ESPN Insider
1. Rashard Lewis, SuperSonics
He switched agents during the season, going from Kevin Poston to Tony Dutt in an effort to maximize his earnings. Lewis has already properly filed the paperwork to opt out of his contract, foregoing salaries of $10.1 million in '07-08 and $10.9 million in '08-09.
He can get major, major money from Orlando if the Magic renounce Darko Milicic (which is unlikely), but otherwise his best hope for a contract with a major starting salary -- a max deal would start above $18 million -- would be through a sign-and-trade. This will be a major skills test for both Dutt and 30-year-old Sonics general manager Sam Presti, both of whom must first wait until the draft is over to make a proper assessment of the correct starting point.
Sign-and-trade offers could come from New York, Cleveland, Miami, Orlando and Portland.
2. Chauncey Billups, Pistons
It was only a few months ago that the Detroit media was reporting that Billups would get a max contract from the Pistons for all of his years of faithful service. But Billups' value took a hit when he struggled in the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland, and his only hope of leveraging a new deal starting somewhere north of $12 million per year would be through a sign-and-trade.
Agent Andy Miller will try to find such a deal, but the consensus around the league is that Billups staying in Detroit is a virtual lock.
3. Gerald Wallace, Bobcats
If you want to see graphic evidence of a guy establishing his value, go back and look at the tapes of the Bobcats' final 45 games, when Wallace averaged 21.6 points with 14 double-doubles.
Wallace opted out of a contract that would have paid him $6.05 million next season, and he'd command double that if there were a more open market this summer. Michael Jordan says he wants to keep him in Charlotte, but we'll have to wait and see how open owner Bob Johnson's wallet is going to be.
4. Vince Carter, Nets
He's going to opt out of his final season, forsaking $16.36 million, but he'll likely get a new deal from New Jersey for at least three years, with a starting salary lower than $16 million for next season.
That would give the Nets a little more flexibility under the luxury tax this summer, and it would take care of Carter long-term.
5. Mo Williams, Bucks
If, as everyone believes, Billups is going to return to the Pistons, then Young Mr. Mo will be the best free agent point guard out there during a summer when several teams, including Miami, Memphis and the Los Angeles Lakers, will be looking to address playmaker needs.
If Williams gets an offer that is more than the Bucks are willing to pay, it'll free up money for Milwaukee to spend elsewhere.
6. Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers
Yes, he's a restricted free agent, but with the Cavs right up against the luxury tax, it'll cost them double to keep him. In other words, if the Bucks, for instance, signed him to an offer sheet with a starting salary of $10 million, it would cost Cleveland $20 million in real dollars to match.
7. Darko Milicic, Magic
His cap hold as of July 1 is $15.6 million, which eats up all of Orlando's space. If they sign him at a starting salary of $9 million, they'll still have enough space left to offer an additional free agent more than midlevel money.
If the Magic want to go hard after Lewis, they could work out a sign-and-trade with Seattle, or simply renounce Darko -- the latter option would squeeze the 22-year-old, 7-footer financially.
8. Grant Hill, Magic
All indications point to him returning to Detroit if Joe Dumars is able to clear Lindsey Hunter, Ronald Dupree and Flip Murray off his cap. If that fails to happen, expect Toronto and/possibly San Antonio to make a push.
9. Steve Blake, Nuggets
If you don't think a half season of steady play will lead to millions in free-agent riches, look back on the cases of Marcus Banks and Speedy Claxton. Blake had nine games with double-figure assists after being dealt from the Bucks to the Nuggets at midseason. He would seem a perfect fit for Memphis or the Lakers. The Blazers are also interested.
10. Andray Blatche, Wizards
If we're judging on youth and upside alone, he's probably in the top tier. He may merit a full midlevel offer sheet, and then it would be a question of whether the Wizards would match (I believe they would in an eyeblink), and how that would impact their decisions on DeShawn Stevenson and Jarvis Hayes.
11. Andres Nocioni, Bulls
His best opportunity to get more than the midlevel would be through a sign-and-trade, though his value was hurt by his poor playoff performance against Detroit. If he signs for the MLE elsewhere, count on the Bulls matching.
12. Jason Kapono, Heat
Miami is desperately trying to swing deals, and this is one of the most tradable assets they have (Jason Williams is borderline untradable, and Antoine Walker is completely untradable.) Look for something of the sign-and-trade variety here.
13. Antonio McDyess, Pistons
The word Insider is hearing from Detroit is that McDyess is a lock to get an extension for 2008-09, keeping him from opting out of his $6.4 million salary for next season. Whether Billups stays will be a factor.
14. Jerry Stackhouse, Mavericks
He made $9.3 million last season, and he wants to stay in Dallas. The Mavericks want him back, too, but they're bidding against themselves, which will impact if and how much of a pay cut Stack will take.
15. Luke Walton, Lakers
Some of the trade options the Lakers are exploring to placate Kobe Bryant include sign-and-trade deals for Walton. When we know more about Kobe's future and whether he stays in L.A., we'll know better how the Lakers can best use Walton -- keeping him or sign-and-trading him -- in the immediate future.
16. Theo Papaloukas, CSKA Moscow
The 6-foot-7 guard has drawn interest from several NBA teams, including the Heat, Grizzlies and the Clippers, and says he wants to give the NBA a shot, but it would take a full midlevel offer to trump what he's making tax-free in Russia. He has a 400,000 euro buyout with CSKA that must be executed by July 15.
17. Mikki Moore, Nets
He said before the playoffs that he'd give New Jersey a hometown discount, but then increased his value substantially in the playoffs, possibly pricing himself out of the Nets' plans. In a market short on unrestricted free-agent centers, Moore could be able to snag a two- or three-year deal for a portion of a team's midlevel exception.
18. Sasha Pavlovic, Cavaliers
He's in a similar situation to Varejao, in that the Cavs would have to pay double if they match any offer he receives. Pavlovic raised his stock substantially with his defensive effort in the playoffs against Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton and Manu Ginobili.
19. Mickael Pietrus, Warriors
A Raptors source told me there was very little chance of Toronto making a move for the French forward, despite reports to the contrary last weekend. Pietrus recently switched agents, leaving Lon Babby for William McCandless.
20. Desmond Mason, Hornets
It's way down here on the list where we find the best candidates for getting squeezed financially. Mason is one player who should expect a hefty pay cut after making $8.3 million last season.
21. Earl Boykins, Bucks
Opted out of a guaranteed $3 million to go after one last big contract. Enough teams are looking for point guards for him to do better financially than Milwaukee teammate Ruben Patterson, who made $6.8 million last year and will be hard-pressed to find anywhere near that much elsewhere.
22. Matt Barnes, Warriors
Wants to stay in Golden State, which influenced his recent decision to hire agent Dan Fegan, who also represents fellow Warriors Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson.
23. DeShawn Stevenson, Wizards
Still trying to make up for his $9 million mistake last summer when he turned that much down from Orlando and then signed for the minimum in Washington.
24. Fabricio Oberto, Spurs
He declined his third-year option late Sunday night, no doubt thinking he'll be able to get some long-term security -- and perhaps a boost from the $2.5 million he was due to make from San Antonio. He gets the coveted final international player slot, way down here at No. 24, over Portland's Ime Udoka.
25. Matt Carroll, Bobcats
After a vagabond career that included a stop in the D-League, Carroll is seeking some long-term security. No, he cannot defend, but he is a tough compe or and an above-average shooter. In the long run, he's worth more than the guys he edged out for No. 25, Morris Peterson, Chris Webber, Corliss Williamson, James Posey and Jamaal Magloire.
Quite interesting.19. Mickael Pietrus, Warriors
A Raptors source told me there was very little chance of Toronto making a move for the French forward, despite reports to the contrary last weekend. Pietrus recently switched agents, leaving Lon Babby for William McCandless.
A max ($18M) deal for Rashard Lewis is certifiably laughable. For a one-dimensional shooter? Well, there's always Isaiah.
Jordan wants him... that should effectively end any drooling over Wallace in this forum.3. Gerald Wallace, Bobcats
If you want to see graphic evidence of a guy establishing his value, go back and look at the tapes of the Bobcats' final 45 games, when Wallace averaged 21.6 points with 14 double-doubles.
Wallace opted out of a contract that would have paid him $6.05 million next season, and he'd command double that if there were a more open market this summer. Michael Jordan says he wants to keep him in Charlotte, but we'll have to wait and see how open owner Bob Johnson's wallet is going to be.
Lewis is overrated so badly on this list? #1? He was a fluke of an all star who isnt worth nearly that much money.
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