Free Agent Watch

[Troy Wingate]

If we want Saras, do we have to wait to July 23rd just like the other free agents, or can we sign him straight away?

 

[Glen Infante]

I believe we can just sign him straight away because he isn't a restricted free agent. But I am not totally sure.

 

[Karma]

Earl would be a good pick up, but I'm liking AD and Saraunas more at this point. I'm also wondering who we're going to target to bring in as a backup big man, would Traylor come back?

Traylor is reportedly offended by us not picking up his option. He is unfortunately not a realistic option to come back.

 

[West Remy]

Yahoo! Sports - NBA

Sweet freedom

Radmanovic to make visits

Sonics forward Vladimir Radmanovic, a restricted free agent, isn't a big fan of the dog-and-pony shows some teams put on in an attempt to lure free agents. When agent David Bauman suggested to Radmanovic that he might want to return from his native Belgrade this summer to visit prospective teams the 6-foot-9 Yugoslavian said he had no interest whatsoever. "He said he's already been to all the cities, eaten at all the restaurants and stayed at all the Ritz-Carltons," Bauman said.

Alas, Radmanovic might yet be getting on a plane for that long flight back to the U.S. Bauman says that despite his client's wishes he now intends to have him make a few visits, probably with the Cavs, and perhaps with the Hornets and Clippers. While Bauman says he has begun amicable negotiations with the Sonics, who have the right to match any offer, he wants Radmanovic to meet with prospective suitors just the same.

"Not to see the city or be wooed," Bauman says. "It's more to look the owners in the eye so they know what kind of person he is."

Radmanovic is seeking a deal beginning at well over the mid-level exception. The Cavs, Clippers and Hornets are among the few teams with the salary cap space to make such an offer, but it is unclear whether they will do so. The Sonics apparently intend to make Radmanovic prove his worth before extending him an offer.

Radmanovic to possibly visit, eh?

 

[d3]

If we did get him, which I really doubt we will, What position would he play? We have Drew at the 4 --The position Vlad plays -- and MAYBE Z if we resign him. I would love to see him come of the bench, or swich him with Drew. But then how much would he want?

Maybe we should sign Vlad, and release Drew -I wouldn't do that- . Hmmm ... interesting news. Cant wait till the season starts.

 

[Karma]

I would love Radman but he is not in a priority position. We wont be able to throw the dollars at him if we have resigned Z, without Seattle matching. The only way I see us attaining his services is through a trade, which I guess involves Gooden.

 

[West Remy]

Beacon Journal | 07/08/2005

Cavaliers hook Hughes

LAS VEGAS - Their fat wallet dangling as bait, the Cavaliers finally landed a whopper.

Just hours after Michael Redd shunned them for more bucks with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry pulled off a coup by getting shooting guard Larry Hughes to leave the fast-rising Washington Wizards to join LeBron James in Cleveland.

The price tag will be sobering. The deal is worth between $60 million and $70 million for five years according to an NBA insider, with the final total dependent on numerous incentives.

It was the going rate to pry him away from the stunned Wizards. He is the first major free agent to leave his incumbent team this off-season.

Hughes cannot officially sign his new contract until the NBA free-agent moratorium ends on July 22, but the agreement is ironclad.

"We're committed to signing with the Cavs,'' Hughes' agent, Jeff Wechsler, said from his office in Miami. "There were a lot of factors involved, but we looked at everything and Larry is excited about the plan in Cleveland and playing with LeBron James.''

Hughes and the Cavaliers began seriously negotiating late Wednesday night and reached agreement by late Thursday. The Wizards were shellshocked when they weren't even given a chance to match the offer.

"We gave the Wizards the first opportunity to re-sign Larry and they didn't come in where we thought they would,'' Wechsler said. "After that, the Cavaliers became Larry's first choice.''

It is believed the Wizards only offered Hughes a deal starting between $8 million and $9 million per year, well below what he believed was his market value. The Cavaliers, admittedly paying a premium, blew that out of the water with an offer of about $12 million to start, and Hughes accepted.

Hughes and James have mutual friends, and the Cavaliers superstar is believed to have used his connections to help recruit Hughes.

Hughes, 26, isn't as skilled an outside shooter as Redd, who turned down a five-year, $70 million offer from the Cavaliers to sign for $90 million for six years with the Bucks on Thursday, but has historically displayed a diversified all-around game.

He's coming off a career year, averaging 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and a league-best 2.9 steals per game. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team.

His downside is that he's had injury problems during his career, only twice playing more than 70 games. Last season, he missed 21 games with a broken wrist.

With the Hughes signing, the Cavaliers still have about $16 million to spend and are expected to turn their attention to re-signing Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas and the Cavaliers are believed to be talking about a five- or six-year deal worth an average of $10 million annually.

According to two Eastern Conference executives, the Cavaliers are also in talks with Lithuanian point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius. The European standout is an excellent shooter, but a questionable defender that NBA teams have flirted with for years.

Ilgauskas' best friend growing up, Jasikevicius, 29, reportedly turned down an offer from the Boston Celtics. The Indiana Pacers are believed to be offering him a backup role, but he'd like to start. The Cavaliers need a starting point guard and will still have salary-cap room even after a deal is done with Ilgauskas.

Front-office hires

Ferry is expected to announce in the next few days that he's hired Atlanta Hawks vice president of basketball operations Chris Grant and San Antonio Spurs director of scouting Lance Blanks to positions within his front office. Grant has known Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and assistant coach Hank Egan since all were at the University of San Diego together. Blanks and Ferry worked together in the Spurs' front office the past two years.

Marty practices

The Cavaliers' summer-league team was off Friday, but rookie center Martynas Andriuskevicius, who missed Thursday's Vegas Summer League opener with back spasms, worked out with the team.

The beginning part of the article is a summary of the Larry Hughes acquisition but the other parts should be of interest. Talks with Zydrunas are underway and possibly close to being completed, plus Sarunas has been contacted. Thus the courtship has officially begun. Danny Ferry is looking to complete and solidify the front office as well. So things are falling into place. Fans following Cleveland in the summer league can rest easy knowing Marty worked out with the team and might be able to play in a few games later. It's good hearing his back injury wasn't completely debilitating.

 

[King]

With the Hughes signing, the Cavaliers still have about $16 million to spend and are expected to turn their attention to re-signing Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas and the Cavaliers are believed to be talking about a five- or six-year deal worth an average of $10 million annually.

10 million a year seems very reasonable to me. But i would hate for the deal to be 5-6 years. I would hate to be paying him like 12mil when hes 36. 3-4 years would be great.

 

[NarlCavs]

The Cavs have to go longer in the number of years in order to get Z's 1st year salary down to a lower amount so they can have more cap space to use this year. A 5 or 6 year contract allows them to keep the 1st year of his new contract at $8-8.5 million. It would be closer to $10 million if it was only a 3 year deal.

I'm ok with 5 years for Z. He will still be an effective player at that point and will only be 34.

 

[NarlCavs]

I tried to figure out the Cavs salary and contract situation to give some idea of exactly how much they might have left to spend and what they can still do.

I was a little wrong on Z's salary in the 1st year of his new contract. It will have to be at least $9 million in year 1 and be a 5 year contract in order to have the contract average $10 million a year or more.

The reports of Hughes 1st year salary in his contract being $12 million are right. It would have to start at that amount to make it worth the $65-70 million that's been reported.

If the cap is $49 million and the Cavs had $28 million to spend than that leaves them with $7 million left after adding up Z's $9 million and Hughes' $12 million.

Sarunas Jasikevicius is going to cost at least $3 million in the 1st year of his contract. That leaves $4 million in cap room. Not enough for Haslem.
The Cavs would have to trade Gooden and get back little or no salary in return in order to have enough cap room to make Haslem a contract offer that Miami probably can't match. I believe it would have to be about $6 million in year 1 of a contract.
Teams like Atlanta or New Orleans could take on Gooden's contract without giving up any salary. The Nets also have a trade exception they could use to take on Gooden's contract.