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The big free agents are guards Ray Allen of Seattle, Joe Johnson of Phoenix, Larry Hughes of Washington, Michael Redd of Milwaukee, Antonio Daniels of Seattle, swingman Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Johnson is a restricted free agent, which means the Suns have the right to match any offer. They are expected to retain Johnson after trading Quentin Richardson to the Knicks. The rest are unrestricted free agents once Daniels exercises his option and could go to the highest bidder.
Under the terms of the new labor agreement, if a player re-signs with his own team, he can sign for six years with annual 10 percent raises. If a player leaves, he can sign with his new team for five years with maximum eight percent raises. That means if the home team chooses to retain the player at a maximum contract, he can sign for $85 million to $90 million for six years compared with $65 million to $70 million for five.
The SuperSonics, Suns, Wizards and Bucks are expected to offer maximum contracts or close to their players, so the belief is the top free-agent shooting guards will stay with their teams.
That could impact the Bulls.
General manager John Paxson said the team´s priority this summer is to retain its core and free agents, including Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jannero Pargo and Chris Duhon, and perhaps Othella Harrington and Adrian Griffin.
" Our focus is on our own free agents," Paxson said. " We´d like, if we can go through free agency, to add a big guy who can shoot the ball and give us some depth along the front line."
Abdur-Rahim fits that latter category, but the Bulls will be at or over the salary cap in giving qualifying offers to retain rights to restricted free agents Curry, Chandler and Duhon. So they´ll have the approximately $5 million veteran´s exception to start a contract that could reach about $30 million. Abdur-Rahim never has been in a playoff game and would be a good fit with a developing team like the Bulls, who figure to be in the playoffs.
But the belief is career 19.8-point scorer Abdur-Rahim will opt for a team closer to championship contention. The Nets are said to be the destination, which is one reason they didn´t draft a power forward. Former Bull Donyell Marshall is said to be a backup plan there.
Dallas guard Michael Finley is expected to be released in the new, one-time luxury tax amnesty program that allows teams by Oct. 1 to buy out a high-salaried player to avoid luxury tax on that player´s contract. Phoenix and Detroit are said to have interest. Others who could be available from that category include New York´s Allan Houston, Philadelphia´s Chris Webber, the Lakers´ Brian Grant and Toronto´s Jalen Rose.
The big player in free agency is expected to be the Cleveland Cavaliers. Atlanta and Charlotte are the other teams well under the salary cap. Seattle will be if it loses Allen, and the Clippers if they lose Simmons.
The Cavs are more than $20 million under the salary cap and promising to build a contender for LeBron James. They´ve targeted Allen, Redd and Johnson. But if they cannot get any, James is said to be pushing for Curry.
According to someone familiar with the Cavs´ situation, James would recruit Curry and Eric Snow would help lure Redd from the Bucks.
The Bulls could match any offer and are telling teams they will. So would Cleveland make a major offer, knowing the Bulls will match? How much would the Cavs have to offer for the Bulls to blink?
With restricted free agents, teams have 14 days to match. With the first signing date July 22, the Cavs would have their money tied up until the first week of August if they make a major offer to Curry, and could miss on other free agents. And even if Curry is cleared to play by one doctor, there clearly were concerns from other doctors about the possibility of a heart problem.
Expect the Bulls to make contract offers to Curry and Chandler, though one possibility remains a sign-and-trade with the Cavs like the Bulls did last summer with the Knicks for Curry´s buddy, Jamal Crawford. Perhaps the deal could include forward Drew Gooden or another for center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
The Bulls could be hamstrung in their use of the veteran´s exception if someone makes an offer to Duhon, which would require partial use of the exception.
There are some possibilities for the Bulls, such as former Bull Toni Kukoc, Marshall, the Nets´ Brian Scalabrine, the Kings´ Darius Songalia, the Mavs´ Alan Henderson, the Clippers´ Zeljko Rebraca and Miami´s Christian Laettner. Jerome James, Vitaly Potopenko and Reggie Evans of Seattle, former Bull Michael Ruffin of Washington, the 76ers´ Rodney Rogers and Toronto´s Aaron Williams from Rolling Meadows High School, who has an opt-out clause, also are available.
Maybe a one-time All-Star, Mt. Carmel´s Antoine Walker, would like to return home. It is unclear if he´ll return to the Celtics, who also continue to try to trade Paul Pierce despite public denials.
Pierce is just one of the big names who could be finding a new home before next season. Gary Payton is a free agent and will not return to Boston, and trade talk figures to include Orlando´s Steve Francis, Indiana´s Ron Artest, Atlanta´s Al Harrington, Golden State´s Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, the Clippers´ Corey Maggette, Minnesota´s Wally Szczerbiak, Utah´s Carlos Boozer, Minnesota´s Sam Cassell and Memphis´ Jason Williams.