The Nuggets may use their mid-level exception to re-sign Reggie Evans and the forward has been impressed with the moves the club has made during the summer.

"They are doing what they are supposed to do," Evans said Saturday. "They're trying to make the team better."

The Cavaliers are also interested in Evans, as they continue to work on a Drew Gooden deal.

The deal signed by Nene with the Denver Nuggets is affecting the Cavaliers ability to come to terms with restricted free agent Drew Gooden, The News Herald is reporting.

Gooden's agent, Calvin Andrews, expects a similar six year, $60 million contract for his client.

Complicating things even further for the Cavaliers is the fact that the team already has Donyell Marshall and Anderson Varejao under contract, with Varejao becoming a restricted free agent next season.

Some believe that Varejao is the team's power forward of the future, and may be the team's starter next season whether Gooden is signed or not.

The Drew Gooden contract stalemate with the Cavaliers now seems to have frustrated both sides, the Akron Beacon-Journal is reporting.

Following initial contract talks earlier this month that showed a wide gap, Gooden's agents decided to pursue sign-and-trade options for the restricted free agent forward. Nothing has gotten done, and now it's the Cavaliers who might be getting antsy.

According to two league executives, the Cavs are hoping to schedule a meeting with free agent forward Reggie Evans next week and might also look to pursue another free agent big man, Lorenzen Wright.

It seems the team is looking to investigate other options in case the talks with Gooden don't work out, and it might also be trying to put pressure on him to accept the current deal on the table. The Cavs still have their $5.2 million midlevel exception, as well as the biannual exception to work with.

They own the rights to Gooden, so they can match any offers and also can sign him without using the exceptions. And re-signing Gooden still appears to be the Cavs' top priority.

Evans, however, is a player Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry has kept an eye on since last summer.

It appears that Drew Gooden and the Cavaliers are no closer to a resolution, according to The Morning Journal, but the two sides are still talking.

His agent, Calvin Andrews, spent the day with Gooden in Orlando on Thursday briefing him on negotiations.

''There's nothing going on,'' Andrews said. ''I spent the day with Drew. We're having dialogue. We talked to those guys (the Cavaliers), but there's nothing concrete.''

''I think there's progress. I don't know which way -- signing him or possibly a sign-and-trade. I feel good about the talks that we're having.''

One thing more important than contract negotiations is going on with the Cavaliers. General manager Danny Ferry's wife, Tiffany, was supposedly going into labor with the couple's fifth child.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has signed a multi-year contract extension with the team, General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.  The contract was signed in Las Vegas, NV today where James is preparing to train with the USA Basketball Men?s Senior National Team.  Per the NBA?s Collective Bargaining Agreement, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

James was selected by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.  In 238 career games (all starts), James is averaging 26.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists.

At this point, the Cavs aren't close to signing Drew Gooden. He is looking for a deal in the range of $60 million for six years, similar to the one free-agent Nene received from the Denver Nuggets.

The Cavs probably are thinking about a deal in the $6 million-per-year range for five or six years. It's believed that only Charlotte has the salary-cap space to offer that kind of contract, and so far, the Bobcats don't seem that interested in Gooden.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly close to signing David Wesley to a deal, possibly close to what Flip Murray got with the Pistons (two years, $3.6 million), The Morning Journal is reporting.

Wesley, who will be 36 in November, would probably be an effective player if he played around 20 minutes a game.

Should Wesley join the Cavaliers, Damon Jones may be on his way out.

The Detroit Pistons have come to terms with free agent scorer Ronald 'Flip' Murray, according to ESPN, with the Pistons landing the explosive scorer at a bargain price.

The Pistons originally offered the majority of their mid-level exception to Murray, but Murray hesitated to take it, hoping to get a more lucrative deal elsewhere.  He later accepted a two-year, $3.6 million deal, a league source told ESPN.com.

With the Lakers, Hawks and Wolves going in different directions with their cap room, it is looking like Marcus Banks' best option might be Cleveland, a team that remains interested in the guard.

``We're not talking much about it right now; the Cavs have some other priorities to deal with,'' Banks' agent, Michael Higgins, said Thursday. ``Marcus is interested in the Cavs; he likes Mike (Brown).''

Talks between Drew Gooden's agent, Calvin Andrews, and the Cavaliers have started to break down, the Morning Journal is reporting, and there is a chance the parties may separate.

''We're trying to see if any sign-and-trades work,'' Andrews said. ''We are trying to exhaust every avenue. We're working through some different things.''

The Cavaliers told Andrews to be patient while they were working on LeBron James' three-year contract extension. Now, it's Gooden's turn, and apparently he's the main focus of their attention.

The 6-foot-10, 242-pounder is a restricted free agent. He wants to remain in Cleveland. Andrews said a sign-and-trade might be the answer.

''I think it's a very feasible route,'' he said.

''They have not made an offer yet,'' Andrews said. ''Maybe they are holding out on something. We're being patient and working with them. We respect what they're trying to do. We'll follow their lead.

''They can make an offer he likes. That's what he would prefer. Drew wants to stay in Cleveland. If they make an offer that makes sense, we'll do it. If a sign-and-trade makes more sense, we'll do that. We're not ready to hit the panic button.''