NBA Rumors: 3rd Team Enters Sweepstakes for Greg Stiemsma's Services

It appears to be a long shot that the Celtics land Greg Stiemsma, after a new unknown team is now going after him.

Chris Forsberg concisely summarized the current situation (via ESPNBoston.com):

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The Celtics extended a $1.05 million qualifying offer to Stiemsma before the free-agency period, while the Timberwolves have expressed consistent interest in the 6-foot-11 big man this offseason. But while Stiemsma's camp awaits an offer sheet from Minnesota, it appears a third team has entered the fray. 

This offer, when formally delivered, will almost certainly price Boston out of the Stiemsma Sweepstakes.

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Heading into the offseason, it appeared to be very unlikely that Stiemsma would have played anywhere other than Boston.

However, he has received more interest than the Celtics would have liked. While the biannual exception is certainly an option, it is unlikely that the offers that Stiemsma has on the table pay him less than 1.95 million.

The Celtics have a problem on their hands, because now recently-drafted Fab Melo is the backup center. While the young Brazilian has the potential to be be at least a solid backup in the future, he is very raw at this point.

With the free agent market drying up, the Celtics might have to settle for the recently-signed Chris Wilcox, who missed the tail end of last season because of heart surgery.

In this case, "Steamer" might be a bigger loss than one might think. While he is a liability on the offensive end of the floor, Stiemsma has shown that he can be an effective shot-blocker in the league.

Cheaper options like Nazr Mohammed and Hasheem Thabeet are off the market, meaning that the Celtics will just have to hope that the frontcourt will hold up.

Even so, Boston is still a formidable foe for the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder. 

UPDATE: According to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com, Stiemsma has agreed to a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves (via ESPNBoston.com).