Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
While there is a strong mutual interest in Green returning to the Celtics, Falk said it’s far from certain that it will turn out that way. Boston has nine unrestricted free agents in all, most notably Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. And judging by his view of the free agent market on the whole, Falk — who is best known as the longtime agent of Michael Jordan and an influential advocate of the league’s stars for the last 30 years — will be driving a hard bargain as always.
“With the possible exception of (Brooklyn point guard) Deron Williams, I think that Jeff will probably be the No. 1 unrestricted free agent on the market,” Falk said. “It’s not like we have LeBron (James) and (Dwyane) Wade and all these guys floating around.
“I’d be very surprised if Deron Williams winds up anywhere besides Dallas or New Jersey (Brooklyn). So the next guy in the pecking order is Jeff Green.”
SI – Green garnering plenty of interest while ex-team plays for title
There’s a reason David Faulk is one of the best sports agents around. He’s great at playing the game. I find it hard to believe that a player who missed an entire season due to heart surgery is one of the top free agents on the market. But as Sam Amick points out in his article, most of the big names on the market are in their 30s.
Because of Green’s age (he turns 26 in Aug.), the clean bill of health from doctors, and his athleticism, he’s going to draw interest. So where do the Celtics rank in the list of “12-14” teams allegedly interested in Green?
“I know that (the Celtics) want Jeff to come back, from (general manager) Danny (Ainge) to the owners to Doc and to his teammates,” said Falk of Green, who was drafted fifth overall by Boston out of Georgetown in 2007 as part of a draft-night trade with Seattle (now Oklahoma City). “He loves Boston. We’re waiting to see what happens with KG, what happens with Ray…There are other teams that could be very, very interesting to him around the league that will also have cap room.”
“We’ve picked out three or four teams, of which Boston is one, that he has a high level of interest in talking to,” Falk said. “I would say that Boston is the incumbent, but I’ve learned in this business not to assume things. Nothing is guaranteed.”
The Celtics have Green’s Bird rights which means they can offer an additional contract year (5 vs 4) and higher annual raises (7.5% vs 4.5%).
So how much is Green worth? The Celtics were willing to pay him $8 million last season. Does that translate into a 5-year, $40+ million contract? I’m not sure I’d go that high – on years and salary.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Will Green be back next season? | Marquis Daniels report card | Globe – Perk expects Garnett to play again with Celtics | Herald – Celtics final report card | WEEI – Is Rondo ready to become leader of Celtics? | CSNNE – Take your pick: Durant or Big 3?
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