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The 2015 NBA Free Agency "Pre-Game Thread"

The rumors have started early, and anticipation is high for one of the most important Portland Trail Blazer offseasons in team history. Here's your place to discuss all the rumors and news for both the Blazers and the NBA as a whole.

By Timmay! Updated

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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: Blazer rumors are already covered elsewhere on the front page. Things are quiet across the rest of the NBA so far. Expect news to pick up as the day continues.

Blazers News and Rumors

Tuesday, 8:08 pm: Broussard is at it again, this time reporting that the Los Angeles Lakers will meet with free agent Greg Monroe on Wednesday, and that they are also intrigued by Blazers center Robin Lopez. The Lakers are the fourth team rumored to have expressed interest in Lopez, joining the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks.

Tuesday, 7:45 pm: Chris Broussard of ESPN reports that James Harden will headline the list of Houston Rockets personnel on hand at the team's meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge. Also in the building will be head coach Kevin McHale, general manager Daryl Morey, and executive vice president Gersson Rosas. The Rockets will be the second team to meet with Aldridge, following the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tuesday, 5:36 pm: As reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Los Angeles Lakers have conjured up "something special" for their upcoming meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge. If the Lakers hope to vault to the top of the Aldridge's list, it better be truly special indeed. Any ideas about what the surprise could be?

Tuesday, 4:54 pm: RealGM's Shams Charania has reported that the New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks are all interested in Blazers center Robin Lopez. Lopez has already had one stint in New Orleans, and was coached by Alvin Gentry, the current Pelicans head coach, during his four seasons in Phoenix, so there are clear motivations for the Pelicans in this situation.

Tuesday, 4:18 pm: USA Today Sports' Sam Amick reports that Kobe Bryant will be attending LaMarcus Aldridge's meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. He will be joined by Lakers president Jeanie Buss, head coach Byron Scott, general manager Mitch Kupchak, and James Worthy (UPDATE: Add Lakers executive Jim Buss to the long list of Lakers management that will be there). We'll see what persuasive recruiting strategies Bryant and company have prepared.

Tuesday, 3:59 pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to clear cap space as part of their effort to sign both LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan.

Tuesday, 12:30 pm: Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News has reported that the San Antonio Spurs are reportedly interested in trading for and waiving Brendan Haywood, which would allow them to sign Portland free agent LaMarcus Aldridge to a max contract. However, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal says that conversation never took place.

Rumors Around the NBA

Tuesday, 8:15 pm: ESPN's Chris Broussard has reported that the Los Angeles Lakers will meet with free agent forward Kevin Love later this week.

Tuesday, 7:55 pm: With free agency just over an hour away, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reports that Boston has its eyes on both Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson and Phoenix Suns guard Gerald Green.

Tuesday, 6:57 pm: Here's some more news on the Rondo-Kings relationship. Sean Cunningham of News10 Sacramento confirms that both parties are interested and that there may be a meeting held tonight.

Tuesday, 6:43 pm: Unrestricted free agent Jeremy Lin is being linked with the Sacramento Kings, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. This comes after ESPN's Marc Stein reported earlier today that Kings small forward Rudy Gay is intent on convincing Rajon Rondo to make Sacramento his new home.

Tuesday, 6:21 pm: Paul Millsap is on the Knicks' radar, but they might not be able to afford him, per Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

Tuesday, 5:43 pm: More news on the Tyson Chandler front: CBSSports.com's Ken Berger has heard from sources that Milwaukee could be a possible landing spot for Chandler.

Tuesday, 5:01 pm: ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reports that if DeAndre Jordan were to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers would try to pull off a sign-and-trade for Mavs center Tyson Chandler.

Tuesday, 4:11 pm: It appears that three-point specialist Jared Dudley is going to re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks, per TNT's David Aldridge.

Tuesday, 1:31 pm: Multiple teams are hoping to woo Marco Belinelli once free agency begins tonight. Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears reports that Belinelli has caught the attention of the defending champion Golden State Warriors, and Adrian Wojnarowski, also of Yahoo Sports, reports that the Charlotte Hornets plan to make a pitch to the Italian shooting guard.

The rumors are already flying around like crazy today across the NBA!

So, let's get this started. This is the first of many rumor/chat posts for the NBA's 2015 Free Agency. Here are the important dates when it comes to the Blazers:

-- June 30th (today!): Last day of 2014-15 NBA year. Chris Kaman's contract must be picked up by the Blazers or he'll be an unrestricted free agent (UPDATE: The Blazers did not waive Kaman by the 2:00pm deadline, according to CSNNW.com's Jabari Young. This means that Kaman will make the entire $5 million in the second year of his two-year deal, and that, barring a trade, he will remain a Blazer for the upcoming season).

-- July 1st EDT (9pm tonight, PDT): NBA Free Agency begins with the Moratorium. Teams can talk to any player they wish, but cannot formally reach agreement and sign contracts. Informal agreements are very common during this period.

-- July 8th EDT (9pm, Jul 7, PDT): Moratorium ends. Teams are able to immediately sign players to contracts.

Over the next week, Hayden Gehr, Sagar Trika and I will be constantly updating about not only the Blazers, but any major NBA news and rumors as well. Everyone is invited to hang out in the comments and chat about hopes, fears, expectations, rumors, and news. When Blazer news arrives, talk about it here until Blazer's Edge has a fresh article live.

While we'll update this post regularly, sometimes late-breaking rumors haven't been added yet. If you do not see any recent updates, scroll down to the comments and join the discussion! The latest rumors will be at the bottom.

For better or worse, try to have fun! -- Tim

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