The Fantasy Fix’s Free Agency Blog will be breaking down all the fantasy relevant information as free agency goes nuts and the money starts flying around. I will only cover actual transactions (signings and trades) to help save my sanity, so you will not see 85 “Dwight Howard to the ________” rumors in this space. I’ll go through the much more important items in more detail, and then at the bottom, all the smaller items will be addressed. Signings and trades can begin happening at 2 pm Eastern time Friday, so the next entry in the Blog will come Saturday or Sunday. Let’s get after it.

The Bigger Stuff

Tyson Chandler will be leaving the Mavericks for the bright lights of New York City and will sign a 4-year, $60 million contract to patrol the paint for the Knicks. Chandler was a nice source of rebounds and blocks next season for fantasy teams and the fast-paced system of coach Mike D’Antoni will mean more shots up and more chances at rebounds for the big fella. I could see his 10.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg going up somewhere in the area of 12 and 10.5 this year making him an underrated value.

Caron Butler turned down more money with the Nets to sign with the Clippers and play alongside Blake Griffin in LA this year. He’s previously been a very good scorer for Washington and Dallas in recent years, but he’s a stay away for me for fantasy purposes. The last two years in Washington and Dallas he averaged about 14 shots and only produced about 16 ppg. With the Clippers, there won’t be that many shots there for him to take, especially if he’s coming off the bench at SG behind Eric Gordon. Gordon and Griffin are the focal points of that offense, and Butler will likely be 5th or 6th option there. If you simply need points, he’s worth a later round pick, but don’t expect any other contributions out of him.

The other interesting piece of news right now involves Shane Battier announcing he will be signing with the Heat. Looking at the way that team was constructed last year, it seems like he’ll likely be coming in off the bench which definitely hurts his value, both in fantasy and in real life. Last season, he did a little bit of everything averaging 8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 1.2 bpg in a starting role with the Rockets. After the trade to the Grizzlies, his numbers in every category dropped and he was basically unrosterable. His value is all in the potential upside of him starting at a wing spot alongside LeBron and Wade as a defensive stopper and outside shooter a la Bruce Bowen in the good old days of the Spurs. He’s a safer flier, if there is such a thing, in the late rounds of deeper leagues.

The FYIS

Tayshaun Prince will resign with the Pistons for a 4-year contract after it was widely believed he would leave for greener pastures. He has been Mr. Consistency throughout his career there, always about 15 ppg, 5 rpg, and 3 apg. The points make him worth owning and the rebounds and assists make a nice value in the later rounds in any format.

Jonas Jerebko will also sign a contract for 4 years with the Pistons despite being out all of last year with an Achilles injury. Jerebko was a nice player his rookie year and will continue to be a role player off the Detroit bench.

With Aaron Brooks out of Phoenix, the Suns have tabbed two guys to take a shot at the backup point in Sebastian Telfair and Shannon Brown. Brown has a bit of an advantage having played more of a combo guard role for the Lakers in the past. Telfair has simply been a point everywhere he’s gone and not a good one at that. Whichever comes out of the battle on top should get plenty of chances; that Suns offense likes to play a 10-man rotation, giving the backup more minutes than many other places. If Brown would come out of this on top, he would gain PG eligibility in ESPN leagues after a couple weeks to go with SG eligiblity. I like Brown better than Telfair in this position battle.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. will sign a 2-year deal with the Bucks to stand in the corner and shoot threes. In formats that include three-pointers made, he’s a nice piece to add at the end of a draft.

Jason Kapono is likely to sign with the Lakers to fill the hole left after they amnesty Luke Walton. If they don’t amnesty Walton, they will for sure become best bros.

Roger Mason Jr. and his Twitter feed is moving on to the Wizards where he can potentially be the 3rd guard behind John Wall and Jordan Crawford. Crawford will need rests in between jacking up 60 shots a game and not playing defense.