2009 Free Agency Recap and Potential Signings
Wed, Jul 8, 2009 by Adam Sedie
This past week we have seen Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva join Detroit.
Ron Artest took a pay cut and is hoping to get his first ring playing for the world champion Lakers.
Hedo Turkoglu reneged on a Portland offer, selecting the Raptors instead.
Rasheed Wallace is now alongside Kevin Garnett in Boston.
Trevor Ariza maxed out his contract value and is Houston-bound.
And Finally, Jason Kidd is staying in Dallas instead of going to New York.
The free agent signings become official today, the first day that players are allowed to ink their verbal agreements. There are more deals to come involving free agents, and it is going to be interesting to see where everyone ends up.
We here at Protect the Paint will list some of the rumors/moves involving the available free agents.
REMAINING FREE AGENTS
Odom might be hugging members of the Blazers soon. (Credit: daylife.com)
Lamar Odom doesn’t seem to be thinking repeat. Instead he and his agent want to be shown the money in the neighborhood of $10 million per season. Odom appears to be going the Trevor Ariza route, cashing in elsewhere now that he has the ring. He sacrificed his stats to win and now wants to sign with a team that could offer him a starting position and big bucks. Should have a different address in 2009-10. The Blazers are reportedly interested. Championship experience on an up and coming squad never hurts.
Looks like Miller is heading to Portland. Gives the Blazers the floor general they lacked last season and gives Miller a chance to win. Good match all the way around.
Bass would make a mistake going to Detroit. (Credit: ocregister.com)
Bass could be staying in Dallas, heading to Orlando, or possibly ending up in Detroit. It makes absolutely no sense for him to sign with the Pistons. With rumors circulating of Carlos Boozer being shipped there for Rip Hamilton, and Charlie Villanueva signing a 5-year deal, he would essentially be the third option at power forward. The Magic need help up front. Orlando would be a good fit.
McDyess could get a ring if he heads to San Antonio. (Credit: ugplay.com)
McDyess is leaning towards San Antonio in the most recent rumor involving the veteran which would provide more depth in the Spurs front court. He’s a solid shooter and depenable on the glass averaging 9.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg last year for the Pistons. The Spurs would have a solid 1-2 post punch with McDyess and Tim Duncan giving them the size to contend with the Lakers huge frontline.
Marcin Gortat is going to get paid big bucks this summer. (Credit: mlive.com)
Most likely headed to Dallas. We’ll see how he responds to more minutes and more responsibility. This is a huge loss for Orlando who now have lost the majority of their front line not named Dwight Howard–Tony Battie via the Vince Carter deal, Hedo Turkoglu to free agency, and Gortat. The Magic better hope Ryan Anderson is as good as Pat Williams thinks he will be.
Hill should go to a contender rather than a pretender. (Credit: offsideswithfletcher.com)
There are rumors of Hill heading to the the Knicks. Finally healthy, his game resurfaced playing with Phoenix. He appeared in all 82 games for the Suns last season. It’s unfortunate that he would want to make the move to New York, especially when he could most likely ink himself onto another team with better chances of winning a title. Seems like he and fellow 1994 co-ROY Jason Kidd have more in common then we thought: Take the money, not the chance for a championship ring.
Frye could play minutes that matter for the Cavs. (Credit: nike.com)
Frye is very interested in signing with Cleveland. The guy has been marred with the “wrong place, wrong time” syndrome during his career. He was buried behind David Lee in New York and then behind LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland. If Cleveland loses Anderson Varajao, Frye will have an immediate chance for big minutes at power forward for the Cavs. This is a good opportunity for both sides. Frye has showed he has a lot of game and could be a late bloomer if given the chance.
Similar Posts:
- NBA Trade Market Review
- 2009 NBA Free Agents: Cap Space Talks Or The Free Agents Walk
- NBA Trade Rumors Begin
- Hedo Turkoglu picks Toronto: Pros and Cons
- Free Agent Difference-Maker Antonio McDyess
Odem, who cares? Artest is all that matters now. Although if L.A. loses to may guys to the almighty dollar the team chemistry could go out the window.