End Of The Week Free Agency Updates: Brandon Bass, Jameer Nelson, Gerald Wallace, & Jamal Crawford

-- In a somewhat surprising move, Brandon Bass has decided to opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics and test free agency this summer.

Bass would have made $4.25 million next season with the Celtics under his current deal, but considering he is coming off a season in which he posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, it's fair to say he is due for a raise.

However, according to the report from Comcast Sportsnet, it's likely Bass will return to Boston and sign a multi-year contract with the team.

"I would love to be back here," he told reporters after Boston's season-ending loss to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. "The fans here are unbelievable. For any player, this organization is the organization that you want to play for."

Regardless of whether or not the Celtics bring back Kevin Garnett next season, Boston still needs some quality front court players for the post "Big Four" era and Bass is exactly the kind of player they need as they move forward and build for the future.

Bass took less money to stay with the Orlando Magic once upon a time, so it's not totally out of the realm of possibility he will give the Celtics a fair discount as well if they commit to him for the long-term.

-- The Orlando Magic and point guard Jameer Nelson have agreed to an extension on his contract opt-out date until June 29 amidst all of the coaching and front office uncertainty within the franchise.

Nelson was originally supposed to have made a decision by today, however, he asked the team for an extension until he finds out who will be the next head coach and general manager of the team.

"The extension gives Jameer the opportunity to evaluate the decisions that Orlando's about to make, which helps in clarifying what Jameer's role would be and whether or not the new management team has a role for him," Nelson's agent Steve Mountain told the Orlando Sentinel.

If Nelson chooses to return  to Orlando next season and exercises his player option, he will earn about $7.9 million, but he could also find himself being dangled in trades because he will have a contract that expires after the 2012-13 season.

However, if he chooses to opt-out, he will hit the free agent market on July 1 as an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team without Orlando having the right to match an offer.

Nelson has spent his entire NBA career with the Magic and says he would like to return to Orlando if the situation feels right.

--  Gerald Wallace has decided to take a gamble on his value on the free agent market, as he will opt-out of the final year of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets that was due to pay him $9.5 million.

Wallace, who was acquired by the Nets in a midseason trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, will likely draw interest from several contending teams, although he almost certainly won't be offered a contract paying him what he would have made by picking up his player option with Brooklyn.

The Nets gave up a mini-truckload for Wallace, sending Mehmet Okur to the Blazers as well as a first round draft pick, which ended up being the sixth overall selection in this month's NBA Draft.

With that being said, expect Brooklyn to make a major run at re-signing Wallace to a multi-year contract, even it means paying him more than his original deal would've given him for the first season or two of the new contract.

Although Wallace is an 11-year veteran in the league, he is only 30 years-old and still has quite a few solid years left in the tank, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

-- Portland Trail Blazer's guard Jamal Crawford will test free agency this summer and opt-out of the final season of the two-year deal he signed just last summer with the franchise.

Crawford would have earned $5.225 next season with the Blazers if he had decided to pick up his player option on the deal, however, he apparently didn't enjoy his time with Portland according to multiple reports throughout the season.

Part of the reason for Crawford's unhappiness can be traced to the number of minutes he played with the Blazers this year, averaging only 26.9 minutes per game in the 60 he played in, which was his lowest minutes per game average since 2003.

Sam Amico of FoxSports reports that Crawford is interested in signing with one of the following teams in free agency: the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers.

He was drafted 8th overall in the 2000 draft by the Cavaliers, although he never played for them as he was traded almost immediately after being drafted to the Chicago Bulls for Chris Mihm.

Crawford has played for the Knicks in the past, and although they weren't very good during his first tenure there, they are much better these days and would greatly benefit from the addition of a player of Crawford's level.

If the 32 year-old guard is interested in chasing a championship, Miami and New York would probably be his best options, although the heat would likely have to trade or amnesty Mike Miller to make something happen.

Where do you think these players will end up in free agency? Who will re-sign with the current teams and who will find themselves wearing new uniforms next season? Share your opinions below in the comments section.

Boston Celtics Free Agency & NBA Draft News

According to an unnamed Western Conference GM that spoke with Sam Amico of FoxSports, the Boston Celtics are considering making one more run with the core group of players that helped the franchise come within one victory of playing in their third NBA Finals in five years.

While the anonymous GM said he believes Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers will try to keep most of the core group together, it seems as though one member of Boston's "Big Four" might be finding a new home during the offseason.

“I think they’ll re-sign Garnett, but let Allen walk,” said one Western Conference executive. “Then they’ll spend some money in free agency. They’re a respected franchise. They’ll draw some interest from the available bigger names, but the key will be to keep Garnett first.”

If the Celtics do indeed decide to allow Ray Allen to walk in free agency, they would be free to target one of the marquee names on this summer's free agent market such as Deron Williams, Steve Nash, or Eric Gordon.

Since the Celtics only have Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and JaJuan Johnson locked in under contract for next season (Brandon Bass has a player option for $4 million that he will likely exercise), they only have $34.5 million on their books in salary.

As long as they can convince Garnett to return at a moderate discount to chase one more ring and retire a Celtic, the team should have enough money to pursue someone that will be commanding something close to a maximum deal or several mid-level talents to restock around the core group.

Amico quoted the anonymous GM as saying he thought the Celtics might have interest in the following unrestricted free agents: Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks), Andre Miller (Denver Nuggets), Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee Bucks), Shannon Brown (Phoenix Suns) and Nick Young (Los Angeles Clippers).

The GM also mentioned restricted free agents O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies) and Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets) as potential targets for Boston.

Brook Lopez is another player to keep an eye on, in my opinion, as I can't imagine him resigning with the Brooklyn Nets after they have spent two solid seasons trying to move him in exchange for Dwight Howard.

Lopez would give Boston a solid scoring threat in their front court to go along with Bass and Garnett (assuming both players return to the Celtics) and is now the best center on the market after Howard signed his one-year extension with the Orlando Magic.

Also, according to Amico, the Celtics are considering packaging the #21 and #22 picks they own in an attempt to move up "five or six spots" in this month's NBA Draft.

The Philadelphia 76ers (#15) and Houston Rockets (#16) are reportedly interested in trading their selections in return for a proven veteran, however, they might be enticed to make a deal with Boston if they feel they have a better chance of acquiring someone with two picks as opposed to one.

Definitely keep an eye out for a Boston-Houston trade, as the Rockets own the 14th pick as well as the 16th and I'd be very surprised if Houston doesn't trade at least one of the selections.

Although it's highly unlikely, if Boston does manage to trade up in the draft, they may find themselves in the awkward position of having Austin Rivers, son of head coach Doc Rivers, still available on the board when they pick.

Since both Austin and Doc have said in interviews that they would rather not end up with the same franchise, it's extremely unlikely to happen even if he is on the board when their pick comes up, however, there's always a chance things could change if the Celtics find themselves with a realistic chance of landing the young guard who played last season with Duke.

The only thing that is certain for the Boston Celtics this summer is that Danny Ainge will have his hands full as he tries to decide what direction the franchise wants to move into as they depart from the "Big Three" era and into a new, much more uncertain one.

Which free agents do you think would be the best fit for the Celtics? Should they try to trade up in the draft or grab two players in what many to consider to be a deep draft? Share what you think Ainge should do this summer below in the comments section.

Michael Heisley Says Memphis Grizzlies Aren't Shopping Rudy Gay Despite Various Reports

By: Stephen Patterson

Since the Memphis Grizzlies season ended in the opening round of the postseason with a devastating Game 7 loss on their home court to the Los Angeles Clippers, Rudy Gay has been mixed up in trade rumors involving at least five interested teams.

However, despite the various reports saying the Grizzlies are looking to move their starting small forward in a deal to lower the teams' 2012-13 salary cap figure, franchise majority owner Michael Heisley says that couldn't be further from the truth.

"We're not looking to trade Rudy Gay. We're not shopping him around. Period. Do we sit around and say, 'What if we traded Rudy, who could we get?' No. Right now, Rudy is part of the future of this team," Heisley told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

"Our plan was always to protect the core. I've got the core for four years. If we ever decide to do something, it won't be because of salary. We're going to build a team around this core group. We understand Rudy's salary. We understood it when we gave it to him. We're not looking to cut salary. We're looking to try and win a championship."

With Gay due to earn $16.4 million next season and almost $54 million over the next three seasons, it's easy for people to wonder if the team might be willing to move him for the right package of players and draft picks.

However, it's extremely unlikely the Grizzlies would be able to receive fair value for Gay, who averaged 19.0 points per game for Memphis this season in 65 games.

The Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Bobcats are reportedly all interested in acquiring Gay should Memphis decide to move him.

According Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Raptors are reportedly interested in acquiring Gay or Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala for a package centering around the eighth overall pick in this month's NBA Draft, Ed Davis, and either Jose Calderon or Andrea Bargnani.

Sam Amico recently reported that the Charlotte Bobcats might be willing to deal the second overall pick in a trade centered around Gay.

It's currently unknown what the Warriors, Magic, and Nets would be willing to offer in a trade involving Gay.

This is the second consecutive offseason in which Gay has found himself engulfed in a swirl of trade rumors, as there were many reports last summer that the team was willing to part with him for the right package after the Grizzlies reached the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever.

They came within a game of reaching the Western Conference Finals without Gay, who injured his shoulder in February and was forced to miss the remainder of the season.

Gay bounced back from the injury this season, however, as he led Memphis to a 41-25 record (good for a franchise-record winning percentage of .621) and helped them clinch the fourth seed in the Western Conference, the first time the Grizzlies had ever held home-court advantage for a playoff series.

Considering the fact that the Grizzlies are coming off of two consecutive postseason appearances in which they won a total of 10 games after the franchise was 0-12 in postseason games prior to last season, I think Memphis would be better served to keep Gay and instead try to find the right mixture of role players to help this team reach the next level.

2012 NBA Draft Lottery: Conspiracy or Coincidence?

Stephen Patterson:

When the New Orleans Hornets were announced as the winners of the NBA Draft Lottery this past Wednesday night, speculation began instantly about the legitimacy of the lottery process and whether or not the entire thing had been rigged from the start.

The Hornets had just a 13.7 percent chance of winning the draft lottery, yet somehow they managed to land the top pick despite having lower odds than the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Bobcats.

While missing out on the top pick in the 2012 NBA Draft definitely hurt the Cavaliers and Wizards, both teams have managed to win the draft lottery in recent years.

First, in 2010, Washington landed the rights to select number one overall pick John Wall despite having the fifth-worst record in the league during the prior season and having just a 10.3 percent chance of winning the draft lottery.

Coincidentally, former owner Abe Pollin had just recently passed away and his widow, Irene Pollin, was planning to sell the team to current owner Ted Leonsis. Any guess whether or not having Wall on the roster helped persuade Leonsis to purchase the team? My money says it definitely didn't hurt.

Then there was the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery, where the Cavaliers landed the first and fourth overall picks as they won the draft lottery with a pick they had acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers. The pick that landed them the top selection, which was the one they had received in the trade with the Clippers, had just a 2.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.

Coincidentally, the Cavaliers had lost hometown hero LeBron James in free agency prior to the 2010-11 season in a very messy and public divorce (see Decision, The), which sent owner Dan Gilbert into a fit that you might expect from a young child, including the infamous letter he wrote to Cavaliers fans and the media that absolutely trashed James only hours after his announcement that he would be "taking his talents to South Beach."

And finally, we have this season's draft lottery and the New Orleans Hornets, who now will almost certainly land Anthony Davis, the consensus top pick who dominated college basketball this past season during his only season at Kentucky.

Coincidentally, this isn't the first time since Stern and the league took over control of the Hornets that they have found themselves in the midst of a glaring controversy.

The first time came in December 2011, when Stern vetoed a three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul, who had openly wanted out of New Orleans for quite some time, to the Los Angeles Lakers (full proposed trade: the Lakers would have received Paul, the Houston Rockets would have received Pau Gasol, and the Hornets would have received Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom, Goran Dragic, and a 2012 first-round pick).

Only days later, Stern approved a deal between the Hornets and Clippers. The trade landed the Hornets Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al Farouq-Aminu, and a first-round pick in exchange for Paul and two future second-round picks.

While the trade with the Clippers brought New Orleans some solid talent, it's hard to argue the fact that the original trade might have landed the Hornets a better overall haul of players.

Now let's skip forward to April, when Stern and the league announced that New Orleans Saint's owner Tom Benson would be purchasing the team.

After all of the shady moves Stern has made over the past year and a half and the growing stack of "coincidences" surrounding him, would it be too much of a leap to consider the possibility that Stern may have promised Benson the top pick in negotiations to buy the franchise and take it off the league's hands?

Apparently it's not too much of a leap for some league executives and current players to take.

Two anonymous league executives made some negative comments to Yahoo! Sports soon after the lottery on Wednesday night, with going as far as to say the process was a joke.

"It's such a joke that the league made the new owners be at the lottery for the show. The league still owns the Hornets. Ask their front office if new owners can make a trade right now. They can't. This is a joke."

Then there was the player backlash, with many going to Twitter to voice their opinions.

"I just wanna know why they don't show the lottery balls getting picked anymore ..." tweeted Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams.

"The fix is in," was Portland Trail Blazer Jonny Flynn's response to the Hornet's landing the top overall pick.

When the league's own employees are beginning to question the growing pile of "coincidences", maybe it's time to consider the very real possibility that David Stern is starting to abuse some of his powers as commissioner of the NBA.

What are your thoughts on the New Orleans Hornets winning the top selection in this month's 2012 NBA Draft? Is it just another coincidence or is it perhaps a part of something bigger?

Top 10 Dunks of the NBA 2011-2012 Season

By: Stephen Patterson

These are the Top 10 dunks from the 2011-12 season according to NBA.com.

While all of these dunks are pretty sick, I can't help but feel like someone got left out of the final list. Especially when you see how many times Blake Griffin is featured (I'm sorry but I think that dunk he had on Kendrick Perkins was overrated, like a majority of his big plays. However, I do love how he absolutely destroys Pau Gasol twice in the same game earlier in the clip).

Do you think someone else deserved a spot among the Top 10? Are you happy with the order that NBA.com put them in? Share your thoughts in the comments section after you check out the video:

 

All-NBA Teams & Vote Breakdown

What are your thoughts on the All-NBA squads? Should someone have been higher? Lower? Or did someone miss out all together that belongs on the third team? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

* Special thanks to www.iamagm.com for the image.

Orlando Magic Finally Ready to Move on from Dwight Howard Era

By: Stephen Patterson

It appear as though the Orlando Magic are finally ready to move on from the Dwight Howard era and will attempt to grant him his long-desired trade.

According to Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com, the team fired Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith with the intention of also moving Howard and starting with a clean slate across the board.

There were multiple reports earlier in the week that Howard still wanted out of Orlando despite the fact that the team fired Van Gundy, who many believe Dwight had wanted gone for quite some time.

The Magic will begin listening to offers next week after the draft lottery takes place and will try to make a deal happen prior to the NBA Draft in June.

Many people believe the Magic are hoping the Brooklyn Nets will land a top three selection in the draft lottery that they can include in a package along with Brook Lopez and other players and/or picks.

Another team that could potentially jump into the mix for Howard is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are likely to make some major moves in order to get back to a championship-contending level and could offer a package involving Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and/or Metta World Peace.

A dark horse candidate to watch for could be the New York Knicks. It is becoming more and more apparent that Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire aren't meshing quite as well on the court as the franchise envisioned when they paired the duo up and could be inclined to make a move for Howard to keep him from going to the crosstown Nets.

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are also potential landing spots for Howard, although it would be much tougher for either team to land the NBA's best center without having to part with Dirk Nowitzki or Blake Griffin, respectively.

Who's uniform do you think Dwight Howard will be wearing on opening night of the 2012-13 season opener? Let me know in the comments section below.