The Most Fascinating Storylines of 2013 NBA Free Agency

The NBA offseason is an undeniably intriguing period, and few parts are more fascinating than free agency.

As is always the case, a number of storylines have already emerged. Twenty of them, in fact. 

From players with seemingly limitless options to options on contracts to rebuilding projects, players and teams alike must make plenty of decisions. Each and every one of them will shape the NBA landscape for the foreseeable future, and what could be more fascinating than that? 

I can't wait to find out where Chris Paul and Dwight Howard end up. What will Monta Ellis and Andre Iguodala choose to do with their contracts? 

Have we seen the last of Paul Pierce in a Boston Celtics jersey? What about Manu Ginobili in his San Antonio Spurs threads?

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to find out.  

The Chris Paul Dilemma

Let's go ahead and start off with a bang. 

The NBA's third-best player is an unrestricted free agent, and plenty of teams are going to come calling. Chris Paul may very well end up right back where he started, with the Los Angeles Clippers, but that's by no means his only option. 

So far, the Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets have emerged as major suitors, and each franchise has pros and cons associated with it. That won't be it, though. 

Other teams will surely emerge once the moratorium lifts and teams can actually conduct official business. 

It's not often that one of the league's marquee players gets to pick and choose where he goes, but that's the situation CP3 finds himself in. And wherever he goes, that team will immediately be converted into a contender. 

Dwightmare Part 2

If Chris Paul is free agent 1A, then Dwight Howard is free agent 1B. 

Just like CP3, Dwight is the class of his position when fully healthy. He may have suffered through a rough patch during the 2012-13 season, but he was still one of the league's more dominant players while playing through injuries and constant upheaval. 

Last offseason, NBA fans were tormented by D12's indecision, and the process was eventually dubbed the "Dwightmare." Well, now we have the Dwightmare Part 2. 

Howard's indecision may be infuriating, but it's fascinating as well. He has the ability to single-handedly transform a franchise and alter the landscape of the entire NBA. 

Just as was the case with Paul, Howard already has a number of suitors, namely the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. 

This is one of those storylines that you can't help but pay attention to. 

What Does Danny Ferry Do with the Atlanta Hawks?

When Danny Ferry sat down in his armchair after joining the Atlanta Hawks, he probably took a look at the roster and laughed, just knowing that he was going to blow it up. 

Shortly thereafter, Joe Johnson was gone, traded to the Brooklyn Nets for a bunch of expiring contracts. Directly after that, it was Marvin Williams' turn to depart, this time across the country to the Utah Jazz. And with just a few phone calls, Ferry had given the Hawks a tabula rasa. 

Atlanta has only five players on the roster: Al Horford, Lou Williams, John Jenkins, DeShawn Stevenson and Mike Scott. The last two don't even have guaranteed contracts, so the Hawks could potentially go into the offseason with under $20 million on the books for 2013-14. 

That means that this beleaguered franchise has the ability to chase any two free agents of its choosing. Ferry could attempt to retain both Josh Smith and Jeff Teague, free agents of the unrestricted and restricted varieties, respectively. 

Or he could shoot for the stars and attempt to bring Dwight Howard and Chris Paul together. 

Anything can happen during free agency, and that statement rings true more for the Hawks than any other franchise. 

Boston Celtics Entering Rebuilding Mode?

Could we have seen the last of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in Boston Celtics uniforms? 

Pierce has spent his entire professional career wearing green—a rather dramatic difference from the colors worn by the Kansas Jayhawks—but it may be time for him to don some new threads. There's a solid chance that Danny Ainge chooses to buy out Pierce's contract, allowing him to join a contender on a much lower salary. 

If Pierce leaves, KG will too. And while The Big Ticket may not have spent all his days with the C's, he's very much a crucial member of this squad and a favorite of the fanbase. 

Garnett wants to play the rest of his career alongside Pierce, so any buyout that leaves Pierce out of the future plans will result in a second buyout. Once KG is gone, he'll either retire or follow Pierce to a new team. 

No decisions would signal an entry into rebuilding mode more clearly. Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green would become the premier players in Beantown, and there would be enough money to lure in someone new. 

Carlos Boozer and the Amnesty Clause

Carlos Boozer and the amnesty clause have occupied the same sentence on more than a few occasions, but Gar Forman still hasn't pulled the trigger. 

This offseason could be the time to do so, as letting Boozer and Rip Hamilton go would free up enough cap space to go after a more effective player. Plus, Taj Gibson would just step into the lineup and thrill Tom Thibodeau with his defensive efforts. 

Here's a hidden secret that was disguised by Boozer's gaudy scoring numbers: The Chicago Bulls were much worse when he was on the court. 

And, according to NBA.com's statistical databases, this isn't just isolated to defense, the area in which everyone knows Boozer struggles. 

With Boozer on the court, the Bulls scored 99.3 and allowed 102 points per 100 possessions. That's good for a minus-2.7 differential. 

However, when the bald-headed big man took a seat on the pine, Chicago scored 102.5 and allowed 97.4 points per 100 possessions. The resulting 5.1 point differential is significantly better. 

It's time to pull the plug on Boozer's massive contract, but will Forman actually do it?

Does Greg Oden Get a Shot?

Stop me if you've heard this before, but Greg Oden is looking like he could be a dominant big man in the NBA. 

As reported by Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, Ohio State draft prospect Deshaun Thomas said the following about the former Buckeye: 

"

Man, he looks unbelievable. He's running. He's lifting weights. You might be seeing a comeback. He looks like he's ready to go. He's running, getting in shape. I'll tell you one thing. For a big 7-footer that's all he does, running and getting in shape. He's looking right.

"

Based on his school, Thomas might be a little biased, but how can you not be intrigued by Oden's attempted return to the Association? Ever since he was drafted one spot ahead of Kevin Durant, his career has been cursed. 

One injury has followed another, and despite Oden's impressive contributions when he's actually on the court, he's become a massive draft bust. 

The big man hasn't played since 2009, but could we see him make a return? And, perhaps more importantly, how good will he be? 

Color me intrigued. 

Andre Iguodala's Early Termination Option

Andre Iguodala is set to make $16 million by staying with the Denver Nuggets for the 2013-14 season before hitting free agency, but he hasn't shown any indication as to whether he'll do so. The swingman's contract possesses an early termination option, and he could become an unrestricted free agent this year rather than next. 

Even though he'd be leaving a lot of money on the table, Iggy is at least considering opting out. There are pros and cons to each decision. 

If he does forgo the money in favor of free agency, he'd make more money than he would next year. Iguodala is only 29 years old, so he hasn't yet passed that 30-year-old milestone that makes some general managers steer clear. 

He's also coming off a terrific postseason showing, one in which he displayed his two-way skills over and over. It's tough for his stock to be higher than it is right now. 

However, Iggy is already in a great situation. 

The Nuggets would have been strong contenders for the title this postseason had Danilo Gallinari not torn his ACL, and they'll be in even better shape during 2013-14 if Iguodala returns. There's depth across the board, and a number of young players are improving rather quickly. 

So, will Iguodala choose the money or the situation? It's the age-old free-agency question, and it's always intriguing. 

Who Does Daryl Morey Go After?

Daryl Morey, as Foreigner might say, has stars in his eyes. 

He found one when he traded Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb to the Oklahoma City Thunder for James Harden, but he's not done looking for max-level players. The bearded shooting guard is a great player—a top-10 one in fact—but he can't carry the Houston Rockets to a title. 

Houston looked like it was a piece away during the 2013 postseason, and there are a number of routes Morey could explore to find the missing one. 

He could attempt to sign either Chris Paul or Dwight Howard, and Adrian Wojnarowski is already reporting that Morey is willing to trade away Thomas Robinson for more cap space to do exactly that. 

Morey could also sign a second-tier free agent like Josh Smith, but that option probably seems less appealing to him. 

As the Rockets have proven year in and year out, they're willing to do anything to get their hands on the league's best players. If that means incessant calls and constant player movement, so be it. 

Andrew Bynum in General

What new hairstyles will Andrew Bynum try next? 

Is he going to improve his bowling stroke? I've always wondered if the big man, much like myself, throws the ball right down the center of the lane, or if he is one of those fancy bowlers who puts spin on the ball. 

Will he even practice basketball? 

All jokes aside, Bynum is one of the more intriguing free agents out there because we have no idea where he'll go or how good he'll be once he arrives there. 

Much to the chagrin of the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase, he could very well return to the Sixers. But he could also go just about anywhere else. There's no point in even speculating right now, because the possibilities are virtually endless. 

Bynum hasn't played in a full season because of his balky knees, but he was quite dominant during his final year with the Los Angeles Lakers. Can he regain that form, or is he doomed to always play at a lesser level?

Indiana Pacers Must Bring Back David West

David West was a major part of the Indiana Pacers' success during the 2012-13 season. 

Paul George captured all the headlines, and deservedly so, but the team would have bowed out of the playoffs far earlier if not for West's two-way impact. He's a relentless and physical defender with a surprisingly effective finesse game on the other end of the court. 

But now West is an unrestricted free agent, and the whole league knows just how valuable he is. During the New Orleans Hornets portion of his career, West labored away in obscurity, but he's risen to the forefront of national attention with the Pacers. 

West will get a lot of calls from teams around the league hoping to swipe him away from that mustard-colored uniform, but Indiana must re-sign him to avoid a significant drop-off in the Eastern Conference standings. 

Los Angeles Lakers' Options

What in the world are the Los Angeles Lakers going to do during the offseason? 

They have far too much to worry about, and it all starts with Dwight Howard. Re-signing the big man is the primary goal of the free-agency period, but that can't be the sole focus of L.A.'s attention. 

Metta World Peace has an early termination option, one that the Purple and Gold hope he'll use. The Lakers also possess a team option on Jodie Meeks' contract, and the amnesty clause could be used on Pau Gasol, Steve Blake, World Peace or *gasp* Kobe Bryant, his non-functioning Achilles and his ginormous contract. 

To compound that, the eight players under contract—MWP and Meeks included—are already on the books for just under $80 million. There is no such thing as financial flexibility for the Lakers, yet they still need to seriously upgrade the roster in order to stay competitive. 

Mitch Kupchak needs to get creative during the offseason, and I can't wait to see how he approaches everything. 

How Much Does the NBA Value Defense?

I might be in the minority here, but Tony Allen is one of the five most intriguing players in this free-agency class—along with Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala and Monta Ellis—simply because the way the NBA handles the pursuit of him will tell us a boatload about the value of defense. 

An offensive specialist gets a lot of attention, but a defensive stopper often flies under the radar. Last time I checked, though, defense was half of basketball. 

Literally. Half. 

It doesn't get better than Allen in terms of perimeter defense. Interior defense might be more valuable than the outside variety, but Allen's ability to shut down a backcourt member can significantly impact a game. 

The Memphis Grizzlies will be looking to bring back this unrestricted free agent, but how expensive will he get?

The Milwaukee Bucks Backcourt

The Milwaukee Bucks employed an insanely talented backcourt with shockingly little chemistry during the 2013-13 campaign. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis just never seemed to mesh, and now it's looking like John Hammond needs to pick one or the other. 

Jennings is a restricted free agent, so no matter how much he falls in love with a different franchise, Milwaukee ultimately controls his fate.

Ellis, on the other hand, holds the cards for his offseason. He's on the books for $11 million, but he could choose to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. 

Personally, I'd stick with Jennings over Ellis. The southpaw is younger, more talented and has a higher ceiling. 

But, word out of the Bucks camp is that they'd prefer to retain Ellis and bring back J.J. Redick, an unrestricted free agent in his own right. 

Milwaukee could go in a number of different directions, and they're all fascinating. 

Do the Minnesota Timberwolves Stay Together?

The Minnesota Timberwolves were poised to earn one of the final spots in the Western Conference postseason picture, but only before the season actually started. Once the injury imp had her say, things turned out a bit differently. 

David Stern should conduct a locker-room search for anyone who stayed healthy in a Minnesota jersey, because they must be doing something to cheat. The injuries were that bad. 

However, the future is still bright for this team, especially after Derrick Williams started to look like a productive NBA player toward the end of the season. Now, they're poised once more to make the playoffs, but only if they can keep the roster together. 

Andrei Kirilenko could turn down his eight-figure salary, spurning the T'Wolves for a shot at playing on a title-contending roster rather than a playoff-contending one, and Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger are both restricted free agents. 

Bringing back Pek is the bigger concern, because the big man's hulking physical play and bull-in-a-china-shop mentality were so crucial to the success Minnesota did manage to experience. 

If Kevin Love returns to his pre-injury form and all the other pieces fall into place, the Wolves will be one of the most entertaining teams in the league. Talk about a League Pass squad. 

Bottom-Feeders and Up-and-Comers with Money to Spend

I'm going to lump the Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns into a single slide. 

All of these teams have a significant amount of cap space available, and they all have different expectations for the 2013-14 campaign. Every single one of them would love to land a big-name free agent, but there's one major problem. 

How do you convince a player to come join one of these franchises when there's a more attractive option elsewhere? No matter how much money a team has at its discretion, it still has to convince the player in question to actually accept a salary. 

The Pelicans are the best option among these teams, but even NOLA isn't the most appealing locale for a star looking for a new home. 

Oklahoma City Thunder's Quest to Find the 4th Piece

There are three mainstays on the Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. 

As long as that trio is playing for the franchise, the Thunder are sure to be in the playoff picture. However, they might not ever win a title without the right fourth piece, and they blew their shot at keeping James Harden into the future by trading him to the Houston Rockets prior to the start of the 2012-13 season.

Kevin Martin was the replacement, and we still don't know if he could be the fourth piece. He was forced into the role of the third piece when Russell Westbrook went down, and that didn't suit him or the Thunder so well.

Now K-Mart is an unrestricted free agent, and OKC has to decide between three options. Sam Presti could choose to pursue Martin, seeking to bring him back and give him another shot. He could also look elsewhere in the free-agent market, or he could seek an internal solution. Jeremy Lamb, maybe?

Presti is one of the more intelligent people working in NBA front offices. If anyone can figure out what to do, it's him. 

One mistake, even a big one like losing the bearded shooting guard, doesn't change that. 

Can the Portland Trail Blazers Find a Starting Center?

The Portland Trail Blazers are looking to take the next step, and they can do so in one of two ways. Either they find a better center, or they significantly upgrade their bench. 

Or both, I guess, but there's not enough money to realistically do so. 

J.J. Hickson was serviceable at the 5 for the Blazers, but he wasn't a true difference-maker. I'm glad to see Hickson finally making good on his potential and doing away with the inconsistency that plagued the early portion of his career, but he's a glamorized role player. 

Portland can do better, and it'll be looking to add a more offensively talented center to take some of the pressure off Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. 

Doing so in the draft—Kelly Olynyk, anyone?—is one way to approach the situation, but there are centers to be had in free agency. 

How Does New Ownership Impact the Future of Tyreke Evans?

The Sacramento Kings have three restricted free agents to worry about—Toney Douglas, James Johnson and Tyreke Evans—but one of them is significantly more important than the other two. I'll let you guess which one. 

Evans' situation is complicated by the new ownership of the franchise. The group led by Vivek Ranadive has no reason to be loyal to him, but it could also be blown away by his talent and upside. 

Throughout his time with the Kings, Evans has been mishandled. He enjoyed a historic rookie season but never reached that level again as Sacramento bounced him around between the 1, 2 and 3. There's been no consistency, and the whole situation was rather unfortunate. 

Not all the blame lies with the Kings, though. Evans hasn't improved his jumper whatsoever, and he's still almost entirely limited to slashing and attacking the rim relentlessly. 

A new situation would do him wonders, but it might be hard to get started. After all, he's controlled by the Kings still, and the team is stuck between rebuilding and working around Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. 

Do the San Antonio Spurs Finally Part Ways?

One of the most consistent sights in the NBA over the last decade has been Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker striding down the court together. That could all change during the 2013 offseason, and it could inspire tears from more than a few NBA fans. 

Manu is an unrestricted free agent, and there's no telling whether he'll be back. Duncan could walk off into the sunset, especially if the San Antonio Spurs win the title, and he'd do so as both a top-10 player of all time and the best player of his generation. 

How strange would it be if Tony Parker was the only member of the Big Three under the supervision of Gregg Popovich? 

The offseason intrigue doesn't end with the stars, though. Tiago Splitter will be a free agent, and San Antonio must decide whether or not to bring him back. 

There could be a lot of turmoil in San Antonio, but, as always, you have to trust the Spurs management to make the right decisions. Whatever happens, I won't be questioning them. 

The Utah Jazz's Youth Movement

Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, the two best players on the Utah Jazz during the 2012-13 campaign, are both unrestricted free agents this offseason. Each could return to Salt Lake City, or neither could. 

What the Utah brass decide to do will tell us a lot about their feelings concerning the young frontcourt players. 

Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors have been waiting for their opportunities, and they could finally move into the starting lineup for good if both Jefferson and Millsap leave. Are they ready? What are their ceilings? 

We don't really have a way of answering those questions yet, and the Jazz management might not either. But they'll have to figure it out soon enough. 

When they do, we will as well.