At least one Clipper free agent will be back next season.

Bobby Simmons is gone, Marko Jaric is in limbo and Kerry Kittles was never in their plans, but backup center Zeljko Rebraca is close to reaching an agreement with the Clippers on a three-year contract, his agent said Thursday.

"His desire was to return," agent Bill Duffy said. "He and his family have enjoyed L.A., and the Clipper experience worked out pretty well for him."

Duffy said the deal could be completed today.

With Sarunas Jasikevicius committed to Indiana and Antonio Daniels pledged to Washington, the Jazz now are prepared to enter the fray for Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent Marko Jaric.

They are not, however, alone ? nor are their hopes much beyond that of a long shot.

Jaric, a 26-year-combo guard from Belgrade who has played three NBA seasons for the Clippers, reportedly will visit Denver today and Cleveland on Wednesday.

The Jazz have not entertained Jaric yet but might soon.

All three suitors, however, are in a tough spot, since in this instance L.A. holds all the cards: Because Jaric is restricted, the Clippers can match any offer sheet he signs ? and seem inclined to do just that.

That in mind, the Jazz will continue to peruse the shrinking free-agency market and pursue potential trade opportunities.

"We've been talking to a lot of people," Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor said Monday night, "and we're going to continue to look and continue to decide what's best for us."

After losing out on Sarunas Jasikevicius to the Indiana Pacers, the Cavaliers are just to find a creative to land Los Angeles Clippers free agent point guard Marko Jaric.

With only $3.5 million in capspace at there disposal, general manager Danny Ferry will probably have to work out a sign and trade with the Clippers to obtain him.

``There are five or six teams still interested in Marko,'' Jaric's agent, Bill Duffy, said Sunday. ``He's still very interested in the Cavs.''

Jaric will visit with the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Some possible trade bait options include Luke Jackson and Sasha Pavlovic.

If they are unable to land Jaric, Damon Stoudimire and Damon Jones are believed to also be on the Cavalier's wish list.

The rumored Marko Jaric sign-and-trade involving the Cavaliers is fictional, a league source said.

The rumored deal had the Los Angeles Clippers signing Jaric and sending him to the Cavaliers, along with power forward Chris Wilcox, in exchange for power forward Drew Gooden.
The source said there's no truth to the rumor.

The Cavaliers are in the market for a point guard and are very interested in the 6-foot-7, 217-pound Jaric. They also don't have the necessary salary-cap space to sign Jaric, who wants a contract starting around $5 million a season. The only way to acquire Jaric would be a sign-and-trade.

Cavaliers forward Drew Gooden has been rumored to be on the block and yet again it appears he has been traded.

19 Actions News in Cleveland, Ohio reported on it's newscast on Friday night that Gooden might be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers with guard Marko Jaric being signed and traded to Cleveland along with prehaps forward Chris Wilcox being included in the deal.

If Gooden is indeed traded, the Clippers would be his 4th team in as many seasons.

Seeking to bolster their backcourt, the Denver Nuggets tentatively are scheduled to meet with restricted free agent Marko Jaric on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center.

Jaric, a 6-foot-7, 217-pound combo guard, would be the first free agent to visit Denver since the recruiting period began July 1.

Not that the Nuggets haven't been busy.

General manager Kiki Vandeweghe last week decided not to buy out the contract of veteran Voshon Lenard, and he has been working the phones in search of options.

In addition to Jaric, the Nuggets also have expressed interest in Seattle SuperSonics free agent Ronald Murray and Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Latrell Sprewell.

Denver has its $5 million midlevel exception available as well as a $1.7 million exception. Jaric probably would command the $5 million first-year salary.

Marko Jaric, a restricted free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers, might be one of the Wolves' primary targets this offseason. Jaric, a 6-7 guard capable of playing both backcourt spots, is represented by agent Bill Duffy, who confirmed Minnesota's interest.

"That would be a great fit," Duffy said. "It's a pretty aggressive market, but we'll try to be creative with every team."

Jaric, 26, averaged 9.9 points, 6.1 assists and 1.68 steals for the Clippers last season, his third in the NBA.

Once the NBA's signing period begins Friday, the Clippers would have seven days to match any offer to Jaric. But a sign-and-trade might satisfy Los Angeles, and the Wolves could enlist a third club to provide a piece, if needed, via a multi-team deal.

But signing Jaric outright would be difficult because most or all of the Wolves' midlevel salary cap exception -- $5 million starting salary -- is believed to be earmarked for forward Eddie Griffin.

Clippers restricted free agent point guard Marko Jaric is open to staying in L.A. and rebutted what a Belgrade news agency quoted him as saying he was ready to move on to a team with a "winning mentality."

Still, he does want to go to a winning team.

"I really want to be on a team that's going to give me an important role, of course," said Jaric, who would be the Clippers' third guard, backing up starters Shaun Livingston and newly acquired Cuttino Mobley. "What position to play, or to start or not to start, doesn't matter. There are players that are starting and playing 10 minutes a game. And yet there are players coming off the bench and they're the best player on the team. It has nothing to do with starting."

Several teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves are rumored to be interested in Jaric's services.

In the end though, Jaric expects things to turn out well.

"I know everything's going to end up good," said Jaric, adding that it was possible he would accept a $4.2-million qualifying offer from the Clippers for next season and become an unrestricted free agent next summer."

With the loss of this past year?s most pleasant surprise, Bobby Simmons, Clippers? fan(s) should be, once again, disappointed. This is just one more poor choice in years of frugal decision making.

For only five million dollars cheaper (over five years), the Clippers landed a comparable replacement in Cuttino Mobley. Although Mobley gives the team a sharp-shooter from downtown (which it direly needed), I?m sure Los Angeles?s best basketball team will miss the NBA?s Most Improved player for a multitude of reasons.

The Los Angeles Clippers and free agent guard Cuttino Mobley have apparently agreed to terms on a five-year contract.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the deal is worth $42 million, but cannot become official until the league moratorium for free agent signings is lifted on July 22.

"We're very excited about the opportunity," Mobley's agent Andy Miller told the paper. "And for Cuttino and where he is in his life and his career, he felt that this was the opportunity that he'd been looking for quite some time."