Brand Considers $65-Million Clipper Offer

Clipper power forward Elton Brand has received a five-year contract offer at about $65 million, but he hasn’t decided whether to accept or wait for a longer-term deal from the team. The salary figures are the same for the first five seasons of a so-called “max-out” seven-year deal.

Free agents are eligible to sign with new teams or re-sign with their old ones July 16. Negotiations for new contracts began Tuesday.

Guard Corey Maggette met with Denver Nugget executives for two hours Wednesday, and center Michael Olowokandi expressed interest in playing for the Nuggets and also had some nice things to say about the Miami Heat.

“We’ve consistently said we like our players and would like to re-sign them,” Executive Vice President Andy Roeser said of Brand, Maggette, Andre Miller and Lamar Odom, the team’s restricted free agents. “Our first choice is to sit down with them and make a fair deal. We respect their right to go out and see what their alternatives are, but we would be inclined to match any offers.”

Olowokandi, an unrestricted free agent, told reporters in Denver and South Florida that he has not ruled out re-signing with the Clippers.

Meanwhile, talks between the Clippers and Mike Dunleavy stalled again after it appeared the two sides were close to an agreement that would fill the team’s coaching vacancy.

There is no timetable for the Clippers to hire a coach, and Dunleavy also continues to talk with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Clippers fired Alvin Gentry on March 3, replacing him with assistant Dennis Johnson for the rest of the season.

Dunleavy turned down the Clippers’ initial four-year offer. He was believed to be close to accepting a shorter-term deal this week but failed to receive assurances from the team that it would retain restricted free agents such as Brand and Maggette.

-- Elliott Teaford

T.J. Ford became the first of this year’s NBA first-round draft picks to sign, agreeing to a four-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 6-foot point guard from Texas was the eighth overall selection in the draft June 26 after leading the Longhorns in points, assists and steals.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed but according to the 2002-03 NBA rookie scale, a four-year deal for the No. 8 pick would be worth about $7 million.

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Golden State hired Jim Boylen and David Fizdale as assistant coaches on Eric Musselman’s revamped staff.

Boylen spent the last 11 seasons with Houston, including seven as an assistant to Rudy Tomjanovich. Fizdale was an assistant at Fresno State last season.

Boylen and Fizdale replace Phil Hubbard, who took a job with Washington, and Mark Osowski, who joined Paul Silas’ staff at Cleveland.

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Patrick Ewing and Jeff Van Gundy are together again. Now, they’re both coaches.

Van Gundy, the new coach at Houston, hired Ewing as an assistant. Ewing was the star center under Van Gundy with the New York Knicks.

Ewing was released by Washington from the final two months of his coaching contract earlier Wednesday. Ewing spent last season as an assistant with the Wizards.

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Houston said it will not exercise team options on guard Tito Maddox and forward Terence Morris.