Does anyone here actually think they WON'T all end up back with the Heat? Already tired of hearing about all their options.

No, but I do think the Heat's run of "automatic berth to the Finals" is probably over.

If Bosh and Wade give up $5 million per year, let Lebron get the max, then I think they will sign some players around them that will more resemble their 1-2 years in Miami. They got old pretty quickly in year 3-4.

Then 2-3 years from now they will be in the same position again.

I'm starting to believe that Bosh and Wade with restructure enough for Miami to pick up Gasol and another player for cheap. I think that pickup makes them the favorite out of the east again next year (Don't be fooled though. They're the favorite out of the east even without Gasol and as bad as Wade has been).

But yeah, in 2-3 years Gasol would be 35-36 and so would Wade. Wade will be pretty much done at that point. I think if they can manage to pull those kinds of pieces in, Lebron signs for 2 years with a player option for the 3rd year.

Lebron won't take max, either

Done deal, I've already heard from Laker fans. The great one is reloading.

I hesitate to post this picture, as it may be considered porn (at least for Laker fans).

Ugh, that would be awful.

Has anyone been labeled as the favorite for the Lakers job? I can't imagine free agents wanting to go there until a head coach is announced, right?

I don't even think Wade is worth $10mm at this point.

They all need to take significantly less if they want to have the three of them and 4 decent role players around them.

I am surprised that they got Haslem to opt out of his 5mm contract. Haslem is a vet min guy now. If he gets a front office job, you will never convince me that they aren't paying him out on the back end.

I think Heat will stay together, but it will be a shorter term deal for LeBron.

They got Napier for Bron at PG. Not sure they really want Cole/Chalmers with how worthless they both were in the playoffs. But they still need a good wing, they need three point shooting other than Ray Allen and they need to figure out what they are doing with their post positions.

They'll stay, get Lowry, and a big, keep Ray, and be back in the finals next year

After this past year, I'd love that picture but they'd be over the cap with those three alone (and be horrible defensively).

Bryant is almost half the cap by himself. His contract is on par with some of Isiah Thomas's greatest hits. It's just another in a long, long line of actions that prove he doesn't care about winning.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 6/30/2014 11:54a).]

Duncan, Manu and Parker combined made less than Kobe Bryant last year.

So the word is Lebron is wanting a max contract. That limits Lebron's options to a handful of teams and definitely makes the Heat the likely scenario.

I would be kind of surprised if Wade and Bosh were fine with taking a significant paycut while Lebron gets more money. It's one thing if they all share the pain to bring in a title home, but its quite another to "do as i say, not as I do." Wade is old and probably willing to extend for more dollars but over a longer career to lower the cap and stay with his original team, but I am a bit surprised Bosh is willing to take less while still in his pime.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if a good team could lure Bosh away with a better offer. He could go to the Mavs, Rockets or Clips and immediately get paid more and have as good or better a chance to win a title as the Heat.

Even so, Wade was going to get 43mm in two years.

Even if they give Wade the only 5-year contract, how much more makes it worth it? After those two years, he is probably a MLE-level player, so you have to assume he gets 5.5/6/6.5 or so.

So do you think Wade takes a 60mm/5y contract? That basically breaks even on getting his old contract + 3y MLE deal.

And 12mm/year still overpays him.

Bosh could likely get more in two years. He is still just 30 and his main game is being a stretch 4, so shooting mid range shots while doing little else will age well, just ask Karl Malone.

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. It's just another in a long, long line of actions that prove he doesn't care about winning.

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In fairness to Kobe, that was the first deal the Lakers offered. That craptastic contract is on Jim Buss as much as anyone. I do agree that Kobe should be intelligent enough to ask how they were going to be able to put together a team if he's making that salary and offer to take less though.

That's kind of the thing... I think Bryant is too smart to be excused for his actions on and off the court. He knows exactly what he is doing and he has tremendous influence over the Lakers organization.

He is 100% about being The Man. Winning comes a distant second to his personal glory.

[This message has been edited by Ulrich (edited 6/30/2014 1:38p).]

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So do you think Wade takes a 60mm/5y contract?

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Would suck for the Heat. They would end up falling victim to the over 36 rule in the CBA.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2013/10/31/the-nba-rule-that-may-make-dwyane-wades-free-agency-more-interesting-than-lebrons/

I honestly get the feeling that LeBron is satisfied with his two rings, and now is just really looking to cash in more than getting another one.

Now, I'm not saying he doesn't care about winning, but I am saying that, in my personal opinion, he no longer has that hunger/fire/competitiveness he had in 2010, the one that other superstars still had well after their first few rings. (Kobe, Duncan, Jordan, etc.)

My $0.02.

[This message has been edited by Brian Earl Spilner (edited 6/30/2014 1:52p).]

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quote:

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. It's just another in a long, long line of actions that prove he doesn't care about winning.

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In fairness to Kobe, that was the first deal the Lakers offered. That craptastic contract is on Jim Buss as much as anyone. I do agree that Kobe should be intelligent enough to ask how they were going to be able to put together a team if he's making that salary and offer to take less though.

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There is no one to put around Kobe. The Lakers need to be patient until they can stack the deck again in 2016.

LeBron is definitely NOT satisfied with just two rings. That is just silly.

Here is my criticism for LeBron during free agency.

Since his time in Cleveland, when he is a free agent, whether RFA or UFA, his delay in making a decision is hurting the franchises in recruiting FA's. These other guys that are going to make up the surrounding pieces can't be put in place until LeBron commits.