Welcome to Part 2 of desipio.com’s 2008 NBA offseason reference guide.

Over the past fortnight, the trade and free agent action hasn’t stopped, which makes it all the more unusual that big names such as Josh Smith, Andre Iguodala and Ben Gordon all remain unsigned as we enter the month of August.

This exploration of each completed transaction, plus the inside scoop on each upcoming one, concludes here with the League’s final 15 teams – Milwaukee to Washington.

Milwaukee Bucks

Restricted: Ersan Ilyasova

The 6-10 Ilyasova once played a key role in the Bucks’ fortunes – he was one of the players given unjustifiable court time when Milwaukee were tanking developing for the future. Actually, that may not have been last season but the one before… Anyway, the point is, the Bucks have been lacking in success for far too long, and lacking in relevance for even longer. So now that Milwaukee have appointed both a new Coach and a new General Manager this summer, they’re apparently going to start running this team properly. This means that unproven D-League talents like Ilyasova are only going to get the minutes they deserve.

Unrestricted: Awvee Storey, Michael Ruffin, Jake Voskuhl, Royal Ivey

Re-signed Bucks C Andrew Bogut was interviewed on local radio last week, where he sought to play down perceptions he is overpaid. Because by league standards, he’s not. There were 22 players in the NBA last season who earned more than the $14.5-million per season his new contract with the Bucks will pay him. But it’s not as if Bogut is the league’s 23rd best player, and it’s also true that his production must, before long, catch up to his potential. And pay packet. Behind him, there’s big opportunity for one of the free agent journeymen formerly on the Milwaukee’s roster (Storey, Ruffin, Vohksul) to exclusively earn themselves the backup C position, especially since minutes look plentiful there next season with Bogut committed to the Australian team at the Olympics. In the backcourt, even if skinny 2-guard Royal Ivey signs a contract for next season, he is already suspended for the first 2 games following an ugly incident with an opposition player’s groin late last year. Enough said.

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Minnesota Timberwolves

Restricted: Craig Smith, Chris Richard, Ryan Gomes

Forever characterized as the NBA’s version of Colonel Klink, Kevin McHale knows he is now only 2 or 3 more lottery picks away from completing his rebuilding plan in Minneapolis to nation-wide acclaim. The TWolves already have 2 guards (Foye and McCants), 2 small forwards (Brewer and Miller), and 2 power forwards (Jefferson and Love) carved into the youthful, truthful ice of the Twin Cities. And everything else they need to continue their steady progress is already on their own free agent list – experience, class and veteran minimums. Smith, the loveable Rhino, is a fan favorite who plays well above his listed height. Richard is a young, cheap banger with good pedigree. And Gomes is a solid citizen who has been kept around for no other reason than that he was part of the cost of Kevin Garnett.

Unrestricted: Michael Doleac, Sebastian Telfair, Kirk Snyder

The last thing McHale (and whoever his out-of-his-depth coaching candidate is this season) needs is for the growth of their enticing squad of impressionable youngsters to be disrupted by a selfish veteran. These kids are deigned to grow together. Therefore, distractors like Antoine Walker will be marginalized, and only role-players who are happy to bear an off-court load will be included. In this way, Doleac’s presence as a 13th man who can show Kevin Love everything from where the best bars are on the road to how to launch a floor-bound push-shot, could actually be valuable. The TWolves also need depth – and after waiting 3 weeks to see if Telfair would garner any interest on the open market, McHale re-upped the mercurial point guard at a bargain rate. Snyder’s situation is less fortunate; sure he’s tough and smart and coachable, but Minnesota have so many of their own lottery picks they need to give minutes to that he unlikely to return.

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New Jersey Nets

Restricted: Nenad Krstic

Krstic has played just 71 games over the past 2 seasons, causing the Nets to no longer view him as one of the better C prospects in the Eastern Conference. As a result, he has been released to play in Russia with their blessing. This decision, coming after New Jersey already chose not to match DeSagana Diop’s return to Dallas, allows the Nets to further advance their re-positioning, by releasing starters’ minutes to rookie F/C Brook Lopez and second-year big Sean Williams. Midway through last season, the Nets officially abandoned their compete-for-now strategy, which had seen them achieve no more than 49, and no less than 41, wins over the previous 5 years. It was long overdue.

Unrestricted: Bostjan Nachbar, Darrell Armstrong, DeSagana Diop

One of the (few) short-term advantages of the Nets’ decision prior to the draft to trade away Richard Jefferson to the Bucks was that it would at least allow Vince Carter to cease chasing the Ray Allens, and Rip Hamiltons of the world and return him to his rightful small forward position. But between Bobby Simmons, Yi Jianlian and 8th pick Joel Alexander, the Nets added 3 players who cannot play anything but the 3. Assuming they can play at an NBA level at all, that is. The other result of these moves was that there was no need to consider re-signing Nachbar, who happily jumped back to Europe. He will not be missed. Nor will Darrel Armstrong, who spent more time last season masquerading as an assistant coach than he did playing backup point guard. As a result, New Jersey made it a priority to acquire proper backcourt depth for next season, and achieved it when Keyon Dooling put his spidery signature on a 3 year, $9 million deal. Then, last weekend, the Nets then made what looks like their final move of the summer; sending now-superfluous ex-rookie Marcus Williams west for a future second rounder.

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New Orleans Hornets

Restricted: None

Unrestricted: Bonzi Wells, Chris Andersen, Ryan Bowen, Jannero Pargo

It’s unlikely that even regular league watchers can name the Hornets’ GM, who has been quite happily working away incognito for the past few years. It’s my pleasure to introduce to you Jeff Bower. Over the past 4 weeks, Jeff Bower has re-signed Chris Paul, courted then landed James Posey, and refused to return all cell messages from Wells and Andersen. That’s a profitable trifecta. Andersen ended up signing with Denver, which means there’s (slightly) more chance that Ryan Bowen, who turns 33 in November, will be kept around for another year of intangibles. However, Jeff Bower’s decision-making with regard to Senor Pargo, is not quite as straightforward. Pargo was the Hornets 6th-most talented player last season, which says as much about his vastly under-rated game as it does about New Orleans’ lack of depth. And while the team’s leaders, Paul and David West, trust Pargo and would welcome him back, he doesn’t exactly fit the team’s most urgent need – that of another backup big or starting off guard. It may be wishing the impossible to get John Paxson to make a decision; but if obtaining Ben Gordon in a sign-and-trade costs him Pargo’s services, then Jeff Bower must be willing to do it.

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New York Knicks

Restricted: None

The success-starved Gotham Media expected a barrage of headlines, trades and free agent signings this summer from the new Knicks brains trust Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni. Or at least the sacrificial waiver of James Jones and, hope-against-hope, Stephon Marbury. But instead, apart from the surprisingly inking of a couple of young guards in Chris Duhon and Anthony Roberson, it’s been very quiet. Even the Knicks’ recent decision to trade Renaldo Balkman to the Nuggets for a couple of expiring contracts was treated with deafening silence. Actually, it’s all been rather sensible and professional in New York City since the draft, and you can tell that neither the fans nor the media are used to it. The Knicks may have been destroyed in only a few, hyperactive, ill-considered months, but it will take more than a couple of aggressive free agent signings to un-do this mess. Afterall, this is largely what caused the problem in the first place.

Unrestricted: Fred Jones, Randolph Morris

Jones is a Zeke favorite from way back, so if Thomas ever gets another basketball job, pro or otherwise, he will no doubt materialize on the roster. Morris, on the other hand, does have actual skills, and he’s just the type of promising young prospect the Atlanta Hawks will enjoy plugging into their frontline.

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Oklahoma City Marshalls

Restricted: Robert Swift

Instead of calling themselves the Cattle, the Breeze or the Hypocrisy, the obvious nickname for the OKC team is the Corral. Say it out loud – it sounds great, doesn’t it? Of course, this is assuming that you, like the NBA itself, wants to kill off any last link with the Seattle franchise… afterall, what is wrong with calling them the Oklahoma City Sonics? Or, the Swifts? Or, the Stiffs?

Unrestricted: Ronald Dupree, Francisco Elson, Mickael Gelabale

But whatever, they end up being called, the team that played in Seattle last season has made unexpectedly few roster moves this summer. Doesn’t Sam Presti have a reputation to uphold? Why didn’t he turn Gelabale and 5 second round picks into Luol Deng, or use Dupree and Elson to get Shawn Marion in a sign-and-trade? So far, the only move Presti has made was to ink athletic Utah guard CJ Miles to an offer sheet, as if he would solve Seattle’s, the Sonics’, the team’s problem of having no designated starting point guard by adding yet another backup. The problem was, the Jazz matched at the last minute. Back to the drawing board, Sam.

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Orlando Magic

Restricted: James Augustine

No relation to 2008 draftee DJ Augustine, James Augustine is a raw young center who has played just 27 games in his 2 seasons in the league. Coincidentally, Augustine may find the best chance of ensuing himself a full-time spot in an NBA rotation is also with the Charlotte Bobcats, given their roster spots for rent and Michael Jordan’s penchant for projects.

Unrestricted: Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, Adonal Foyle, Pat Garrity

In hindsight, the Magic had a wildly successful 2007/08 season, going from Conference also-ran to Division Champ and the second round of the playoffs. But the application of perspective now shows that playing the Detroit Pistons tough in a 6-game series loss wasn’t as impressive as coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith may have been forgiven for thinking at the time. So when Orlando entered the summer with 6 free agents, they needed to ensure they focused on their 3 positions of need, rather than the 6 men who each considered themselves perfect for the roles. For instance, both Arroyo and Dooling thought they were vying for the one position – backup point guard – but when the Magic signed Anthony Johnson instead, both were disappointed. In the end, Dooling was sign-and-traded to the New Jersey Nets for cash, but Arroyo is still in limbo. Similarly, both Foyle and Garrity were locked in a battle for the important function of of uncoordinated reserve C who helps out with crosswords on road trips. Foyle was always going to have the edge there. And finally, whilst Mo Evans went into the summer thinking he wasn’t under threat for the job of funny looking defensive swingman who provides an offensive spark when desperately inserted into the starting lineup, Orlando went out and signed Mikeal Pietrus from Golden State. As a result, Evans had to wait until Josh Childress got his passport before a position became available in Atlanta.

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Philadelphia 76ers

Restricted: Andre Iguodala, Louis Williams

Judging from his tenure transforming the New Jersey Nets from boringly competitive to competitively boring, you may not have thought Ed Stefanski actually had the skills to turn a raw and exciting Philadelphia 76ers roster into a legitimate pro basketball team. But in his 7 months in change, Stefanski chose not to not trade Andre Miller at the deadline, watched the coach and players he had nothing to do with win 2 more playoff games than he expected, then aggressively pulled off a stunning free agent coup for an elite big man. Brilliant. The only thing that can possibly temper the joy in the City of Brotherly Optimism is if either of Philly’s valuable backcourt gems Iguodala or Williams get an obscene and jealous offer sheet from a hen-pecked GM in California.

Unrestricted: Kevin Ollie, Shavlik Randolph, Louis Amundsun, Herbert Hill

On Tuesday, Philly added some needed balance to their athletic young bench with veteran sharp-shooter Kareem Rush agreeing to terms. So now, with the majority of their much-valued cap space now all but allocated, the Sixers need to find 3 or 4 end-of-bench types who won’t cost much and will be happy to play a role, however small, in the good thing that Mo Cheeks has unquestionably got going. Ollie has game, Randolph has reputation, Amundson is a former D-League rookie of the year and judging by the way Spurs’ draft pick George Hill has struggled in the summer leagues, Herb Hill may not be the worst player in the league next season with that surname. It’s not much, but it may be enough.

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Phoenix Suns

Restricted: None

Steve Kerr hasn’t even been in the General Manager’s chair a year, and he’s managed to get the player he wanted (Shaquille Rashaun Harrison O’Neal) and the coach he wanted (Terry Nomiddlename Porter). That’s some accomplishment for a rookie administrator. But until we start acclaiming Kerr as the next Joe Dumars III, or even the next Danny Ray Ainge, we need to see how his gutsy decisions actually start panning out. Some people do seem to always get what they want. But then again, there’s some people who want to play with matches, aren’t there?

Unrestricted: Brian Skinner, Sean Marks, Gordan Giricek, Linton Johnson, Eric Piatkowski

Kerr went into the summer with numerous roster decisions pending, but so far he hasn’t actually made any of them. Skinner, who’s on paper an ideal backup for Shaq and Amare Stoudemire, got so sick of waiting he ended up choosing to play for the LA Clippers, who dumped promising C Josh Powell in the process. Marks was also expected to be welcomed back, as he was popular among teammates with his Flight of the Conchods impersonations. Nothing. Meanwhile, back in the desert, players who could instantly help the suddenly-veteran Suns compete (see Camby, Marcus and Artest, Ron, and even Balkman, Renaldo) are being traded around for little more than a tin of soup and a bottle of anti-dandruff shampoo. The obvious question is why Phoenix aren’t getting involved? Don’t they have any second round picks? They certainly do have enough waiver fodder to participate via sign-and-trades; Giricek, Piatkowski, Johnson… just look at these guys. Why not re-up some or all of them on one-year deals and make Dallas an offer for Josh Howard?

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Portland Trail Blazers

Restricted: None

Another offseason, another terrific outcome for the Blazers. In the 2008 Draft, they not only picked up arguably the 4th most talented prospect, but in doing so they gave away a backup-calibre PG who’s irrational desire to start was damaging team harmony. And at the same time, they even convinced Indiana to thrown in this kid called Ike Diogu who is one of the best players you’ve never heard of. So in comes Jerryd Bayless, out goes Jarrett Jack plus former 2nd-rounder Josh McRoberts, and the Blazers are suddenly even younger, even happier and even more talented. Another superb result for Messrs Pritchard and McMillan.

Unrestricted: James Jones, Von Wafer

Neither Jones (who was quickly signed by the Heat) nor Wafer (who was quickly dissolved by the Pope) were part of Portland’s plan for the future, largely because the Blazers have made themselves the envy of the league by paying for personality, drafting smart, and keeping the lottery Gods happy. Even mis-steps like picking Martell Webster over Andrew Bynum and trading for Darius Miles for don’t seem to hurt them. Speaking of Miles, even since the League leaked reports that if he plays in the NBA next season, the Blazers will have $9 million added to their 2008 payroll, isn’t it in Portland’s best interest to send a few second-round picks to other teams not to sign him?

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Sacramento Kings

Restricted: Beno Udrih

Somewhere deep in rural Indiana, Larry Bird is cackling quietly to himself as he sips a tumbler of bourbon and looks up at his framed Celtics jersey on the wall. It didn’t take long, but the Sacramento Kings’ infatuation with Ron Artest has come to a bitter and dissatisfying end. Just as Bird knew it would. On Wednesday, reports emerged that the Kings were officially saying goodbye to the Ron-Ron Era by sending the volatile small forward to Houston for Bobby Jackson, Donte Green and a future number 1 pick. It’s a risky move for the Rockets, as Artest could turn them into the next Denver Nuggets, but a happy Artest is an asset to any team. He loves playing for Rick Adelman, he immediately gives Houston a tough SOB to guard Kobe and Melo and Pierce and Kevin Durant, and he’s only got 1 more year left on his deal so if he doesn’t work out the Rockets can just let him walk. With the Artest sideshow, Sacto were going nowhere – refusing to re-build but not good enough to make the playoffs – so at least this signals they are committed to starting again behind Reggie Theus, Kevin Martin, Beno Udrih, John Salmons and all their recent lottery picks.

Unrestricted: Anthony Johnson, Lorenzen Wright

Johnson has been in the league for 11 years, but has only played for 6 different teams due to the fact he has had 3 separate tenures in Atlanta, 2 in Sacramento and this summer returned to Orlando for another visit there as well. A creature of habit. Wright has been in the league for 12 years, and remains unsigned for 2008/09.

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San Antonio Spurs

Restricted: None

Unrestricted: Michael Finley, Robert Horry, DerMarr Johnson, Damon Stoudamire, Kurt Thomas

As usual, the Spurs have around half their roster entering free agency, and as you can see from the list above they’re all veterans. Although they had no luck against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, Gregg Popovic knows his team dodged a bullet in the previous series against the Hornets. San Antonio need to get younger, as evidenced by their decision to sign underrated Roger Mason Jnr from Washington and then add little-known Anthony Tolliver last week. Furthermore, Kurt Thomas is the Spurs only FA to be currently re-signed, which was no surprise since he has the most to contribute on the court as well as in the locker-room. And by making this one, singular move so early in the summer, the Spurs other FAs immediately got the message that they weren’t wanted. Barry got the message and took the money in Houston where he will no doubt annoy Yao Ming with his endless Tim Duncan comparisons. Even if he doesn’t play much for the Rockets, he’ll still be an asset. The same can be also said about Horry and Finley, as despite being dreadfully exposed during last season’s playoffs, both men are respected so highly that they’ll probably land on an NBA roster somewhere, even if their on-court contributions have effectively ended. Stoudamire is only 33, and Johnson even younger, but thanks to their recent chequered and ineffective histories they can’t exactly say the same, no matter what their agents will have you believe.

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Toronto Raptors

Restricted: Carlos Delfino

At 2am last Sunday morning, ESPN made poor Chris Sheridan wallow in another of his ill-fitting suits and go on TV and get worked up about the league’s pending player surge to Europe, of which the Raptor’s Delfino is a perfect example. But instead, Sheridan started raving on about a completely separate, albeit related, issue of why a whole crop of talented young Euro ballers are now ready to turn their back on the NBA. The problem, he cleverly explained, was that the NBA rookie scale is so limited, that there’s no financial incentive for foreign prospects to come to the States if they’re taken with a standard mid-to-late first round pick, versus what they can earn at home. Yet Sheridan didn’t postulate any potential solution to this situation, presumably because, apart from hoping for an appreciation of the US Dollar, there didn’t seem to be one. But what about just drafting these guys in the second round? Then, teams can first hold onto their rights ad infinitum (like San Antonio did with Luis Scola for instance), and then when the kids are ready for the L, you can pay them as rookie free agents, not as first-round picks. Simple.

Unrestricted: Jose Calderon, Primoz Brezec

Very quietly – unless you happen to live in Ontario – the Raptors have had themselves quite the offseason. In came additions by addition; Jermaine O’Neal (who loves playing at the high post and is delighted for a fresh start), Nathan Jawai (who loves banging and is hungry to learn). Then came additions by subtraction; TJ Ford (who wasn’t needed as soon as Calderon re-signed, yet inexplicably fetched 10 times more than what Marcus Camby was worth), and Primoz Brezec (who was only visiting Toronto anyway). The Raptors appeared fractured and disjointed on their way to a 41-41 season and a first-round playoff exit, but thanks to a productive summer, expect that all to change in 08/09.

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Utah Jazz

Restricted: C.J. Miles

Conventional wisdom says that teams who have multiple starters playing in international competition suffer a slump in the following NBA season. But it didn’t happen in 2004/05; the Spurs won the Title with Duncan, Ginobili and Oberto all backing up after Athens (France didn’t qualify, so Parker did not play). Still, the Jazz may face a down year in 2008/09 purely because of the extra toll taken on their squad by the practice, as much as the play, at the Olympics over the next 3 weeks. Jerry Sloan is renowned at manufacturing clever ways to overcome such potential problems, but even he will find it difficult to improve on Utah’s 55-win campaign last year. The Jazz are notoriously conservative free agent participants, but an extra big man and some needed youth at the swing position remain areas of need. Nevertheless, CJ Miles’ RFA contract was easy to match, as Utah are one of the few teams to enjoy salary cap freedom, and only had 13 guaranteed players on their roster.

Unrestricted: None

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Washington Wizards

Restricted: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Roger Mason Jnr

At the start of last season, expectations were high for the Wizards, if only because both Arenas and Jamison were approaching free agency. In the NBA, if your franchise players are in a contract year, good things usually happen. But when Arenas went down for the season with his on-again-off-again knee complaint, coach Eddie Jordan refused to allow Washington’s optimism to turn to despair. Thanks to an uncharacteristic commitment to defense and career campaigns from Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and yes, Jamison, the Wizards nearly won their Division and definitely annoyed LeBron James in a tough first round defeat. The challenge now that both Arenas and Jamison have been re-signed is for the Wizards to keep playing with spunk and not to become comfortable with last season’s undeniably impressive, but still objectively modest, achievements.

Unrestricted: None