Per the NY Times…

The Knicks and the sparkplug guard Nate Robinson are nearing an agreement on a one-year contract that will pay Robinson $5 million to $6 million, a person close to the negotiations confirmed Sunday.

The Knicks are attempting to maintain enough wiggle room to land one or two of the potential star free agents expected to be in the 2010 class. The Knicks would have Robinson as a usable asset; they could keep him, trade him, re-sign him or use him in a sign-and-trade next summer.

If Robinson’s deal is finalized, it will almost certainly end the Knicks’ flirtation with the point guard Ramon Sessions, a restricted free agent from the Milwaukee Bucks. And a deal with Robinson could help Lee’s cause for a long-term deal because Robinson’s contract would not tie up any salary past next season.

This isn’t a bad deal for Robinson, because he gets a bigger salary and also gets to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Normally, restricted free agents who can’t come to terms on an extension end up signing a one-year tender that allows them to enter free agency again the following summer. The Knicks are doing Robinson a favor, and even though it’s not the long-term contract that he wants, it should keep him happy for the season. (And, as a Bucks fan, I’d be happy to see the Knicks end their courtship of Ramon Sessions, though I’m not sure why Robinson’s one-year deal means that the team still can’t use their mid-level on Sessions, if they think he’s the long-term answer at the point.)

As for Lee, the Knicks seem more interested in signing him to a long-term deal. And why not? He has proven that he can be productive without needing a lot of touches. But he’s just an average defender, so the Knicks don’t want to pay the $10-$12 million per season that he’s asking. He’d be smart to work out a long-term deal for around $8 million a year and stay in New York, but with some of the strange contracts we’ve seen this summer despite the terrible economy, his camp is still holding out for a big payday.

7/28 Update: The New York Post reports that no deal is imminent for Robinson.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports…

Now, the Heat are working furiously to deliver Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Heat are trying to sell Odom on a five-year, $34 million contract at the mid-level exception, and a league executive with knowledge of the talks says Miami has also hatched a three-way proposal with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies to secure Boozer.

The essentials of a possible deal would include Miami sending forward Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright to Utah. Because Memphis is under the cap, Utah could move Wright’s $2.8 million salary to the Grizzlies and save itself approximately $5.6 million with salary and luxury-tax payments. Memphis would probably get cash and picks for its trouble. The Heat would have to send one more small contract to make the math on the salary exchange work.

Odom can play some small forward, so this isn’t an outrageous plan by Riley and the Heat, though I’m not sure where it would leave Michael Beasley. Wojnarowski says that the Lakers have offered Odom $36 million over four years (which works out to about $8 million per season, after state taxes), so I’m not sure why he’d take the Heat’s deal, unless he is looking to sign the biggest contract overall. There is no state tax in Florida, so Miami’s $34 million deal is slightly larger than the Lakers’ deal, after state taxes.

The Boozer acquisition seems more likely, and although I do like Haslem, I’m not sure that he’s enough to convince Utah to pull the trigger. Portland is also working on a deal for Boozer, since all signs point to the Jazz matching the Blazers’ offer sheet to Paul Millsap whether or not Boozer is on the roster. The Blazers are also trying to get the Pistons involved so that they can try to pry Tayshaun Prince away from Detroit, though Joe Dumars has wisely stayed out of such talks thus far. It appears that he doesn’t see Boozer as a $14 million per season player and that’s what Boozer’s camp is asking for. With his injury history, they need to set their sights a little lower.

Wondering why David Lee is still on the restricted free agent market? It might be because his asking price is a whopping $12 million per season.

The Knicks have not made a formal offer but are hoping to keep Lee for about $7 million to $8 million per season.

It could take much longer to determine the fates of Lee and Robinson. They are restricted free agents, making them a gamble for rival teams. Lee’s asking price may also be a big obstacle. His agent, Mark Bartelstein, is seeking $12 million per season, according to an executive whose team is pursuing Lee.

But Bartelstein made a strong argument that Lee is a unique and valuable player. He led the league in double-doubles last season, his fourth in the N.B.A., averaging 16 points and 11.7 rebounds, and shot 54.9 percent from the field. He is just 26 and still improving as a shooter and passer.

But at 6 feet 9 inches, Lee is also undersized for a power forward and center, and he does not block many shots or provide stiff interior defense. He scores in bunches, but he cannot create his own shot. Lee could make an All-Star team but he is not viewed as a franchise player, which is why the Knicks want to keep his salary in the single-digit millions.

Bartelstein sounded frustrated at the lack of a deal.

“It’s a shame David’s not done yet,” Bartelstein said. “The Knicks have the ability to get him signed. The other teams don’t, because they don’t know if the Knicks will match or not, or go through a sign-and-trade.”

Here’s what I wrote about Lee in our preview of this year’s crop of restricted free agents…

2. David Lee, PF (26)
PER: 19.07
GM Donnie Walsh said that the Knicks’ picking Jordan Hill in this year’s draft has nothing to do with Lee, but the two play the same position, so of course it’s going to have an effect on how the Knicks and Lee each view their relationship. The other issue is that two of the Knicks’ targets in 2010 are Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire might also play the same position as Lee, though Mike D’Antoni would likely play either at center, allowing Lee to play power forward. He gets most of his points off the glass, so he’d be a good fit with either of those guys. The Knicks are projected to have about $35 million in cap space heading into the summer of 2010 and whatever deal they sign Lee to will cut into that. If they want to keep Lee and sign two big-name free agents, then they’re going to have to rid themselves of either Jared Jeffries or Eddy Curry prior to 2010. I like Lee, but he’s not a guy that you can give the ball to on the block and expect him to score, and that limits his value somewhat as a big man. The Thunder, Kings, Grizzlies, Raptors and Pistons could all make a serious run at Lee, though anytime a team tries to poach a restricted free agent, it’s a delicate balance between offering him enough to convince the other team to let him go, while getting a reasonable deal at the same time.
Value: $9.0 – $10.0 million per year.

Here is John Hollinger’s scouting report for Lee…

Scouting report: Lee is a quick, bouncy leaper who aggressively crashes the boards at both ends; he’s also outstanding at tipping in offensive rebounds and can do it with either hand. That applies to his offensive game in general — though he’s left-handed, Lee is pretty much ambidextrous and can finish from either side of the rim.

Though he’s a good foul shooter, Lee rarely shoots from outside and hasn’t been all that effective when he has. Additionally, he has a limited post arsenal that he only breaks out when he has an obvious mismatch. Instead, his specialty is running the floor and moving without the ball to get dunks and layups.

Defensively, Lee is unexceptional. Physical players can muscle him into deep post position, and he’s not a great help defender or shot-blocker. His dexterity for his size is helpful, and he might be able to make more of an impact in a system that encourages players to actually try on defense.

Lee’s scouting report over at DraftExpress goes into more depth, but says essentially the same thing (though they are higher on his defense).

With the recent financial news released by the NBA, it’s going to be tough for the Knicks to clear enough cap space to sign two superstar free agents next summer, so they may want to target one and try to compile a roster that would be appealing for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or even Joe Johnson. Lee would be a good fit with any of those guys, because in Mike D’Antoni’s system, Bosh or Stoudemire would likely play center. The Knicks’ pick of Jordan Hill in the draft is puzzling, as he and Lee would play the same position, so it’s unclear if GM Donnie Walsh was planning on keeping Lee all along.

The other thing to consider when trying to estimate Lee’s overall value is the pace at which the Knicks play, and how it affects his stats. The Knicks use 99.0 possessions per game, but the league average is only 94.1, so if Lee were playing for a team playing at an average pace, his stats would drop to 15.2 ppg and 11.1 rpg. Those are still impressive numbers, but I wonder if he’d be quite as productive if he weren’t playing in D’Antoni’s wide open system. It’s not just the Knicks’ pace, it’s the opportunities that the team’s pace creates in transition. I’d expect him to be a 14/10 guy for an average team, and that’s hardly worth $12 million per season.

Don’t get me wrong — I like Lee — but he’s an energy guy (albeit one of the best energy guys in the league) and energy guys don’t usually get fat contracts. Shawn Marion is the exception, not the rule. Besides, Lee doesn’t have Marion’s three-point range or his ability to defend on the ball.

There’s an old Beatles song, “Getting Better,” that goes…

I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
A little better all the time (It can’t get no worse)
I have to admit it’s getting better
It’s getting better since you’ve been mine

Now Paul McCartney and John Lennon were talking about a girl, but those lyrics could easily be applied to an NBA team during the summer. With that in mind, here are three teams that are getting better and three that are getting worse. (And, by the way, just because a team is adding talent, it doesn’t mean that they’re making the right moves.)

GETTING BETTER

San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs’ willingness to take on salary to improve their roster resulted in the acquisition of All-Star-caliber forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks, who were looking to dump salary. To add Jefferson, they only had to give up Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto. RJ is a good all-around wing that can score and defend. The Spurs also added Antonio McDyess with a three-year, mid-level deal. McDyess is 34, but his PER of 16.63 last season is still well above average. To top it all off, San Antonio benefited from DeJuan Blair’s free fall on draft night. Blair is arguably the best rebounder in this year’s draft class and he’ll provide immediate toughness on the inside. Really, at the cost of a second rounder, do the Spurs care if his knees break down in three or four years? If San Antonio has everyone healthy come playoff time, they have a great shot of upending the Lakers in the West.

Dallas Mavericks
After giving up Devin Harris for Jason Kidd, Mark Cuban couldn’t very well let Kidd walk in free agency this summer. The Mavs would be better off this season and in the long term had they held onto Harris, but that ship has long since sailed. This summer, they signed a good value at center (Marcin Gortat) and executed a convoluted four-team sign-and-trade to acquire Shawn Marion from the Raptors. The Mavs can now start a lineup that features four former All-Stars and the up-and-coming Gortat, with Jason Terry assuming the role of sixth man. If they fail to retain Brandon Bass, it will hurt their chances of contending in the West because other than Erick Dampier (and maybe Ryan Hollins), the Mavs don’t have a whole lot of beef coming off the bench.

Update: In a fairly surprising move, the Magic matched the Mavs’ offer for Gortat, so that puts a dent in Mark Cuban’s otherwise solid offseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers
I’m not sure how anyone could argue that the Cavs haven’t gotten “better” this summer. While it remains to be seen whether or not the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal was really the final piece of the championship puzzle, there’s no doubt that, if healthy, the “Big Jester” helps Cleveland’s chances of making a Finals appearance and potentially retaining the services of King James next summer. The team also re-signed Anderson Varejao, signed Anthony Parker and is making a run at Channing Frye. There are a lot of naysayers who may prove to be right about Shaq, but on paper, the Cavs have improved.

GETTING WORSE

Houston Rockets
The Rockets are in a bad way and it’s not entirely their fault. Yao Ming’s career is very much up in the air, Tracy McGrady can’t stay healthy, and they just lost Ron Artest to the Los Angeles Lakers. GM Daryl Morey did manage to sign up-and-comer Trevor Ariza, but at this point in his career, he is no Ron Artest. Without Yao to build around, Morey may be realizing that it’s time to blow this thing up and start over. It’s a shame, because if Yao had stayed healthy, the Rockets might very well have upset the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Milwaukee Bucks
GM John Hammond shipped Richard Jefferson off to the Spurs in a salary dump then decided not to make the one-year tender offer to Charlie Villanueva, which effectively allowed him to walk away from the Bucks with no compensation. The tender was just over $4 million and Villanueva reportedly signed for $8 million per season, so Hammond essentially gave up another asset to cut payroll. Since the team drafted Brandon Jennings, restricted free agent Ramon Sessions may or may not be the team’s point guard of the future. Will the Bucks match if he gets a significant offer in the next week or let another asset go with no compensation? Small market teams aren’t going to attract the big-name free agents, so they have to acquire talent through the draft and via trades. It doesn’t do you any good to have a ton of salary cap space if no one wants to play for you. We may look back on this summer and see how the Bucks set themselves up for success in the future, but in the short term, the team just got worse.

Phoenix Suns
What in the world are the Suns doing? I’m not sure even GM Steve Kerr knows. By trading away Shaq, they really hurt their playoff aspirations this season, but they haven’t yet decided whether or not they want to build around Amare Stoudemire. Steve Nash is getting older, yet the Suns want to sign him to an extension. I like the pick of Earl Clark in the draft, and am semi-stunned that the Suns haven’t already traded him away for cash or spare parts (like they previously did with Luol Deng, Rudy Fernandez and Rajon Rondo). The sad thing is that before they traded away Shawn Marion a few years ago, this was the most exciting team in the league. Now they’re just the most schizophrenic.

When I estimated the extensions that the big names from the class of 2006 could potentially sign this summer, I pegged Andrea Bargnani at $7-$8 million per season. It turns out I underestimated his value to the Raptors.

The deal, according to NBA front-office sources, would span five seasons starting in 2010-11 and earn Bargnani an estimated $50 million.

Bargnani did go through something of a transformation in his third season, averaging 15.4 points on 45% shooting from the field and 41% from long range. The previous year, he shot 39% from the field and less than 35% from deep, so he made a big jump, efficiency-wise. His PER (14.66) is still below average, mainly due to his suspect rebounding for a seven-footer (5.3 rpg) and lack of assists (1.2 apg).

The bottom line is that Bargnani will have to continue his career trajectory to earn the contract that the Raptors just awarded him.

It looks like Chris Andersen is staying in Denver.

Andersen, who provided shot-blocking, rebounding and energy off the bench for the Nuggets in their run to the Western Conference finals, could make as much as $26 million from the deal, his agent, Mark Bryant, told the newspaper. Andersen could sign the contract as early as Wednesday, when the NBA’s free agent signing period begins.

Andersen will earn $3.7 million next season from the contract, which is back-loaded and sweetened with performance incentives, Bryant said, according to the report.

The deal runs five years, which seems pretty long for a 31-year-old that was previously suspended for substance abuse. But Andersen seems to have turned a corner in his life and in his career, and he was a valuable “energy guy” off the Nuggets bench last season.

Because as much as teams are spending in pursuit of unrestricted free agents, it stands in sharp contrast to those of the restricted free agents on the market. Gortat struck a deal for an offer sheet from Dallas, but desirable commodities like Lee, Paul Millsap, Marvin Williams, Josh Childress, Ramon Sessions and Nate Robinson have barely gotten a sniff.

Moreover, the market for those players to get anything above the midlevel exception is basically gone. Unless they can persuade one of the above teams to join in the bidding, somebody like Lee or Millsap could end up settling for the midlevel exception or playing on a one-year deal for a scandalously low qualifying offer — $1.03 million for Millsap, $2.68 million for Lee.

In turn, this has to be chilling news if you’re Rajon Rondo, Luis Scola, Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrea Bargnani, Ronnie Brewer or Foye, all of whom will be restricted free agents next summer if they don’t sign extensions by opening day. (Brandon Roy, who is all but certain to get a maximum extension, needn’t worry.) The restricted free agents in the class of ’09 couldn’t get a sniff of big money even in a very underwhelming free-agent market; what can they possibly expect a year from now when the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire could be available unrestricted?

On the other hand, the unrestricted free agents could once again make out like bandits — perhaps providing a carrot for the likes of Lee, Millsap and Williams to take the qualifier and play for a below-market-value price this season in hopes of recouping the difference next summer.

Detroit and Toronto have already burned their cap space on the likes of Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Hedo Turkoglu, but there are still a few teams — Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Memphis and Atlanta — who could make a significant offer to Paul Millsap or David Lee. The problem with trying to sign an RFA is that their current team has seven days to match the offer sheet, and during that time, the team trying to pry the RFA has that money tied up in that player. Most teams will wait the full seven days just to screw with the other team, and then eventually match the offer. This span should be reduced from seven days to two business days. Really — how long does it take to decide whether or not a contract is too big to match? If they shortened the span, these RFAs would be getting a lot more action.