Here are the biggest free agency headlines over the past few days:

In a surprising move, Steve Nash made his decision regarding free agency and left the Phoenix Suns for their division rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. Nash made the decision based on his desire to win a title and LA’s proximity to Phoenix, where his children live. Nash signed a $27 million deal for three years with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, immediately thrusting LA back into title contention after back-to-back second round playoff exits. How Nash and Kobe will function on the court at the same time remains to be seen and no doubt there will be an adjustment period as both need the ball in their hands to be effective, but Nash carried a Suns team with hardly any talent around him. There’s no question his time in LA will eventually turn the Lakers into a very dangerous team, even if he doesn’t play defense. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are still the teams to beat in the West and the Miami Heat should still be favorites to win the title next year, but LA isn’t very far behind. For the Suns, this was a regrettable move by Nash, but also yet another disappointing chapter in Robert Sarver’s tenure in Phoenix. All the Suns received in return for Nash were two future first-round picks and two second-round picks. Given Phoenix’s tendency to waste good draft picks and the fact that none of these picks will be top ten picks (most likely), this was poor compensation for losing the Suns’ marquee player. And to the further dismay of Suns fans, this situation could get even worse as Nash is actively trying to recruit Grant Hill to join him on the Lakers. Hill said he will either join the Lakers or retire, but has yet to reach a decision. However, Hill just flew to Germany recently to have a knee procedure (the same one that revitalized Kobe’s knee), so it’s unlikely he’ll be retiring. If Hill does go to the Lakers, they could be looking at a potential roster of Kobe, Nash, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Grant Hill, Ron Artest, Jordan Hill and Steve Blake.

Ray Allen finally made his free agency decision and chose to take a pay cut in Miami and increase his chances of winning another NBA ring. Allen had been looking at Miami, Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers, but Los Angeles cancelled their meeting with him after a recent signing. Boston had offered Allen a two-year, $12 million deal compared to Miami’s three-year, $9.5 million offer. However, the prospect of playing with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was greater than Boston’s offer, especially after Allen’s feeling toward his team grew worse over the course of the season. Allen was almost shopped to the Grizzlies by the Celtics before being demoted out of the starting lineup behind Avery Bradley. Allen’s deteriorating relationship with Rajon Rondo also played a role, but now Allen and the Heat’s chances of winning another title have gone up. Except during the Finals, the Heat struggled with perimeter shooting. Adding the leader in all time 3-point field goals will certainly help the Heat from beyond the arc. With Mike Miller and Dwyane Wade both undergoing surgery, Miami’s decision to add a veteran like Allen should prove to be very helpful in their title defense.

The Suns may have given Nash away too freely, but they have been working hard to make moves this postseason to better their chances for competing next year. After drafting point guard Kendall Marshall in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Suns also added breakout star Goran Dragic from the Houston Rockets. Dragic stepped up into the starting lineup for the Rockets when Kyle Lowry went down with an injury last year and should be welcomed back to his old team in Phoenix. The Suns signed Dragic to a four-year deal worth $34 million, but they didn’t stop there. They also signed Michael Beasley to a three-year deal worth $18 million. Although the Beasley signing likely won’t be as fruitful as the acquisition of Dragic, credit the Suns for trying to boost their lineup. Phoenix also offered Eric Gordon a max contract, although New Orleans will most likely match it to keep their young guard. Because of these acquisitions at the guard positions, the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer from Aaron Brooks, who is now a free agent.

Trying to fill the void left by Dragic leaving to Phoenix and Kyle Lowry heading off to join the Toronto Raptors (in exchange for a first-round pick), the Rockets offered Jeremy Lin a four-year deal worth almost $29 million, which the breakout star accepted. As it stands, Lin will sign with the Rockets, but the Knicks can match Houston’s offer to retain their rising star. The Knicks recently acquired Jason Kidd from the Mavericks, a three year, $9 million deal that occurred because Kidd looked forward to the prospect of mentoring Jeremy Lin. Unless the Knicks want the aging veteran Kidd as their starting point guard, they’ll match Houston’s offer to keep Lin. With Kidd and Jason Terry gone, the Mavericks have set their sights on Ramon Sessions to fill the void at the point guard position. If Dallas is unable to sway Sessions to join Dirk Nowitzki, they will likely offer Delonte West a more lucrative deal.

Former Portland star Brandon Roy verbally agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is set to sign on July 11. Roy was forced to retire last year because of his knees but has been looking for a team to join to make a comeback. The Timberwolves also added Nicolas Batum in a very expensive deal (although the details of this deal were not specified), but the Blazers have been adamant that they will match any and all offers to keep their 23-year-old forward. Batum hopes Portland won’t match Minnesota’s offer, but they most likely will.

The Philadelphis 76ers will let go of Elton Brand under the league’s amnesty clause. This move is due to Philly’s resigning of another big man and their desire to sign free agent Nick Young. The Dallas Mavericks are looking into getting Brand through waivers after failing to get their hands on anyone and letting Jason Kidd and Jason Terry walk out the door.

Despite losing Mo Williams to the Utah Jazz in a four-team trade that brought Lamar Odom back to LA, the Clippers have strengthened their frontcourt by deciding to keep Chauncey Billups and adding Jamal Crawford. Keeping Billups is a great move provided he will be healthy this season, but the addition of Crawford is a questionable one at best. Crawford struggled last year in Portland compared to years past. Nick Young had much more potential and Mo Williams had a much better season last year coming off the bench. Crawford likely won’t live up to his expensive contract.

Despite their clear disappointment with Ray Allen’s decision to head down to the Miami Heat, the Celtics continue making moves to give themselves a better chance to contend in the East. Boston was able to negotiate a three-year deal with Brandon Bass and are deep in talks with Jeff Green, a former Celtic. Boston will have its same starting lineup next year, but have added Jason Terry, Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo to boost their bench.

In closing, Jameer Nelso signed an extension to stay with the Magic while Spencer Hawes did the same with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Oklahoma City Thunder also added Hasheem Thabeet, which is a seemingly pointless signing…unless OKC has doubts about Serge Ibaka staying. That’s all for now but keep checking back for the latest NBA free agency news and analysis!