Atlanta Hawks: NBA free agency begins
The NBA’s free-agent period has officially started.
Teams can now come to contract terms with free agents. Deals can’t become official until July 11, after the league and union complete their annual audit to set the projected salary cap and luxury-tax levels for the 2012-13 season.
Nine Hawks players became unrestricted free agents today: Jason Collins, Erick Dampier, Willie Green, Kirk Hinrch, Ivan Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Jannero Pargo, Vladimir Radmanovic and Jerry Stackhouse. All those players except for Hinrich played for the league minimum last season.
Update: The Hawks extended a qualifying offer to Johnson by Sunday’s deadline. He’s a restricted free agent with Atlanta maintaining salary-matching rights.
NBA.com has a cool, sortable free-agent tracker page. One potential free agent is already off the market as Kevin Garnett and the Celtics reportedly agreed to a three-year, $34 million contract.
The Hawks are over the salary cap but have full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available in addition to minimum player salary exceptions.
The MLE can be used to sign free agents for as many as four years at a maximum starting salary of $5 million with annual raises of as much as 4.5 percent. It can be split to sign more than one player.
The BAE can be used to sign free agents for as many as two years at a maximum starting salary of $1.957 million with a raise of up to 4.5 percent in the second year. It can be split to sign more than one player.
Minimum salary contracts can be up to two years in length. The salary is determined based on the player’s experience.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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280 comments Add your comment
Just Joe
July 1st, 2012
2:05 pm
Hawks listed as having a possible interest in Rashard Lewis.
Najeh Davenpoop
July 1st, 2012
2:08 pm
C’mon, guys, enough already. Give me a break here.
bigdave
July 1st, 2012
2:08 pm
Atlanta, dallas, clips…
Interested in Ray Allen according to espn via hoopshype
Ken Strickland
July 1st, 2012
2:09 pm
Since JJs contract can’t be restructured, and thanks for the correction, it looks like the Nets will be trying to do a lot of sign and trades to cover enough of his salary to make it work. It looks to me like the Nets new owner is trying to pull off a JJohnson, DWilliams, DHoward deal simular to what Miami pulled off with DWade, LJames and CBosh.
If he’s willing to spend the money and pay the luxury tax, he might pull it off. It’s a trade that would give he Hawks a lot of flexiblity going forward, and maybe a very functional player or 2.
As you may have noticed, there’s an ANAL MINDED TROLL that’s been posting under my name. Just do what his mother obvously did, and ignore the obviously UNSUCCESSFUL ABORTION ATTEMPT.
Ray
July 1st, 2012
2:11 pm
@ Just Joe count me out of that one tooooo many PF’s not enough C’s or even SF’s for that matter.
Ken Strickland
July 1st, 2012
2:15 pm
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM-There’s a troll that’s highjacked my name and is posting his or her special brand of ignorance. The 1:51pm, 2:02pm, and 2:05pm post are not my comments, but the 2:09M comment is. Please get his IP address and remove him from these blogs, thank you.
Vettledi
July 1st, 2012
2:15 pm
Boy oh boy I haven’t prayed in a long time but right now I’m down on my knees
Please make that trade possible I don’t give AF if we suck for a year and a half all I want is stop that Iso-Joe model that’s been goot but not great for too long.
Just Joe
July 1st, 2012
2:16 pm
Ray….didn’t you hear? Everyone is going to small ball.
There’s no way I would build that team either, but that appears to be what the Nets are trying to do. Existing talks with AK47 and Teletovic. Bird rights on Humphries. Wallace signed. Lopez a restricted free agent.
KevinM
July 1st, 2012
2:28 pm
I would think you could get a Brooks or Lopez or both…..I would think we could get more than what the rumor is…..
Petro, Farmer, & Williams are junk. We get a #1 2013 and Morrow?
geno
July 1st, 2012
2:28 pm
why joe just wont reconstruct his contract for the betterment of his team? hes showing me his selfishness and his non commitment to a title
BIG DOG
July 1st, 2012
2:29 pm
Trade Failed
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7g6c62d
KevinM
July 1st, 2012
2:30 pm
Rashard Lewis
Ray Allen
2 more guys that come here on their last stop out of the league.
KevinM
July 1st, 2012
2:32 pm
Petro making 3.5? That’s a joke!
And Marvin is still here…..
Ray
July 1st, 2012
2:33 pm
@ Danny Dan
NEVER HAVE I BEEN A FAN OF LD OR RICK SUND DON’T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!
I wanted Woodson gone, but I’d sooner have him back then be stuck with Uncle Drew
Astro Joe
July 1st, 2012
2:33 pm
While none of these guys will make a lot of money, the rumors that the Hawks are interested in Brandon Bass, Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen suggests that Ferry expects to free up some cap space this summer.
HawkKingBibby
July 1st, 2012
2:36 pm
All trades fail. We are over the cap and the only pieces worth taking from the Nets are signed and traded players that have all kinds of restrictions.
BIG DOG
July 1st, 2012
2:37 pm
Buddy Grizzard -
How could the Hawks trade Joe for Anthony Morrow and Johan Petro and Jordan Farmer contract not match 10mill of, JUST DAM
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Astro Joe
July 1st, 2012
2:37 pm
geno, players can’t restructure contracts in the NBA. That is possible in baseball and football but not basketball. It is a violation of the labor agreement, so Joe isn’t being selfish, he is adhering to the rules of the league.
Ray
July 1st, 2012
2:39 pm
@ Just Joe
I think that’s a route no one wants to go the small ball route.
The only reason why Heat really won had to do with how young the OKC Thunder were IMO this is like one of those years where Pistons won the whole thing without a superstar, but you still going to need the Big Centers to dominate the paint area.
O'Brien
July 1st, 2012
2:39 pm
Just Joe, I’m gald to finally see some Hawks rumors.
Marc J. Spears: Expect Heat, Celtics, Lakers, Hawksand Knicks to have interest in free agent Rashard Lewis once he clears waivers, source tells Y! .Twitter
If the price is right, I would take Rashard Lewis.
Marc J. Spears: While Celtics free agent Brandon Bass interested in re-signing, Pacers, Nets, Mavs, Heat (sign and trade), Knicks and Hawks intrigued too.. Twitter
For the price Brandon Bass will cost, give me Ivan, who will be much much cheaper.
O'Brien
July 1st, 2012
2:41 pm
And for those asking about sign and trade…it is still possible;
Adrian Wojnarowski: Phoenix has expressed interest with Landry Fields as part of possible sign-and-trade package with New York for Steve Nash, sources tell Y! Twitter
Gone Viral
July 1st, 2012
2:41 pm
I don’t claim to understand the esoteric rules of the NBA trade system, but Farmar and his $4.25 million opt-in are not listed on the ESPN trade generator. The trade specifics I posted are from NetsDaily.com.
glw
July 1st, 2012
2:44 pm
@BIG DOG
The trade probably would work on trade machine but Farmar’s opted in late and his salary isnt included yet for the trade machine, I think his salary would push the Nets over the needed 50% of Joe’s salary that they would have to take back.
Astro Joe
July 1st, 2012
2:45 pm
A sign and trade can only be for a max of 4 years (as opposed to 5 if you sign with the current/old team). So the player has to accept one less year (and less total money) to go to a different team. I think players at the end of their career will be ore willing to complete a S&T than those either peaking or in their prime.
Slimjr
July 1st, 2012
2:46 pm
28-47 again the winners? This core are pretenders!
Jettison the CORE asap!
BIG DOG
July 1st, 2012
2:46 pm
Hawks could trade Joe in a sign and trade with Lopez and Morrow and Johan Petro other than that this deal not work unless Lopez is involve.
Lopez 6 year 72mill
12mill a year
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Michael Cunningham
July 1st, 2012
2:47 pm
new blog posted. shutting down this thread.
Reality Check
July 1st, 2012
2:48 pm
“This thing about having more cap space was one of the reasons D12 did not want to come to Atlanta, no money.”
Wrong again troll. The reason D12 doesn’t want to come to the ATL is because he thinks it’s a “podunk town” as he said, and he’ll get more endorsement money in Brooklyn. If you think for a second that playing with Josh is more important to Dwight than endorsement money, you are even crazier than you seem.
Nets trying to get Joe Johnson – ESPN | Sports News
July 1st, 2012
5:07 pm
[...] the Atlanta Hawks for All-Star guard Joe Johnson, according to sources briefed on the discussions.Atlanta Hawks: NBA free agency beginsAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)2012 NBA Trade Rumors: Nets, Hawks Working On Joe Johnson Deal; [...]
Nets trying to get Joe Johnson – ESPN | Free NBA Videos
July 1st, 2012
6:09 pm
[...] the Atlanta Hawks for All-Star guard Joe Johnson, according to sources briefed on the discussions.Atlanta Hawks: NBA free agency beginsAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)2012 NBA Trade Rumors: Nets, Hawks Working On Joe Johnson Deal; [...]