Will NBA Stars Team Up Again Following Olympics?

Let's go back to July 2010, when Lebron James declared that he was going to take his talents to South Beach to become a member of the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. How did the idea of them coming together come about, well many close to the situation believe that the three of them talked about becoming teammates during their time at the Olympic Games in Beijing. They all decided to sign three year extensions at the same time so that they would all be free agents at the same time. Sure enough, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat were able to clear the most cap space out of any team and were miraculously able to acquire three of the top 15 players in the NBA, at a reduced cost. Besides the Heat's big 3, other stars have claimed that they talked about teaming up while playing together at the Olympics. Deron Williams and Dwight Howard have both said that they talked about teaming up (even though that failed twice as we all know... DWIGHTMARE). Additionally Carmelo Anthony who eventually became a Knick two years ago, and Chris Paul who has always been known as a lover for the New York area, became very close friends during the Olympics, and even talked about teaming up at Carmelo Anthony's wedding.

Now, let's move to the present. Here are the current contract situations for the current USA members.

1. Lebron James-- Signed until 2013/2014 with player option for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016
2. Kobe Bryant-- Signed until 2013/2014
3. Chris Paul-- Signed until 2012/2013
4. Deron Williams-- Signed until 2014/2015 season with player option in 2015/2016 making 21M
5. Kevin Durant--Signed until 2015/2016
6. Russell Westbrook-- Signed until 2016/2017
7. Carmelo Anthony -- Signed until 2013/2014, player option 2014/2015 making 23.5M
8. Kevin Love-- Signed until 2014/2015, 2015/2016 player option making 17M
9. James Harden-- Signed until 2012/2013, becomes restricted FA after this year-OKC can match
10. Andre Iguodala-- Signed until 2012/2013 player option 2013/2014 making 16M
11. Tyson Chandler-- Signed until 2014/2015
12. Anthony Davis -- Signed until 2015/2015, Player option 2016/2017

Other players to keep in mind are Wade and Bosh who are signed until 2013/2014 and have the player options that LBJ has. Lastly, Dwight Howard is signed until 2012/2013 and Blake Griffin is signed until 2016/2017 with a player option 2017/2018. Andrew Bynum will be a free agent after this year (2012/2013) and Kyrie Irving won't be a free agent until at least 2016.

Thus, after looking through all the major super stars in the league and their contracts it's clear that most big time super stars are signed for multiple years besides Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. It seems CP3 will stay in LA, and Howard will either be a Laker, Net, or Maverick by next year. It is evident that general managers have become more aggressive in signing their young talent and giving them max deals, because they saw in 2010 how quickly things can change. Clearly, Carmelo cannot say to Westbrook let's team up because they are both signed long term, Westbrook especially. It looks like the names to keep an eye on going forward are Kevin Love, who has publicly mentioned his lack of patience with the Timberwolves management and James Harden as well as Andre Iguodala. It doesn't appear that any of the friendships made on this Olympic run, between the ballers, will lead to any major shakeups in the NBA. Although keep an eye on Kevin Love. One dream scenario I can see for the Lakers is Love eventually coming to LA, Love played basketball at UCLA, once Gasol and Artest's contracts run out. Iguodala could easily team up on a future big 3, but he would most likely be the smallest of the 3. As for Harden, it looks like Sam Presti, Oklahoma City GM will have a choice to make between Ibaka and Harden. My gut tells me he will stick with Harden, and let Ibaka walk, just because there are so few great shooting guards in the league anymore. However, if OKC goes with Ibaka, and Harden is set free, I can see Harden going to Minnesota to play with Love and Rubio.

One last dream scenario for my friends in Chicago is if the Bulls amnesty Boozer and manage to trade Joakim Noah or Luol Deng, I could see James Harden or Kevin Love wanting to play with Derrick Rose in Chicago. Chicag seems destined for mediocrity in this upcoming season, so watch out for them to make some big moves in the upcoming year or two. Lastly, keep an eye on Andrew Bynum and Cleveland, Bynum and Kyrie are great friends and General Manager Dan Gilbert has already lost one superstar and he is not going to lose another. I think if Bynum is able to become a free agent, which he wants to be, the Cavaliers will offer him a max. The Cavs currently have the most cap space in the NBA.