is reporting that this isn't true, however and that the Hawks have never offered anything near that. The San Antonio Spurs re-signed 36 year old Kurt Thomas on Tuesday. Thomas joined the Spurs last season in the trade that sent Brent Barry and Francisco Elson. In a rather fishy move, Barry was released by the Sonics and went back to the Spurs to join new teammate Kurt Thomas. Thomas' return could put in question the return of Robert Horry and Michael Finley's to the Spurs. When the Nets acquired Keyon Dooling, Marcus Williams vowed to fight for his job as the Nets' point guard. He may be fighting for his job, but not with the Nets as they traded him to the Warriors for a future first-round pick. The Warriors are going to give Williams a chance to start along side of Monta Ellis, who is more of a shooting guard than a point. First Camby was traded to the Clippers for a second round pick and now Williams traded for a first round pick. Must be nice to be under the cap and able to pick up players for peanuts (and draft picks). The Warriors pick has plenty of strings attached, though. The pick is lottery protected for 2011. If it goes to 2012, the pick is protected 1-11. It's protected 1-10 for 2013. If they still haven't received the pick by 2013, the Nets get second-round picks in 2013 and 2015. ESPN reports that Detroit has offered to trade Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince twice this off season already. The first time was to try to pry Carmelo Anthony away from Denver. The second offer was to Houston for Tracy McGrady. Both offers were rejected. With the rumors that Detroit is considering making a bid for Artest they could be making a 3rd attempt to trade Billups and Prince. There seems to be some smoke here and there may be some fire behind it. It would be interesting to see the crowd react to Ron Ron being introduced to the Palace crowd for the first time as a Piston. Talk about mixed emotions. Personally I wouldn't want Artest for anything. The guy has been a cancer and a distraction everywhere he has gone. Ryan Gomes is such a classy person. The Star Tribune reports that Gomes is participating in the Wolves' summer promotional caravan. He doesn't have a deal with the Wolves but is on their promotional tour. "I made a commitment at the end of the season to do this," Gomes said from Mankato. "They (the team) asked me if I'd like to do this and I'm a community guy, so I said yes. I don't know where I'm going to be yet. I made a commitment and stuck with it." Gomes is looking for the full MLE but chances of getting it are dwindling. It seems unlikely that the Wolves wouldn't match anything less. I would really like to have him back in Celtics Green but all the Celtics could offer is half the MLE and unless Danny has incriminating pictures of McHale, the Wolves would probably match any offer we could afford to give. At this point in his career, he is looking for some security and possibly accepting the qualifying offer and then seeing what he can get as an unrestricted free agent next season could be his best move. As hard as Gomes works, his value should only improve. Mark Bartelstein has said that several teams, including the Celtics have inquired about his client, Devean George. In his interview on WEEI, Danny said that he hasn't had any talks with George. So, either Bartelstein is floating rumors to try to get other teams to make an offer before another team snaps him up or Danny is not wanting to tip his hand. I remember Danny being interviewed on WEEI another time as the trade deadline approached when he said that the Celtics had nothing in the works and nothing even close. Four hours later, the Celtics traded for Wally Szczerbiak. So, you can't trust what an agent says or what Danny tells you for that matter. The News Herald reports that Bartelstein is also in talks with the Cavs concerning George. Now that the Celtics have signed House and Allen, Danny says that he is taking some time off. He may make another deal, or he may roll the dice with the team we have. The Celtics lost Pollard, PJ Brown, Cassell and Posey. The Celtics have 2 promising rookies who could fill in the blanks. Gabe Pruitt should be able to fill in at the Point along with House. Tony, if healthy, can replace Posey's defense. Giddens and Walker may get a chance to prove themselves. Danny may go with what we have now and then save space to pick up someone if there is a need later on. The Charlotte Observer reports that negotiations with Emeka Okafor are at an impasse. He has one more year left and if they don't agree on an extension, he can walk after next season as an unrestricted free agent. Rather than let him walk for nothing next season, the Bobcats may try to arrange a sign and trade. Some possibilities for a sign and trade swap are Shawn Marion, Anderson Varejao, Andris Biedrins, Al Harrington, and Luol Deng. Delonte West is still unsigned. The News Herald reports that the Cavs want to sign him but that they aren't close to an agreement at this point. Other teams are interested but have been scared off by his restricted tag, figuring that since the Cavs do want him, they will just match any offer made. Daniel Gibson signed a 5 year contract with the Cavs that starts at $3.7 million and West is looking for more since he is the starting PG and Gibson is the back up. Of course, if they can't reach an agreement, Delonte could just accept the Cavs' qualifying offer of $2.76 million, play out the year, and the become an unrestricted free agent next year. That could be good or bad for him. If he has a great year, he will demand even more money next season. If he continues to be nagged with little injuries and struggles, then as a restricted free agent, he may not get as much as he would now. It's a gamble that may or may not pay off. The Express News is reporting that it appears that Robert Horry's days with the Spurs are over. Big Shot Bob has won 7 rings in his 16 seasons in the league. He has said that he wants to play another season in the league but the Spurs don't seem inclined to bring him back. Unless he gets an offer from another team, he may be forced to retire. Could Big Shot Bob be the next aging veteran to come on board the Celtics? Danny loves these guys who seem to be on their last legs but who have tremendous experience and can help a team in little ways. Horry fits the profile. The Portland Trail Blazers signed first-round pick Nicolas Batum on Tuesday. Batum was actually drafted by Houston with the 25th overall pick and then traded to the Blazers for two draft picks. This brings the team's roster to 14 players. They still have not made a decision on whether to sign Petteri Koponen. They don't feel he is ready for the NBA this season, but if they don't sign him now, he will likely sign a long term contract in Europe. If they sign him, he could spend some time in the D-League and accelerate his development. The Clippers signed Golden State forward Kelenna Azubuike (8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) to a three-year, $9.3 million offer sheet last week and the Warriors have until Friday to match the offer, but according to sources they won't match it because they signed forward Maurice Evans to a three-year, $6.4 million deal. We are about to enter into the quiet (read completely dead) part of the season for Celtics fans. Danny is going to take some time off. He lost one free agent and brought back 2 others. He still has to deal with the Celtics 2 draft picks and possibly pick up another free agent or even make a minor trade. But keep in mind, it wasn't until the end of August that Danny signed Posey last season and so he may wait until the dust settles to make another move. Reports are that Bill Walker is working hard to come back from the knee surgery and depending on how he looks, Danny may not make another move. If ready to contribute, Walker could be the back up at the 3 that the Celtics still need. I like the kid and think he could prove to be the steal of the draft. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:51:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294294 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294294 After acquiring Keyon Dooling, the Nets have traded PG Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future first round pick. The Spurs have re-signed F/C Kurt Thomas. Nets SF Bostjan Nachbar has decided to sign with Russia's Dynamo Moscow team for a reported $14.3 million over three years. Emeka Okafor may be an ex-Bobcat by the end of 2009. The Timberwolves have agreed to a multiyear deal with PG Sebastian Telfair. Atlanta Hawks free agent SF Josh Childress is strongly considering an offer to play for the Greek Olympiakos team after receiving a three-year, $20 million offer. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:35:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294057 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294057 Free-agent to be Emeka Okafor and the Charlotte Bobcats cannot come to an agreement on a contract extension because the Bobcats are lowering their offer from last season. Okafor had a good year and stayed healthy all season, yet the Bobcats are reducing their offer, why? Well, I get the fact that Okafor isn't a legit scoring threat; yea he pours in 12 ppg on put-backs and hustle plays, but he's never going to be an All-Star level scorer. But despite this drawback, he's one of the best defensive big men in the league and he deserves good money. Plus, who are the Bobcats going to sign/play if he leaves? Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:44:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293868 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293868 The Clippers started rocking the boat on Tuesday by trading for Marcus Camby but what began as ripples on the west coast grew into tidal waves on the east. The Clippers may have changed the futures of a handful of players and franchises by snatching up Camby for a second round pick, an IOU for a massage, and a dirty sock...[continued] Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:31:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293807 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293807 This off-season has been a star-studded event more so than any other off-season in recent memory. You have guys that are perennial All-Stars and home town favorites moving. Who would have expected Baron Davis to be moving before the off-season started? I certainly couldn't imagine him in any other uniform besides the Warriors, but all of a sudden he is wearing Clipper red and hoping to play well in the revamped team. www.rawsportsblog.com Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:02:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291552 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291552 There are enough reasons why the Marcus Camby trade doesn't make much sense for Denver: - They got less than nothing in return. - He isn't even the heftiest contract on the Team - Camby put the only D in Denver etc. But that got me thinking, maybe this i s just the tip of the iceberg. Even though Denver are already way over the cap (thanks to A.I, Nene and K-Mart costing about $40mil by themselves), this atleast gives Denver the option signing someone with the trade exception they recieve from this deal. Which means they could potentially go after some higher market free agents, such as Emeka Okafor or Josh Smith. I'm not too familiar with the financial intricacies of these deals but I think Denver only has a trade exception matching the contract that they gave up (Marcus Camby earns roughly $8mil a year), which would presumptively not be enough for either J-Smoove or Okafor. So for this to pan out like it is in my mind Denver would need to make a few more moves (possibly involving a sign and trade with Charlote/Atlanta). At the moment this is just 100% pure speculation, but if it did come to frution, and Emeka Okafor did become a Nugget, I would go as far as calling them a much better defensive team (yes even without DPOY + 12 boards and 3 blocks a game = Marcus Camby). Not to be down on Camby but most of his blocks even he says are from the weakside, which is skillful, don't get me wrong, but its not exactly a bruising body down in the paint that can alter a offensive gameplan. And Camby gets a majority of rebounds because the rest of the team is already halfway down the court on the break. Again, like I said this is just me thinking out loud, and I might have the financial issues all wrong, but I figure there has to be something more to this trade, unless Denver are taking the first step into a rebuilding phase (lose some cap room next year with Iverson off the books, trade their superstar player along with some big contracts to free up more space -i.e. melo + k.mart... you never know) ok I'll shut up now.. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:23:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291089 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291089 A Daily Babble Production In a thoroughly unprecedented and unexpected development, we may be closing in on Jeff placing an embargo on Clippers content in this space after an influx of commentary on the little brother team in the City of Angels over the past couple of weeks. But after speculation about free agents galore, namely Emeka Okafor and Josh Smith, the executive Elgin Baylor and his Clippers got their frontcourt man last night, and given the cost (or lack thereof) required to get him, a hearty congratulations is in order. The Clippers have reportedly (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3491156) acquired big man Marcus Camby from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for all of one second round draft pick. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, and there is plenty to like about it for the Staples Center's set of red-and-blue tenants. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3619 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out! Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:59:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290978 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290978 A Daily Babble Production Last week in this space, we discussed (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3597 Itemid=260) the downsides to a westward move for Charlotte big man Emeka Okafor. As it turns out, he has been unseated for the top spot on the list of players who would really be best served to stick around for some further time with the Bobcats. That's because the new regime in Charlotte may be most crucial to the development of swingman Gerald Wallace. Unlike restricted free agent Okafor, Wallace doesn't really have a choice in the matter. He is under contract and can only be moved through a trade at this point. But there over the early portion of the summer, there has been a flurry of rumors of trade talk, both real (http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/710959.html) and imagined (?option=com_smf Itemid=64 topic=21118.msg329538), regarding the possibility of Wallace being sent out of town. The passionate vote and hope here (since the vote doesn't count for all that much in the Charlotte front office) is for the 'Cats to hang on to their versatile forward so that he has a shot to both continue to be part of the foundation there and to learn from one of... Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:43:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290040 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290040 The NY Post reports that Stephon Marbury had a new tattoo inscribed on his left temple. The "3" logo found on his Starbury sneaker and apparel line is now a permanent part of his bald head. His future with the Knicks is still up in air. Marbury desperately wants to stay with the Knicks and has done everything he can to ingratiate himself with his new coach including showing up at the Vegas summer league and joining the team for practice. If waived, Marbury has told confidants that the Celtics are on his radar because of his ties with Kevin Garnett and Boston's need of point-guard depth. Paul Pierce was quoted recently saying that the Knicks should cut Marbury so he could go to a veteran team where he would fit much better. Like the Celtics maybe? Ron Artest has decided to change his name. The SacBee has this to report: The latest from the Ron-Ron show: he's decided to change his name. OK, so technically he wants to go by his middle name of William. The thinking? Since Ron Artest is back to getting so much negative media coverage, maybe going by Bill - as he requested to be called - could give him a fresh start. Ok, so the NBA won't have Ron Artest to kick around any more. But, I don't expect Bill Artest to behave any better than Ron did. The Nets have signed 32 year old Eduardo Najera to a 4 year, $12 million contract. His contract is front loaded so that in 2010 when the Nets want to have the room to go after LeBron it will be down to 2.6 million. The NY Post has a funny tidbit on the Nets and Najera: Quick aside on Najera: in annual anonymous poll conducted throughout league, Nets voted him among the league's dirtiest players (one guy, no longer with team, voted for Najera EVERY year). Bruce Bowen, Danny Fortson were other annual staples. Several of the Celtics will be in Boston on Monday for the preview of the new DVD on their championship season. Rondo, Pierce, Perk, Powe, House and Posey will all be promoting it individually around town on Monday and Tuesday also. You can click here for a schedule of where they will be. The majority of the Celtics will be back in LA this week for the taping of the ESPYs. KG, Doc and the Celtics team are all up for awards. The only Celtics not expected to be there are Tony Allen and Scot Pollard. Life is busy for the World Champions. The Clippers search for a replacement for the recently departed Elton Brand continues. ESPN reports that the most likely scenario is signing one of the top restricted free agents to an offer sheet. According to NBA front-office sources, the Clippers have expanded their list of restricted candidates beyond Josh Smith and Emeka Okafor who they targeted at first to Chicago's Luol Deng and Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala. This could drag out because with every offer they make, they will have to wait up to 7 days for the team to match it before moving on to the next. They could get lucky and nab the first one they go after. It is thought that the Hawks won't match an offer for Smith if it is large enough. ESPN reports that there is little chance of the Lakers matching the offer sheet that Ronny Turiaf received from Golden State. Word is that they will pursue the trade with the Kings that could bring Kenny Thomas and Bill Artest (see above) to the Lakers in return for LaMar Odom. From ESPN: The Lakers' interest, by all accounts, remains hot after their toughness and defense were repeatedly punked in a six-game NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. Word is L.A. believes that any fears about Artest's reliability can be assuaged by the fact that Phil Jackson would be coaching him and that Kobe Bryant would be his teammate. Kobe and Ron-Ron share a mutual respect that suggests no threat to the Lakers' pecking order. Insists one source close to the process: "[Lakers owner] Jerry Buss actually likes Ron Artest's game and his personality." With several other free agents already off the market, James Posey is the most coveted right now. It seems that the major suitors are Boston and New Orleans as reports are that the Cavs are out of the running, even though Posey is a Cleveland native. Washington is also in the mix, but they would have to shed some salary to make an offer. It seems that the first team to offer him that 4th year at the mid level will win the race. The Miami Heat have said that they would like to keep Shawn Marion but so far, their offers haven't come close to what Marion is looking for. In the meantime, he is garnering a lot of interest from other teams including the Clippers and Warriors. Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:00:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289758 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289758 A Daily Babble Production Indeed, it's already been a rough summer for the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether they were victims of betrayal by Elton Brand or incompetent mismanagers who failed to keep their own talent at home remains to be seen, and thus we have reserved judgment on that matter while we wait for more information to come to light on Elton Brand's departure. In the meantime, however, the Clips now stand with their new franchise point guard and plenty of open cap space and without their mainstay power forward and MVP candidate. Brand is in Philly to stay. Corey Maggette has moved on to Los Angeles. The search for another big-time player continues, and the latest bit of news on that front comes from the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, who suggests (http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/708305.html) that the Clippers may turn from current pursuit Josh Smith to the Bobcats' Emeka Okafor, a restricted free agent in the front-court. Bonnell points out that the Clips could easily afford to offer Okafor the same sort of big-money deal that Charlotte can, and they may be interested in pairing him with Chris Kaman in the front-court. For the good of both parties, here's hoping they don't. Read... Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:27:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289419 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289419 LOS ANGELES (AP)—Baron Davis flashed his sparkling sense of humor often on his return to Los Angeles. He'll probably need it since he's going to be playing for the Clippers. Arriving on the heels of the departure of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, Davis will be involved in a rebuilding period for the perennially woeful Clippers. General manager Elgin Baylor introduced Davis at news conference on Thursday by saying he would make his remarks brief so Davis could say hello. Davis stepped to the podium and said, "Hello." Then he paused for a few moments, as if that was all he was going to say, before chuckling and breaking into a broad grin. Later, he talked about his friend Brand and their phone conversations after Davis decided to leave the Golden State Warriors to play for his hometown team. Brand finally bolted to Philadelphia, signing with the 76ers on Wednesday. Asked when he last spoke to Brand, Davis said it was yesterday, laughing and adding, "I can't tell you what I said to him." Brand, who has averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, was expected to remain with Los Angeles, but he took a five-year deal for a reported $82 million in Philadelphia. Corey Maggette, Los Angeles' leading scorer last season, essentially swapped places with Davis, signing a 5-year deal with the Warriors for approximately $50 million. When Davis decided last week that he was going to join the Clippers, he believed Brand was going to be his teammate, but Davis insists he's gotten over any disappointment that they won't be playing together. "I'm signed, sealed and delivered, so I'm not disappointed at all," he said. "And he's signed and he's committed." Davis had tried to sway Brand's decision. "I talked to him, would tell him, 'Hey, this is the best place for you, we can do great things.' But obviously he chose otherwise," Davis said. "I can't be mad at him for that. I wish Elton brand the best. He's a great guy, always going to a great player and a friend of mine. He made a decision for the future of his family. "There's no more Elton Brand in L.A. It's my turn and a chance for the young guys to step up. Get a couple more free agents and we'll be ready to go." Davis said he didn't consider backing out of his deal (five years, $65 million) with the Clippers because Brand wasn't going to be around. "It didn't really matter, once I made my mind up. I'm a man of my word," Davis said. "I committed to the Clippers and they committed to me." Team president Andy Roeser said the past few days have been tumultuous for the Clippers, but "the silver lining is that we now have one of the best point guards in the NBA." Coach Mike Dunleavy believes the Clippers have the two key players necessary for a contending team in Davis and center Chris Kaman. "The toughest two pieces to find are a point guard and a center," Dunleavy said. "You look around, and the teams that win are teams with good point guards." The 29-year-old Davis, a former UCLA star who grew up in Los Angeles, averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.33 steals while playing all 82 games last season for the Warriors. A two-time All-Star, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard has averaged 17.1 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.95 steals during nine years in the league. Since they are $12 million under the salary cap, the Clippers are courting other free agents, including guard-forward Josh Smith and frontcourt player Emeka Okafor, both restricted free agents. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:03:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289342 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289342 So I'm watching SportsCenter this morning and they're talking about all the NBA happenings, and the SC guy (I forget his name) asked Ric Bucher about the five-year, $72.5 million contract that Andrew Bogut signed. Bucher makes a good point that it's probably a big number for Bogut - I estimated his value at $12.0 M - $12.5 M per season - and that the other GMs around the league are likely angry at John Hammond for skewing the pay scale for big men. He mentioned restricted free agents Emeka Okafor and Andris Biedrins as two guys that will probably look at the contract that Bogut signed and think they deserve something similar... (Read the rest of the post after the jump.) Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:59:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288784 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288784 Today is the first day that free agents can sign contracts. Expect the dominoes to start falling as the top free agents make their choices and sign. Here's what is going on as of now. NBA.com is reporting that Mickael Pietrus has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Magic. They felt that they had no chance at landing Maggette and went in another direction. Teams seem to be loading up on athletic wings, perhaps as a way to matchup with Boston. Many teams are signing their first round picks including the Knicks (Gallinari), Memphis (Mayo and Arthur), Bobcats (Augustin and Ajinca), Bucks (Alexander), Kings (Thompson). Still no word on a contract with the Celtics first round pick JR Giddens. According to ESPN, the Sixers have apparently won the Elton Brand sweepstakes. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Brand has informed the Sixers that he will accept a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million and spurn what was presumed to be a slam-dunk return to the Los Angeles Clippers to hook up with Clipper-to-be Baron Davis. This puts the Sixers at the top of the Eastern conference and with the continued exodus from the West to the East of stars, the balance of power could be tipping back toward the East. So much for Maggette going for a ring over money. He agreed to a deal with the Warriors that will pay him $50 million over 5 years according to ESPN. So, now the dominoes start to fall. Brand to the Sixers, Maggette to the Warriors, Pietrus to the Magic. The Clippers are now way under the salary cap and reportedly ready to pursue the Hawks' Josh Smith and the Bobcats' Emeka Okafor. Both are restricted free agents and their respective teams would have the opportunity to match, but the Clippers can offer a contract that neither, particularly the Hawks with their ownership problems would be willing to match. According to this morning's Herald, Danny has increased his offer to Posey. There are several different reports as to what the Celtics are offering. First report was $12 million over 3 years. Today's paper mentions a report that they have offered a 4th year at midlevel and also that there are reports that the Celtics aren't skimping on money but don'twan't to go the length that Posey wants. Danny still feels that they can get it done with Posey and Paul Pierce is now making a plea to Posey to stay and to Danny to do what it takes to bring him back. Hopefully they can get it done and Posey will remain a Celtic. I really don't want him going to one of our rivals. Reports are that Cavs, Hornets, and Lakers are all making offers. With Maggette off the market, the Spurs are now reportedly going after Posey as well. Ronny Turiaf has signed a four-year, $17 million offer from the Golden State Warriors, according to two league sources. The Lakers had Turiaf and Vujacic as their priorities going into the offseason along with making a hard push for Posey. Since Turiaf is a restricted free agent, the Lakers have 7 days to match the offer or lose him to the Warriors. The Lakers currently have a payroll of $75,135,796 with just 10 players signed for the 2008-09 season. If they sign Vujacic and Turiaf, the Lakers' payroll could exceed $80 million. How this affects their desire for other free agents including Posey remains to be seen. Miami has offered 3 point specialist James Jones a five-year offer starting at $4 million for next season. The final 3 years are conditional to protect the Heat going into the 2010 free agency period when many of the top players will be free agents, including the Heat's own Dwyane Wade. As of Tuesday, the Pistons had made contact with six players: the Clippers' Corey Maggette, Warriors' Mickael Pietrus, Jazz's C.J. Miles, Trailblazers' James Jones, Celtics' James Posey and Raptors' Carlos Delfino although none are considered as good bets to sign with the Pistons. The Pistons are looking more to make a trade than to sign a free agent. They are interested in both Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady among others and may break up their long time starting lineup to get a trade done. Reportedly, both Prince and Billups are on the block as they look for a trade. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:42:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287967 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287967 Some updates from around the league (check back for updates) Turiaf gets 4 yrs, 17M from Golden St. (http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_turiaf_09.47b3657.html) (Lakers can still match) Miami will sign James Jones (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-0708heatjones,0,1792511.story) Miami also looking at Kwame Brown (http://www.miamiherald.com/598/story/597712.html) Clippers turn attention to Josh Smith Emeka Okafor (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clippers9-2008jul09,0,7626268.story) Baron Davis is livid over Brand’s Boozer impersonation (http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2008/07/08/whew-now-lets-play-catch-up/) Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:51:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287916 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287916 You know you've made a fair deal is when both parties think they got screwed. It's that time of year again. Restricted free agents from the class of 2004 (Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng, Josh Smith, etc.) are being wooed by teams that are hoping to make them an offer that their current team won't match. Likewise, players from the class of 2005 (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut, etc.) can negotiate extensions with their respective teams that will keep them off the free agent market for the foreseeable future. These negotiations are a battle of will and expectations. The player's job (via his agent) is usually to squeeze as much money out of the team as he can. The team's job is to sign the player to a contract that is a good value for the team. Naturally, the player's camp brings up all the positives about the player while the franchise has to balance this with the player's negatives to try to convince the agent (or the player) that they aren't worth what they're asking. Teams that repeatedly bow to players' demands are sure to find themselves in salary cap hell before too long. So in an effort to predict a market value for these players, I am going to take a look at their total value – performance (John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating), age and potential – and try to come up with a yearly salary that fits with what other players of their caliber are making. I'll list comparable players and their average salaries over the spans of their current contracts. Let's start with the class of 2004. These players are free to sign offer sheets from other teams, but their current team can (and usally do) match those offers. These are players that unsuccessfully negotiated extensions last summer, and since many NBA teams are reluctant to extend an offer to a restricted free agent, most of these players are likely to play out the final year of their rookie contract and become unrestricted free agents next summer. Dwight Howard, Devin Harris, Al Jefferson and Kevin Martin took care of their extensions last year, while Beno Udrih just recently re-signed with the Kings. Here are the other big names, in their original draft order… (Read the rest after the jump.) Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:40:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286609 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286609