Wow @ the 09-10 free agent pool....

[Hooe]

Re: Wow @ the 09-10 free agent pool....

The Lebron sweepstakes is a joke.

There was an ESPN front page article that criticized Washington for resigning Arenas because it'll tie up our cap for the Lebron sweepstakes.

The only way Lebron even thinks of leaving Cleveland is if NJ moves to Brooklyn AND Cleveland absolutely ****s up the team beyond repair.

I would imagine Wade and Bosh either don't opt out or opt out to resign, and Joe Johnson resigns.

I think the Houston, Dallas, and Phoenix teams will either be resigned or traded prior to the year, pretty much leaving Lebron as the only franchise player on the market.

I'm not well-versed in the NBA, but I had heard there was a clause in Lebron James' Nike endorsement deals that if he ever is part of a team that plays in a major media market (in particular, New York / Brooklyn was named), that the value of the deal would increase by around 15% (I think it was $90 M to begin with, so $13.5 M increase).

If that were the case, would it really be that farfetched to see King James leave Cleveland if it were to mean $14 M more a year for him?

With regard to the Wizards, if they can keep Jamison, Arenas, and Butler all healthy at the same time, they have a strong team that doesn't need Lebron; that hasn't been often the past few years, though.

[Cebby]

Re: Wow @ the 09-10 free agent pool....

Unless he signs an extension he will make $3.78 million in '10-'11.

Okay then. I figured he'd be a free agent after 09-10. Regardless, at some point they'd have to resign him, and that probably won't be possible considering KG/LBJ/PP would already be a few mil over the cap.

[texbuk84]

Re: Wow @ the 09-10 free agent pool....

Elton Brand went to the 76ers so this might change philly's plans during the 09-10 season.

[BTB]

Re: Wow @ the 09-10 free agent pool....

Anything is possible regarding signing your own players, its all about ownership being willing to pay. In my experience following this team, the owners being cheap is not something I have noticed. They are shrewd, yes, and don't seem to want to OVERpay, but I think they are willing to pay what certain guys deserve and if they have the opportunity to get some elite player, they have been willing to pay the price (see: 2008). They genuinely seem like they just want to win, and are happy making as much money comes along with that.