The team that won the Michael Finley Sweepstakes is the same team that just won an NBA championship.

Finley told ESPN.com on Wednesday that he has chosen to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, spurning a richer offer from the Miami Heat and the lure of an emotional return to the Phoenix Suns to reunite with close friend Steve Nash.

The Dallas Mavericks tried for weeks to move Finley to an Eastern Conference team to prevent him from joining the Spurs or the Suns. When it couldn't swing a trade before the Aug. 15 deadline to exercise the NBA's new amnesty clause, Dallas reluctantly waived the two-time All-Star, making Finley an unrestricted free agent and the target of an intense two-week courtship that also involved the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Miami's Pat Riley, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire and Minnesota's Kevin Garnett were among the big names to fly to Chicago last week to make face-to-face pitches to Finley. In the end, he went with the team that sent a one-man delegation -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich -- to Finley's hometown.

The complete structure of the deal with San Antonio hasn't been finalized, including the length of the contract, but Finley will receive a starting salary of roughly $2.5 million this season.

"To be a part of a championship team, I'm excited," Finley said. "This is the closest I've ever been to a championship. I'm looking forward to the challenge of helping this team repeat."

Asked why he picked the Spurs, Finley said: "In a nutshell, they're already a championship team but they have room for improvement. And I feel my game can help them in the areas where they need improvement."

Bob Gist said Tuesday that he and Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe will stay in the background while Latrell Sprewell and coach George Karl talk.

"There's a higher probability that he'll play for Denver than anywhere else. Not only is it the perfect fit, but the economics are there to make it happen," said Gist, pointing to the Nuggets' available midlevel exception.

Karl said Monday he would like to talk with the free agent. Vandeweghe declined comment.

For every Suns fan pining for a morsel of hope that Michael Finley would have announced a return to Phoenix by now, here is a long-distance dedication from San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich.

"I'd be surprised if Phoenix wasn't his choice," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News at a Spurs news conference welcoming ex-Finley teammate Nick Van Exel on Tuesday. "I think he's got a great opportunity to start there and play a lot of minutes. He's got great relationships with a couple of their players, Steve (Nash) and Raja (Bell, both ex-Dallas teammates). I think he'd be really comfortable there."

Alas, it means nothing until it comes out of the mouth of Finley or his agent, Henry Thomas. A Thomas assistant said Tuesday that Finley had not made a choice. A decision was expected early this week after Finley used the weekend to mull over in-person presentations from Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio and Minnesota.

Finley is either truly torn or still negotiating, creating more limbo for a Suns franchise that just went through the Joe Johnson ordeal. Phoenix is more than happy to wait out this one if it means landing Finley, waived by Dallas on Aug. 15 for luxury tax savings, for a $1.1 million salary this season.

The Suns have not been given any new timetable. Finley has no deadline, but given his private nature, he likely does not relish the spotlight of his most-wanted status.

A well-attended voluntary mini-camp in Las Vegas last week did not come without a cost for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that the Wolves were fined $200,000 for the two-day excursion, which was suggested by new coach Dwane Casey as a means for the members of a revamped roster to begin learning Casey's system and start building camaraderie.

The league, which did not announce the fine, prohibits teams from conducting organized team practices or functions in the offseason.

The Wolves, through team spokesman Mike Cristaldi, declined comment Tuesday night.

Casey hatched the idea as part of the Wolves' attempts to gain some distance from last season's chemistry nightmare. Coming off a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2004 -- the first time in franchise history it advanced past the first round of the playoffs -- Minnesota swooned all the way into the lottery in 2004-05, costing coach Flip Saunders his job at midseason and leading to the summertime ouster of guards Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

Michael Finley was shocked when he was traded from the Suns at age 23. He said he thought they liked him. Nearly nine years later, he knows they do.

The Suns have extolled to Finley how much they love the idea of him playing for them again. Phoenix will hear if the feeling is mutual today or Tuesday, when the swingman, 32, is expected to announce his next career stop. Since being waived by Dallas for luxury tax savings two weeks ago, Finley has become as sought after as a parking spot in the shade.

He narrowed his options to Phoenix, Miami, San Antonio and Minnesota, all of which sent recruiting contingents to see him in Chicago last week.

With Finley aboard, the Suns plunk the sweet shooter into the starting backcourt with good friend Steve Nash and start talking title.

Without him, the expectations do not change much for a Phoenix franchise that can't replace Joe Johnson but has made moves to counter how it lost six of eight games to San Antonio last season.

The Suns' plate is full of wings. Phoenix's Shawn Marion, Jim Jackson, Raja Bell, James Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw and rookie Dijon Thompson all can man one of the wing positions.

While attending a voluntary minicamp and bonding session with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dwayne Jones, an undrafted rookie free agent, signed a 2-year guaranteed contract worth $1.07 million.

Jones and agent Joel Bell had initially agreed to terms on a 4-year contract that would have included team options for the third and fourth seasons, but that would have meant the Timberwolves would have had to use money from a salary-cap exception.

"The 2-year guarantee was never an issue, but this works out better for Dwayne because he can be a restricted free agent after 2 years," Bell said.

Teams keep calling about the availability of the Wolves' Wally Szczerbiak, and Minnesota keeps telling them he's not available.

Given his contract, Szczerbiak has long been a part of trade rumors concerning the Wolves.

Charley Walters is reporting that the New Orleans Hornets are interested in former Memphis Grizzlies guard Troy Bell.

Bell was the Grizzlies' amnesty victim.

Sid Hartman of the Star-Tribune is reporting that Denver expects Latrell Sprewell to sign with the club and join his friend and former teammate Marcus Camby.

Sprewell had a disappointing 2004-2005 season and the Timberwolves showed no interest in re-signing the former member of the Knicks and Warriors.

The Timberwolves have taken comfort in knowing that with Kevin Garnett on their side there is always hope, a sentiment that held true off the court Friday.

Garnett was part of the Wolves contingent that made a sales pitch to free agent Michael Finley in Chicago, a meeting that went well, said Wolves General Manager Jim Stack.

"We feel good that he included us in the teams that are still under consideration," Stack said. "It's our impression it is down to Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio and us."

Stack said Garnett's presence meant a lot to the Wolves; their hope is that it resonated the same way with the 32-year-old Finley.

"Kevin made the effort to come to the meeting, to help show Michael how important this is to us," Stack said. "Hopefully we were able to make it clear to Michael how much he is wanted here."