With NBA free agency officially beginning early Tuesday morning, the Big Three and Carmelo Anthony opting out, decisions will soon be made that will affect the future of the NBA.
Of course, the biggest question in free agency this year is where will LeBron James and the two other members of Big Three from the Miami Heat go? Where will Carmelo Anthony go? Let’s not forget that there are also other quality free agents to be had. Such as Kyle Lowry, Luol Deng, Greg Monroe, Chandler Parsons and Lance Stephenson. You can also find veterans such as Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol at the end of their careers looking to win championships.
But the decision of the Big Three and Carmelo will determine the future of the NBA.
The decision of the Big Three and Carmelo Anthony to opt out of their contracts and become free agents was predictable. So where will the Big Three and Carmelo end up?
All indications are that the Heat’s Big Three will re-sign back with Miami. Chris Bosh will most likely take a pay cut and Dwyane Wade will most likely take a pay cut but sign a longer contract than he did previously. This will leave the Heat enough money to give LeBron James a max contract and surround the Big Three with a better supporting cast than they had this year.
Of course, romantics would love LeBron to return back to his home town and the team that drafted him: The Cleveland Cavaliers, and thus lead them to a NBA championship. This option for LeBron is highly unlikely as he still hasn’t forgotten the comments made by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert when he originally left the Cavs for Miami.
Another issue that LeBron would have with going back to the Cavs is the fact they hired an unproven coach in David Blatt.
There are other options for LeBron—one being the Phoenix Suns. They have the cap space to give LeBron a max deal and sign another star player to a max deal. Plus, they have a great young coach and general manager.
The reality of this happening is unlikely as well, mainly due to the fact that LeBron won’t want to move his family to a new city where they’re not familiar with the cultural climate. He also knows the Western Conference is stronger than the Eastern Conference which diminishes his chances of winning another championship.
So Miami heads into free agency the favorites to re-sign the Big Three.
Carmelo Anthony is a great player but not considered by fans and analysts at the level of LeBron James. Miami fans however are excited by the prospect of Carmelo joining the Miami Heat and creating a Big Four.
This would be great for Miami fans, but not a great option for Miami. The biggest issue with Carmelo joining the Heat is that he plays the same position as LeBron at small forward. Secondly, the Heat don’t need a scorer, they need players on the perimeter who can defend if they want to win a title, which Carmelo won’t help with.
The best option for Melo I feel is the Chicago Bulls. They have great defenders that will cover up his deficiencies in defence and he will help the Bulls overcome their biggest issue on offence as he is a dominant scorer.
Let the 2014 NBA free agency bonanza begin..