2012 NBA Free Agents: Latest on Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Other Top Targets

The NBA Finals are getting closer, which only means one thing. No, it's not that LeBron James is one step closer to getting that elusive first title. It means that the official free agency circus is that much closer to getting started.

On July 11, teams will have the go-ahead to start signing this summer's premiere free agents. That means that with every second that goes by, the likes of Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett and Deron Williams could be one step closer to finding a new home, or one step closer to being locked up by their current teams.

Here's a look at the latest buzz surrounding the futures of the league's top stars.

Deron Williams

The most coveted point guard on anyone's list is most likely going to stick around with the Nets to see how the Brooklyn experiment pans out. But he still refuses to give anything away, insisting that he doesn't yet know what next year will bring (except that he'll decline a $17.8 million player option, a foregone conclusion).

Williams told ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo: 

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I just hate that people think they know where I'm going, because I don't know where I'm going. So there's no way for them to know, or assume that I'm going to Dallas or that I'm staying here. I don't know. There could be another team that comes into the picture. 

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The Mavericks are expected to make a run at the All-Star point guard, but Mazzeo writes that the Nets are expected to be able to offer him the biggest contract, both in terms of years and dollars. Mazzeo adds that Williams recently journeyed to Turkey to visit Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King for the EuroLeague Final Four, and he's been seen sporting Nets practice gear.

When it comes down to it, all of Williams' signs are pointing to Brooklyn. The Nets are making a big push to compete, and that's where the most lucrative contract will be.

Steve Nash

He may be old, but he's still got it. The 38-year-old, two-time league MVP will probably be seeking a three- or four-year deal when he officially hits free agency on July 1, but will there be anyone willing to give it to him?

Likely. According to Arizona Sports' Vince Marotta, the Knicks, Raptors and Mavericks are likely to pursue him, but don't count out the Suns. Team president Lon Babby told Marotta: 

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No matter what happens, we'll be in partnership with him through this process and we need to find a common ground—a ground that works for him and works for us, and if we can do that, I think it will become obvious pretty quickly. 

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Still, according to ESPN.com's and Basketball Prospectus' Bradford Doolittle, Nash is likely to seek a contract with a title contender, and a title probably won't happen in Phoenix—but it could in L.A. Doolittle writes that the three-man tandem of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard (who's also being pursued by the Lakers) and Nash could be unbeatable. And being unbeatable is exactly what Nash wants as the possibility of winning a title winds down. 

Kevin Garnett

Garnett is one of the most focused players in the league, and the Celtics are still playing, so good luck trying to get any information out of him regarding his future. For now, his future only involves an attempt to bring down the Heat.

Garnett and Ray Allen are both going to be free agents this offseason, and if the C's keep anyone, it's going to be Garnett. The power forward/center was rejuvenated this season when head coach Doc Rivers switched him from the 4 to the 5, and now he's playing his best basketball since Boston won the title in 2008.

But unless he takes a pay cut to stay in Boston, the Celtics will probably let him walk. Now is the perfect time for them to start thinking about molding a new—read: younger—team. If the price is right, though—and it'll have to be less than the $21.2 million he made in 2011-12—Boston would love to keep him.

Tim Duncan

Earlier this year, there was talk of Duncan retiring at season's end. He's 36 years old and he's won four NBA titles; what else could be left for him?

But the closer the Spurs get to another NBA finals appearance, the less likely it looks that Duncan will hang it up. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the aging forward is feeling better at this point in the season than he's felt in "four or five years." As a result, the Spurs—his home for  the entirety of his 15-year career—could be gearing up to offer him a multi-year extension.

It'll be interesting to see how the Duncan situation plays out if the Spurs win another title. Will a fifth be enough for him? Or will it reaffirm his belief that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank?