2008 Free Agent Report

I’ve finally completed the Free Agent Report that I promised so many weeks ago. Initially, I was going to put it out sometime in May but then it occurred to me that it would be a lot more interesting to release it closer to July 1, when the free agency period begins. Of course, no deals or trades can be made official until July 9 since the league imposes a moratorium on player movement at the beginning of July while they crunch the numbers for the following season’s salary cap figures.

I used ESPN as my main reference, although I did refer to Hoops Hype and another source for the figures and clause information. The way this works is I listed the players on each team that are free agents or those that can be free agents through options, according to ESPN. Next to them is their 2007-2008 salary. If their name is in italics, then that means they are a restricted free agent and their team can retain the first right of refusal with regards to bringing them back if they tendered qualifying offers to those respective players. I went through all 30 teams in the league so hopefully ESPN is on point and everything here is totally accurate. Keep in mind that some of these restricted free agents are guys that are just ending their rookie scale contracts so that’s why their salaries are so low.

Atlanta Hawks:

Josh Childress – $3,631,449

Jeremy Richardson – $238,588

Josh Smith – $2,243,543

Salim Stoudamire – $783,000

Mario West – $427,163

You’ve got to believe the Hawks want Childress and Smith back this offseason. They extended the contract of head coach Mike Woodson after that nice playoff showing they had against Boston and I think if they could get a veteran piece or two in there to be more of a leader than Joe Johnson is, the Hawks could actually continue to be a good playoff team. They’re young, energetic, long, athletic and fun to watch when they’re running up and down the court. Al Horford has also given them a nice dynamic. I’m sure J. Smoove will attract a lot of attention on the free agent market but Atlanta has the right to match any deal he gets – which I think they’d be foolish not to. Keep the young Hawks together and see what happens. As far as the other three guys, I see them as expendable pieces. If they can keep Salim Stoudamire for a cheap price tag, his shooting might be worth it.

Boston Celtics:

Tony Allen – $1,868,141

P.J. Brown – $226,650

Sam Cassell – $199,452

Eddie House – $1,500,000

Scot Pollard – $770,610

James Posey – $3,206,000

Leon Powe – $687,456 (Limited salary protection if waived on or before July 15^th)

It looks like the Celtics’ entire bench rotation is up for free agency. James Posey has an option on his contract to come back and I’m sure the Big Three will be trying to keep him in Beantown after his amazing showing in the Finals. Tony Allen might be worth bringing back for his defensive game. I think P.J. Brown will look to retire after earning that ring, which makes a lot of sense. Sam Cassell has gone on record saying he’s not against going to Denver to play for George Karl’s Nuggets since he enjoyed his time with him in Milwaukee. I think Allen, House, Posey and Powe will all be back with the team. Pollard is really only there to take up space and play garbage minutes and Cassell probably shouldn’t be back regardless of what he wants.

Charlotte Bobcats:

Ryan Hollins – $687,456

Emeka Okafor – $5,427,307

Derek Anderson – $770,610

Earl Boykins – $349,041

Othella Harrington – $2,376,000 (Team Option)

The Bobcats need to re-up Okafor. None of the other free agents they have are important. It’s that simple. He’s their inside presence, a defensive player, someone they can still continue to build around because I really don’t think Sean May will work out down there. They have the right to match any offer he receives but I don’t think they’ll do so if he gets an outrageous offer – which is exactly why I think he’s staying in Charlotte. He’s not a franchise guy, just a good player. That is, unless Michael Jordan and Larry Brown say otherwise.

Chicago Bulls:

Luol Deng – $3,320,339

Demetris Nichols – $427,163

Ben Gordon – $4,881,669

Shannon Brown – $1,044,120

Chris Duhon – $3,248,000

JamesOn Curry – $427,163

It’s decision time for the revamped Bulls. They already made a deal to acquire Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes at the deadline from Cleveland and now have a glut of guys in the backcourt after drafting Derrick Rose. One of Kirk Hinrich or Chris Duhon – possibly even both – has to be moved before the season starts to make room for Rose. I think it’s imperative Chicago brings back both Deng and Gordon because they really seemed to mesh well as a team in 2006-2007 before this past season’s meltdown with all the drama surrounding them. This year seems to have better karma around it already. My predictions are Gordon and Duhon are allowed to walk, Hinrich is traded and Deng is brought back. The other three are of little importance.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Daniel Gibson – $687,456

Dwayne Jones – $4,172,432

Delonte West – $1,889,760

Devin Brown – $1,200,000

Lance Allred – $87,945 (No salary protection)

Billy Thomas – $4,533 (No salary protection)

This is an important phase for the Cavs. I think Delonte West is the closest thing they’ve had to a legitimate point guard since LeBron has been there. They need to bring him back and pay him a decent amount of money unless they have some kind of plan in mind where they acquire a starting-calibre guard. I also consider Gibson a lock to re-sign with them. He’s a nice shooter off the bench and can put points up in bunches on some nights. There’s no harm in getting him back for a few years. Devin Brown has been decent but it may be time to go another direction.

Dallas Mavericks:

Jose Juan Barea – $687,456

Malik Allen – $770,610

Devean George – $2,369,111

Eddie Jones – $1,830,000 (Player Option)

Juwan Howard – $761,544

Tyronn Lue – $199,452

Jamaal Magloire – $231,183

Antoine Wright – $1,680,600

Brandon Bass – $770,610 (No salary protection if waived on or before October 1^st)

It looks like more than half of the Mavs’ roster is heading into free agency. Of all the guys on this list, I think only Bass and Wright are worth bringing back. Barea might be had for cheap and he’s not a bad option behind Kidd but as far as everyone else, none are worth keeping. Dallas should also look into moving Josh Howard because if the Mavericks go into next season with the same core of Kidd, Howard and Dirk Nowitzki, I don’t think the added time together will mean any additional playoff success. Things need to get shaken up and it’s clear Mark Cuban isn’t ready to trade Dirk yet. I said that with tongue in cheek because I don’t think Cuban will deal Dirk unless something really drastic happened.

Denver Nuggets:

Yakhouba Diawara – $687,456

J.R. Smith – $2,134,067

Anthony Carter – $770,610

Eduardo Najera – $4,952,380

Bobby Jones – $24,263 (No salary protection if waived on or before August 15^th)

Taureen Green – $427,163 (No salary protection if waived on or before August 1^st)

J.R. Smith is likely out of Denver. He’s clashed with George Karl one too many times. I’m actually surprised they even tendered a qualifying offer to him but I guess they’re saying “Hey, if we can keep him for cheap, the headache isn’t that bad”. Hopefully Denver will be able to find a point guard out there somewhere rather than go into next year with Anthony Carter starting. Iverson is not a true one guard either so it’s time to address this problem and try to get some defense and toughness onto the team. They’re embarrassing in that regard. I want to see Iverson have a shot at a Championship and he never will if he sticks with the Nuggets and they don’t do something to help them stop opposing teams.

Detroit Pistons:

Walter Hermann – $1,944,000

Juan Dixon – $2,550,000

Jarvis Hayes – $1,200,000

Lindsey Hunter – $2,250,000

Theo Ratliff – $199,452

2008 seems to be a big year for the Pistons. My gut tells me their main guys of Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Rasheed may actually survive this offseason without being moved but something still needs to change in Detroit. To be blunt, they’re just good enough to lose in the Conference Finals every year. All they’ve done for three springs now is crown the next NBA Finalist from the East: Miami in 2006, Cleveland in 2007 and then Boston this year. I don’t envision any of these players back with the Pistons except for possibly Hunter and Hayes.

Golden State Warriors:

Kelenna Azubuike – $687,456

Andris Biedrins – $2,636,696

Monta Ellis – $770,610

Matt Barnes – $3,000,000

Austin Croshere – $770,610

Baron Davis – $16,440,000 (Early Termination Option)

Patrick O’Bryant – $2,216,400

Mickael Pietrus – $3,470,771

C.J. Watson – $251,272 (No salary protection if waived on or before July 25^th)

The Warriors have big problems on their hands financially. Andris Biedrins are two starters that are very important to what Golden State does and if Baron opts out as well, they may very well fall apart this summer. I can’t really see Davis leaving California but you never know what could happen if he senses more money is out there for him to make. Ellis needs to be re-signed in the worst way. They cannot afford to let an athletic, quick, talented player like him go for nothing in free agency – he’s such a dynamic talent. Biedrins is important too because of his mobility and versatility as a big man in that system but Ellis is the key and his development could make the Warriors better every season. As far as Pietrus and Barnes go, I don’t think the Warriors wanted to keep them even this past season but after 2006, figured they might as well. Mickael might be an option for the Raps again this summer. They passed over him last year even though he made it obvious he would’ve liked to be in Toronto. Azubuike was great at the beginning of the year when Jackson was suspended so if they can bring him back for peanuts, it’d be a smart move – especially if they might be losing Ellis.

Houston Rockets:

Carl Landry – $427,163

Steve Novak – $687,456 (Team Option)

Dikembe Mutombo – $770,610

Mike Harris – $100,509 (No salary protection)

Loren Woods – $142,201 (No salary protection)

There’s really not much to say here. If Dikembe isn’t retiring, I’d say he should re-sign with Houston for one more year behind Yao Ming. The Rockets are a dangerous team when healthy and I actually think next year will be theirs to get out of the first round. We’ll see what T-Mac can do. On this list, Carl Landry needs to be back as well. I like his game in the frontcourt.

Indiana Pacers:

David Harrison – $1,734,316

Andre Owens – $687,456

Ronald Murray – $213,051

Kareem Rush – $770,610

This is another list of “meh”. The Pacers don’t really like Harrison anymore to begin with so I find it hard to believe they’ll bring him back. Flip Murray should find a role somewhere in the league as a sparkplug off the bench. I’ve always been a fan of his for that.

Los Angeles Clippers:

Paul Davis – $687,456

Nick Fazekas – $125,636

Shaun Livingston – $4,404,629

Marcus Williams – $50,254

Elton Brand – $15,344,000 (Early Termination Option)

Dan Dickau – $770,610

Corey Maggette – $7,000,000 (Early Termination Option)

Smush Parker – $181,320

Quinton Ross – $826,046

Josh Powell – $800,000 (No salary protection if waived before July 31^st)

The Clippers have a lot of potential issues as well. I don’t see Elton Brand opting out of his deal, but I can see Maggette doing so. He can increase his salary substantially on the free agent market and end up making $10 million per season. With the way he attacks and gets to the line, I’m sure there’s some team out there willing to overpay him. It’s almost certain that Livingston stays with the Clippers but I’m not sure how everything will shake down. The rest of this list is irrelevant.

Los Angeles Lakers:

DJ Mbenga – $90,660

Ronny Turiaf – $770,610

Sasha Vujacic – $1,756,951

Ira Newble – $122,391

Coby Karl – $427,163 (No salary protection)

The only players on this list that matter are Turiaf and Vujacic. Both bring a different dynamic to the Lakers and were instrumental in them being such an effective bench this past season. I don’t think it’d be smart of L.A. to let either of them go but maybe they don’t value Turiaf as much as they seem to. Also, I don’t see Mitch Kupchak getting into a bidding war with anyone over Vujacic, despite his passion and shooting abilities. I think he’ll end up back with Kobe next year, though. He just seems to be a Laker type of guy – it’s pretty hard to explain.

Memphis Grizzlies:

Andre Brown – $770,610

Kwame Brown – $9,379,279

Casey Jacobsen – $770,610

Why in the world does Kwame Brown make more than Corey Maggette? Hell, why does Kwame Brown make more than Jamario Moon or Joey Graham?

Miami Heat:

Blake Ahearn – $67,844

Chris Quinn – $687,456

Kasib Powell – $36,395

Dorell Wright – $2,040,746

Earl Barron – $973,328

Ricky Davis – $6,819,000

Shawn Marion – $16,440,000 (Early Termination Option)

Alonzo Mourning – $2,762,500

Jason Williams – $8,937,500

Joel Anthony – $427,163 (No salary protection if waived on or before July 25^th)

Stephane Lasme – $67,844 (Limited salary protection)

This list looks long but some of the guys weren’t on Miami’s roster for more than a couple months anyway. There are so many minimum contracts on the roster, it’s not even funny. Shawn Marion has already confirmed he’s not opting out of his contract but I still included it on the list for the sake of being detailed. My feeling is the Heat will bring Wright and Quinn back since I think they were tendered qualifying offers earlier this week but after that, the only guys I see returning to South Beach are Earl Barron and Alonzo Mourning if he’s healthy. Depth will be a problem for the Heat this season but their starting five could be scary.

Milwaukee Bucks:

Ersan Ilyasova – ???

Awvee Storey – $770,610 (Team Option)

Royal Ivey – $770,610

Michael Ruffin – $770,610

Jake Voskuhl – $3,000,000

Ramon Sessions – $427,163 (No salary protection if waived on or before July 1^st)

Is Sessions the real deal? After that assist bonanza he had late in the season, there may be some people willing to throw a couple million at him to join their squad. If Milwaukee is smart, they’ll lock him up to a long-term, low-dollar deal and look at moving Charlie Bell. It’s not like he wanted to remain in Milwaukee last year anyway.

Minnesota Timberwolves:

Ryan Gomes – $770,610

Craig Smith – $687,456

Chris Richard – $427,163

Kirk Snyder – $2,358,433

Sebastian Telfair – $2,562,426

Michael Doleac – $3,120,000

I liked Craig Smith coming out of Boston College and he’s changed his game a little in the pros. He’s wider now and I don’t think that’s translated to any success. In fact, I think it’s made him a worse player. Maybe it’s just favourtism but I’d bring him back and the same goes for Ryan Gomes and Kirk Snyder, just to fill out the roster. Kevin McHale should rid himself of Sebastian Telfair while he still can. I know that would leave a hole behind Randy Foye but who cares? Telfair is an idiot.

New Jersey Nets:

Nenad Krstic – $1,889,760

Darrell Armstrong – $770,610

DeSagana Diop – $2,146,000

Bostjan Nachbar – $2,500,000

Stromile Swift – $5,800,000 (Player Option)

Keith Van Horn – $4,236,997 (No salary protection)

Krstic already got his qualifying offer on Friday so he’ll probably be back with Jersey next year. I don’t see any other teams taking a run at him with a lot of money when he was hurt for so much of this past year. He never had any stretch of games where he looked good and then he took the rest of it off. Diop should be brought back to play behind or in front of Lopez depending on what they decide to do with the youth they acquired. I’m not a fan of any of the other guys so they should be let go.

New Orleans Hornets:

Chris Andersen – $885,294

Ryan Bowen – $770,610

Melvin Ely – $895,341 (Player Option)

Jannero Pargo – $1,830,000

Bonzi Wells – $2,284,200

The Bonzi Wells experiment didn’t go too well in New Orleans. I’d say he’s a nice fit for the Raptors but he’s too slow, too old, shoots too low of a percentage and seems like a black hole at times. Pargo should probably be brought back because he complemented Chris Paul so well all of last season, especially in the playoffs. It’s a nice combination they have there and Pargo’s come into his own. Ely should be brought back as well as a big body. If I’m not mistaken, the Hornets didn’t really end up with anything at the end of draft night so this isn’t a bad move.

New York Knicks:

Randolph Morris – $810,000

Fred Jones – $3,300,000

Donnie Walsh probably wishes this list was longer than the number of holes his team has to fill to be successful. Neither of these numbers coming off the books really helps New York in any noticeable way as far as their financial situation is concerned. They need to find some Rob Babcock-like executive to take the contract of Eddy Curry off their hands. I still believe Zach Randolph is a good player that just has a bad attitude and there’s probably a team out there willing to deal for him this offseason.

Orlando Magic:

James Augustine – $687,456

Carlos Arroyo – $4,000,000

Keith Bogans – $2,440,000 (Player Option)

Keyon Dooling – $3,596,000

Maurice Evans – $1,740,000

Adonal Foyle – $1,219,590

Pat Garrity – $3,818,750

Marcin Gortat – $427,163

I like Dooling with Orlando as their combo guard that can create ball pressure and knock down some shots. Arroyo wasn’t especially good for the Magic last year so I’m interested in seeing if they go in another direction this summer. I could actually see this entire team staying intact with the role players and bench warmers they currently have. I don’t know why – it just seems that way.

Philadelphia 76ers:

Louis Amundson – $687,456

Herbert Hill – $427,163

Andre Iguodala – $2,804,889

Savlik Randolph – $1,130,000

Louis Williams – $770,610

Kevin Ollie – $3,441,900

To tell you the truth, I don’t know who Amundson and Randolph are. Okay, I’m kidding, but they’re probably not worth re-signing. Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala are priorities. Both were issued qualifying offers this past week, as you’d expect. If the Sixers lose Iguodala to free agency, they might as well forfeit their season and donate their wins to needy teams around the league. They’d have no shot of doing anything without him. I’m sure they’ll match any and all offers and they have something to be excited about now, too, after last season’s run to close out the year.

Phoenix Suns:

Gordan Giricek – $199,452

Linton Johnson – $4,533

Sean Marks – $770,610

Eric Piatkowski – $1,219,590

Brian Skinner – $770,610

D.J. Strawberry – $427,163 (No salary protection)

The Phoenix Suns have such a shallow line-up, they’d have to give up on games if two guys got hurt. Linton Johnson was just there to end the year, D.J. Strawberry only plays in garbage time and Piatkowski has the same deal. I could care less which of these players ends up in the desert next year. Giricek is the best of the bunch so I’ll throw my money on him.

Portland Trail Blazers:

Von Wafer – $770,610

James Jones – $2,900,000 (Player Option)

Von Wafer sounds like a tasty treat. Other than that, I’d let James Jones walk in free agency after acquiring all the young talent that Kevin Pritchard has in Portland. They’re stockpiling youth like it was an arms race. It’s amazing to see and I can’t wait to find out what other moves the Blazers will pull off in the next few months because they can’t keep all those guys, can they? Sure doesn’t seem like it. Raef LaFrentz is the only veteran on the team, and maybe Joel Pryzbilla as well.

Sacramento Kings:

Ron Artest – $7,400,000 (Early Termination Option)

Kenny Thomas – $7,875,000 (Early Termination Option)

Beno Udrih – $561,544

Anthony Johnson – $2,860,000

Lorenzen Wright – $3,250,000

There’s no way Kenny Thomas exercises that option. He’d be foolish to. No team in the league would even pay him the mid-level exception at this point unless they were desperate, let alone $8 million. I think Udrih will end up with the Spurs again or a team that’s contending. Maybe even L.A. instead of Vujacic? Who knows? Artest has already said he’s opting out and if that’s true, there’s little to no chance he’ll be playing for the Kings next season. He’ll probably have to settle for the MLE playing for a contender like the Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers or dare I say, the Raptors? That would be great.

San Antonio Spurs:

Brent Barry – $172,177 (Player Option)

Michael Finley – $3,103,000

Robert Horry – $3,630,000

DerMarr Johnson – $27,198

Damon Stoudamire – $335,442

Kurt Thomas – $8,091,188

Jacque Vaughn – $1,219,590 (Player Option)

Brent Barry should be brought back for the veteran’s minimum. There are whispers Finley has gotten offers from Europe to go play there to finish out his career and if the money’s enough, I’m sure he’d entertain the idea. Why not get paid if you don’t think your chances at a Championship are high enough to go through the 82-game grind? I think the Spurs have hit a lull right now where their bench simply isn’t good enough to keep them afloat, despite the greatness of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. The Spurs have aged badly with guys like Finley, Barry, Horry and Thomas. That’s not to say they can’t play anymore but they really have to be more complementary pieces than main bench players at this point in their careers.

Seattle SuperSonics:

Mickael Gelabale – $802,000

Robert Swift – $2,601,113

Ronald Dupree – $63,462

Francisco Elson – $3,000,000

Adrian Griffin – $1,593,000 (Limited salary protection)

The Sonics made a few moves on draft night. I liked their pick of Westbrook, even though it was a little high. Now they have to move one of Ridnour or Watson – both of whom have decent contracts. None of these players really strike me as impact guys but Gelabale and Swift should be on Seattle’s roster next year no matter what. Well, they should be on the Sonics’ roster, I should say. This team will probably be in Oklahoma City at this time in 2009.

Toronto Raptors:

Jose Calderon – $2,471,604

Carlos Delfino – $1,868,141

Primoz Brezec – $2,750,000

I’ve gone into great detail about the Raptors’ situation in the past. I’ll summarize by saying they will definitely be re-signing Jose Calderon. Hopefully he doesn’t get offered something outrageous like $11 million because by matching, Toronto would probably head into luxury tax territory. I’m thinking he gets a 5-year, $42 million deal from Bryan Colangelo, which is decent compensation and ‘T.J. Ford’ money. As far as Delfino goes, Doug Smith has reported the Raptors are looking to have a ‘leaner’ roster this coming year that could round out at 13 or 14 guys to give Sam Mitchell a more clearly defined bench rotation, rather than playing ten guys. After learning that the Raps wouldn’t allow Anthony Parker to go to Europe, word is Olympiacos in Greece is closing in on signing Delfino to head over there this coming year. He’d probably command a greater salary overseas that he would in the NBA. Good luck to him. As far as the gangster, Brezec, he’s clearly done in Toronto.

Utah Jazz:

C.J. Miles – $945,610

Paul Millsap – $687,456 (Team Option)

Millsap should be brought back for all he’s done on the bench for Utah in his seasons there. He’s a scrapper, an active big man with great size and he does the things Mehmet Okur doesn’t. I also think he’s tougher than Carlos Boozer. They may need to make some kind of move to make this team savvier, though, because they don’t seem to have the mental toughness they’ll need. C.J. Miles should be brought back too to round out the roster.

Washington Wizards:

Gilbert Arenas – $11,950,400

Antawn Jamison – $16,360,094

Roger Mason – $770,610

The Wizards’ executives have made it clear they plan to re-sign Arenas and Jamison this offseason. Mason would be a good idea as well because whenever he’s gotten playing time, he’s done pretty well for himself. There’s no harm in keeping the whole team together and seeing if they can finally play a healthy season. In 2007, Arenas and Butler were out. In 2008, Arenas was out again and it seems like Butler got a little nicked up. If they can improve their defense somehow while keeping Arenas on the roster (which may be hard to do), the Wizards could be a very good basketball team to contend with in the East.

There you have it. This can be used as a reference for those of you wondering who will be on the market come July 1. There are obviously countless other free agents that may not have finished this past season on teams but I don’t have enough information or a comprehensive list to include them. With the news of the Raps wanting a smaller roster – which will probably include a couple minimum-scale contracts – they’ll need to go bargain basement hunting in July. I’m sure most Raptors fans out there are praying for Ron Artest to take a pay cut to come here. There are so many things standing in the way but it’d make for a Championship-calibre season. Hope you enjoyed this entry and feel free to leave feedback in the comments section. Until next time..

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]