Waiting game: Free agents look to King James for a move as NBA’s signing day arrives
Signing day arrived Thursday in the NBA, though the biggest free agents didn’t rush to grab their pens.
Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh 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 Miami and Cleveland waited anxiously.
Knicks President Phil Jackson was hoping Thursday would finally bring a decision from Anthony.
In the meantime, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry and Washington’s Marcin Gortat signed contracts to remain with their teams, while Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward inked offer sheets that could land them on new ones.
Teams and players could 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 have usually committed by the time they can sign, though that hasn’t been the case this year, largely because of the holdup caused by Miami’s Big Three and Anthony.
Meanwhile, players such as Pau Gasol, Lance Stephenson, Luol Deng and Paul Pierce are on the next tier of free agents available.
Gortat is returning to Washington for $60 million over five years.
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 Houston has the same window to match.