Man of Steel
07-03-2008, 01:31 AM
This article is a few hours old. It is from the Boston Herald and is a non-Associated Press article:
C’s deny Maggette offer
Wait while Posey market expands
By Mark Murphy
Thursday, July 3, 2008 - Updated 2h ago
+ Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email Boston Herald Sports Reporter
E-mail Printable (0) Comments Text size Share (0) Rate
Though contract offers and mere contact with free agents often are confused during this rumor-laden time of year, the result can be maddening for the organization that is attempting to gauge interest in a player.
That’s where the Celtics [team stats] found themselves yesterday amid reports they made an offer to free agent Corey Maggette.
A team source insisted no offer was made to the former Clippers swingman, though Danny Ainge reportedly has talked to a number of players, including Maggette, as he attempts to build a pool of candidates in the event his top priority - signing James Posey - falls through.
The problem, considering Ainge is dealing with one of the league’s highest payrolls - and one already in luxury-tax range - is that like most team bosses, his primary bait is the mid-level exception.
As of yesterday the Celtics’ only offer had been made to one of their own - Posey, whose value as a two-time NBA champion has caught the eyes of contending teams across the league. The market for Posey continued to grow yesterday, a day after the Celtics opened free agency with their offer to the valuable swingman. The Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers all have made contact with Posey’s agent, Mark Bartlestein.
All parties are looking into Posey’s request of a mid-level contract that starts at approximately $5.8 million per season and carries four or five years. The contract, which stands to become the richest and longest of Posey’s career, could pay him as much as $30 million for the next five years.
Detroit, which had been thought to be interested, has no immediate plans to spend its entire mid-level exception on one player, though it might jump into the Posey sweepstakes if talks drag on.
Houston, also thought to be a player for Posey - who spent a half-season with the Rockets in 2003 - currently is locked in a struggle to sign one of its own free agents, second-year forward Carl Landry.
Bartlestein said Tuesday that the Celtics’ offer on the first day of free agency fell short of his client’s hopes.
The Celts probably are balking at the 31-year-old Posey’s desired contract length.
He would be 36 at the end of a five-year deal, which also would take him beyond the existing contracts of Paul Pierce [stats] (three more years), Kevin Garnett (four) and Ray Allen (two).
“James would love to get something done,” Bartlestein said. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”
C’s deny Maggette offer
Wait while Posey market expands
By Mark Murphy
Thursday, July 3, 2008 - Updated 2h ago
+ Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email Boston Herald Sports Reporter
E-mail Printable (0) Comments Text size Share (0) Rate
Though contract offers and mere contact with free agents often are confused during this rumor-laden time of year, the result can be maddening for the organization that is attempting to gauge interest in a player.
That’s where the Celtics [team stats] found themselves yesterday amid reports they made an offer to free agent Corey Maggette.
A team source insisted no offer was made to the former Clippers swingman, though Danny Ainge reportedly has talked to a number of players, including Maggette, as he attempts to build a pool of candidates in the event his top priority - signing James Posey - falls through.
The problem, considering Ainge is dealing with one of the league’s highest payrolls - and one already in luxury-tax range - is that like most team bosses, his primary bait is the mid-level exception.
As of yesterday the Celtics’ only offer had been made to one of their own - Posey, whose value as a two-time NBA champion has caught the eyes of contending teams across the league. The market for Posey continued to grow yesterday, a day after the Celtics opened free agency with their offer to the valuable swingman. The Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers all have made contact with Posey’s agent, Mark Bartlestein.
All parties are looking into Posey’s request of a mid-level contract that starts at approximately $5.8 million per season and carries four or five years. The contract, which stands to become the richest and longest of Posey’s career, could pay him as much as $30 million for the next five years.
Detroit, which had been thought to be interested, has no immediate plans to spend its entire mid-level exception on one player, though it might jump into the Posey sweepstakes if talks drag on.
Houston, also thought to be a player for Posey - who spent a half-season with the Rockets in 2003 - currently is locked in a struggle to sign one of its own free agents, second-year forward Carl Landry.
Bartlestein said Tuesday that the Celtics’ offer on the first day of free agency fell short of his client’s hopes.
The Celts probably are balking at the 31-year-old Posey’s desired contract length.
He would be 36 at the end of a five-year deal, which also would take him beyond the existing contracts of Paul Pierce [stats] (three more years), Kevin Garnett (four) and Ray Allen (two).
“James would love to get something done,” Bartlestein said. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”