LeBron James-Dwayne Wade Showdown: Teammates or Future Rivalry?

Much has been made over the past two years about the Summer of LeBron.  That is, the summer of 2010, when LeBron James becomes an unrestricted free agent, available to any team willing to pay him (and all 30 would be willing to do so).  It is a fairly new idea, however, that both LeBron and Dwyane Wade could play on the same team after the dust from the Summer of LeBron has settled.

First, there is the likelihood that the two would like to play with each other, which is extremely high.  The two reportedly loved the time they spent together during the Olympics in 2008, while mauling teams in a way that hasn't been seen since the gold medal-winning Dream Team of '92. 

Also, the two are arguably the two biggest and most explosive stars that the Eastern Conference boasts annually in the mid-winter NBA All-Star Game.  The two superstars have become very close friends ever since they entered the league together, and you had better believe that they would love nothing more than to win titles together.

Second, there is the question of whether any team would have the resources to sign both superstars to a contract.  When you look at the surface of this question, it seems that both players would demand the maximum amount of money from any team, come contract-signing time.  However, when you take into account the massive endorsements these two would draw from every company imaginable, it wouldn't be crazy to think that they would take less than the maximum in order to form the greatest tandem in sports since Lou Gehrig followed Babe Ruth in pinstripes 80 years ago.

Teams would be chomping at the bit in order to sign both of these superstars, and with the salary dumping that has happened over the past months, there are many teams out there that could sign them.  The Nets' new owner, Russian billionaire, would be willing to spend as much as possible in order to make his team's future the exact opposite of it has been so far this year. 

The Knicks, in all their salary-dumping glory, would obviously be a front-runner to sign them both, because of their ability to both pay them and give them the international stage of Madison Square Garden to perform at. 

The most intriguing team seems to be the LA Clippers.  They have the cap space to sign both of them, if the players were to take a slight pay cut and if the team were to clear a bit more space.  The tandem landing on the red-headed step-child team in L.A. and competing with the Kobe show in the same building would be the most exciting rivalry in the history of basketball, bar none. 

The Clippers could potentially keep Blake Griffin after everything is said and done, possibly creating the most dominant team for the next 15 years and one of the biggest dynasties the NBA has ever seen.

Of course, we will not know a thing until after the NBA Finals, and therefore, we must endure the rumors, hearsay, and theories over the next six months.  There is the possibility that most of the free agent superstars will stay put and not much will change in the NBA landscape. 

If all does not stay at the status quo, however, then look out for the most exciting offseason and one of the most intense seasons to follow this one.  Hold on to your hats, cool cats, because this sport is about to get a lot more interesting.