As teams were allowed to contact player representatives for the first time since the beginning of the lockout Wednesday one of the most sought after NBA free agents was Denver Nuggets big man Nene, drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and Portland Trail Blazers joined the Clips in contacting Nene's representatives Wednesday, quickly proving that the 29 year old Brazilian is on a lot of teams wish list this holiday season. They all will be jockeying for position to be one of the first suitors to court him starting at midnight of Dec. 9.
"That will go down to the wire," a source close to Nene said.
It's going to take a pretty penny to have him for next season, though the Nuggets would seem to be the one's who would throw the most money at him after their contract negotiations broke down before the lockout began, causing Nene to pursue free agency in the first place. Hopefully the young nucleus of guys like Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan (and a nice sized contract too) will be appealing to Nene, a team that is definitely building to be a playoff contender.
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