The NBA free agency period is still a bit into the future, but with teams like the NY Knicks, Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers already looking towards the draft and the summer, free agent names like Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Greg Monroe, Pau Gasol and Kyle Lowry are already starting to get attention and if teams miss out on deals with Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, they could go after some of those players.
The Knicks are coming into the offseason after missing the playoffs and they will be looking to bring back Anthony this summer after he opts out of his deal, but he will have some competition from the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. The Knicks want to build a contender around Anthony with Phil Jackson as the architect, but they may not get the chance if another team can sway him to sign with them instead.
The Knicks are looking to sign Steve Kerr as their head coach and Jackson feels that will help keep Anthony in NY, but with the salary cap expected to rise, there is a chance that he could look elsewhere. Anthony has never been a free agent before and he has never missed the playoffs before and now both of those things will have played out in 2014. Anthony has the right to hit free agency and as he nears his 30th birthday he is entering the final phase of his superstar period and that is why he wants to cash in.
Everyone will be looking to woo Anthony and James this offseason and if teams cannot get those players to sign, the second tier will start to get plenty of attention. The Knicks have some moves they can make with Anthony or without him and one player they may look at due to the connection to Jackson is Pau Gasol. Jackson said that he would like to reunite with Gasol and the Lakers could be in the mix again to retain him now after they fired Mike D'Antoni, who Gasol did not get along with. While Gasol is getting older, he could be the perfect veteran option for the Knicks and if Anthony comes back that would be a nice combo to have on the front end. The team likes Gasol and the Lakers are expected to make a push for him as well.
Rudy Gay hits the market after being with the Raptors and Kings last season and he will be an interesting player, as he is a scorer but is not considered a winner. The Knicks could be in the mix for Gay but it doesn't seem like a fit, but he should have some attention on the market for teams looking for scoring. It won't help that the Grizzlies and Raptors got better after he left their teams, but he still can average 20 points and hot shots around the court and that should get him a contract.
Zach Randolph and Greg Monroe are big men on the market and that could cash in as well from teams looking for size in the middle. The Pistons appeared ready to let Monroe go when they didn't' give him an extension and now both players could be moving to other teams.