NBA free agency opened at 12:01 am ET Tuesday, and two big surprises hit the league right before it started. Elton Brand and Baron Davis, both scheduled to make huge amounts of money next year (16.4 million for Brand, 17.8 for Boom Dizzle), each opted out of their deals to become free agents. It's rare to see players give up so much guaranteed money, and I'll be curious to see how this plays out for both of them. Brand has stated his goal is to remain with the Clippers, while Davis' future seems a bit cloudier, especially if the rumor is true that the Warriors have offered a max deal to Wizards G Gilbert Arenas($).

Needless to say, what might have otherwise been a mild offseason for free agency suddenly promises a lot more intrigue.

How will any of this affect the Hawks? We'll have to wait and see. GM Rick Sund has said all along his top priority is to bring restricted FA's Josh Smith and Josh Childress back into the fold, and until something else happens there's no reason to think that isn't the case. For fans worried about other teams (the hot rumor is the 76ers) making a run at Smith, it will be interesting to see how much Brand's availability affects the market for him.

No deals can be made official until July 9, but teams are free to talk to players as of this morning. We'll follow it all from here, so make sure to check back with the BasketBlog as everything gets rolling.

What do you think the Hawks should do? Are there other players you'd like to see the team target aside from the Joshes?

Let us know in the comments.