From ESPN.com
NBA free agency began at midnight last night, and the biggest deal on the table so far appears to be for, you guessed it, Joe Johnson?
Ok, so you probably didn’t guess that, but ESPN’s Ric Bucher is reporting that the Atlanta Hawks will offer Johnson a 6-year $119 million contract, more than he could be offered by any other team.
Sources say that Johnson wants to stay in the ATL and will likely accept the contract, but other teams won’t make his decision easy. It is widely speculated that Johnson would make a good sidekick for LeBron James, so teams like the New York Knicks are also talking to Johnson in an attempt to have some good bait while trying to snag LeBron.
In other free agency news, the New Jersey Nets along with billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov and the Hova himself Jay-Z were in Ohio today visiting LeBron. Pat Riley of the Miami Heat has already reached out to James and Chris Bosh about joining Dwyane Wade in Miami next season. Dirk Nowitzki made a trip to New York, but reps from the Mavericks still expect him to re-sign in Dallas.
Confused about free agency? So are we. But here’s a fun game to pass the tim until the July 8 signings begin: ESPN.com Free Agency Slot Machine
