NEW YORK (AP) – NBA free agents will be able to sign their new contracts next Thursday, six days later than originally planned.

The league announced the new signing date Friday, on what was supposed to be the day the logjam was broken on several pending deals.

The six-day delay will allow attorneys for the league and players’ union to finish drafting a written version of the new six-year collective bargaining agreement.

Signings will begin at 6 p.m. EDT on July 28.

Teams have been negotiating with free agents for more than three weeks, and many of the most prominent players have already reached tentative agreements on new contracts.

Among those still playing the free agent market are Miami guard Damon Jones, Phoenix guard Joe Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers guard Marko Jaric, Portland guard Damon Stoudamire, Minnesota’s Mark Madsen and Latrell Sprewell and Atlanta’s Tyronn Lue.

Players who have already agreed to new contracts include Ray Allen and Michael Redd, staying in Seattle and Milwaukee, respectively, Udonis Haslem, remaining with Miami, and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is returning to Cleveland.

Among players planning to change teams, guard Larry Hughes is moving from Washington to Cleveland, forward Donyell Marshall from Toronto to the Cavs, center Jerome James from the SuperSonics to the Knicks, guard Antonio Daniels from Seattle to Washington, forward Stromile Swift from Memphis to Houston, swingman Bobby Simmons from the Clippers to the Bucks and guard Keyon Dooling from Miami to Orlando.

Also, former overall No. 1 draft pick Kwame Brown will be dealt from Washington to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade deal for Caron Butler, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim will go from Portland to New Jersey in another sign-and-trade.

Two of the teams with the most available salary cap space, Atlanta and New Orleans, have been unable to secure any prized free agents. The Hawks have reportedly made a $70 million, five-year offer to the Suns’ Johnson, which Phoenix would have 15 days to match.

Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert also has drawn interest from Atlanta, but he is a restricted free agent and the Sixers have said they will match any offer he receives.

Maccabi Tel Aviv point guard Sarunas Jasekevicius, the former Euroleague MVP, has reportedly narrowed his choices to Utah, Indiana and Cleveland.

Under one provision of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams will have a one-time chance ending in October to waive a player under contract and be relieved of any luxury tax liability for that player. Waiving Michael Finley could save Dallas at least $51 million in luxury tax payments, and the Mavs would be barred from re-signing him until his contract expires after the 2007-08 season.

The New York Knicks are considering using the so-called “amnesty clause” to rid themselves of injury-plagued guard Allan Houston, who is due to earn about $40 million – which would be subject to the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax – over the next two seasons, and there has been speculation that the Lakers might do the same with Brian Grant, who is owed nearly $30 million over the next two seasons.

AP-ES-07-22-05 2016EDT

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