NBA FREE AGENCY Clippers on verge of losing top players

The Miami Heat are aggressively pursuing Elton Brand.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has 15 days to decide whether to match offer sheets made to Elton Brand, Andre Miller and Corey Maggette.
When Sterling finds out how those offers are likely structured, there might be some sticker shock.
The Miami Heat are believed to have frontloaded their $84.2 million offer to Brand, and the Nuggets might have done the same with Miller's offer sheet.
Collective bargaining rules allow a team to pay up to 25 percent of the total value of a contract as a signing bonus, and that player also can receive 70 percent of his first-year salary as a lump sum.
In Brand's case, that could mean an immediate payment in excess of $28 million -- an enormous amount of money for Sterling to pay, especially with his long history of letting free agents leave rather than paying them market value.
In Clippers' hands
"We will evaluate these offers during the 15-day period before announcing our decision," Clippers executive vice president Andy Roeser said. "As we have repeatedly said, it is our intention to match any and all offers as we see fit, with a goal of maintaining the nucleus of our team."
Brand, who has averaged 19.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in his four NBA seasons, would fill Miami's need for an inside scoring presence. The Heat were the NBA's second-lowest scoring team last season.
"This organization has always been committed to winning," Heat coach Pat Riley said in a statement. "This offer sheet for Elton Brand is a continuance of that commitment to try to win and put the best possible players on the floor for our fans to enjoy."
Only one better-than-decent center remains on the free agent market, and plenty of teams are wondering whether there is a way to acquire Brad Miller of the Indiana Pacers.
"Things are changing by the moment," said agent Mark Bartelstein, Miller's representative.
Miller, an Eastern Conference All-Star last season, made $5.3 million in 2002-03 and is in position to get a healthy raise. Indiana would likely be willing to give him a higher starting salary -- perhaps as much as $7 million -- but other height-deprived teams might be willing to go higher.
The Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards are the only teams with enough remaining salary cap space to make a higher offer to Miller. San Antonio, however, has already signed center Rasho Nesterovic, and Washington has been pursuing Golden State free agent guard Gilbert Arenas.
Though they signed Maggette and Andre Miller to offer sheets, Utah and Denver still have enough salary cap room to pay Brad Miller more than the Pacers would be comfortable paying.
Indiana also is trying to sign free agent point guard Speedy Claxton, who also has drawn interest from Golden State and Detroit.
On the market
With Michael Olowokandi and Nesterovic already signed, Miller is the best remaining center from a free agent market that includes Philadelphia's Derrick Coleman, Seattle's Elden Campbell and Orlando's Andrew Declercq.
Memphis president Jerry West tried to engineer a sign-and-trade deal for Olowokandi and was believed to be offering Wesley Person and a future No. 1 draft pick.
The Toronto Raptors signed a pair of free agents, Jerome Moiso of New Orleans and Milt Palacio of Cleveland. Moiso will be a backup on the front line behind Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and Chris Bosh, while Palacio will play behind Alvin Williams at point guard.
The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent center Amal McCaskill, who spent 11 games with the Hawks last season.
Sixers forward Keith Van Horn was being prominently mentioned in the rumor mill at the summer league in Boston, along with Latrell Sprewell of the Knicks, Antoine Walker of the Celtics and Tim Thomas of the Bucks.