Fencer reregistered wrote:What are the cases of a major NBA star signing as a FA so that he can, for the first time as a pro, play in the metropolitan region where he grew up?
Note: I phrased that to exclude Lebron RETURNING to the Cavs.
I can't think of any offhand, although there's likely been a case if only through sheer random chance.
Not that many major NBA stars sign elsewhere in free agency so it's kind of not that great of a sample. Here are all the current guys who signed a max on a team they weren't already on:
Gordon Hayward (grew up in Indy, who had no space for a max deal at the time)
Horford (no Dominican NBA team yet)
Kevin Durant (grew up near DC, who has no cap space at the time)
Harry Barnes (Iowa)
Aldridge (signed in his home state of Texas)
Enes Kanter (Switzerland doesn't have an NBA team)
Chandler Parson (would Miami/Orlando have really wanted to give this guy the max?)
All I can find with a quick search, maybe there are more?
Most guys just sign with the team they are already on, or they join up with their buddies potentially like LeBron/Wade/Bosh did. Very few players are saught by all teams to be given the max anyway. Maybe 20 players in the NBA right now who, if they were deemed FA, every team would submit a max contract to them.