The Knicks left yesterday’s meeting with LeBron James feeling pretty good about their chances of landing the King. Today they’ll meet with two other superstars – Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But while Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni are waiting on the big names, the second-tier free agents have been signing deals.
The biggest contract of the first day went to Rudy Gay, who re-upped with the Grizzlies for a five-year max deal. That signing was a surprise; most expected one of the big-money teams that misses out on LeBron to sign Gay away from Memphis.
Channing Frye will be returning to the Suns after agreeing to a five-year, $30 million deal. Frye emerged as one of the NBA’s top three-point shooters at the center position last season, and might have been a good fit in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Another big man – Toronto’s Amir Johnson – got a similar deal to return to the Raptors.
Milwaukee was one of the most active teams on day one, locking up veteran forward Drew Gooden to a five-year, $32 million deal and getting close on an extension with swingman John Salmons. Those acquisitions – and the trade for high-priced forward Corey Maggette – make it pretty clear: the Bucks think they’re poised to become one of the top teams in the East. And with Brandon Jennings a year older and Andrew Bogut back from injury, they might be right.
The biggest head-scratcher was the four-year, $20 million deal that Minnesota’s David Kahn gave to ex-Knick Darko Milicic. Kahn is unpredictable – last year’s draft night run on point guards is just one example – but no one expected him to lock up the incredibly unproductive Milicic to a long-term deal.
Who’s next? Paul Pierce reportedly has an offer on the table to return to the Celtics for four years. And the Lakers are talking to another name that has been associated with the Knicks, three-point specialist Mike Miller.
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