The start of NBA free agency is scheduled for December 9, but teams are already allowed to speak to agents. With a new amnesty clause and a compressed trade season, action should get hot quickly. Follow this StoryStream for full coverage.
Tyson Chandler To Meet With Warriors, According To Report
Vince Carter To Be Waived By Phoenix Suns, According To Report
The right situation might not be in Phoenix, however, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard and Marc Stein -- at least not under his current contract.
Read Article >Lakers Don’t Expect Shannon Brown To Return
In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Lakers picked up guards Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock. Fisher, Blake and Bryant remain under contract, as well. The Lakers will have use of the mini mid-level exception (worth a max of three years, $9.3 million), sign-and-trade deals and the veteran’s minimum at their disposal, as well.
Read Article >Chris Paul Rumors Receive Pushback In New Orleans
The Times-Picayune had previously reported that Paul’s camp had made no such request to the Hornets’ front office.
Read Article >Chris Paul Wants Trade To New York Knicks, According To Report
Chris Paul rumors have been swirling non-stop since the end of the NBA lockout, and on Thursday, the buzz has gotten louder than ever. Paul’s agent has requested that the New Orleans Hornets trade him to the New York Knicks, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.
As Adrian Wojnarowski writes, Paul’s agent told the Hornets this week that his client will not sign an extension in New Orleans this offseason, and would like to be traded to the New York Knicks.
Read Article >Rajon Rondo Trade Rumors Discussed By Danny Ainge At Celtics Press Conference
Ainge eventually said he wasn’t trying to trade Rondo, but Rivers discussed how those sort of rumors might be brought up.
As short as it’s planned to be, the NBA offseason should still be plenty interesting.
Read Article >Nets, Others Hoping To Land Nene, According To Report
Yahoo! Sports reports that it could take upwards of $13 million per season to sign Nene, but for a team that wants to win this year, he’s one of the best options on the board.
Read Article >Lakers Would Reportedly Make Andrew Bynum Available In Blockbuster
Front office executive Jim Buss said that Bynum was “untouchable in trade talks” earlier this year, but that apparently is no longer the case.
It’s obvious that very few players would be able to pry Bynum away from the Lakers, but it makes sense that Howard would be one of those players.
Read Article >Tyson Chandler, Nets Reportedly Have Mutual Interest
Tyson Chandler Ready To Leave Dallas Mavericks As Free Agent
It had widely been expected that Chandler would re-sign with the Mavericks, but it appears that the Mavericks have other priorities than signing the big man to a long-term deal.
For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball. For more on the upcoming season, check out SB Nation NBA.
Read Article >Carl Landry Draws Interest From Pacers And More, According To Reports
In addition, Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports that Pacers execs spoke to Landry’s agent on Wednesday.
Read Article >Nate Robinson, Thunder Working On Buy-Out, According To Report
Falgoust reports that the team was working on an agreement to release Robinson before the NBA lockout hit in July. Robinson has just one season and $4.5 million remaining on his deal. Robinson played in just four games for Scott Brooks’ Thunder after being included in the midseason Kendrick Perkins-Jeff Green trade in February.
If Robinson is bought out in the traditional way, most of that $4.5 million contract would remain on the Thunder’s salary cap sheet. Assuming NBA rules on buy-outs do not change in the new collective bargaining agreement, and assuming that Oklahoma City does not use the amnesty or stretch provisions on Robinson’s small deal, the Thunder would see 50 percent of any new NBA contract a waived Robinson signs for this season removed from that $4.5 million cap hit. (So if a buy-out is reached and Robinson signs a one-year, $2 million deal with another team, his cap hit on the Thunder would be for $3.5 million.)
Read Article >David West Reportedly Draws Interest From Warriors, Wizards In Addition To Pacers
West missed the end of the 2010-11 season and playoff after tearing his ACL late in the season. He’s been primarily a skill player instead of an athletic power, but how his knee responds will be a big factor in how productive he is heading through his 30s.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Trade Possibility Left Open By Magic GM Otis Smith
Smith talked to the media after the NBA announced that team executives could begin talking to players and agents in anticipation of the start of free agency on December 9. Howard can’t become a free agent until July 2012, but rumors have swirled after the center made comments about his uncertainty on whether he’ll commit to Orlando. The Magic, no doubt, have a maximum-value extension available whenever he wants to sign it.
Smith didn’t exactly say he plans to put Howard on the market, and said that he wants to take to the star about the issue instead of reading the media tea leaves. But he was candid in saying that all options would remain open.
Read Article >Caron Butler Rumors Center On Bulls, Heat And Four Other Teams
Top NBA Free Agents Of 2011: A Delectable Class Of Players Awaits

Getty ImagesNBA free agency officially begins on December 9, but teams have been cleared to talk to agents. Who are they talking about? The 120-odd NBA free agents, of course!
This list digs into the top 79 free agents available with varying levels of superficiality. Enjoy.
Read Article >Rajon Rondo Trade Rumors: Celtics Guard A Hot Commodity
With so much smoke surrounding Rondo, a trade would seem to be imminent. Considering there wasn’t a lot of alternatives to talk about during the months-long lockout, however, all of these talks could have simply been a way to get through the doldrums of the work stoppage.
Read Article >Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: New Jersey Nets Preparing Offer For Orlando Magic Center
For more NBA trade rumors and NBA free agency updates, visit this StoryStream.
Read Article >NBA Free Agents, Teams Can Talk Beginning Wednesday
In a surprise move, the NBA announced on Tuesday that while free agency won’t begin until December 9, teams can begin talks with agents about free agent players beginning on Wednesday. The league that no deals can be offered or accepted -- even verbally -- until December 9, but that communication can begin.
It’s unorthodox by NBA standards. In a normal NBA offseason, teams cannot have conversations with agents of free agent players from other teams until the stroke of midnight on July 1, the traditional start of free agency. By the time that the sun rises on July 1, there are usually a couple of verbal deals wrapped up.
Read Article >How NBA Lockout Deal Affects Nene’s Inevitable Max Contract
But the deal that sprung from the NBA lockout will fix this injustice, right? Surely after that painful defeat at the hands of the Neo-Scrooges among NBA ownership, Nene’s max contract won’t end up being too huge. Right? Right?
In the old collective bargaining agreement, assuming a $58 million salary cap, without cajoling the Nuggets into a sign-and-trade, Nene would have been eligible for a max contract of five years, $100 million.
Read Article >Nene Chase Reportedly Includes Six Teams, None Of Which Are The Nuggets
If you wondering how the Heat can manage to add Nene via sign-and-trade or by signing him outright without the Brazilian taking a massive paycut, you are not alone. Houston and Dallas have young prospects, at least.
For more on the Nuggets, visit Denver Stiffs and SB Nation Denver.
Read Article >Paul Millsap A Hot Trade Target, With Pacers Interested
Millsap is more than four years younger, though, and nearly as productive. Indiana has intriguing prospects up and down the roster, and the Jazz will have incentive to slash payroll with such a young core, so it seems like a natural fit if Indiana’s West pursuit falls through.
For more on the Pacers, visit Indy Cornrows. For more on the Jazz, visit SLC Dunk.
Read Article >NBA Free Agent List: 129 Players Available, Though Some May Be Tied Up Overseas
NBA free agency is scheduled to begin on December 9. While the class certainly lack in stars when compared to the famous 2010 and 2012 derbies, there’s value to be had. See the full list of free agents who played in the NBA last season below, broken down by status.
Offer sheets signed by these players can be matched by the incumbent team. An asterisk denotes that a player remains under contract overseas and may not be interested in or able to return to the NBA this season.
Read Article >Andrei Kirilenko To Weigh Free Agency, Remaining In Moscow
Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that, per Kirilenko’s agent Marc Fleisher, the forward will weigh his options before making a decision either way.
Read Article >NBA Free Agency: Samuel Dalembert Favors Heat, Also Interested In Knicks, Rockets