Amid Game 3 of the NBA Finals and Izzo-gate in Cleveland, two small but telling stories fell somewhat through the cracks Tuesday.
In Phoenix, amid Amare Stoudemire’s garish grab for a six-year, $134 million free-agent contract, Grant Hill exercised his $3.3 million option to return to the Suns next season.
And in Atlanta, Mo Evans exercised his $2.5 million option to stay with the Hawks.
Granted, loyalty certainly was a factor for Hill, who has enjoyed a rebirth during his time in Phoenix. And considering Evans was part of one of the most feeble benches of any playoff team, taking the money and running certainly was prudent.
But the moves also speak to a greater story of how this summer may play out.
LeBron, Wade, Stoudemire and Bosh certainly will get theirs, as will Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer and Rudy Gay.
But the flip side of the free-agent frenzy is that there might not be all that much left over for the other tiers in the process, especially with so many teams operating with cap space, and thereby forfeiting the use of their mid-level and lower-level exceptions for the NBA’s 2010-11 fiscal calendar.
And even the mid-level has become a much-debated approach, with a notably poor rate of return when extended for significant lengths.
It will, in fact, be interesting to see how others handle player options, as the June 30 deadline for those decisions draws closer.
Chris Wilcox has already said he’s in for the $3 million option he holds with the Pistons. Kris Humphries has hinted at similar plans for the $3.2 million he would be due from the Nets.
Similar decisions in what could prove to be a tight market after the early-July splashes also figure to have Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic, Jared Jeffries, Darius Songaila, Willie Green and Jason Kapono opting in.
And considering how they surely will be overshadowed in the process, it is difficult to imagine Richardson Jefferson, Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Peja Stojakovic not cashing in on their player-option years on the types of mega contracts they never will see again.
There will, however, be a few with players with options who will face decisions.
Matt Barnes, after a stout defensive season with the Magic, has said he plans to opt out of the $1.6 million option he holds for next season. Shannon Brown has mentioned opting out of the $2.1 million he otherwise is due from the Lakers. And John Salmons, at least in terms of years, probably is wise to opt out of his $5.8 million next season from the Bucks.
But in many ways Tuesday might have only been the start of a withdrawal process.
With so much of the 2010 cap cash going to so few, the little guys already are ducking for cover.
Ira Winderman writes regularly for NBCSports.com and covers the Heat and the NBA for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
