July 4, 2009 (Part 2); Turkoglu now a Raptor

Hedo Turkoglu, once a part of last season's Eastern Conference Champions Orlando Magic, will now wear a new uniform as he came upon agreement with the only Canadian team in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors.

He became a free agent after the 2008-09 season, making him a hot ticket for most teams. But what was a sure deal with the Portland Trail Blazers wasn't the case. Portland offered him 50 million dollars for five years, but the Raptors wasn't going down just yet, as they made a huge gamble of offering 57 million to the former Most Improved Player awardee.

The final deal is that the Raptors will pay Turkoglu in excess of 60 millions dollars on a five-year deal.

Another player that's been a buzz for this past week is Magic's back-up center Marcin Gortat from Poland.

Reports say that he's headed to Dallas. Terms weren't immediately known, but it was believed that Gortat is entertaining offers for the full mid-level exception (starting at around $5.6 million) for up to five years. The deal could be worth more than $30 million.

Now here are names of some of the free agents for next season.

Lamar Odom, LA Lakers- Would still stay with L.A.

Paul Millsap, Utah- The Jazz would like to keep him, but the Thunder has more money than them right now.

David Lee, New York- Considers playing for the Raptors, but with Turkoglu at the lineup, there might be a problem on their frontcourt.

Marvin Williams, Atlanta- Will talk with the Hawks on Wednesday.

Shawn Marion, Toronto- Would still be a Raptor.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit- The Celtics are trying to pull out all the stops.

Jason Kidd, Dallas- No teams are trying to take this multiple-time All-Star by far.

Andre Miller, Philadelphia- So as to this crafty veteran.

Anderson Varejao, Cleveland- With Shaq on the Cavs, how could he still play for huge minutes?

How bout you guys? What are your comments about these developments? Let's talk about it!

There you have it! You guys have just been fed!

God bless! Hope you're having a great weekend! Peace out! Stay safe! The Wizard was here... :)

Comments, questions and suggestions are highly appreciated! :)