Official Lebron, Wade, Bosh FA watch thread.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

I am not expecting the Nets to have a happy summer. Coming off one of the worst seasons ever, having the value of their most prized asset from one year ago (Devin) plummet on the heels of an injury plagued and relatively ineffective season, losing out in the draft lottery, trying to sell a new owner who's a near-complete unknown to a bunch of top-tier payers looking for a sure thing, playing second fiddle to the Knicks in the New York area...I just don't see them winning the allegiance of any of the top guys over the likes of Chicago, Miami, Dallas or even NYK.

It does sound pretty ridiculous, doesn't it? I think the final straw is that they won't be in Brooklyn for another two seasons at best. Lebron is at the peak of his abilities right now. I can't imagine him being okay with spending the next two years playing in Newark.

Seriously, when you list it all out together like that, it sounds almost as ridiculous as Lebron playing for the Clippers.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

It does sound pretty ridiculous, doesn't it? I think the final straw is that they won't be in Brooklyn for another two seasons at best. Lebron is at the peak of his abilities right now. I can't imagine him being okay with spending the next two years playing in Newark.

Seriously, when you list it all out together like that, it sounds almost as ridiculous as Lebron playing for the Clippers.

LeBron playing for the Clippers would actually be pretty sweet if they were good. The LA-LA / LeBron-Kobe rivalry would be nuts.

[Windmill360]

LeBron James(notes) is planning to invite six teams to meet him over the first three days of free agency, and rap mogul Jay-Z and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov will be part of a New Jersey Nets contingent that will make the first presentation on July 1 in the Akron, Ohio, area, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

James and his advisors plan to have the Nets, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers make presentations. Yahoo! Sports first reported on Thursday night that James would be taking appointments with teams on July 1 to begin his free-agency process.

MORE

No Mavs in there? Even the clips are invited...

[dalger]

Originally Posted by Windmill360

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No Mavs in there? Even the clips are invited...

That would be a little discouraging, to be honest. Not that I was or am expecting a lot in this respect.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Windmill360

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No Mavs in there? Even the clips are invited...

Watch - after all this noise he'll probably just end up re-signing with the Cavs...

[DevinHarriswillstart]

To be fair, all of those teams have straight up cap room to sign him.

I'm content to have my hopes high for JJ either way. He might not be the star Dirk needs, but he is the best 2 we'd have since Finley. Plus, he'd be a good fit playing next to Roddy. Remember that getting Lebron would undoubtedly cost Roddy where as JJ probably wouldn't. I don't see the Mavs trading Roddy for JJ.

[EricaLubarsky]

Were we ever in the LBJ race in the first place? Its highly doubtful in my opinion

As I see it...
60% re-signs with Cleveland
25% signs with Chicago
8% signs with Miami
5% signs with NY
1% SnT with Dallas
1% misc other improbably outcomes

Plus its hard to go court him when we really can't sign him. We dont have the market of NYC, we dont have the young nucleus or market of CHI, we don't have the nightlife, beaches and Wade of Miami...with solid options elsewhere could we really convince him that he wants Dallas so much that he'd demand a sign-n-trade to us? I dont see it especially for a guy like LeBron

[FINtastic]

60% chance of resigning with Cleveland? I think you are being way too generous to the Cavs here.

[Windmill360]

The Clips have the cap room to sign James?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Windmill360

The Clips have the cap room to sign James?

$33.5mil on the books...

(although I'd be happy to take Kaman off their hands to help facilitate a career-ending trade that sends LeBron to the Clips...)

[Windmill360]

In hindsight, our Fastbreak FA panel forgot a vital element: no FA - LeBron, Joe, Bosh - wants to forfeit $30m. S&T still No. 1 objective.

- RicBucher Twitter

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by Windmill360

In hindsight, our Fastbreak FA panel forgot a vital element: no FA - LeBron, Joe, Bosh - wants to forfeit $30m. S&T still No. 1 objective.

- RicBucher Twitter

This a huge point that seems to be getting overlooked. Yes Miami could, in theory, resign Wade then sign Lebron and Bosh to "max" deals. But would Bosh and Lebron be willing to play with Wade knowing he's making more than them? It sounds like a silly question considering the numbers but I don't think they would. And of course the heat gutted their roster to the point that they don't have any salary matching assets for a S&T. Would a team be willing to dump a contract they don't want so the Heat could use the player (along with maybe a pick) in a S&T with Cleveland or Toronto? Even if that were the case, why would the Cavs or the Raptors want that player on their cap?

The Bulls and the Knicks have the same problem to a lesser extent (they at least have Deng and Lee respectively). The Knicks are used to sucking but Miami and Chicago could very well end up worse than they were before if they can't lure the right players. Those teams that created cap space are basically making an all in bet. It's going to be fun to watch.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

This a huge point that seems to be getting overlooked. Yes Miami could, in theory, resign Wade then sign Lebron and Bosh to "max" deals. But would Bosh and Lebron be willing to play with Wade knowing he's making more than them? It sounds like a silly question considering the numbers but I don't think they would. And of course the heat gutted their roster to the point that they don't have any salary matching assets for a S&T. Would a team be willing to dump a contract they don't want so the Heat could use the player (along with maybe a pick) in a S&T with Cleveland or Toronto? Even if that were the case, why would the Cavs or the Raptors want that player on their cap?

The Bulls and the Knicks have the same problem to a lesser extent (they at least have Deng and Lee respectively). The Knicks are used to sucking but Miami and Chicago could very well end up worse than they were before if they can't lure the right players. Those teams that created cap space are basically making an all in bet. It's going to be fun to watch.

i agree man. i don't care how much they make 30 million is still 30 million. a guy like Bosh can maybe make some of that back in endorsements in NY. but it's one of the best things we have going in our favor. that an owner thats willing to spend. and one of the top 5 or 10 players in the league :P

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

This a huge point that seems to be getting overlooked. Yes Miami could, in theory, resign Wade then sign Lebron and Bosh to "max" deals. But would Bosh and Lebron be willing to play with Wade knowing he's making more than them? It sounds like a silly question considering the numbers but I don't think they would. And of course the heat gutted their roster to the point that they don't have any salary matching assets for a S&T. Would a team be willing to dump a contract they don't want so the Heat could use the player (along with maybe a pick) in a S&T with Cleveland or Toronto? Even if that were the case, why would the Cavs or the Raptors want that player on their cap?

The Bulls and the Knicks have the same problem to a lesser extent (they at least have Deng and Lee respectively). The Knicks are used to sucking but Miami and Chicago could very well end up worse than they were before if they can't lure the right players. Those teams that created cap space are basically making an all in bet. It's going to be fun to watch.

Keep in mind that if a team is far enough under the salary cap to sign a player outright, they don't need matching salary to send back in a sign and trade. They can just send cash and picks and absorb the salary.

So the question really is whether they have enough assets like picks and cash to entice a team into a sign and trade.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

Were we ever in the LBJ race in the first place? Its highly doubtful in my opinion

As I see it...
60% re-signs with Cleveland
25% signs with Chicago
8% signs with Miami
5% signs with NY
1% SnT with Dallas
1% misc other improbably outcomes

Plus its hard to go court him when we really can't sign him. We dont have the market of NYC, we dont have the young nucleus or market of CHI, we don't have the nightlife, beaches and Wade of Miami...with solid options elsewhere could we really convince him that he wants Dallas so much that he'd demand a sign-n-trade to us? I dont see it especially for a guy like LeBron

If LBJ wants to win AND be batman #1 option we have a small chance. Thats IF he wants to win at all costs. My guess is that he doesn't want to win as much as Dirk or he would put his money where his mouth is just like Dirk seems willing to do.

If anyone really has their fingers crossed about us getting him or would possibly be upset if we didn't, they need to be checked in immediately. I still stand firmly on best case scenario JJ and or an upgrade of depth at the center position.

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Keep in mind that if a team is far enough under the salary cap to sign a player outright, they don't need matching salary to send back in a sign and trade. They can just send cash and picks and absorb the salary.

So the question really is whether they have enough assets like picks and cash to entice a team into a sign and trade.

That totally slipped my mind. You're right cash, picks and Beasley would be better than nothing for the Cavs or Raps.

[aquaadverse]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

This a huge point that seems to be getting overlooked. Yes Miami could, in theory, resign Wade then sign Lebron and Bosh to "max" deals. But would Bosh and Lebron be willing to play with Wade knowing he's making more than them? It sounds like a silly question considering the numbers but I don't think they would. And of course the heat gutted their roster to the point that they don't have any salary matching assets for a S&T. Would a team be willing to dump a contract they don't want so the Heat could use the player (along with maybe a pick) in a S&T with Cleveland or Toronto? Even if that were the case, why would the Cavs or the Raptors want that player on their cap?

The Bulls and the Knicks have the same problem to a lesser extent (they at least have Deng and Lee respectively). The Knicks are used to sucking but Miami and Chicago could very well end up worse than they were before if they can't lure the right players. Those teams that created cap space are basically making an all in bet. It's going to be fun to watch.

Considering Miami has essentially been Wade and expiring contracts in sneakers for the last couple of years, the only way they'd be worse is if Wade left, which seems unlikely, or Riley spent the cap space on crack. All Wade is really pushing for is a significant roster upgrade and there's a big candy jar even after the bourbon truffles are picked off the top.

Riley has been working on this gambit for a couple of seasons and has been up front about it which explains why Wade hasn't done an '07 Kobe fit.

If he doesn't think he has a legitimate shot at someone he thinks deserves a max contract, again unlikely, he'll start dealing for rum balls who are aware their value only remains high while the truffles are being sniffed and then try to find some Steve Kerrs.

[Jon Avalon]

Hmmm, Wade appears to have us on his 3 team interview list.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=3187

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by Jon Avalon

Hmmm, Wade appears to have us on his 3 team interview list.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=3187

He just misses punching Mavs fans in the nutsack.

[KINGBEEF]

Originally Posted by Jon Avalon

Hmmm, Wade appears to have us on his 3 team interview list.

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=3187

go figure!!!

[Dirkenstien]

Yep, I must say that is surprising.

[dirno2000]

According to Larry Coon the Heat still don't have enough cap room sign Wade and two max free agents. The final numbers won't be available until the 7th but he doesn't think dumping Beasley gets them all the way there either.

If true that could kill the Wade/James/Bosh talk as I can't see any of them leaving money on the table. Also, Chicago doesn't have enough to sign two max free agents unless they can move Deng.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

According to Larry Coon the Heat still don't have enough cap room sign Wade and two max free agents. The final numbers won't be available until the 7th but he doesn't think dumping Beasley gets them all the way there either.

If true that could kill the Wade/James/Bosh talk as I can't see any of them leaving money on the table. Also, Chicago doesn't have enough to sign two max free agents unless they can move Deng.

Was that off his twitter account?

For anyone who is interested, he's having a chat tomorrow on hoopsworld.

[dirno2000]

Yep, he's been pretty active. The chat is Wednesday BTW.

[BGMaverick9]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

Yep, he's been pretty active. The chat is Wednesday BTW.

Doh! Yup, Wednesday...

I trust Coon's analysis of the situation, looks like the situation is still nice for both of those teams...but not so pretty as they had hoped.

[Underdog]

Sources said James remains committed to fielding free-agent pitches from several teams when free agency officially opens Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, with the Chicago Bulls continuing to rank as a highly appealing destination and a return to Cleveland still figuring prominently in his thinking and with the Dallas Mavericks looming as an intriguing outsider.

link

Yesterday we weren't part of the LeBron conversation.

This morning we were considered a "long-shot dark horse".

Tonight we're being called an "intriguing outsider".


Momentum...

[MaVs 41 BaLler]

We're gonna make a splash like always. But it's always not been enough. Hopefully it will be this season. I freaking killed my grades hoping the mavs would make it to the finals....

[quietsavant]

A modified version of the ballyhooed free-agent summit that was initially suggested and then downplayed by Dwyane Wade has indeed taken place, ESPN.com has learned.

Sources close to the situation said Monday night that three of the biggest names in basketball -- Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James -- met over the weekend in Miami to seriously discuss their futures, with a focus on the increasingly plausible possibility of those three teaming up with Wade's Heat.

LeBron Tracker

James Where will LeBron James land? We're keeping tabs on the King. Here's the latest. LeBron Tracker

Yet sources with knowledge of the meeting stressed to ESPN.com that James, while clearly intrigued by the possibility of forming a star-studded Miami trio with Wade and Bosh, has not yet committed to leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for South Beach.

One source did label Miami as the new frontrunner to land James in a package deal with Bosh and a re-signed Wade but also cautioned that James was "non-committal" with the start of free agency fast approaching.

Sources said James remains committed to fielding free-agent pitches from several teams when free agency officially opens Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, with the Chicago Bulls continuing to rank as a highly appealing destination and a return to Cleveland still figuring prominently in his thinking and with the Dallas Mavericks looming as an intriguing outsider.

Earlier Monday, Fox Sports Radio's Stephen A. Smith reported on his morning radio show and via his Twitter feed that James and Bosh have committed to joining Wade in Miami. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper, in a report on its website Monday afternoon, quoted a source close to Wade as saying that the 2006 NBA Finals MVP "believes his team is poised to pull off a free-agency coup" by signing James and Bosh and re-signing Wade.

Unless Miami trades away former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley to a team with salary-cap space, so it can avoid taking salary back, Heat president Pat Riley will not be able to offer the estimated 2010-11 maximum salary of $16.5 million to all three Team USA stars.

But sources told ESPN.com that James, Wade and Bosh all expressed confidence at the meeting that contractual complexities to make this ambitious triple signing work can be worked out, although it was not immediately clear if all three players would receive an equal amount or if one or two would receive the max. Another variable is whether Bosh would be willing to sign with the Heat outright or if he wants to hold out for a sign-and-trade.

Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged Monday for the first time in a radio interview with the Fan590 in Toronto that "it's becoming more and more clear" that the prospect of Bosh re-signing with the Raptors is "not going to happen." But sources close to the situation have maintained for months that Bosh was likely to work with the Raptors on a sign-and-trade if he ultimately decided to leave in free agency, thereby ensuring that Toronto doesn't lose him without compensation and enabling Bosh to get an extra year on his contract potentially worth as much as $30 million.

Sources insisted, meanwhile, that other scenarios were discussed at the weekend meeting apart from the Miami plan. One source said James' admiration for Bulls legend Michael Jordan is such that he is determined to hear Chicago's pitch later this week, keeping alive the possibility that both James and Bosh could still wind up together with the Bulls.

In that scenario, sources said, James and Bosh would join Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in Chicago, while Wade would hope to be joined in Miami by close friend Carlos Boozer, who was not at the meeting.

Sources said James, furthermore, has not ruled out staying with the Cavaliers. Although Cleveland does not have the financial flexibility or the trade assets to import Bosh or Wade and enhance its chances of retaining this summer's face of free agency, James is a proud Ohioan who is said to be still wrestling with the notion of leaving his home state, no matter how enticing the possibilities are in Miami and Chicago.

The Sun-Sentinel reported that Wade is also exploring his options by planning free-agent sitdowns in coming days with the Bulls and Mavericks. ESPN.com had previously reported that Wade and Bosh are scheduled to be in New York on Friday for separate recruiting visits with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets.

It was not immediately clear, as details of the Miami option emerged, whether Riley intends to stay in his front-office role and let coach Erik Spoelstra return for his third season or if, say, James urges the 65-year-old to return to the bench for a third stint coaching the Heat.

Chris Broussard is a senior NBA writer for ESPN The Magazine and Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba...ory?id=5338472

The whole thing is all a sham. It is truly my belief that they have made up their minds and this whole courting thing is just a formality. Book it, it will be Lebron, wade and bosh making about 45-48 mil of the miami cap. I wish riley luck filling up his team with spares.

[tomly]

well hope they kick Kobe ass!

[mac222b]

i just don't see any one dumb enough to take twice rehabbed douchebag tweener Beasley. i don't see LeBron or Bosh accepting less than max $ at max years. and i don't see Wade and LeBron sharing. i call bullshit. if they do it LeBron is viewed as weak. Miami is Wade's team. Bosh wants to be third wheel?

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

According to Larry Coon the Heat still don't have enough cap room sign Wade and two max free agents. The final numbers won't be available until the 7th but he doesn't think dumping Beasley gets them all the way there either.

If true that could kill the Wade/James/Bosh talk as I can't see any of them leaving money on the table. Also, Chicago doesn't have enough to sign two max free agents unless they can move Deng.

I'm glad that got confirmed. I was pretty sure that was the case but was starting to doubt my position with so many people talking about it.

Beyond having enough space, I don't see how Miami would have enough assets to pull off SnT's with both Cleveland and Toronto.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Lebron, Bosh, and Wade in Miami? Talk about headline gold. A lot of sports news outlets are making tons of money right now. Not even saying it's a bad thing because come on, this is fun no?

That just reeks of hot air....this sentence stuck out for me....

"One source did label Miami as the new frontrunner to land James in a package deal with Bosh and a re-signed Wade but also cautioned that James was "non-committal" with the start of free agency fast approaching."

[KINGBEEF]

Just found out that Cleveland will not do a sign and trade no matter what. They do not want to be known as the team that traded Lebron away. They would rather let him go for a ridiculous price. Bummer!!!

[Dirkenstien]

Originally Posted by KINGBEEF

Just found out that Cleveland will not do a sign and trade no matter what. They do not want to be known as the team that traded Lebron away. They would rather let him go for a ridiculous price. Bummer!!!

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallasmaveri...-news-for-mavs

If Rick Bucher's sources are correct, the Mavericks are out of the LeBron James race before it even starts.

The ESPN NBA reporter is reporting that the Cavaliers have no intention of being part of a sign-and-trade should James choose to leave Cleveland.

The Mavericks are over the salary cap, so a sign-and-trade deal is their only hope of acquiring King James.

Of course Cleveland is going to say that. They still have hope in resigning him. How much damage would it do to their chances of resigning Lebron if Cleveland started saying they were open to S&T scenarios? Right now they're proud, a bit hopeful, and a bit cocky but once Lebron is on the cusp of leaving to a conference rival I'm guessing they'll be much more inclined to change that posturing stance. They simply have very little if no leverage.

Jus think about it, what are their options here? Either Cleveland wallows in self pity while Lebron goes to a conference rival to start a potential dynasty that Cleveland will have to play at least four times a year OR Cleveland can get some nice young pieces back in return while having at least some kind of say in where he ends up.

They're selling. I'm not buying.

[FreshJive]

Cleveland's main selling point is the extra year. If they refuse to sign and trade he has to go there to get it.

[Dirkenstien]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

Cleveland's main selling point is the extra year. If they refuse to sign and trade he has to go there to get it.

That may work with guys like Joe Johnson who are fighting for their last big contract but when you're talking about someone like Lebron who is both young and an absolute marketing force then that extra year doesn't hold much weight at all. If Cleveland's main selling point is that extra year then they should be preparing for the worst.

I'm not saying he wouldn't want it, just that if Cleveland plans on trying to hamstring him with an "extra year take it or leave it" ultimatum then they may just as well pack his bags for him.

[FreshJive]

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

That may work with guys like Johnson who are fighting for their last big contract but when you're talking about someone like Lebron who is both young and an absolute marketing force then that extra year doesn't hold much weight at all.

I'm not saying he wouldn't want it, just that if Cleveland plans on trying to hamstring him with an "extra year take it or leave it" ultimatum then they may just as well pack his bags for him.

With the new CBA there is no way for him to know how much he might be giving up that year. I'm with you though. It won't change his mind.

[KINGBEEF]

I feel a little better now. You both make good points. Yeah i'm quite sure he's leaving Cleveland, just wondering how we can still pull off one of the biggest transactions that this franchise has ever seen?

[Dirkenstien]

Just as a reference, here is an example where James turned down a more lucrative offer before:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...8848/index.htm

James, the certain No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, signed a seven-year deal with Nike last week. But the 6'8" high school senior from Akron did not go with the company that dangled the most dollars. Nike's offer, which included a $10 million signing bonus and could bring James more than double the reported $90 million if sales goals are met, was more than $15 million lower than a bid by Reebok, according to one shoe-company executive.

Why did James take less cash?

...Both Adidas and Reebok sought to make up for any shortcomings with whopping offers. But the Adidas pitch was based on incentives, leaving Reebok's bid the most lucrative on the table.

...That night James, his family and Goodwin met with Reebok CEO Paul Fireman at an Akron hotel, and Goodwin said James left the meeting "thinking he was going to sign with Reebok."

Yet hours later James had second thoughts. He liked Nike's product best and, according to Goodwin, appreciated its cultivation of "the superstars before him." Around midnight James told Goodwin, "Make the deal with Nike."

If dangling one extra year is all Cleveland has going for them then they're in trouble. Cleveland management ruling out the possibility of working a S&T sounds like a decision based purely on emotion and not reason. Saying it is one thing, but if they actually do refuse to look at S&T possibilities when it comes down to it that would flat out be bad business and could be an indication to Lebron of what kind of people he'd be entrusting his legacy to by resigning.

[FINtastic]

Yeah, this whole deal with Cleveland comes down to leverage. Cleveland is trying to gain leverage by refusing to sign and trade. However, Lebron ultimately holds the keys to the car here. If Lebron can convince Cleveland that he has no intention of resigning, Cleveland's leverage drops to zero, and you better believe that would be willing to sign and trade if the price is right. The key here is he needs an attractive team that he can leave for, and I think he has that in Chicago. If Cleveland tries to play hardball here, I ultimately see Lebron just packing his bags and heading over to the Windy City.

So Cleveland can instead be known as the franchise that let Lebron walk away for nothing.