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• July 1: Teams can begin negotiating with restricted and unrestricted free agents.

• July 9: Teams can sign free agents.

What's the difference between a restricted and unrestricted free agent?

A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with any team. However, his current team the right to match any offer made to retain the services of that player.

An unrestricted free agent can sign a contract with any team and their former team has no rights to the player.

How long do the Hawks have to react if their free agents sign an offer sheet from another team?

Seven days, per the rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement.

What is the maximum number of years that can be offered to free agents?

The Hawks can offer a maximum of six years. Other teams can only offer the Hawks' free agents a maximum of five years, per league rules.

What are the sign-and-trade options for the Hawks where Smith and Childress are concerned?

All parties would have to agree to a deal, before any offer sheets or contracts are signed, that would involve the Hawks signing the players and then trading them to another team for some consideration.

Is there a scenario in which a team could still pirate away Smith or Childress without a sign-and-trade?

Certainly. A team under the salary cap, (Philadelphia and Memphis are the only teams with substantial room under the cap to work with), can put a frontloaded offer sheet on the table that the Hawks are simply unable or unwilling to match. The Hawks did the same thing three years ago when they pursued Joe Johnson, who ultimately came to the Hawks as part of a sign-and-trade deal.

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The Clippers could replace Philly on the list of teams with cap room if Elton Brand signs elsewhere (Philly basically) without a S&T. Also, Golden State could become a player if they lose Baron Davis outright (logically that would be the Clippers). I'm hopeful that Memphis tries to poach from Golden State and drives their roster costs up. They would do this by negotiating with Monta Ellis and when GSW matches turning their attention to Biedrins. Of course, they shouldn't be as interested in Ellis now that they have Mayo. Rumor is they are interested in Igoudala, but with PG, SG, SF all mained by young potential studs I fail to see how that is a wise investment. The player who seems like he would be the best fit for Memphis to go after is Josh Smith. Luckily for us, the accountants are pretty much running the ship in Memphis and therefore don't expect them to be too aggressive for anyone in the market. Josh Smith would probably be a fit for Golden St. as well except their last 2 lottery picks are in a similar mold.

For the Hawks it just seems like its a bit of a problem that Josh Smith would sure seem to be plan B for a lot of teams. Once Philly can't get Brand then Josh Smith is pretty much clearly the best option. If the Clippers end up doing a S&T for Brand they probably would look to replace him with Josh Smith. And Wright and Randolph just aren't good enough to stop the Warriors from going after Josh Smith if they were to end up with serious caproom. (Hawks fans need to keep this in mind when it comes to acie law) Smith just doesn't have much reason to sign early on in FA to a "reasonable" deal.