"The Spurs put in a call to representatives for Rasheed Wallace not long after NBA free agency opened at 11:01 on Tuesday night.

Now, the wait is on.

"There's interest, mutual interest, I would say," Wallace's agent, Bill Strickland, said Wednesday. "I would say the Spurs have a job to do."

Wallace, considered to be the top free-agent target for a Spurs team in desperate search for a big man, fielded similar calls from Orlando, Cleveland, Boston and elsewhere in the first few minutes of free agency.

All of the above teams, including the Spurs, can make Wallace approximately the same offer, a short-term deal starting at the mid-level exception, expected to be worth around $5.6 million.

The Spurs have long coveted the 6-foot-11 Wallace, who will turn 35 in September, as a perimeter shooting big who can stretch the floor for Tim Duncan.

With the money sure to be more or less equal, Wallace will spend the next several days, or longer, deciding where he'd most rather spend at least the next season of his life. The first day a free agent can sign a contract is July 8.

Boston is widely considered the frontrunner for Wallace's services, due in large part to a personal pitch from Celtics All-Star Kevin Garnett.

Though he is at the top of their list, the Spurs are casting a wide net in their hunt for a big fish.

According to a league source, the Spurs also put in calls to Antonio McDyess, Wallace's soon-to-be former teammate in Detroit, as well as Dallas forward Brandon Bass during the opening throes of free agency."