The 2014 free agency period in the NBA is about LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony holding off their decisions, the Dallas Mavericks & Los Angeles Lakers thinking big but not landing anyone, and obviously the memes and jokes made about the whole situation.

Over the last few days it seems that James isn’t the kind of guy who’ll take less money for a second time. He wants the max contract, but it’s not quite clear where he wants to play. The Miami Heat remain a very viable option but the Cleveland Cavaliers, his first team during the first seven seasons of his NBA career; where fans booed him and burned his jersey; where the owner wrote an offensive letter towards him until it was taken off the Cavs website 48 hours ago; are suddenly serious contenders for his services.

Carmelo Anthony? Just as mysterious. The New York Knicks, his current teams, obviously are strong in the race. But the Los Angeles Lakers with their dreams of signing two max players and the allure (is he really appealing to others) of having Kobe Bryant as a teammate are in the race, and so are the Chicago Bulls, with a mixture of star power, big market and excellent coaching.

What about the Dallas Mavericks? Some teams weren’t born to succeed by signing players for big money. The Mavs keep going after big-name free agents and keep getting shunned. Maybe it’s time to think differently about how to win a championship again.

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