LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh Look to Future, May See Other Teams

The 2009-2010 NBA season is creeping closer, but shrewd NBA executives are already eyeing the cream of next summer’s free agent crop. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh become unrestricted free agents after the season, and though each player holds an option to add another year to his contract, the players will likely sign the biggest contracts of their careers between now and the beginning of 2010-11 season.  

Their teams would be crazy to let Bosh, Wade, or James go. But if players like Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can resurface in another city after bringing a championship banner to their former teams, anything is possible for this generation of impact players.

Cleveland’s James and Miami’s Wade are the best players in their franchises’ histories, while Bosh is second only to Vince Carter in Toronto’s annals. All three players are perennial All-Stars and were teammates on the 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning United States men’s basketball team. Their future destinations could shake up the NBA standings, especially in the Eastern Conference.

Various factors such as the team’s record, player performance, and team chemistry will help determine if the player signs a lucrative deal to stay with the team, takes the option for 2010-11, is traded midseason in 2009-10, or is part of an offseason move in 2010.

Numbers crunchers will surely inspect luxury taxes, salary caps, and the wisdom of signing any player to a long-term deal in this economy. However, the Cavaliers, Heat, and Raptors will undoubtedly use every tactic to keep the centerpieces of their franchises in the city that they’ve played their entire NBA careers.

Cleveland has already made several efforts to placate James and help bring the city an elusive NBA title. After adding All-Star point guard Mo Williams in 2008, the Cavs added All-Star center and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal in 2009.

James, an Ohio native who’s the highest-paid athlete in the NBA with his many endorsements, is probably the most likely to member of the trio to remain with his current team—especially if the Cavs win the title in 2010.

The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets could have plenty of cap space available to bring the King to the biggest market in the country, but James might not fit in well with head coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offensive system with the Knicks.

The Nets—who plan to move to Brooklyn—are partially owned by hip-hop superstar Jay-Z, one of James well-known friends in high places who would definitely love to add one of the best all-around players in the NBA to New York’s new NBA franchise and help satiate basketball-hungry fans in the Big Apple.

The Toronto Raptors will have to make a very competitive offer to keep a good player north of the border. Bosh is a young, talented player who may not have reached his prime, but the Raptors traded seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady in 2000 and eight-time All-Star Vince Carter in 2004.

The franchise even witnessed the exit of popular forward Morris Peterson, another first-round pick who holds the team’s record for games played (542).

Toronto has put forth a tremendous effort to keep Bosh in Canada, acquiring versatile, 6’10” Hedo Turkoglu, drafting a high-scoring perimeter player in 6’7” DeMar DeRozan, and adding Jarrett Jack, a point guard who played with Bosh at Georgia Tech. A return to the postseason in 2010 after missing the playoffs in 2009 would go a long way in encouraging Bosh to remain with the Raptors.

The Heat’s Wade has been the most vociferous concerning his free agent status in 2010, and the Chicago native should get plenty of attention from the Bulls, Knicks and Nets. If James stays with the Cavs, the Heat may be more likely to lose the Wade in 2010. Wade led the NBA in scoring in 2008-09, averaging 30.2 points per game last season and has led the team to the playoffs five of the six seasons he’s been in Miami.

The Heat should be in the best financial position to keep their superstar and may have more incentive to keep Wade because, unlike James and Bosh, Wade has brought a NBA title to Miami.

Things could get interesting very quickly if one of the players becomes disgruntled or one of the teams falls out of contention by the midpoint of the season. Potentially, one team could keep its best player and add another’s team’s leader to their squad, too.

After an extremely busy offseason in 2009, don’t expect teams to play it safe in 2010.