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The NBA free-agent market opened at 12:01 a.m. (ET) Tuesday morning – a hectic time when team executives and player agents play telephone tag in the wee hours, trying to find the best deals possible.
Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo was probably on the phone, too, but he only had one call to make above all others: to offer Raptors point guard Jose Calderon the best deal he can afford and hope it's enough to convince the emerging Spanish star that his future is in Toronto.
All indications are that it will.
How much Colangelo was offering and how much Calderon, a restricted free agent, was looking for were left to best guesses as NBA teams can't confirm free-agent signings until July 9, after the league has announced the 2008-09 salary cap and luxury tax totals teams need to use to make their financial projections.
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- Indiana Pacers
- Toronto Raptors
- Hassan Adams
- Chris Bosh
- Jose Calderon
- Carlos Delfino
- T.J. Ford
- Nathan Jawai
- Jermaine O'Neal
- Roko Ukic
But as one Western Conference team executive put it Monday: “You have to figure [Calderon] will be looking for at least what T.J. [Ford] got and go from there.”
Since Ford – whom the Raptors traded to the Indiana Pacers to make way for Calderon as the starter in another deal that can't be officially confirmed until July 9 – negotiated a four-year, $32-million (U.S.) deal prior to the 2006-07 season, it seems reasonable Colangelo will have to find $40-million over five years to pay Calderon.
The only wild card is if another NBA team tries to blow the Raptors and Calderon away by offering a monster deal in the $50-million to $60-million range.
Fortunately for the Raptors, only a handful of teams have room under the projected salary cap to make a real run at Calderon – and Colangelo's loud and consistent message that he will match any offer has likely made them shy away.
Presuming Calderon's services can be secured, Colangelo won't have much else to do with the free-agent market. It's one reason he's hoping for a more-defined roster this season as compared to last year, when there was competition for minutes at every spot after Chris Bosh.
“We want to taper down the roster,” Colangelo said. “We want the talent to be more concentrated, so guys can have more consistent roles.”
With the reported trade with the Pacers for forward Jermaine O'Neal – due to make about $21-million this season – and signing European point guard Roko Ukic, as well as buying out Jorge Garbajosa's contract, means the Raptors will have about allotted some $67-million spread over 10 roster spots.
With the luxury tax threshold likely to be $72-million, the Raptors will have about $5-million to spend on what will likely be three additional roster spots.
One spot will likely go to either Hassan Adams or Tamar Slay, NBA veterans who shone at the Raptors' recent free-agent camp.
Adams, a former New Jersey Net, may have the inside track. His defensive versatility – he can guard point guards, shooting guards and small forwards – will make up for the likely departure of Carlos Delfino, who may be too expensive for the Raptors next season.
Another roster spot will go to a third-string point guard who can play some shooting guard. And the last will go to Nathan Jawai, a 6-foot-10, 280-pound Australian who will land in Toronto as the final piece of the Ford-O'Neal trade.
One NBA executive whose team worked out Jawai and interviewed him described him as a “project” but one with strong character and surprising feel for the game even though he's a late convert to basketball.
“There's a lot of upside there,” the executive said. “Big, big hands, strong body. He was rookie of the year in Australia's [National] Basketball League and that was his first year of serious competition. He's got a chance.”
