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Big Baby: ‘I Want to Be Where I’m Wanted’

There's still no definitive word on the immediate future of Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis. But it appears that he's less focused on the green and white and a bit more concerned with the green.

"I want to be where I'm wanted," Davis told WEEI.com earlier this week. "I love Boston, but I also understand it's a business. I'm going wherever someone wants to pay for my services."

It's that business side of the NBA that's holding Davis in limbo for the time being as teams play their annual version of free-agent musical chairs. As Boston.com suggests, "teams typically wait to see where unrestricted free agents end up before pursuing a restricted free agent such as Davis."

"I'm just waiting to get signed," Davis said from Houston, where he continues to work out this offseason. "It's tough not knowing what's going on."

It's not out of the question that Big Baby could return to Boston for 2009-10. But after averaging 15.8 points in the playoffs filling in for injured C's star Kevin Garnett, Davis is trying to cash in on his success while he can. And, understandably, the former LSU star is hoping to receive a sizable raise from the $711,000 he made last season.

Several NBA teams have shown interest in Davis so far this offseason, including Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit and New Jersey.

A team could offer Davis as much as the $5.8 million midlevel exception, but the longer he remains without a contract, the less likely it seems that he'd get a multiyear deal on the level of the one offered by the Celtics.

Because Davis is a restricted free agent, the Celtics will have the right to match any offer from another team, and WEEI.com reports that sources close to the situation believe Davis will return to the Celtics for a deal in the $2-million-per-year range.