Let's start by breaking up the class into a few categories. First up, let's start with the big-name players whose contract's will expire following the 2009-2010 season, and will then become honest-to-goodness unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2010:

Joe Johnson :
Carlos Boozer
David Lee :
Ray Allen :
Manu Ginobili -Signed
Marcus Camby
Raymond Felton
Tracy McGrady
Shaquille O'Neal

The next grouping is the list of stars that are signed thru 2011, but can opt out in 2010 if they so choose:

LeBron James (Player Option - owed 17.2 million in 10/11)
Dwyane Wade (PO - owed 17.0 million in 10/11)
Chris Bosh (PO - owed 17.1 million in 10/11)
Amar'e Stoudemire (Early Termination Option - owed 17.7 million in 10/11)
Dirk Nowitzki (ETO - owed $21.5 million in 10/11)
Paul Pierce (PO – owed $21.5 million in 10/11)
Kobe Bryant (PO – owed $24.8 million in 10/11) Signed Ex In March/
Yao Ming (ETO - owed 17.7 million in 10/11)
Mike Redd (ETO - owed $18.3 million in 10/11)
(Obviously we know Redd won't opt out, and it's safe to assume the same for Yao Ming as well)

Next up, we have a few members of the 2006 draft class that will become restricted free-agents this summer, as they have played out the first four years of their rookie contracts and haven't signed early extensions:

Rudy Gay
Tyrus Thomas
J.J. Redick
Randy Foye
Kyle Lowry
Ronnie Brewer

In addition to the studs listed above, the following 'second-tier' players, young and old, are set to hit the open market as well:

Josh Howard (Team Option - owed $11.8 million in 10/11)
Brad Miller
Allen Iverson
Jermaine O'Neal
KDdidit Martin (ETO - owed $16.5 million in 10/11)
Mike Miller
Nate Robinson
Brendan Haywood
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Al Harrington
Udonis Haslem
Kyle Korver
Drew Gooden
Raja Bell
Luis Scola (restricted)
Sergio Rodriguez (unrestricted if Knicks don't offer QO)
John Salmons (ETO – owed $5.8 million in 10/11)
Tyson Chandler (ETO - owed $12.8 million in 10/11)
T.J. Ford (PO - owed $8.5 million in 10/11)
Travis Outlaw
Earl Watson
Larry Hughes
Luke Ridnour
Louis Amundson
Channing Frye (PO - owed $2.1 million in 10/11)
Grant Hill (PO - owed $3.3 million in 10/11)
Steve Blake
Quentin Richardson
Ben Wallace
Tony Allen
Marquis Daniels
Amir Johnson
Leon Powe (team option)
Anthony Morrow (restricted)
C.J. Watson (restricted)
Kelenna Azubuike (PO – owed $3.3 million in 10/11)
Jordan Farmer (restricted)
Shannon Brown (PO – owed $2.2 million in 10/11)
Dorell Wright
Joe Alexander
Hakim Warrick
Hilton Armstrong (restricted)
Chris Duhon

Rounding out the registry, there are a number of veteran role-players that will also be testing free agent waters:

Derek Fisher
Matt Harpring
Josh Childress (restricted)
Darko Milicic
Antoine Wright
Marcus Williams
Joe Smith
Jawad Williams
Mo Evans (PO)
Shelden Williams
Stephen Graham
Damien Wilkins
Luther Head
Rasual Butler
Kurt Thomas
Rafer Alston
Bobby Simmons
Matt Bonner
Tony Battie
Trenton Hassell
Sean Williams
Jarvis Hayes
Rodney Carney
Desmond Mason
Sean May
Etan Thomas
Kenny Thomas
Tim Thomas
Brian Cardinal

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

there is no way shannon brown takes the player option with how coveted he will be

Haslem is available. Pencil him in the starting lineup and move Noah to the bench, all the Bulls problems solved.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

in all seriousness, in addition to it being the greatest FA class of all time due to the obvious, it's also pretty deep. however that in of itself is also a paradox, because despite how deep it is, it's depth shouldn't necessarily command big money but we all know that somehow it will. for example Rudy Gay would be a very nice piece to have at a modest price but some idiot GM will way overpay him because they got shutout on Bosh and Wade.

aside from the very obvious, these are the lesser free agents I would have interest in:
Gay: still think he is ready to breakout, i would not give him serious money...should be an interesting contract. will someone give him serious cash? i can't see him taking a MLE at this point in his career. i still think if some team can get him for a modest price (meaning not a max deal) i think he is good value
Foye: I think this is kind of a sleeper too, that you could get decent value. he's not going to command a high salary, i think if you could convince him to be a jamal crawford type- a 6th man for a good team, he could be very good. he hasn't proved successful being on poor teams being "the man", but he can still score and finish at the rim, good FT shooter...I think he could be a nice piece on a winning team. obviously w/ him and Gay and other "semi-stars" i guess it depends on how he views himself- are these type of players still thinking they can be the top player on a team or are they willing to accept who they are?
Josh Howard- again, depending on the salary I think this could be a steal. he can't be commanding high dollars at this point and it would be a risk, but if he plays up to potential...i think this is somewhat high risk/high reward but I would sign him to a MLE without hesitation...we'll see what he commands

i think it's gonna be real interesting to see how these non top-tier free agents shake out....are they going to get less money b/c the FA class is deep and teams run out of cash...or are the teams that get shut out of James, Bosh, Wade, etc. going to have holes burning in their pockets causing them to overpay for middle tier players...should be interesting

isn't JamesOn Curry a free agent?

There is no chance that guy will want to leave the NBDL.

_________________

Plenty of towels in the NBA.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I would love if the Bulls added a player like Reddick/Korver in addition to an obvious max FA guy.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Despite his reputation, I don't think Reddick is a very good shooter.

_________________
1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I'd take Korver. A 6'11" guy can hit an open long range shot consistently. Da Boo haven't had anyone who fit that description currently.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

If you replace hit with take, that described Brad Miller perfectly.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Korver is 6'7 not 6'11

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

Worst-Case Scenario---I keep having thoughts of what happened 10 years ago with Krause/Benny the Bull at the Airport--and we get Mercer/Miller-----

If we fail to land any of the BIG fish--how about Luis Scola--he is restricted but offer him a MAX deal--Then Foye/Mike Miller then maybe id kick the tires on Jermaine O'Neal or David Lee--

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

I really hope you didnt just suggest offering Luis Scola a MAX deal. Also the way you worded it you made it sound like J Oneal and Lee are interchangable. Nothing could be father from the truth.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

My mistake.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

How did Brian Cardinal make this list?

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Why wouldnt i offer Scola a MAX deal---because then the Rockets would have to make a tough descison and the Guy can PLAY--if you get Nothing out of the Free Agent class your Fucked as for J Oneal and Lee-we need a BIG bad to play with Noah.

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

Scola is worth nowhere near MAX money. I'm not sure why you think he's worth 40% of the team's salary, but he just isnt. That's absurd. He's a nice $8 million/year player. I understand we need a big to play with Noah but really given our position and cap room, the worst we should walk away with is a player like Lee, who is much better than Oneal and better than Scola. Oneal will struggle to find a roster spot anywhere is my guess. He's pretty bad.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

This team is NOTHING like the Bulls squad from 10 years ago. Guys didn't come here back then because all the Bulls had to offer as a supporting cast was Kevin Ollie, Kornel David, and other garbage. This team is completely different.

The team that will be the 2000 Bulls of this offseason is the New York Knicks. Yes, they have money to offer, but that team is garbage with zero supporting cast.

_________________

the worst we should walk away with is a player like Lee, who is much better than Oneal and better than Scola. Oneal will struggle to find a roster spot anywhere is my guess. He's pretty bad----------The problem with Lee he shoots Jump shots--we need someone down low---Scola---im tired of seeing Jump Shots--Plus memphis is hot after Lee--As for J Oneal it was a thought a bad one but i have this feeling--But if we can LeBron to visit us then all bets are off,,Go LeBron then Bosh---No Wade.

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

This team is NOTHING like the Bulls squad from 10 years ago. Guys didn't come here back then because all the Bulls had to offer as a supporting cast was Kevin Ollie, Kornel David, and other garbage. This team is completely different.

Who wouldnt want to play with A.J. Guyton????

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

This isnt a comment just directed at you but I cant believe how many people are saying No Wade. I can understand wanting LeBron, but who the hell do we have to just say No to the 2nd best player in the league? I guarantee if we do get him everybody will be backtracking a year from now when we have 55-60 wins.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

No Wade.---Heres why--he needs the Ball to much---he's 6'3 with more bumps and bruises then Rihanna after a date with Chris Brown--and he loves South Florida, No state tax's,plus he's not a fan of cold weather.

_________________
2009 CSFMB Fantasy Basketball Champion-
2009 CSFMB Pro Football Pick'em Champion-
2011 NAS Replacement League Football-

He grew up here and went to Marquette. I have a hard time believing he cant handle cold weather. Those are always the go to complaints with Chicago, if it was good enough for MJ it's good enough for anyone else though. I'm not sure what his height and wear and tear have to do with anything. He's proven he's capable of guarding any guard in the league and he certainly has no long term injury to deal with right now.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

what the hell is this shit w/ cold weather?

unless i missed something basketball is played indoors

Lee scares me in that he puts up a lot of numbers on a horrific team. He gives a good effort and no doubt would be a fan favorite, but should he be a near max guy? Noah might cover up a lot of his deficiencies but I'm not sold on him.

_________________
1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Yeah. Gay basketball...

_________________
This is my signature...

Come on Bagels, haven't you heard of Bull weather?

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

So we've got an epic battle here between "Wade bought a place in Chicago" vs. "Wade hates Chicago weather".

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Wade is due to break down in at least 2 seasons. IMO he and Rose are very similar players. Since neither can consistently knock down a 3pt shot spacing would be a major problem. Rose's ceiling is D Wade IMO. With Kobe healthy and Durant making a lot of noise Wade isn't the 2nd best player in the league. He actually took a step back this year even though it was a contract year.

_________________