Stein: Big Baby Updates

Marc Stein has the following on Big Baby:

The early sense I get is that the Mavericks have little interest in using their midlevel exception -- which is back in their possession after Orlando confirmed its intention to match a five-year, $34 million offer to Gortat -- to play the restricted free-agent game again with Boston's Glen Davis.

Detroit, by contrast, really covets Big Baby, whose modest $711,517 salary last season didn't stop him from stepping in admirably for injured Kevin Garnett in the playoffs. The Pistons' problem is that their offer can start in only the $3 million range compared with $5.9 million in Dallas' case, raising the obvious fear that the rival Celtics could tie up the Pistons' money for seven days, then match. The Hornets, meanwhile, haven't abandoned their Big Baby interest, but New Orleans has to shed some salary before it can do anything significant or construct a sign-and-trade deal the Celtics would accept. The team considered most likely to trade for Tyson Chandler -- Phoenix -- just completed a buyout with Ben Wallace that rips up the contract New Orleans was hoping to score in exchange for Chandler to enable the Hornets to finally join this summer's action.

Also, some other notes of interest:

• Rasheed Wallace's three-year deal with the Celts, starting at the $5.9 million midlevel exception, includes a player option for the third season ($6.8 million) and a trade kicker.
• No concrete evidence has materialized -- yet -- that the Heat are preparing to send Udonis Haslem's expiring contract to Utah for the expiring contract of Carlos Boozer.
• I've been advised by one especially knowledgeable observer not to be surprised if Delonte West is traded at some point this season, not because Cleveland is eager to part with him but because West is surely more movable from that massive Cavs payroll than Daniel Gibson.

Bonus Links:

• WEEI - What does the future hold for Davis?
• Globe - "We’re trying to get Glen back. We’re planning on having Glen back" - Ainge
• CelticsHub - How much is Big Baby worth to you?