1997 Offseason Rumors

[Sources]

Let's start this off with a bang.

Sources close to Toni Kukoc reported that Kukoc has received a lot of phone calls since this morning and the bids are coming in. Players like Penny and Chris Webber are sure locks for their respective teams, but a player like Kukoc has a lot of uncertainty surrounding his future in Boston.

[Sources]

Word out of Penny's camp is he has received multiple "generous offers" from teams, but we have not received word if the Mavericks given a supermax yet to keep him an extra guaranteed 5th year.

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[Sources]

Hot name I'm hearing a lot is Vin Baker. Though some question if he's a max-level center or not, that has not stopped teams from submitting bids for the powerful big man. His scoring ability near the basket and strength is very desirable for teams in need of a starter or depth down low.

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[Sources]

Lost in all the buzz are players like Rex Walters and Chris Mills who have had a very quiet day. With big names stars coming out of this draft class it's uncertain if they will command big money in the open market.

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[Sources]

Trade winds are picking up as we get closer to the deadline.

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[Sources]

The magic number coming from league office is 7. 7 maxes recorded already for this RFA class? Sources claim "Once you see these deals.... wow. It's going to shake up the league."

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[Sources]

Sources confirm Vin Baker has just bought the new 1997 BMW 328i/M3.

[Sources]

Two of the Lakers' RFAs, Antonio Davis and Erving Johnson, are getting plenty of last-minute attention from owners. The Lakers are already over the cap and have 3 RFAs to accept/decline tomorrow, leaving many to feel that at least two players will not return. Are Antonio and Erving headed for different homes?

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[Sources]

Oct 15, 2014 14:14:01 GMT -6 Sources said:

Trade winds are picking up as we get closer to the deadline.

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Two new trades since posted. Sources doing credible work

[Sources]

Sources from earlier have confirmed to me that Toni has indeed received a max deal. How reliable is the source is the question.

[thesyndicate]

The nuggets can confirm, they've offered no maxes.

[Sources]

Sources close to one team with the necessary cap space says the have offered maxes to all of the key free agents.

[Sources]

Will be interesting to see if any last minute bids will change the way RFA shakes out. Many players are said to have max deals, but what about the others?

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[Sources]

Oct 15, 2014 16:15:05 GMT -6 Sources said:

Sources from earlier have confirmed to me that Toni has indeed received a max deal. How reliable is the source is the question.

Confirmed.

[Sources]

Ervin Johnson has signed a qualifying tender and says his heart is no longer in LA; no word on if the Lakers will match.

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[Sources]

Reports out of Toronto that team management is very disappointed to see their RFA offer accepted by the Sonics. Told Baker's heart was set on Toronto and wanted to be the face of Canadian basketball.

[Sources]

One rival Gm upon finding out Baker's deal being matched ,"Baker was accepted? What an idiot. That's one less team we have to worry about in the West."

[Sources]

Warriors seem to be reeling after having their offer sheets signed by Shawn Bradley and Ervin Johnson then being accepted by their formers teams. The move is starting to breed an ominous culture in the Warriors organization after they stonewalled former center Rick Smits during contract negotiations after posting up a sim league all time best 70 wins. One source within the organization was quoted as saying "Bill hasn't handled success well; he thinks he smarter than he actually may be."

[Sources]

When asked why Penny didn't just sign the supermax extension during the season, Penny said he just wanted to be recruited and see how other franchises ran. When it came down to it though he had a good thing in Dallas. A great supporting cast, a GM who would shake things up at a moments notice if things weren't flowing, and a chance to have his number retired. When he made his final choice, he said "It wasn't close".

[Sources]

Cwebb has always wanted to play in warmer weather which is why he explored Free Agency. In the end, despite the cold weather in the frozen city of Minnesota, he told one of his inner circle that the Wolves organization felt like "home". Word is 3 months ago he didn't feel the same, but Wolves GM JNR preached to Webber the importance of family within his organization and that Webber was family. To put his money where his mouth was, GM JNR made a bold move this week. He asked Webber to stand in his wedding as a groomsman. Webber was immediately struck by this gesture and signed the following morning, cancelling his scheduled visits to Chicago and Milwaukee.

[Sources]

Despite receiving larger offers in Detroit, Atlanta, and Charlotte; Isiah made a bit of a questionable decision in signing with the Magic. digging into the numbers though, the Magic were closer than a lot of people thought. Due to no state income tax in Florida Rider would essentially get more take home despite the smaller figure. this would allow the Magic more wiggle room to add talent around him, which was Rider's #1 concern.

[Sources]

Upon hearing the Nets matching his deal, Rider declined to comment. Rumblings in his inner circle say he was furious. Rider has only made the playoffs once in his career with the Nets in a weak Eastern conference. Rider is convinced he's not respected in the basketball community because of his lack of playoff time and playing little brother to the more successful big brother Knicks.

[Sources]

Asked about which offer sheet Kukoc signed, he smiled and said, "You guys are trying to get me fined". One insider didn't give the team name, but suggested the Mavs recent championship being won with their versatility really struck Toni. He wanted to be apart of a more "free flowing" game where positions had a little less emphasis.

[Sources]

Word is Van Exel strategically signed an offer sheet last night. Talked to one scout about NVE; "Nicks the type of athlete where he's driven by feeling appreciated. I don't mean pats on the back, I mean like All Star selections. Look for Nick to head to the East where there's little to no talent at the 1 position."

[Sources]

Lots of drama brewing in L.A., as usual. This week Ervin Johnson publically stated heart was no longer in LA but Cali was still in the picture. Johnson would later sign with the hated Golden State Warriors then be matched. This seems to point to bad blood between he and management. Word is, Johnson wanted to stick it to the Lakers after limiting his minutes during the playoffs. What really angered Johnson though was his GM's response to questions concerning his minutes. Straight shooting GM Balls O'Hard stated in a presser, "Ervin simply isn't in shape. He's had all year and his stamina just isn't where we want it. We need Ervin to give us everything he has when he's on the court, and right now he simply can't do that for more than about 25 mintues per game." Stay tuned for more on this story.