Michael Redd, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and one more quality free agent to be named later. That's how the Cleveland Cavaliers' wish list looked early Friday morning when the NBA's annual free-agent frenzy began at 12:01 a.m. Sources familiar with the Cavaliers' plans told ESPN.com that new general manager Danny Ferry has identified a Redd-Ilgauskas combo as his ideal free-agent haul to flank budding superstar LeBron James, with the pitches to both players starting immediately. The Cavaliers, furthermore, just might have enough salary-cap room above the league's $4.9 million mid-level exception to pursue another coveted free agent -- in the Antonio Daniels class -- even if they're successful in stealing Redd away from the Milwaukee Bucks and re-upping Ilgauskas. Tuesday's predraft trade of Jiri Welsch to Milwaukee for a 2006 second-round pick, in which sources say Cleveland agreed to pay Welsch's $2.1 million salary next season, sets Ferry up to have $27-30 million in spending money ... provided the official cap number announced by the league July 22 reaches the $48-50 million projected. Of course, all of that assumes that the Cavs can get Redd away from the Bucks and their bucks. Which isn't especially likely. Despite all of the ongoing uncertainty in Milwaukee, where Redd's bosses are still trying to convince Flip Saunders to sign on after the June 22 firing of Terry Porter, Cleveland's best offer to the lefty sharpshooter can't exceed five years at an estimated at an estimated $60 million to $70 million. Milwaukee is the only Redd suitor that can offer six years, which would take the value of a maximum contract closer to $90 million. Redd is a Columbus-born alumnus of Ohio State, but he'd have to feel especially good about the Cavaliers' situation to leave $20-plus million on the table. Especially since the Bucks just landed Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 overall pick in Tuesday's draft and remain cautiously optimistic that point guard T.J. Ford will be able to return from a year-long injury absence next season. The ability to offer a contract one year longer than the rest of the field has Seattle similarly optimistic about re-signing Ray Allen, even though Allen has already rejected a five-year extension offer from the Sonics believed to be in the $75 million range. Allen received immediate interest from Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers when the free-agent season commenced one minute after midnight Thursday. Cleveland, New Orleans and Charlotte are the only other teams with the cap space to offer a contract to compare to what Seattle can offer, and clearly only the Cavaliers can reasonably promise a better on-court future than the Sonics. No new contracts can be signed until July 22, but as seen with Steve Nash just one day into free agency last summer, teams and free agents can reach verbal agreements rather quickly. Other developments and disclosures from the first few hours of free agency early Friday: ‧ Knowing that unrestricted free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim will generate fierce competition at the bargain price of roughly $5 million for next season, New Jersey took a proactive step at the first permissible moment. Nets coach Lawrence Frank, according to league sources, took a flight Thursday so he'd be able to see Abdur-Rahim right after midnight ... and not just to reminisce about their days together in Vancouver. --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.56.133.7