Sources: Pacers want Copeland
By Marc Stein | July 3, 2:31 a.m. ET
The Indiana Pacers have ramped up their pursuit of New York Knicks restricted free agent Chris Copeland.
Sources with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com that the Pacers have put an offer sheet on the table that Copeland is giving serious thought to signing.
No deal can be formally signed until July 10, when the league's annual moratorium on transactions is lifted, but Copeland and the Pacers can strike a verbal agreement on a deal before then.
If Copeland does ultimately sign an offer sheet with the Pacers, New York will have three days, as per league rules, to match the offer.
Hansbrough an unrestricted free agent
By Marc Stein | July 3, 2:27 a.m. ET
Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough is now an unrestricted free agent.
In the wake of David West's new three-year, $36 million contract that was verbally agreed to Tuesday, Hansbrough and his representatives successfully convinced the Pacers to allow him to shed his restricted free-agent status and immediately become an unrestricted free agent.
Source: Barnes wants to sign with Clips
By Chris Broussard | July 2, 9:44 p.m. ET
Matt Barnes wants to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, who have their full midlevel exception available. But if the Clippers don't do something fast, Barnes will start meeting with other teams, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Dallas, Denver, Brooklyn, New York and San Antonio have shown interest in Barnes.
Smith meets with Pistons, Rockets
By Jeff Goodman | July 2, 12:48 p.m. ET
Atlanta Hawks free agent Josh Smith has met with both Detroit and Houston in Los Angeles, but has not received a "firm offer" from the Pistons, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com.
Smith met with Detroit shortly after free agency commenced and has yet to meet with the Hawks.
Clippers to sit down with Landry
By Jeff Goodman | July 2, 12:48 p.m. ET
Carl Landry will meet with the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.com.
Golden State is interested in bringing the 6-foot-8 forward back. Others teams that have expressed interest include Indiana, Denver, San Antonio, Atlanta and Cleveland, a source told ESPN.com.
Pelicans' Evans chase could cost them Lopez
By Marc Stein | July 2, 12:27 p.m. ET
Friday could prove to be a big day for the New Orleans Pelicans in their pursuit of restricted free agent Tyreke Evans.
To have the financial flexibility to not only sign Evans to a four-year, $44 million offer sheet but also have the room to take in Jrue Holiday when it officially completes its draft-day trade with Philadelphia (headlined by Nerlens Noel) New Orleans may have to make a roster move by Friday with center Robin Lopez.
Friday is the deadline for the Pelicans to buy out the final two years of Lopez's contract for a mere $500,000. If Evans has verbally committed by then to sign the offer sheet, New Orleans might find itself with no other choice but to release a productive big man.
The Pelicans could verbally agree this week to trade Lopez after the league's moratorium is lifted July 10 so they don't have to waive him and ensure they get something for him, but the risk is that verbally agreed trades can fall through and scuttle New Orleans' plan.
The consistent word out of New Orleans is that the Pelicans prefer not to trade Eric Gordon to make room for Evans, which makes them more inclined to make the move with Lopez. Another option is trading point guard Greivis Vasquez, but again, nothing can officially happen on that front until July 10, by which time New Orleans will have lost the ability to waive Lopez.
One more potential problem to make this all a little trickier: Imagine if New Orleans waives Lopez on Friday and then finds out after July 10 that the Kings plan to match the offer sheet. Ouch.
Clippers having lunch with Mayo
By Chris Broussard | July 2, 11:12 a.m. ET
Doc Rivers is meeting with O.J. Mayo for lunch today. The Clippers are talking with the Mavericks about a sign-and-trade deal involving Mayo and Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe.
The Clippers are also talking with Milwaukee about swapping Bledsoe for J.J. Redick, but a source close to the situation said the chances of a deal are remote.
Spurs' interest in Kirilenko serious
By Marc Stein | July 2, 11:10 a.m. ET
San Antonio is facing a fair bit of financial uncertainty in these early days of free agency, not knowing what sort of market restricted free agent Tiago Splitter will command and openly hoping to re-sign Spurs stalwart Manu Ginobili at a greatly reduced rate from last season's $13 million salary.
But sources close to the situation tell ESPN.com that the Spurs are seriously interested in free-agent forward Andrei Kirilenko now that AK-47 has opted out of next season's $10 million contract with Minnesota.
Would the Spurs be willing to let Splitter go and use the resultant financial flexibility to replace him with, say, Kirilenko and a bargain big man like Greg Oden? Interesting concept.