I hope everyone is enjoying their Independence Day weekend thus far, whether you are spending time with the family, or are simply relaxing with a few days off. The NBA Free Agent signing period has been a wild one so far, and with the Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto twist happening earlier this morning, it was only right to update everyone on all the remaining big name free agents out there, and the latest news on them.

Rasheed Wallace: Wallace has reportedly received his offer from the Celtics, but will wait a week to get the offers in from the Cavs, Spurs, Magic, and Bobcats. Many feel the Celtics and Cavs are the frontrunners to land the former Piston.

Lamar Odom: Contrary to other reports, Lamar Odom is not receiving offers from other teams much more than what the Lakers can give him. He wants to stay in L.A, and they want him back. Should work out just fine.

Allen Iverson: Iverson has come out and said he wants to be in Memphis. We don’t know if the feeling is mutual yet. The Bulls rumor that surfaced a few days ago doesn’t seem to have legs to it. The Bobcats interest has lessened of late as well. Don’t count out potentially a 1 year deal to play in Miami alongside Dwyane Wade.

Stephon Marbury: All signs point to Marbury joining Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards. Marbury turned down the Celtics $1.3 Million dollar offer, as he stated there was a better one on the table.

David Lee: The Knicks power forward is expected to land in either Oklahoma City or Portland now. The Thunder are looking at Lee or Millsap, if the pricetag isn’t driven too high. Portland may opt to bring Lee in, and slide Greg Oden to the bench permanently.

Shawn Marion: Hedo coming to Toronto means Marion is likely out. The Raptors projected starting five would include Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Turk, Andrei Baragani and Chris Bosh. There isn’t enough money or space for the Matrix. Marion could now get some interest from the Blazers, who were looking to upgrade their wing play, as well as Cleveland on a lower money deal.

Glen Davis: Big Baby would likely be gone from Boston should they sign Rasheed. The Pistons are a likely replacement.

Nate Robinson: The two NBA Finals teams, Orlando and Los Angeles, are the front runners to bring in Krypto-Nate.

Paul Millsap: Still expected to re-sign with the Jazz, and Utah will look to move Boozer either before the season or during it.

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Originally, it was believed that Turk would be signing a hefty contract with the Blazers, especially after a verbal commitment was given to the organization.

The very next day Hedo called Portland and told them that he was having “second thoughts”. (It was reported that Turk liked Portland, but his wife fell in love with Toronto.)

The Raptors contract consists of a five-year $53 million deal in which Turkoglu will join heads with All-Star Chris Bosh, Spaniard Jose Calderon, and Italian Andrea Bargnani.

Turkoglu certainly gives a new look to the beat down Raptors that came into the 08′-09′ season with high hopes of making a playoff run with the newly acquired Jermaine O’Neal.

But once things turned upside down, O’Neal was traded for Miami’s Shawn Marion, who has now become a free-agent due to Hedo’s signing.

It is said that the Orlando Magic offered Turkoglu a recent final offer (five-year $45 mill), but obviously Hedo’s head was in a completely different direction.

Toronto will once again head into the 09′-10′ NBA season with high hopes of contending for the title, but this time is it different?

I wish Turkoglu the best of luck on his new squad, he will be missed by Orlando.

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As I have stated many times before, I am personally a fan of A.I, and hope he gets an opportunity to latch on with a team that will be able to maximize his talent. The Chicago Bulls are not the answer though. Chicago’s first round series against the Celtics will make many Bulls fans forget about the up and down regular season, in which inconsistency ruled. While it is noted that the trade of Brad Miller and John Salmons saved their season, the clutch play of Ben Gordon late in games will be missed. Perhaps the thinking was that Iverson could be that guy, but would Chicago really pay the luxury tax on that gamble? I doubt it.

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The Portland Trailblazers have made the latest splash in the free agent signing period, agreeing to terms with former Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu on a 5 year, $50 Million dollar deal. Turkoglu, who was thought to be courted by the Pistons and Raptors, however Portland gave the most enticing offer. Turkoglu should fit well into the Blazers rotation, playing alongside LeMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.

In other news, the Denver Post reports Grant Hill is being courted by the Denver Nuggets to add a veteran presence to the locker room. Hill, who last played with the Suns last season, is expected to draw interest from other contenders as well, including the Celtics, Cavs, and Bulls.

Sources close to the Shawn Marion situation believe he will in fact sign a long term deal to remain with the Raptors. The Globe and Mail reported the deal could be for four years at $32 Million dollars.

ESPN reported earlier today, that as expected, Lakers coach Phil Jackson will be back on the bench for the 2009-10 season. The Lakers, looking to repeat, will have a new face in the starting lineup, with Ron Artest expected to join on. There are hopes that Lamar Odom will be retained as well, which could make a very solid core of Kobe Bryant, Odom, Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Derek Fisher.

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Although Iverson has yet to win a championship ring during his 14 seasons in the National Basketball Assocation, he is currently ranked as the 16th all-time leading scorer in NBA history, playing in just 886 games and dropping 23,983 points. When taking a look at the all time top 20 leading scorers in NBA History, Iverson is the only player to produce the amount of points he did in less than 900 games.

In addition, AI is also the only player listed under 6′4″ in the top 20 all time leading scorers in NBA history. (If you never owned a pair of AI’s, shame on you).

At the age of 34, many do believe that Iverson is nearing the edge of retirement, especially after a disappointing 08′-09′ NBA season, averaging career-lows in PPG (17.4) and MPG (36.5), along with an ailing back injury.

Now as a free-agent and searching for a new home, is the famous AI really all out of answers or does he have enough gas in the tank to exceed hall-of-famers Patrick Ewing and Jerry West in the all-time NBA scoring list?

Also, does Iverson still have what it takes to help bring a team into contention and lift himself from future Hall-of-Famer to a living Legend?

AI changed the game of basketball the day he first stepped foot onto the NBA court and will forever be remembered for his ridiculous crossover.

Iverson recently twittered stating,

“I’m a Free Agent, healthy again, and capable of signing with any team. My only preference will be to play for a coach that knows what I bring to the table and that I am going to bring it every night! Someone that knows how to best utilize my skills to make our team the very best that we can be. For those of you who thought that I was done, Think Again!”

Hopefully Iverson gets an opportunity to play on a team that has potential to win a championship.

If he does, we all know that he could be the one missing answer to the contending teams problem.

**Sources say Pat Riley is in contact with Iverson…oh boy.

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In other news, ESPN is reporting that former Magic center Marcin Gortat has agreed verbally to join the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs reportedly offered Gortat a five year, $25 million dollar contract. The Magic do have the opportunity to match, however most feel it is unlikely they will.

The Miami Herald reports that the Heat may be interested in bringing in Allen Iverson. Iverson’s stint in Detroit was short lived, and though there were only a few teams interested in him initially(Raptors, Grizzlies, Bobcats), Miami may be the most attractive destination.

In some very interesting news out of Spain, reports have confirmed that Ricky Rubio, the fifth overall pick of the NBA Draft, will stay in Spain for the next two seasons, rather than play for the Timberwolves. As time goes on, we could see the Wolves use Rubio’s rights as trade bait.

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With the rest of the offseason in front of us, there will be multiple free agent signings from now until then, in which many can help assemble an organization into top contenders for the ship next season.

For other teams that are already contenders, a free agent signing or two can push their value to the cream of the crop.

Staying or Going?

Hedo Turkoglu (SF/PF, ORL)- Going

After declining the Magic’s more than grateful contract, Vince Carter was traded to Orlando, giving Turkoglu exactly what he wanted, an opportunity to make his “10 million per season.”

The Magic cannot afford to re-offer Turkoglu anything near the hefty contract that they did prior to the trade, so Turk is off the books for Orlando.

The Blazers and Raptors are the top two teams in the race for Hedo. Toronto is supposedly offering Turk a five year $60 million contract, while the Blazers have a proposal of a five year deal in which he would receive around $50 million.

Rasheed Wallace (PF/C, DET)- Going

News has been circulating about Wallace and the possibilities of where he can end up next season. As of right now, it seems like the only teams that are pursuing Sheed are the top contending organizations in the league.

The Cavs, Magic, and Spurs have all expressed interest in the 34 year old veteran and he is bound to be signed by one of the three teams mentioned above during the offseason.

Ron Artest (SF, HOU)- Going

Similar to Sheed, Artest’s rare talent seems to be virtually unmatchable in this years free agency and quite possibly the missing key to many teams success.

As of right now, it looks as if the only teams really in contention for Artest are the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, and Orlando Magic.

Although, the Cavaliers look like the leading front runners this minute.

Lamar Odom (PF, LAL)- Staying

If you take a look at Lamar Odom, he is literally one of a kind. He has the ability to do absolutely everything on the NBA court and as they say, when Odom plays good, the Lakers win.

This is clearly an obvious re-sign for Los Angeles highly due to the fact that you cannot find Odom’s extraordinary talent anywhere else.

As for Trevor Ariza, he will most likely not be returning in a Laker’s uniform next season.

Paul Millsap (PF, UTA)- Going

Since Boozer went against his own words and decided to not opt out of his contract, the Jazz will have to pay a serious luxury tax if they want to re-sign the future superstar Paul Millsap.

Millsap showed his tremendous overall talent when Boozer was injured for most of the 08′-09′ season and can expect a contract giving him anywhere from nine to 11 million per season.

With Millsap being a restricted free-agent, Utah has the power to match any offer the power-forward receives.

Oklahoma City has engaged in discussion for Millsap and could possibly sign him within the next few days to weeks.

Brandon Bass (PF, DAL)- Going

With the Mavericks more concerned about re-signing the Brett Favre of the NBA (Jason Kidd, age 36) than a future All-Star in Brandon Bass, it seems more and more likely than BB will not be returning to the Mavericks roster next season.

A few teams not told to the fans have spoken to Bass. The two we do know that have are the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Hornets.

Bass would be placed into Orlando’s starting lineup at the four spot, while BB would be forced to come off the bench as a backup to David West if he decided to head back to the Hornets organization.

Andre Miller (PG, PHI)- Staying

First it was the Blazers that were focusing on signing the veteran point-guard Andre Miller, but with all the attention shifting to Hedo Turkoglu, it looks like Miller could be returning to the Sixers lineup before the start of next year.

Not much has been heard about Miller except for the fact that Philly does not want to give him more than a two year contract.

Meanwhile, Miller wants a contract somewhere between three to four years, receiving around $10 mill per season.

Stay tuned for more on the Miller news.

The Lakers championship celebration may be offically over in a few days. Reports coming out of L.A state that Trevor Ariza is likely to be leaving the champs and headed for a big payday this summer. Both ESPN and Yahoo! Reports as of late last night Ariza was getting offers from the Raptors, Blazers, Rockets, and Clippers all have interest in Ariza, and just a few hours ago, I received notice that the Blazers prefer Ariza over Turkoglu, and would be willing to offer a 5 year deal worth $40.5 million dollars for him. If that in fact happens, Hedo Turkoglu would likely end up with the Raptors, who are only looking at offering a 4 year deal to Hedo, worth in the $9-10 Million dollar range per year.

The Raptors may also be looking to add help in the paint for Chris Bosh, by the way of David Lee. It’s not certain Toronto wants to bring in two big contracts this summer, with the status of their All-Star big man still up in the air next summer.

The Detroit Pistons may be making some big moves to get better quick, but their coaching search might be tougher than they expected. ESPN reports Doug Collins has turned down the Pistons coaching job, and now, as first reported here, Avery Johnson is the leading candidate. Don’t rule out Sam Mitchell as a last result.

It looks like the Ron Artest Rockets run is now over. Fox Sports Houston reports a source close to the situation state Artest is looking to sign elsewhere. The Cavs are expected to go after Artest heavy, but don’t rule out Artest as a possible replacement to Odom or Ariza with the Lakers, as well as offers by the Spurs or Mavericks.

The Memphis Grizzlies may still be looking to improve their backcourt, with the potential addition of Mike Bibby. Bibby, who has seen the Atlanta Hawks revamp their backcourt, and may be looking to move on without the veteran.