Mavs in a no-lose situation with free agency this time

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Mavs in a no-lose situation with free agency this time
Team will be buyers, Donnie Nelson says

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Friday's opening of the NBA free agency period can't possibly be as eventful for the Mavericks as it was last year.

They don't have a Steve Nash to lose on the open market this time, even if they are likely to lose Michael Finley later in the summer.

Instead, the Mavericks will be hunters – not the hunted – as teams begin negotiating with free agents.

It's a good year for teams in need of shooting guards. But for the Mavericks, who are searching for athletic help at center, it's a less-than-compelling list of possibilities.

"We have three areas of need," said president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. "We need an athletic center, a shooter and possibly a third point guard, depending on what happens with Marquis Daniels. We are going to get involved with a lot of guys."

Nelson and owner Mark Cuban planned to start talks with numerous players after negotiations were permissible at 11:01 p.m. Thursday.

The top names?

"Anybody who is athletic and can give you some shot-blocking," Nelson said.

The most logical fits are Memphis' Stromile Swift, New Orleans' Chris Andersen, Houston's Dikembe Mutombo, Indiana's Dale Davis and Seattle's Jerome James, all of whom are unrestricted free agents, meaning their teams do not have the right to match any offer.

Swift, 25, is looking for a raise from the $6 million he earned last season, probably putting him out of the Mavericks' price range.

As usual, money will be the overriding factor. The mid-level exception is expected to be over $5 million – nice, but not enough to get in the Swift sweepstakes.

It would, however, probably be enough to get the interest of Andersen, who has great leaping ability and has been a strong rebounder. He is considered a player on the rise.

Mutombo and Davis, meanwhile, are veterans with plenty of playoff experience. Nelson and Cuban reiterated that everything the Mavericks do this summer will be with an eye on advancing further in the playoffs.

Another intriguing name is Raja Bell, the former Maverick who has played the last two seasons with Utah. Bell is one of many shooting guards who are free agents, including Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Larry Hughes and Joe Johnson.

Among restricted free agents, the Mavericks certainly would have interest in Chicago's Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, Washington's Kwame Brown and Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert. Their teams have the right to match any offer the Mavericks would make, however.

As far as the Mavericks' losses in the free agent derby, they have only Alan Henderson and Darrell Armstrong in the free agent pool. Both were solid last season. But both could be headed elsewhere.

Briefly:

Tickets for the 2005 Global Games are available starting at 9 a.m. today via the event's Web site, www.globalgamesbasketball.com, at the box office at the Deja Blue Arena in Frisco and by phone at 214-467-8277. The tournament, featuring junior teams from many countries, runs from July 24 to 30. ... The Mavericks will start summer league practice Saturday morning and will have twice-daily workouts until leaving for the Reebok Las Vegas Summer League on Tuesday.