| | While all eyes will be on Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones when free-agent negotiations begin in earnest on Saturday, the decisions those four make will directly affect the futures of another group of players: the second tier of free agents.
|  | | Rashard Lewis might stay in Seattle, but other teams are clamoring for the 20-year-old. |
That list includes Indiana's Jalen Rose and Austin Croshere, Milwaukee's Tim Thomas, Seattle's Rashard Lewis, Portland's Brian Grant, the Los Angeles Clippers' Maurice Taylor and Derek Anderson, the Los Angeles Lakers' Glen
Rice, Philadelphia's Toni Kukoc, Houston's Cuttino Mobley and, to a certain degree, point guards Tim Hardaway of Miami and Greg Anthony of Portland.
Of those players, only Kukoc is really expected to return to his team, and even that is not a sure thing because of rumors that Phil Jackson would like
to jettison Rice and reunite with his former small forward in Los Angeles. All the others are up for grabs.
The difficult part, however, is waiting to see what the top four decide. If, for instance, Duncan and Hill stay with their respective teams, and McGrady and Jones bolt, that means the Magic, Chicago, Toronto and the Clippers all will have money to throw at the remaining free agents.
But if all four free agents bolt their current digs, that is less money to go around, which means that more than likely a good deal of the above free agents will return to their current employers.
Perhaps the most attractive players among the second tier are Thomas, Lewis and Mobley, mostly because they have the most upside potential.
Lewis, who is 20, and Mobley recently completed their second years in the league, while Thomas is a three-year vet.
The Sonics want to keep Lewis, the Rockets want to hang onto Mobley and the Bucks are enamored with Thomas, but other teams have the same feeling.
Word is, if McGrady bolts Toronto, the Raptors will have about $8 million under the cap and are going to make a run at Lewis. And Houston, his
hometown, probably will offer Lewis their mid-level exception ($2.25 million) to see if he wants to stay close to his family. Because Lewis is a restricted free agent, Seattle has the right to match any offer up to $3.8 million. (If Lewis receives an offer more than $3.8 million, Seattle would have to dump salary to match the offer.)
Depending on which free agents Chicago pursues -- and remember, the Bulls still don't have a center -- Jerry Krause has been rumored to like Thomas.
And Mobley might be a consolation prize if some of the big spenders can't land Jones or McGrady.
Not only that, if Chicago can't land any of the free agents, the Bulls' Plan C is to offer $6 million apiece to Lewis, Thomas and either Rose or Croshere.
Both those Pacers players made millions in the Finals, when they both stood out as more-than-competent complementary players to Reggie Miller.
The problem with Rose is he has spent six seasons in the league before finally developing into a nice player, and he is 27 years old. Some teams
would rather have Croshere, who has only three years on the odometer and is 25. Detroit reportedly likes Rose -- who grew up there and went to college at
Michigan -- but he can get more money from the Pacers. Same for Croshere.
The Pistons also reportedly like another Michigan grad, the Clippers' Taylor. Taylor has had a tumultuous final season with the Clips -- who doesn't? --
and has said he will not return. The problem with Taylor, though, is that he is a 6-9, 260-pound interior player who doesn't rebound. Still, in another
surrounding, with better coaches, he might flourish. Look for Elgin Baylor to try to swing a sign-and-trade with somebody for Taylor.
His teammate, Derek Anderson, likely won't command as much money or attention, but the Clips will
probably try to do a sign-and-trade there as well, particularly since they have money under the cap and are able to orchestrate such machinations.
Perhaps the most interesting of those free agents to watch will be Rice and Grant. Rice clearly severed his ties in Los Angeles when he made a fuss over
playing time in the Finals, and he does not fit into the Lakers' triangle system anyway. But while he still can shoot, he is 33, has 11 years under his
belt and did not do himself any favors by letting his wife spout off during the Finals. He will get nowhere near the maximum that his agent, David Falk, said he wanted. In fact, he will be lucky to get half that.
And Grant opted out, ostensibly to test the market, but also because of his playing time behind Rasheed Wallace. There are rumors he will go to the Lakers to fill their void at power forward, but he might just as well return to Portland for more money. If there is one thing the Blazers don't care about, it's money.
After two solid seasons in Portland, Grant's teammate, Anthony, will be a hot commodity. The thing about Anthony is that he is a great backup, but he will
hurt you if he gets starter's minutes. He's too wild, and too carefree on his shot selection. Still, Toronto might have liked the defense he provided,
and the Raptors badly need a true point.
The Heat likely will offer Hardaway a contract, but it will be for only a year, so they can go after big-name free agents next summer. Hardaway might have to swallow his pride, or he likely will go elsewhere for less money.
Frank Hughes covers the NBA for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune. He is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. | |
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