Although no new contracts can be signed until July 22 when the new collective bargaining agreement goes into effect, solid verbal agreements are very often reached weeks before contracts are signed. Consequently, nobody was happier than the long distance phone providers as the auction began in earnest. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the lightning rod for much of what will transpire over the next few weeks. Girded by a new billionaire owner in Dan Gilbert, $28 million in salary cap space and a cornerstone in young LeBron James, new general manager Danny Ferry and new coach Mike Brown are presiding over the most important summer in franchise history. But they are not alone in the market, just the best positioned to make a splash. In a more creative manner, the New Jersey Nets will also be significant players, if only because this team built around Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson has a chance to make a move in the East. They also have two exceptions to play with as they try to rebuild their frontcourt — the mid-level one that everyone over the cap has (which will begin at $5 million or more), and a $4.9 million exception from a trade. The Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets all have significant money to burn under the cap. But they will need more than money to convince top-drawer free agents to come aboard, considering most players' desire to compete at a higher level than those teams have performed. The list of unrestricted free agents is topped by shooting guards Ray Allen, Michael Redd and Larry Hughes, while center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Donyell Marshall, Antoine Walker, Bobby Simmons and Stromile Swift are also very attractive. And once Antonio Daniels opts out of his contract with Seattle, he'll be a classic mid-level draw because he plays both guard positions, with the other available point guard types — Earl Watson, Tyronn Lue, Keyon Dooling and Damon Jones — down another rung. The new CBA still strongly favors teams retaining their free agents, considering they can offer six-year deals with 10 percent raises as opposed to five years and eight percent bumps from a new team. Generally speaking, that can account for a difference of $10-15 million over the duration of the deal. Then again, there are also states like Washington, Texas and Florida that do not have state income tax, which provides the Sonics, Spurs, Mavericks , Rockets, Magic and Heat at least a seven percent leeway compared to the other 24 teams. Allen tops the list of free agents as he approaches his 30th birthday later this month, and comes from a team in Seattle that is clearly wobbling heading into the summer. The five-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 23.9 points while leading the Sonics out of nowhere to the Northwest Division title, and to Game 6 of the conference semifinals against the Spurs. The Sonics, who have been crying poor for several years, have had a five-year, $75 million contract on the table for months, which any number of other teams can match. They also have to deal with Daniels, unrestricted centers Jerome James and Vitaly Potapenko, and restricted free agents Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Evans, Flip Murray and Damien Wilkins. In other words, Allen may be the priority, but there's plenty of work for general manager Rick Sund. Oh yeah, that's not to mention coach Nate McMillan about to embark on his Tour de NBA as a coach without a deal. So Allen, always his own man, is ready and willing to listen to anybody — including Milwaukee and Cleveland. The Cavs figure to have an Ohio edge in their desire to land Redd and Daniels — both are natives of Columbus — with James (Akron) and Eric Snow (Canton) preaching Buckeye State loyalty. But Redd may be leaning toward staying in Milwaukee for the money, although they have no coach yet. Besides, Ferry's first priority appears to be preventing his former teammate Ilgauskas from leaving. His defense and rebounding deficiencies aside, 7-foot-3 All-Star centers with his shooting touch don't grow on trees. The Knicks have continuously made overtures toward him, but Ferry is pushing every button imaginable. Radmanovic is hardly the most desirable restricted free agent out there, either. Young Phoenix guard Joe Johnson has superstar written all over him and the Suns cleared even more salary space for the future by unloading Quentin Richardson to the Knicks, so expect them to match anything Johnson is offered. And then there are all the young big men — Samuel Dalembert, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Kwame Brown — sporting that restricted free agent tag. It isn't likely the Sixers, Bulls and Wizards respectively, will allow them to leave; teams have 14 days to match all offers for their restricted free agents. But orchestrating a sign-and-trade in lieu of an offer sheet isn't out of the question either. That's what some unrestricted free agents like Abdur-Rahim are hoping for, but he has been destined to land on the Nets for so long and they don't have much to give up. A $70 million deal like last time won't come again, but even if he gets $30 million from the Nets, he can probably survive on the total ... not to mention they may sign Marshall too. And lastly, there will be one more line of free agents coming to a market near you ... the amnesty crowd after the new CBA is invoked. Teams steep in luxury tax will have one shot to avoid that dollar-for-dollar tax by letting go a player with a multi-year deal. The top candidates are Allan Houston, Michael Finley, Jalen Rose and Brian Grant — and considering they'll still be getting paid their huge contracts by their former team, they'll likely go to good teams under market value just for a chance to win. --

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