Power to the Players: NBA Free Agency Like You've Never Seen it Before

I understand that free agency in any sport means that players can go wherever they want, usually to the highest bidder. But with the NBA’s maximum contract rule, things are a little different.

Yes it’s still about the money, but this time around, it's not the players who are worried about it.

There are four or five players that will most definitely make a maximum money deal in 2010: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudamire and Chris Bosh are locks to make max money. And if Joe Johnson keeps up the scoring, he’ll be there too.

Now we’ve already seen a series of teams try to structure their salaries now so that next year they can sign anyone they please. But I can’t remember a time, ever, where the element of getting a big player has had this much control over the entire league. In fact, we are even witnessing all of the big names’ current teams in a massive panic.

Most recently in Miami, Pat Riley made a preliminary offer to Wade but said publicly that the Heat couldn’t continue to add more pieces until they had a commitment from Wade. Wade replied more or less by saying, “Well bud, that doesn’t work for me. So get me a competitive team or I’m bailing."

Toronto just made their biggest free agent signing in franchise history in signing Hedo Turkgolu. And you have to think that Bosh was on the back of Colangelo’s mind when that move was made.

Stoudamire has frequently expressed his desire to be the main player, and Suns have just completely dismantled their team in order to get the ball to him more.

Johnson just watched the Hawks re-sign Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia, meaning that they are serious about winning now, too.

And of course there is the Cleveland Cavaliers organization, which had given its team a radical face lift for the second consecutive offseason; obviously looking to keep LeBron James happy.

Despite the radical changes happening throughout the league, I urge you to think about all of these signings and trades a little differently than you normally would. Yes it’s still about the money, but this time around, it's not the players who are worried about it.

You can’t really call any of these players greedy because the bottom line is they are all going to make the exact same amount of money from whatever teams sign them. All of these players want to win a championship, and all of their potential suitors are trying to honor that.

That is where the money kicks in.

The NBA is suffering badly from this recession and a lot of teams know that if they don’t make a serious push soon, they are going to be in serious financial trouble. As we already learned this year, 35 percent of the league’s franchises are already hemorrhaging money as it is.

So the financial riddle in the NBA goes as follows:

1) Every team has the exact same amount of money to spend

2) You can’t pay one specific player more than a certain amount of money

3) With the exception of about four big markets, the financial well being of your team is at stake if your team isn’t successful

4) There are five players who next summer have the potential to revitalize your entire city.

I defy you to find any period in basketball history where the start had this much power. And the blessing is that it has nothing to do with money. For those of you non-believers out there, competitive basketball in America is back.