So the answer was clear, James was not interested in staying.
Although Kobe was a major star, he was an aging one, and he was essentially tied to the Lakers; as long as the Lakers didn't want to let him go, he would stay in Los Angeles.
Thus, this summer there was only one major star available, and "The Decision 2" was already on the horizon.
Aside from James, the free agent market had two other All-Stars, namely Chris Bosh and Steve Nash.
Bosh had grown disenchanted with the SuperSonics and decided to test the free agency waters.
Nash's peak years were essentially over, and although the Suns still made it to the playoffs last season, they were knocked out in the first round.
For Nash, it was a matter of two choices.
End his career with the Suns or venture out, like Karl Malone once did, to take one last shot.
