Free Agent Frenzy
The wait is finally over. At midnight, 2010 NBA free agency begins. Teams have been preparing for the July 1 start since the 2008 season. The biggest name of the group is two-time defending MVP LeBron James. However all-stars Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce and David Lee have teams dumping salary in an attempt to sign them to their respective squads.
How important is this free agent class? New York Knicks President Donnie Walsh circled this date in his calendar upon taking over during the 2008 season. Since that time, he has been trading his players for expiring contracts to free up space in the Knicks salary cap to make rooms for James and a possible sidekick.
Many other teams have followed suit, trading for players with expiring contracts after the 2009-2010 season in hopes that they might land a free-agent superstar. Over the past year, the league’s highest trade commodity has been expiring contracts.
Chris Bosh (left) and Lebron James (right) during the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas.
Not only does the 2010 free agent class have superstars, it also has depth. Of the 398 players under contract during the 2009-2010 season, 140 of those are free agents (35.1%). So, while teams like the Knicks, Nets, Bulls and Heat go after the likes of James and Bosh every team has something to play for this summer, trying to sign and re-sign role players. Furthermore, because the talent pool is so deep, rumors surrounding second tier free agents-to-be such as Rudy Gay and Ray Allen have been non-existent.
On the other hand, speculation as to where the top tier of free agents may go has been the focus on every sports radio show, sports talk show and sports blog. While Dwyane Wade has strongly hinted that he will stay in Miami, rumors that Chris Bosh and LeBron James are a packaged deal has put teams with enough cap space to sign two players to the maximum contract in front. Among these are Chicago, Miami and New York.
It seems that Chicago and Miami are the two best fits for James and Bosh because both teams have a young nucleus of talent that is ready to win. Yet, Miami does not have the salary flexibility to keep Wade and sign Bosh and James to maximum deals.
A scenario in which the three guys would land in Miami would involve a salary cut for one of the superstars. Moreover, if Bosh and James sign in Chicago, they will surround themselves with two young rising stars in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, who were both in the national spotlight during their collegiate years with Memphis and Florida respectively.
When LeBron James announces where he will play next year, it will reveal a lot about his character. If he decides to bolt to New York to gain the fame and fortune, it will show that James is more interested in making money than winning a championship. If he decides to stay in Cleveland, in the same state he has lived his entire life, no one would question his loyalty. Lastly, if LeBron heads south to Miami, taking a pay cut to team up with Bosh and Wade, people will see that LeBron cares more about winning than anything else.
Regardless of where James, Bosh and Wade land, July and August are set to be exciting months in the NBA as over one-third of the league could be wearing a different jersey next season.
