Rasheed Wallace was due to visit San Antonio this week, the next stop on his whirlwind free agency tour. Here's hoping the Spurs bought him a refundable ticket.
Wallace's travel plans changed abruptly Sunday night when he committed to sign with Boston, his agent confirmed in a text message to the Express-News. The impending deal is believed to be for two years, beginning at the mid-level exception worth approximately $5.6 million. Asked via text message if Wallace's trip to San Antonio was still on, his agent, Bill Strickland, responded simply: "No. Playing with Boston."
With their top free-agent target off the market, the Spurs will next turn their attention to other available big men, a list now headlined by Antonio McDyess, Wallace's former wingman in Detroit.
In the meantime, the holiday weekend did bring some good news for the Spurs in their ongoing search to fortify their frontcourt.
Marcus Haislip, a 6-foot-10 NBA expatriate who has become one of the most sought-after free agents in Europe, has agreed in principle on a deal that will bring him to San Antonio next season.
Haislip, 28, is expected to sign with the Spurs after the league-wide moratorium on offseason roster moves is lifted Wednesday.
Originally selected 13th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 draft, Haislip - a collegiate star at Tennessee - lasted just three seasons in his first stint in the NBA. He spent the last of them in Indiana before washing up on European shores in 2005.
Haislip played the past two seasons with Spanish powerhouse Unicaja M?laga, where he averaged 16.7 points as the team's top scoring option last season. A prolific dunker - but little else - during his first tour of duty in the NBA, Haislip has polished his repertoire substantially overseas, scouts say.
Haislip isn't exactly a consolation prize in the Wallace sweepstakes. The Spurs began wooing him well before Wallace handed down his decision.
The terms of the Spurs' offer to Haislip were not immediately available, though it could start at the veteran's minimum.
The move does not put the Spurs out of contention for McDyess or other NBA big men they have been courting - such as Dallas' Brandon Bass and Boston's Glen "Big Baby" Davis - since free agency opened last week.
The Spurs have their entire mid-level exception to spend and will probably need it in order to remain in the running for McDyess. They also own a biannual exception to be valued at about $1.9 million, all or part of which could be used to pay Haislip.
Marcus Haislip
POSITION: Power forward
SIZE: 6-foot-10, 230 pounds
AGE: 28
COLLEGE: Tennessee
Career Highlights:
* Drafted No. 13 overall by Milwaukee in 2002. Spent two years with the Bucks and one with Indiana.
* Spent the past two seasons with Spanish powerhouse Unicaja M?laga, where he developed into the team's top scorer. Considered one of the top free agents in Europe this summer, alongside Josh Childress and Jannero Pargo.
* Expected to sign with the Spurs after league-wide moratorium ends Wednesday.
