- As the NBA 2009 free agency period opens, there are several key players up for grab.
- With the economy on the skids, many GMs have been tight with their teams’ money, waiting for the big 2010 possibilities, one of the richest in free agent history.
- The free agency period in 2009 still has many key players ready to take a check.
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This is a list of the top 10 free agents in the NBA in the summer of 2009:
1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers.
The best player in the league, coming off his most effective season and an NBA Finals Championship. The free agency period will begin and end quickly for Bryant, though, who has said he plans on staying with the Lakers. Expect a 5-year contract in the $134 million range.
2. Carlos Boozer. Utah Jazz.
One of the better power forwards in recent years, he has taken the Karl Malone role over for the Jazz as Deron Williams has been doing his best John Stockton. Still, Boozer will opt out and could sign for big money or elsewhere.
1. Heido Turkoglu. Orlando Magic.
A washout 4 years ago when he joined the Magic, Heido has been reborn in the Sunshine State. The 2007-2008 season was his best in the league, winning the Most Improved Player in the league award and averaging almost 20 points per game. This year he lead the young Magic team, more than any other player, into the NBA Finals and continued to put up big numbers. The smart money says he stays where he has seen the most success.
4. Ben Gordon. Chicago Bulls.
The free agency period of 2009 will probably see Gordon as the biggest star to leave his team. The top-flight scorer and mediocre defender has had a contentious relationship with the Bulls since they drafted him. Though he is a offense machine, his slight size has kept him as a sixth man and that is a tough position to pay big money for. Hello, Detroit.
5. David Lee. New York Knicks.
The only good player on the Knicks is also their top free agent. He’s the one bright spot in the tarnished legacy of Isiah Thomas’s reign as GM for the Knicks. The tireless, high-flying forward has been a quiet worker and new coach D’Antoni would be crazy not to sign him.
6. Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers.
The power forward/strong forward/point guard from Los Angeles probably played his last game in Los Angeles. He had a massive contract thanks to the Pat Riley money machine down in Miami that he never lived up to. A tough matchup for any opposing defender because he is long and quick, he is even a tougher matchup for the Laker’s luxury tax maxed-out budget. In the end, Odom was a great teammate but he can go from dominant to invisible in a dribble. Hello Detroit.
7. Ron Artest. Houston Rockets.
The king of craziness is available again. Known as a player at both ends of the court, he also can’t find his way out of a paper bag off of the court. Constantly in trouble, always ready to distract your team and sometimes ready to play. He helped make Houston a defensive powerhouse but odds are he is in Detroit.
8, 9 and 10. Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.
Nothing alike but these three point guards will be out in the market when the free agency period begins. They are the old bunch with only Nash a fan favorite likely to stay with his current team. Detroit does not want Iverson and Dallas is happy to be done with the Kidd experiment. Ainge in Boston has been happy to make an all star has-been bench in Boston so expect at least one of these faces to end up there.