Show Me The Money

The NBA free agency period has officially started as of 12:00 a.m., July 1st. This usually means that, within a few days, several stars and even more role players will be changing teams in search of the big contract or a championship contender. However, this season will be a little different from years past. For one, as we all know, the economy is in a bad state, causing GMs to tighten their pockets. Second, while the 2009 free agents seem appealing to a certain degree, the 2010 group is a lot more attractive (pause). This year’s group has names like Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Artest, Ben Gordon, Andre Miller, Charlie Villanueva, Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd to name a few. This group also had Kobe Bryant and Carlos Boozer, but both chose to extend their contracts and stay with their respective teams.

I just named a solid group of players that can be the next step to a team that is one or two players away from winning a championship, but in no way are these players comparable to next year’s group.

For starters, Lebron "King" James will on the market if he chooses to opt-out of his contract, which is expected. Lebron is the stand out but of next year’s free agents, but there is plenty of talent that follows—Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobli, Shaq, Rip Hamilton, Tracy McGrady are all free agents next summer.

Also, next year has a much more interesting list of players who can opt-out of their contracts and become free agents like Lebron. The big names are Amare Stoudamire, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler and Yao Ming. That list has franchise players, not just Robins for some team’s Batman.

NBA GM's have seen this coming for about two years now and most have been playing it safe with expectations of the 2010-2011 season. Everyone is freeing up cap space and looking for expiring contracts, so when the time comes, they will financially be able to put key pieces together and create championship contenders.

Besides winning, with the economy in the slumps, this is the chance for many cities to bring fans to their arenas. In other words, landing the big names = landing the big crowds.

While this is all great news for the 2010 group, we need to acknowledge that the 2009 group has been cut a little short. With GM's not willing to spend the money they once were, players like Carlos Boozer can't command the money they think they’re worth. Do you think Gilbert Arenas would get a six year $111M deal this summer? Not a chance. There are three teams with plenty of cap space—the Thunder, Pistons, and Grizzlies. Out of the three, the Pistons are the team likely to make major moves through the free agency. I assume the other two will focus on young talent they already have.

So to the free agent class of 2009, good luck getting your big deal. If you’re frustrated because you’re beginning to realize that the money isn’t out there like you had hoped, you can thank the Bush Administration.