Amar'e Stoudemire Staying Put, How Does This Impact Chris Bosh's Future?

The NBA season has already hit the month of February, with playoffs in near sight. And even though it is nearly four months away, the summer of 2010 can only come faster for most of the league.

The anticipation of this year's free agency has loomed for the past three years, with the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, along with many other primed superstars testing the waters for a top contract.

Thus far, the Nets and Knicks started their hunt this past offseason, continuing to free cap space and look forward to making a splash in a few months.

Rumors are what we can go by as of now, but with most of these stars ready to opt out of their contracts, we will have to wait to see what plays out in the future.

However, on Thursday a quite surprising decision was made by potential 2010 free agent Amar'e Stoudemire: he is staying in Phoenix.

According to reports, Stoudemire has decided to pick up his option for next year with the team, a surprising event to say the least.

Last year it looked as if the future with the Suns was bleak for Amar'e, who had a falling out with the coaching staff, along with the front office.

However, as usual winning changes everything, and instead of entering this year's sweepstakes, he will take another year to decide whether or not his future lies with the Suns.

This news impacts the free agency greatly, especially for forward Chris Bosh, who is likely to leave the Toronto Raptors this offseason.

If you're the average NBA fan, you may not look at Bosh as the player he is praised for, being an all-star on both sides of the ball.

But it is a positive that, up to this point in his career, he has not had any detrimental issues with the team.

Bosh has not disappointed thus far in the '09-'10 season, averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds.

The likelihood of Bosh remaining in Toronto this season was unlikely, especially with the money Toronto has spent over the past few offseasons.

The dream of many of the franchises is to add two all-stars from this year's crop of free agents, specifically Chris Bosh with a LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, who would really change the momentum of any team.

However, due to Stoudemire remaining with the Suns, Bosh will get one of the bigger contracts in free agency, probably being the second highest after LeBron James.

Why? Simply because Bosh is now the only star-caliber forward that is worth the price.

He brings both sides of the ball to the court every night, and if another piece can be brought alongside him in the offseason, he may sniff at an opportunity in the postseason.

If I was Bosh, I would send Amar'e a very nice gift immediately, as Bosh will receive one of the highest paid contracts for a forward we have seen in recent memory.

Matt Miselis is a writer for BleacherReport.com. Though he writes about every sport, his main articles are NFL related, which includes an NFL Draft Blog at NFL Touchdown.com. Follow Miselis on twitter: twitter.com/MattMiselis