The NBA free agency season is more about selling than buying and Bryan Colangelo and his merry band of cohorts will be in full-on schmooze mode late tonight, the Toronto Star is reporting.

They will have phones at the ready and speeches all prepared, they may have trinkets like personalized highlight videos and books ready to lay on the players they most covet among the 10 or so they've identified as priorities.

"We want to be active, we want to try to move quickly in terms of reaching out to various free agents," Colangelo said of the negotiating period that begins a minute after midnight tonight.

The general manager has narrowed down his list of possible additions to 10 or so, he said. It's no secret that Orlando's Grant Hill is among those high on that list.

Colangelo isn't giving away any secrets on who he covets most except to say he's got his priorities set.

"Sometimes in free agency you have to over-pay and we're willing to over-pay if we feel like we're going to get the right player," he said. "What we keep talking about is consistency at the small forward position, but we want to add the best possible player."

Giorgos Printezis sat in the green room at Thursday's NBA draft, waiting patiently to hear his name called.

"I was a little nervous," he said. "I said, 'Why have I worked so much? Why can't I have one chance?"'

A few picks later he got it when the San Antonio Spurs selected him 58th overall and flipped him to the Toronto Raptors for a future second-rounder.

"(The) first moment when I heard that San Antonio selected me, I was so happy," said Printezis. "But when the Raptors ... I can't say that was my dream, but whenever I was travelling through the U.S., I always said that the Toronto Raptors (are) maybe one of my favourite teams in the NBA.

"I like that they believe in the European guys, and I hope that one day I will be there. I would like that so much."

For now, Printezis is going to stay in Greece. The six-foot-nine wing averaged 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds last year with Greek club Olympia Larissa. He says he's going to spend next season with Euroleague powerhouse Olympiacos.

Bryan Colangelo and the Toronto Raptors have no picks in this year's draft but they are actively trying to acquire one, floating Jose Calderon for the 11th pick in an attempt to land Italian prospect Marco Belinelli. Belinelli would be paired with countryman Andea Bargnani and would provide a upgrade at the SG position over Anthony Parker.

Belinelli is the player they are targeting in this year's draft, but they are not alone as Detorit is also rumored to be after the Italian star. The Pistons have been linked with Rodney Stuckey for the past few weeks, but sources say that could be a smoke screen and they are looking at selecting Belinelli at 15.

Raptors' sources indicated there is a chance to deal with one of the teams with multiple picks ? the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns or Charlotte ? the asking price being a future first-round selection.

Toronto's been hinted as having a particular enthusiasm for Marco Belinelli and Rudy Fernandez, a pair of European shooting guards who might be available in the bottom third of the draft.

But the sounder move might be a grab for Tiago Splitter if he's available in the No. 20-plus pick range. An active seven-footer, the Brazilian specializes in rebounding and defending, which the Raptors need, and would also be attractive because he wouldn't take up a roster spot until the 2008-09 season, after he's fulfilled his obligations to his Spanish club.

There have been various reports that suggest Jose Calderon is being shopped, but GM Bryan Colangelo has cleared the air on the subject.

"All the rumors are false," Colangelo said. "I can tell you that the story that I'm shopping Calderon all over the place (reported in New York) is absolute nonsense.

"I can tell you this: I'm getting calls from about half the teams in the league asking about him. Nothing has got even remotely close to making a deal.

"We put a very high price on his effectiveness as a player, we put a very high price on his role as a backup to T.J. Ford, we put a very high price on his relationship with (Jorge) Garbajosa and inclusion of other players in our group. Does that mean there's no deal we could consider trading him in? No. Anybody can be traded. But there's nothing remotely close (with Calderon)."

Once free agency starts, the Raptors have their mid-level exception set aside for Golden State's Mickael Pietrus, who could start for them next season at small forward, according to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.

Sources confirmed that the CBC has reached an agreement in principle to air a package of Raptors games in 2007-08, the first time the National Basketball Association team's telecasts will be on main network television since 2001-02, when CTV carried a few.

Details are sketchy because the deal is about two weeks away from being announced, but it's reasonable to expect the CBC to focus on Sunday afternoons.

When asked about the Jazz and starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko during a recent online chat, ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford said this: "I heard they almost moved Kirilenko at the trade deadline to the Raptors for Mo Peterson and change."

The Detroit Pistons traded guard Carlos Delfino to the Toronto Raptors on Friday for second-round draft picks in 2009 and 2010.

"We appreciate everything Carlos did for us while he was here and we wish him all the best with Toronto," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said.

Grant Hill will be a free agent this summer and says the Raptors are a team he will consider.

"They're on the radar. Bryan's done a great job there," Hill said before the third game on Tuesday, adding that he would only begin focusing on his playing future after talking more with the Magic after the final is over. He also noted that his wife, recording artist Tamia Hill, is Canadian and said that "at this point in my career, a winning situation is the primary thing."

A source close to the former Duke University star also said Hill has mentioned the Raptors as a possibility among a select number of franchises, with the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons under consideration.