Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade might be waiting on LeBron James – isn’t everybody? – before making their decisions.
There’s been no indication when James plans to do so, so Cleveland and Miami waited anxiously – as did fans lining up outside James’ Akron, Ohio, home, even while he was in Las Vegas.
Knicks President Phil Jackson was hoping Thursday finally would bring a decision from Anthony.
“But I expected one yesterday and the day before yesterday,” Jackson said at the Knicks’ summer league practice in Las Vegas. “But no, we’re waiting.”
In the meantime, Marcin Gortat and Kyle Lowry signed contracts to remain with their teams, while Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons inked offer sheets that could land them on new ones.
Players and teams have been able to negotiate and agree to deals since July 1, but contracts couldn’t be signed or trades made until Thursday, after the moratorium period ended and next season’s salary cap was set.
Most of the best free agents usually have committed by the time they can sign, though that hasn’t been the case this year, largely because of the holdup caused by Melo and Miami’s “Big 3.”
Bosh may want to wait on word from James to decide whether he wants to remain in Miami. Anthony was perhaps holding out in case there was some way he, too, could end up partnering somewhere with the four-time MVP.
While they wait, so do players such as Luol Deng, Pau Gasol and Lance Stephenson, who are on the next tier of free agents available.
Not everybody is waiting around. Lowry signed his deal to stay in Toronto on Thursday, which Yahoo! Sports previously reported was for $48 million over four years. He had heard from Houston and Miami but liked his situation with the Atlantic Division champions.
“Other teams had some great things, and I think they had pieces that were comparable pieces, but I think the situation that I’m in, the age I’m (at), me being able to lead a team, to lead a team and grow as a person, that was a very big factor in it,” he said.
Gortat is returning to Washington with a contract that will pay him $60 million over five years. The center from Poland posted a picture of himself signing the papers on his Twitter page, writing that it was the “best day of my life!!!”
A couple of other players might be getting their riches, though it will take a few days. Hayward signed an offer sheet with the Charlotte Hornets that would pay him $63 million over four years. The Utah Jazz have three days to match the offer.
Parsons has a three-year, $45-million offer from Dallas, but he also is a restricted free agent that allows the Rockets the same window to match.
The Rockets are one of the teams believed to be considering Bosh if he does opt to leave Miami, which could affect how they deal with Parsons.
They also met with Anthony, whom New York wants to keep. The Knicks offered him the maximum allowable contract, worth nearly $130 million over five years, when they met with him a week ago in Los Angeles, but they still are awaiting word if he is staying put.
“We have alternative plans, Plan B, C, D, E and F, but so far we’re still in Plan A,” Jackson said. “That’s the first kind of kingpin that we have to have in this whole situation.”
Same with the Heat, who risk losing James and maybe more. He met with team President Pat Riley on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but so far there has been no decision. Once he announces his plans, the other top dominoes may quickly fall.
Then, perhaps the deals will start getting done.
Associated Press freelance writer Willie Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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