10 Teams That Might Take On Eddy Curry (and His Cap Friendly Contract)

Eddy Curry's career has become a cautionary tale for young basketball players looking to make the leap to the NBA.

The former No. 4 overall pick has received much more recognition for his antics off the court than on it throughout his NBA career.

As a result of chronic money mismanagement, Curry is facing massive debt and was recently ordered to pay back $1.2 million dollars in loans by a judge.

Despite desperately needing money, Curry has shown little motivation to prove that he is worth anything on the court.

Curry has only played 10 games over the past two seasons.

Once thought to be the next Shaquille O'Neal, Curry is now the laughing stock of a leaugue that includes Ron Artest.

With his production decreasing each year since the 2006-2007 NBA season, Curry's value to a team may not be his ability, but rather his $11.3 million expiring contract.

Regardless, facing massive amounts of debt, Curry will be playing for his career next season.

If he's able to put his physical talents together and be a productive big man, he could see a decent pay day as a free agent next summer.

If he continues on his current course, however, next season may be Eddy Curry's final one in the NBA.

Here's a list of 10 teams that may take a chance on Curry (and his expiring contract) next season.

New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets are always looking to shed salary. It wouldn't be surprising to see them inquire about Curry's contract, er, services.

In exchange for Curry, the Hornets might dump Emeka Okafor's large contract on the Knicks, who need a center.

Even if they don't chase after Curry, the Hornets should be an interesting team to watch on the trade market in coming months.

It appears they're looking to rebuild and may very well move star point guard Chris Paul.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets are a hard nosed type of team that doesn't allow much room for egos.

This would certainly be an interesting situation for Curry to land in.

They're in desperate need for big bodies, and it's not hard to imagine Curry serving as a very capable back up to Yao Ming this upcoming season.

They have plenty of talent to offer the Knicks in exchange for Curry, particularly at the small forward position.

Curry would help the Rockets two-fold.

He would serve as a valued back-up and then, at the conclusion of the season, free up some money for the Rockets so that they may re-sign Yao.

Detroit Pistons

With the Pistons in the process of being sold, Eddy Curry's expiring contract would likely be very appealing.

Two potential targets for the Knicks would be Richard Hamilton, who is still a talent, although an aging one, and Jason Maxiell, a serviceable big man.

If Curry plays motivated for his one season in Detroit, this could be a good deal for the Pistons, and would assist them greatly in their rebuilding efforts.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies may be the best option for Curry if he plans on reviving his NBA career.

The Grizzlies took another troubled former Knick last season in Zach Randolph and turned him into a productive team leader.

With last year's No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet still a few years (or more) away from contributing at the NBA level, Curry could be a valuable presence in Memphis alongside Randolph.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are in need of a big man that's neither skinny nor European. By all accounts, Curry fits the bill.

Curry, if he were to return to his 2006-2007 season form, in which he played 81 games and averaged 19.5 points per game, would make an outstanding high-low combination with Andrea Bargnani.

The Raptors would likely try to ship Hedo Turkoglu to New York in exchange for Curry, as the small forward recently asked to be traded from the club.

Whether the Knicks would jump at the offer to take on the contract of the fading Turk, well, that's another story.

Chicago Bulls

There's no place like home.

Curry, who played his high school ball in Illinois, could possibly be re-united with the Bulls, who have a boatload of cap space.

The New York Daily News reported a story stating that Curry recently met with Lebron James in Ohio to discuss Curry's future, but that Curry was not recruiting Lebron to the Knicks.

Based on the information available, perhaps Curry was giving Lebron some insight on where to buy houses in the greater Chicago-area, or even offered to sell Lebron his $3.2 million mansion that was recently foreclosed on.

It's all speculation, but it is peculiar that the two players who arguably best signify jumping to the NBA, both the good and the bad, would meet to discuss each other's future.

Cleveland Cavaliers

If Lebron bolts from Cleveland, make no mistake that the Cavaliers, who have finished with the best regular season record in the NBA the past two seasons, would be in rebuilding mode.

Curry would certainly bring a good contract to the roster if this is the case.

In addition, with Shaquille O'Neal likely departing, Curry would be a suitable replacement for his production.

Perhaps if Lebron goes to New York, the Knicks would be willing to send Curry to Cleveland, just as a way of saying, "no hard feelings."

Phoenix Suns

The Suns, another team renowned for cutting costs, could look to pick up Curry in an effort to shed salary before their impending rebuilding process.

Phoenix is a talented but aging squad, and their chances at advancing far in the playoffs hinge almost solely on Steve Nash's body holding up.

With former GM Steve Kerr now out of a job, and the Suns in search of a replacement, there's a chance Phoenix may collect as much cap space as possible.

This way, they could re-sign Jason Richardson when he becomes a free-agent next summer, or they may begin to scrap the roster completely and find a new identity.

Without any first round picks in this year's draft, it's unlikely that the re-building effort will begin this off-season, however.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are a young squad heading in the right direction.

They recently acquired Samuel Dalembert in order to gain cap space for next off-season.

It wouldn't be unusual if the Kings sought out Eddy Curry's contract as well, and then became big players on the free agent market in 2011, as they make their push back to relevance.

Tyreke Evans is a unique talent. And with Carl Landry's contract expiring at the end of next season, the Kings are likely going to want some extra cash.

In this scenario, they can re-sign the talented forward to compliment Evans as he develops.

New York Knicks

It's been an unfortunate marriage for Eddy Curry and the Knicks. But hey, what's another year?

With Curry's contract expiring, New York will try to look to trade the troubled player. But ultimately, the two parties may be forced to endure another year together.

Fortunately for the Knicks, Curry will likely be more motivated to perform then ever before, as he will be playing for his livelihood.

Curry has a massive debt to pay-off, and that will be a difficult task if he has no money and no job.

If Curry isn't diving for loose balls on the floor next season, there will be some very unhappy collection agencies around America.