The Portland Trail Blazers have offered restricted free agent center Roy Hibbert a four-year, $58 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.
The $58-million offer sheet, earlier reported by SI.com, is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
According to SI.com, the Indiana Pacers did not offer Hibbert the maximum and the 25-year-old All-Star is leaning toward signing the Blazers' offer sheet.
If Hibbert signs with Portland, the Pacers would have three days to match the offer and retain their 7-foot-2, 260-pound center under the current CBA. Indiana underwent a front-office makeover last week, with Larry Bird resigning as president of basketball operations and David Morway resigning as general manager. They were replaced by former Pacers executive Donnie Walsh and Kevin Pritchard, respectively.
If the Pacers decide not to match the Blazers' offer, the Pacers will pursue New Orleans free agent center Chris Kaman and Denver's JaVale McGee, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.
Nuggets officials had a very positive meeting with McGee in Los Angeles on Sunday, a source said. Kaman, who is is scheduled to meet with the Pacers Monday, was on the Milwaukee Bucks' radar before they made a pre-draft trade to acquire Houston Rockets center Sam Dalembert.
The Pacers drafted Hibbert with the 17th overall pick in 2008 and the Georgetown product has seen his scoring and rebounding averages rise every season, reaching a career-high 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
With Hibbert anchoring their frontcourt, the Pacers were 42-24 this year and lost to the Miami Heat in six games in the second round of the playoffs.