HoopsHype.com Rumors

Blazers president Larry Miller on Nicolas Batum's contract extension talks: "[Restricted free agency] will help determine the market value for us. The good thing is that we have the option to match any offer made to Nic. That will kind of help us determine his market value. It's tough. Agents and players have one perspective, teams have another perspective. Generally you can come to a point of agreement and I think we'll be able to do that in this case." Quote via: 750 AM Sulia

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Larry Miller, Nicolas Batum 

According to the agent for Portland Trail Blazers forward, Nicolas Batum, they will not be holding off on deals to allow the Trail Blazers to sign a couple of free agents before the team tends to his client, who's a restricted free agent. “The first good offer we get, we're going with that,” Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport Management told CSNNW.com. “We're not waiting for anything.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

Those are some of the teams to keep an eye out for and the San Antonio Spurs would love to add Batum, but will have to get creative in order to land one of Tony Parker's best friends. CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Free Agency, Tony Parker, Nicolas Batum 

Nicolas Batum: "I have several teams in my head. But if I don't find anything better than Portland, I'll stay in Portland." Basket USA

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

John Hollinger: Not sure where this Batum-Spurs nonsense comes from. They'd have to either not re-sign Duncan or amnesty Manu. Not happening. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Nicolas Batum 

Jeff Zillgitt: France names 18-man preliminary roster for London Olympics. NBAers on list: Batum, Beaubois, Diaw, Mahinmi, Noah, Parker, Seraphin, Turiaf. Twitter

Tony Parker, Kevin Seraphin, FIBA, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ronny Turiaf, Ian Mahinmi, Joakim Noah, France, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum 

Nicolas Batum on the possibility of signing with the Spurs this summer “San Antonio is an option for me. There are 30 teams in the league so I’m going to have to check them all out and see what could be the best fit for me. But clearly San Antonio could be good for me. I don’t want to leave Portland but I have to see what’s best for me.” BasketSession.com

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

Ceiling price on restricted free agent forward Nicolas Batum Chad Buchanan: "There's a certain threshold you're always going to have in the back of your mind. I'm not going to reveal it. Part of it is going to depend on how our cap room situation plays out. That might determine, that might dictate our threshold to a certain degree as well. We love Nic as a player, we drafted him because we believe in him. He's been a valuable contributor for us these for these last few years. We still believe in him long- term. Ultimately it will be a business decision at the end of the day but I would say that from a basketball standpoint we really believe in Nic long-term and hope to have him around for quite awhile." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

So you're looking to close a free agent deal before matching an offer for Nicolas? Chad Buchanan: Exactly, because you can spend all, let's say we have $15 million in cap room, you can spend all of that cap room, then go over the cap, not into the tax but over the cap, to re-sign Nicolas because you have Bird rights on Nicolas, so you can go over the cap to re-sign Nicolas. TrailBlazers.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

Chad Buchanan: Let's say we were to extend Nicolas early, back in January. Whatever we would have signed him at would have eaten up into our cap room. Let's say, hypothetically, you have $15 million in room, say you sing him for $10 million. So you have $5 million in cap room this summer to spend. Because we didn't get a deal done with him, he has what is called a cap hold, which is $5.4 million in room that is getting eat up on your books. So now you have this amount of room to spend on free agents and you can go over, on top of that, and re-sign Nic because you have his Bird rights. TrailBlazers.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

The team has said they're going to match any offer for Nic. Nic has said he expects the team to match. Does that keep other teams from making offers because they don't want to have their free-agent money tied up? Chad Buchanan: It is a risk. On our end, we went through that with Paul Millsap a couple of years ago where your money, there's only so many free agents out there and you whittle down to the ones that you really want and target. If you're going to commit to a guy who's a restricted guy, you're tying up your money, like you said, it used to be seven, now it's three days. In that three-day window other guys may be coming off the block and now you're left, after the third day, if the team does match, now you're like, now let's go back, who's still in the pool? Now that guy is picked off that maybe you liked. it's a risk on their end. It was a risk on our end to kind of let him go to restricted, but we felt like the opportunity to add free agent or free agents on top of keeping Nic. TrailBlazers.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

Nicolas Batum: "Of course I want to come back here. This team drafted me and put me on the court at 19 and gave me my chance in the NBA so we will see my options and see what happens." Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

Blazers F Nicolas Batum's eyes lit up & he offered funny, candid thoughts when talk turned to size of next contract: "I heard some numbers the last couple of days. I'm like, 'Give me that, I'll be very, very happy.'" What, 10 or 11 million per year? "Yeah, I'm like, 'Wow, I'm going to say yes.'" Batum said that his next "basketball situation" was more important than a particular city in assessing his future. Sulia

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

Portland could have signed Batum to a longer extension before the Jan. 25 deadline but failed to do so. If he becomes a restricted free agent, teams would have the right to tender offer sheets for Batum, but the Blazers could match any offer. "I'm just pretty sure, 99 percent, they're going to match anything," said Batum, who averaged a career-high 13.9 points this season and has played all four of his NBA seasons in Portland. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

"We still have the ability to keep Nicolas," said Buchanan, who said he has explained the scenario to Batum. "You have more cap room to deal with to go sign other players on top of Nicolas. That was a big part of our decision to wait. " Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

Ben Golliver: "They're going to match [offers in RFA]... They made me understand that... I'm 99 percent sure they're going to match." -- Nicolas Batum Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Nicolas Batum 

Nicolas Batum (restricted free agent) Did you think about this being your last practice as a Blazer? “Yeah, my last game, my last practice. I don't know what's going to happen July 1. I maybe back I may not. I don't know yet. Free agency is crazy. If they match (another teams offer), I'm going to stay here next year...I don't know yet, we'll see.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

The number I'm hearing Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum will command this off season is $10-11 million per, according to a few league executives when Batum becomes a restricted free agent. And, I'm being told by multiple sources that the San Antonio Spurs will make a hard push to attain the promising small forward. CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

If that ever came into fruition, Batum, 23, would love to play for coach Gregg Popovich and his structured system. Keep in mind that Batum thought he was going to be a Spur until the Houston Rockets took him at No. 25 in the 2008 NBA draft, to Batum's surprise. “I was shocked,” Batum told CSNNW.com. “I thought for sure I was headed to San Antonio. I was talking with Tony (Parker) and the guys and then Houston drafts me out of nowhere. I never worked out for them. They had T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) and (Shane) Battier at that time, and I was confused. Then I was traded to Portland and I was like 'okay, that's better'.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Free Agency, Nicolas Batum 

Mike Tokito: Buchanan also said team will continue to monitor Nicolas Batum, whose tendinitis continues to bother. Shut down possible, but not definite. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Injuries, Nicolas Batum