Upcoming Free Agents: Vince Carter

Vince Carter led a Nets team back into contention when he arrived from Toronto. So why is just a few years later Carter may be on the way out? Despite achieving high averages and helping the Nets contend for the playoffs year-in and year-out, Carter knows that the Nets may not be willing to pay him the big money.

Story Before Free Agency - Openly playing without heart in Toronto, Carter gave Jason Kidd another passing target and helped the Nets seem like contenders once again. The team has yet to achieve its success of the early decade, however.

Why A Free Agent? - Vince Carter, like many other top free agents, has a clause that allows him to opt out of his deal. He will most likely take this option as he is sure to receive high, long-term offers in the summer. Remember he was injury-prone before Toronto and a five or six year deal is the security Carter needs. Note: Carter's clause allows him to take another year in his contract. It is up to him whether or not to accept the extra season.

Strengths

• Fantastic finisher at the rim. No one at his position has more power and creativity when it comes to dunking and putting the ball in the hole.
• Explosive scorer who can average over twenty-five points a game.
• A good overall shooting guard. Can hit the mid-range and three-point shot with decent consistency.
• Extremely popular with fans. Will put people in seats as he did for years in Toronto.

Accomplishments

� Eight-time All-Star player.

� Two-time All-NBA player.

� NBA Rookie of the Year

Expected Salary Offer - With all his years in the league, there is no question what ceiling Vince Carter can hit. Keep in mind, once again, that it was just a few years back when Carter was slacking on the court when he played half a season each and every year with the Raptors. Still he has had somewhat of a re-emergence with the Nets. A team with a bundle of cap space could go as high as 60-70 million dollars over five or six years.

Teams In The Mix

• New Jersey Nets - It is always fair to keep a team that the player just played for in the mix. The Nets should remember what Carter did for the team for the last few seasons. He can still produce and could easily be a centerpiece for a good three-four more seasons. Still, team owner Rod Thorn has publicly admitted the team no longer is good enough to contend for a championship. Whole-scale changes may be coming this summer.
• Charlotte Bobcats - Many media columnists have speculated Carter could end up a Bobcat because of their massive cap space. We have seen before, however, how well Carter reacts to playing for a bad team. While Charlotte has a lot of young talent, it is questionable if they are ready to contend. If that's the case Charlotte may not be appealing to Vince. Then again the money will be there.
• Los Angeles Clippers - There have been rampant rumors that the Clippers have been trying to deal for Carter for some time. If this is true, they may try to position themselves to sign-and-trade for him.

Carter's Pick - At this point, it is really hard to know what Vince Carter is going to do over the summer. It is suspected that like Rashard Lewis, Carter would prefer to get paid rather than win ball games.

Telling Quote - Word on the street is Michael Jordan in Charlotte, one of the few clubs with money to burn, has the hots for Vince Carter. (From the Denver Post.

Final Prediction - New Jersey lets Vince go and he finds himself with the Clippers, finally. The Clippers sign him to a 66 million dollar deal over five years and send Corey Maggette to the Nets in return.