Nuggets Finally Sign McDyess

Finally, the Phoenix Suns might be able to concentrate on signing Tom Gugliotta once and for all.

The Rocky Mountain News in Denver and The Arizona Republic reported Friday that Antonio McDyess signed with the Nuggets.

The Suns, meanwhile, focused their attention on Gugliotta, who arrived in Phoenix late Thursday night.

"We met with him last night," coach Danny Ainge said Friday. "We're waiting on his decision. I don't know what time frame that is -- 24 hours, 48 hours or eight hours. I have no idea."

The Suns had found it difficult to believe McDyess would leave them for the lowly Nuggets. But after McDyess announced his choice on Wednesday night, the Suns quickly regrouped and were close Thursday to signing Gugliotta as a consolation prize.

Then McDyess had second thoughts. Ainge confirmed three Suns -- Rex Chapman, Jason Kidd and George McCloud -- flew to Denver Thursday to try to persuade McDyess to come back to Phoenix. The Rocky Mountain News reported the three were outside McNichols Arena in a limousine, apparently talking to McDyess by cell phone late Thursday night.

And McDyess' agent contacted the Suns on Thursday night to ask if they were still interested.

The answer was yes.

"We're interested to hear what led to this," general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "It would be shortsighted not to listen to what Antonio has to say. Waiting one more day can't hurt."

However, apparently McDyess finally decided Denver was the right place after all.

The Suns said Thursday they renounced 10 free agents, including McDyess, to create some of the salary cap room that would be needed to sign Gugliotta. But later, they said that McDyess' name was included erroneously and that he was not renounced.

That raised speculation he still was considering re-signing with Phoenix. McDyess showed up at McNichols Arena in Denver, where a news conference was planned to announce the signing, but the announcement was called off.

Negotiations continued in the Nuggets' locker room, and eventually all parties retreated to a luxury box to watch the Colorado-Calgary hockey game with no contract signed. McDyess was seen in animated conversation on his cell phone.

The Suns managed only an informal workout this morning, with Danny Manning the only player under an approved contract on hand. Luc Longley was there. He said he had signed his contract with Chicago on Thursday. The Bulls are to send Longley to the Suns for Mark Bryant, Martin Muursepp and Bubba Wells, but the deal hadn't been approved by the NBA as of this morning.

"It will go through," Longley said. "I'd have to throttle somebody if it didn't."

The Suns had been prepared to offer McDyess the maximum seven-year, $86 million allowed for a team to retain its free agent.

Colangelo said Wednesday night the team would be able to clear a maximum of about $8 million to offer a free agent such as Gugliotta. That's short of the $9 million maximum allowed under the new collective bargaining agreement, but the figures were close enough that it wouldn't be a problem, a source close to the situation said.

The six-year contract worth about $60 million would contain a clause allowing Gugliotta out of the deal after five years, when he would be eligible for a much bigger raise as a 10-year veteran.

Gugliotta averaged 20.1 points for the Timberwolves last season, but missed 41 games after foot surgery.

He could have made $86 million over seven years by re-signing with Minnesota, but has indicated all along that the money would not prevent him from signing with a team that he felt was the right fit for him.

Gugliotta, 29, played four seasons in Minnesota after two seasons with the Washington Bullets.

The Suns did not renounce Clifford Robinson or Chapman. Robinson's agent, Brad Marshall, told Phoenix radio station KATR Thursday that Robinson reached a five-year, $30 million contract agreement, but wouldn't confirm that when the McDyess situation developed later in the day.

Chapman's agent, David Falk, who represents nine other free agents, was unavailable for comment.

The Suns renounced the rights to McCloud, Kevin Johnson, George McCloud, Mike Brown, Horacio Llamas, Loren Meyer, Marko Milic, Dennis Scott, Wayman Tisdale and Hot Rod Williams.

Johnson is gone for sure and Tisdale is retired from the NBA, but still has money charged to Phoenix's salary cap. The NBA has eliminated the 56-day waiting period to re-sign renounced free agents, meaning the Suns might be able to able to re-sign some of its renounced players, including McCloud.

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