Lebron James: (Player Option) Lebron is the best player in the NBA right now. It is as simple as that. For those people who still believe Kobe is better, I present this fact: This year, Kobe bryant's Lakers have been defeated by the Lebron's Cavaliers every game between them this season. Lebron on the open market means that a whole franchise could be transformed if they land Lebron James. There is the possibility that he stays in Cleveland. The Cavaliers have brought star players Shaquille O'neal and Antawn Jamison onto the team so that Lebron will feel that if he stays in Cleveland, he will be playing for a championship team. The New York Knicks are predicted to be one of the main pursuers of Lebron James this summer. They have sold out enough players that they have enough money to sign Lebron for a very expensive contract and still have money to ask him "Who do you want us to go after?" and then try to sign the player Lebron wants. That's how far the Knicks are willing to go in order to sign Lebron James. Many teams are rumored to be in the Lebron James hunt, but in my mind, the Cavaliers keeping Lebron and or the Knicks landing Lebron and one more star free agent are the most likely.
UPDATE: If you haven't already heard, Lebron is changing his number in respect for Jordan, but does his number change give us a clue to his free agency plans? I wrote an article about just that. Click here to read it.
Dwayne Wade: (Player Option) After Lebron, Dwayne Wade is the best player in the conference. There are some people who argue that Wade is even better then Lebron, saying that Dwayne won his first championship in 2006 while Lebron is yet to win one. No matter where you rank him, Wade is definitly one of those players who can put a franchise on their back. Unlike Lebron, it is a bit harder to predict where Wade might end up playing. With the lack of talent other then Wade on the Miami Heat, Dwayne is probably less compelled to stay in Miami then Lebron is to Cleveland. It is well known that Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are very good friends. Wade will probably be the player the Lebron requests that the Knicks attempt to sign. If Lebron is already in New York, Wade might join him and form a dynasty. Wade might also go to his hometown of Chicago to play for the Bulls and team up with the future of NBA point guards in Derrick Rose. There is one possible way that Wade stays in Miami: If the Heat sneak Chris Bosh across the border from Canada to Miami, Wade may smell the playoffs and be tempted to stay. Lebron also might be attracted by the lure of the great Florida weather and living conditions enough to consider Miami, which would definietly make Wade decide to stay. With Wade, you don't really know.
Chris Bosh: (Player Option) One of the members of the extremly talented 2003 draft class that included Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh has been the lone bright spot for the Toronto Raptors since his draft. As good as he is, he can't transform a whole team the way Lebron or Wade do, but he is defineitly an all star caliber player. Chris will likely be desperate to leave Canada's high taxes and not to mention his terrible Raptor team. After seven years of playing in cold Toronto weather, warm and sunny Miami could seem like paradise to him, playing with one of the league's best players (Wade) would be nice too. There is also the possibilty that the Knicks go after him with a very high contract if they can't land Lebron James or Dwayne Wade. 
Amar'e Stoudemire: (Player Option) Amar'e was the dominant big man on the Pheonix Suns. Unfortuantely, as good as the Suns were, they never got a chance to play in the NBA Finals. They were always beat out by the Spurs or the Lakers, and sometimes the Mavericks. Everyone was talking about how the Sun's championship window had closed when Amar'e was badly injured last year, causing him to miss the rest of the season. The injury detaching the retina of his eye (Ouch!) would have spelled blinded him in one eye if it hadn't been for laser eye surgery. Now, he is back on the court, as dominant as ever. (He now wears custom made goggles for protection, like the legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.) It is very likely that he will be opting out of his contract with the Suns, who have no future with their current lineup. I know that I've been saying that every free agent could possibly go to the New York Knicks, but it's true. Even though only two, maybe three big name free agents will go to the Knicks, the Knicks do have the money and the set-up to sign just about any free agent in this class. Amar'e is no exception. It might even be more likely for Amar'e to go to New York then any other big name this year because of one key reason: Mike D'Antoni was coach of the Suns and reportedly had a good relationship with Amar'e. Would it be so surprising to see Amar'e reunited with his former coach?
Joe Johnson: (Unrestricted Free Agent) Joe Johnson is considered by many to be the most underated superstar in the NBA today. Right now, he and Mike Bibby are both the veteran leaders of a talented up and coming Atlanta Hawks team. It seems unlikely that he would want to move somewhere else. That being said, he is unrestricted, and there is virtually nothing stopping him. Joe Johnson is one of the few players who is a free agent this year that I don't se going to New York because the Knicks are looking for exposure, and a quiet guy like Joe Johnson wouldn't give that that. Although he could help any team in the league, not many other teams seem have their money lined up for Joe, and frankly Joe would probably prefer to stay in Atlanta. 
Yao Ming: (Player Option) The 7'6" Yao Ming has been an all star almost every year that he has played in the NBA. (Thanks to his the voters in his homeland of China.) Yet recently, he has had injury problems, and he might not ever return to his former level of play. His most recent injury to the foot will keep of the Houston Rocket's roster for the rest of this year. No other team is likely to risk offering Yao a noteworthy contract knowing his history of injuries. With his player option, he will likely keep his current contract with the Rockets and hopefully be back on the court again for the 2010-2011 season. If he's not on the court by then, he is probably either retired or playing in a Chinese league. 
Joe Johnson is underrated.
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