The NBA free agency and trading dam finally burst Wednesday, officially enabling teams to spill millions of dollars into the bank accounts of Ben Wallace, Peja Stojakovic, Vladimir Radmanovic, Jason Terry, Nene, Joel Przybilla and Nazr Mohammed.
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For the Bulls, the only issue remaining is how many diamonds to put into their new championship rings. Right?
No. It’s hardly that easy and considerably uncertain after two weeks of hectic maneuvering that resulted in the Bulls replacing half their roster.
They’ve added free agent center Wallace from Detroit, forward P.J. Brown and guard J.R. Smith from New Orleans, forward Viktor Khryapa from Portland and rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha.
With a couple of roster spots open, the Bulls probably are not quite done, especially if certain veterans accept minimum deals.
With the majority of major free agents committed to other teams, the Bulls figure to use the after market for a big man such as Scot Pollard, Aaron Williams, Jake Voshkuhl or even longtime favorite Toni Kukoc.
Kukoc is not expected to return to the Bucks and could appropriately finish his career in Chicago, where he still lives.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, are not expected to retain swingman Adrian Griffin. Other free agents who have interested the Bulls include Greg Buckner, Keith Bogans and Jiri Welsch.
It’s unlikely the Bulls can afford to bring back Darius Songaila, who joins Al Harrington, Bonzi Wells, Drew Gooden, Jared Jeffries, Keith Van Horn, Flip Murray, Gary Payton, Reggie Evans, Melvin Ely, David Wesley, Lorenzen Wright, Alonzo Mourning and Chris Wilcox as top free agents who have yet to find a home.
Then there’s the biggest name of them all still being dangled in trade, the 76ers’ Allen Iverson.
Atlanta has been talked about as a destination or a facilitator of a multi-team deal involving Iverson, but the Hawks’ ownership situation seems to have held up any such transaction.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, with Nene saying he’ll return for about $60 million over six years, would like to deal Kenyon Martin. But that move also seems stalled.
Some of the more significant moves won’t begin taking effect until 2010.
That’s whenthe new extensions for three of the Gang of Four Young Stars–LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh–start to expire.
James and Wade have re-signed with their current teams for three years and in the neigbhorhood of $60 million after the 2006-07 season, with a player option for a fourth year. Bosh is expected to do likewise. The players are saying it will put them in a higher bracket for a further extension. That probably is the case with Wade and Bosh, though they put themselves at financial risk by taking shorter deals. Carmelo Anthony signed a five-year deal for an estimated $80 million.
James, a major commercial endorser, puts himself in position to challenge the Cavs to become a legitimate championship contender. Or, he can leave as a free agent. It so happens the Nets will be moving into Brooklyn–and a new arena-entertainment complex–about that time.
The Nets have only Richard Jefferson under contract that long and one of their owners, musician Jay-Z, is a close friend of James.
This raises a big issue for the NBA, which has owners shouting for limits on long-term contracts after the league okayed six-year deals in the last labor agreement. With top players voluntarily accepting shorter deals, it opens the door for the league to push for shorter contracts in the next collective bargaining agreement, which is still a long way off.
What this free agency/trading period seems to have done is level the court for several teams aspiring to be championship contenders.
The Bulls’ signing of Wallace, to be formalized Thursday, certainly weakens one of the East’s top teams, though the Pistons did well to recoup with Mohammed.
Is the Heat a potential dynasty? That’s hard to see. The Cavs? The Nets? The Wizards? The Bucks? The Pacers? It’s hard to pick an East team certain to make the Finals.
While the West seems deeper, the Spurs have come back to the pack a little. The loss of Mohammed and the trade of Rasho Nesterovic leaves them smaller on the front line, and they’ve been cutting Tim Duncan’s playing time.
The Grizzlies and Nuggets seem to have taken a step back. While the Suns wait to see if Amare Stoudemire can return to form after knee surgery, the middle of the Pacific Division–the Clippers, Lakers and Kings–can sort themselves out and find a 50-game winner.
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