We’re only three weeks away from the start of July now when the whole landscape of the NBA could change in a short space of time with teams being completely transformed in the most important spell of free agency so far.

Obviously most people in Toronto care only about Chris Bosh, knowing that there is no chance at all of the Raptors making a run at LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and most of the other blue-chip players on offer, but this summer is going to be big for a lot more franchises south of the border.

Chief among them has to be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who face losing the player responsible for turning the franchise around but still looking for a first NBA Finals title.

James still seems to be edging towards re-signing with Cleveland, but unless he is one of the first big free agents to sign, there is a chance the signing season could drag on with other teams scared to make their moves before his home is sorted out.

Two such teams belong to the Atlantic Division, two teams with the most money to spend in free agency, and both of them apparently possible homes for James, Bosh and Wade. Those are, of course, the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets.

The Knicks have a huge amount of salary cap room left, but if Wade and James should happen to re-sign with their current teams, Bosh would seem almost certain to be playing against us next season, possibly along with Amar’e Stoudemire and Joe Johnson, making life harder for the Raptors.

The latest rumour with NBA Betting pundits surrounding Toronto has been a swap deal with Cleveland for Mo Williams, with Jose Calderon going in the opposite direction, a deal that would probably make sense for both teams.

James would be more likely to stay in Cleveland alongside a pure point-guard, which Calderon provides more than Williams. We all know how good a ball-handler he can be, and joining a team with James could take him back to his 2009 levels when he was elevated into one of the top guards in the NBA.

On the other side of things, adding a scoring guard like Williams would be perfect for the Raptors, perhaps something that would give Bosh the push he needs to come back, although that gets less and less likely as the days pass and as, apparently, his love for Toronto drifts further into the back of his memory.

It may not be the most memorable off-season in Toronto this year, but it is certainly going to go a long way towards shaping the long-term direction the club goes in.

Watch this space…

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