Does it really drive Cleveland's price up? Either way he gets the max contract..How often do the best players in sports reach FA and then resign with their current team? If the player really wanted to stay in 1 place I feel like they would never actually get to FA because they would sign an extension years earlier. I get the feeling all 4 - Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire will be on different teams in 2010.
First of all, the current team's max contract is more money than any competing team can offer. That rule was put into place to allow the current team financial leverage in order to retain their stars payer(s).
LeBron and Wade will resign with their current teams either before the start of the season or during the season. Cleveland might just wait until the end of the season so they could sign a free agent first and then resign LaBron (to get him some help).
Bosh and Stoudemire might end up on different teams but only via a trade. There is no way Toronto and Pheonix let's those type of players just walf away with nothing to show for it!!!
I've been saying it all along; LaBron, Kobe and Wade will stay put so this pipe dream the Knicks front office has about signing them is just that; a pipe dream. The Knicks need to make a move NOW! Contact Toronto about a sign and trade for Bosh with Lee as the main piece. Then the very next move the Knicks should make is to make a move for Tyson Chandler; offer either Darko or Sene plus one of the expiring contracts for him. Now The Knicks starting 5 and 4 would be Chandler and Bosh; I would sign for that right now!!! Curry off the bench.... Not a bad 3 man rotation (if Curry can stay focused and in shape).
Then the Knicks could set their sites on a guard... I think Hughes should be give a second chance to see if can be the guard he was just 2 seasons ago! But, if they have a chance to use his expiring contract to land a next tiered player, then so be it. I would contact Atlanta to see if they would be interested in a Johnson for Hughes slaray swap. I know the pot needs to be sweetened more for Atlanta but maybe an un-protected 1st rounder as well might be enough... From what is rumoured; Smith does not want to resign with Atlanta and Atlanta is not as enamoured with him as they were when they aquired him from Pheonix. Wilson Chandler is the only player I would like to see the Knicks really try to retain... I think he is on his way to becoming a Tayshaun Prince type player...