NBA Free Agency Primer: Quiet Weekend…?

Jun 15, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat forward

(6) and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra react on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

I am not sure if you heard, but a few things happened regarding NBA Free Agency this weekend, so let’s do a quick recap and talk about LeBron James…again.

• The King is going home as LeBron James announced in a letter to SI.com that he is going to Cleveland. People in the streets hailed this decision and I give him a lot of credit also, but can we stop pretending that his letter should be placed next to the Magna Carta?!?! It was a good letter, he wrote 12% of it maybe? Let’s keep it in the pants…(Also let’s make sure he is in Cleveland for more than one or two seasons…)
• Carmelo Anthony reached a max-deal with the New York Knicks and will suffer through one more middling season before Phil Jackson can help him with new talent around him. It will be interesting to see what the Knicks do after next season and who will want to join Melo in his personal quest to bring a title to the Garden (only nine years left!).
• In a shocking decision, Chris Bosh got offered a max-deal for a lot of money from the Miami Heat, who also brought in Luol Deng to “replace” King James. Bosh must really not have wanted to go to his home state and must love Miami more than anyone not named Dwyane Wade.
• The Chicago Bulls didn’t go away empty-handed like the usually do, making a major signing in Pau Gasol for three years, $22 million. Gasol and Joakim Noah should make scoring easier for the Chicago guards, but they still lack great shooting. Maybe Doug McDermott’s summer league performance can earn him some playing time, standing in a corner.
• Houston traded Jeremy Lin to the Los Angleles Lakers. Remember when Kobe Bryant ask who Lin was? Well now the answer is, “the guy I yell at after his 9 assist, eight turnover performances.”
• So far, Mike Miller is the first old fella to follow James to Cleveland, signing with the Cavs instead of Denver, who he was reported to be near a deal with about a week ago. Mike Miller, saving the Nuggets money better spent on whoever replaces Aaron Afflalo a year or two from now.
• Houston was also busy swapping small forwards as they let Chandler Parsons walk to Dallas, and signed Trevor Ariza. It will be interesting to see how Parsons fits in that Mavericks lineup, but also interesting to see how Houston reacts when they realize Ariza is their small forward instead of Parsons.
• And finally, Paul Pierce shocked the world with his decision! Okay not the world, but myself, as we he will be a member of the Washington Wizards next season. This is definitely worth a few theories on why he went there instead of to the Los Angeles Clippers. Sounds like a new conspiracy article to me!