Posted by EOB Staff
On a shortened schedule with the conclusion of the NBA lockout, free agency is going to be fast and furious. To keep track of all the wheelings, dealings, rumors, and reports, check Eye on Basketball daily for the Free Agency Buzz.
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
2:54 p.m.- Glen Davis is not expected to return to the Celtics, but CSN New England reports that the Detroit Pistons have interest in him and may offer him the full MLE. He's young enough it doesn't disrupt their core, and a Knight-Hamilton-Jerebko/Daye-Davis-
Monroe is a pretty solid young (except for Hamilton) core. Not a bad idea.
1:33 p.m.
- Jared Jeffries has informed the Knicks that he intends to re-sign with them, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The deal is expected to be for one year.
- Pacers president Larry Bird is flying to Denver to meet with Nene today.
- The Arizona Republic confirms Hill will only consider signing with the Suns, Bulls, Clippers and Knicks.
- According to the Los Angeles Times, Kapono and the Lakers are close to a one or two-year deal for the league minimum. ESPN New York also reports that the Knicks have some interest in Kapono.
- The Clippers will have a second meeting with Caron Butler. "Caron was really happy with the meeting," agent Raymond Brothers told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "We were really impressed by (general manager) Neil Olshey and (coach) Vinny Del Negro. I think they've got a good young team that can win. Caron had a really good feeling about it."
- Via ESPN Dallas, Jason Terry wants an extension with the Mavs: "My focus is to sign an extension because being the core of what we've built to this point, I believe they want me here," Terry said. "And if the extension is not done, then that tells me something different. And so, I'm going to put all my efforts out here to prove to everybody in this league that I'm going to be here for another four to five years playing at a high level."
- The Saginaw News in Michigan, hometown of Jason Richardson, reports that the unrestricted free agent has strong suitors in Chicago, Boston, and Golden State. Each location makes a lot of sense. Richardson has hinted that he very much wants to contend for a title, and as a three-point threat who can defend at least decently, particularly in a stronger system, hes going to have huge value. The Bulls would find a lot of value in his perimeter range and ability to body 2s effectively. In short, he's a major upgrade over Keith Bogans, without the baggage that comes with Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady, and in their price range as opposed to Arron Afflalo.
- Yahoo Sports reports that the Clippers have extended DeAndre Jordan a five-year, $40 million offer sheet to try and retain the restricted free agent. Jordan is expected to not sign the sheet and instead look for a better deal on the open market, forcing the Clippers to match. $8 million a year is a steep price for a player with Jordan's limited offensive abilities, but given his position (center in a weak market, even in a free agency class full of centers), conditioning, age, and production, it's probably in the range of what he's worth. Anything higher and teams are flirting with overpaying him. Then again, given the run on centers in the next week, swinging for a younger one with freakish athleticism might be worth a few extra bills.
