IMHO Sarver is gambling on the number of years of the contract, but I'm not entirely convinced it is a dumb bet.
The biggest widl card is that the bottom feeders are hoping to get two top level free agents this summer. This means that they have to manage their cap space very closely. To get two guys starting at $22.5, teams have to have more than $45 million in cap space. At this point, assuming $56 million cap,k that means a salary structure of $11 million.
Per Hoopshype
Chicago $23.86 (after the Hinrich trade)
Miami $27,6
New York $18.6
New Jersey $19.6
Clipper $30.8
It is clear that evvery one of the teams can sign Amare, but will have a problem signing him AND another elite player.
Is Amare going to get the 5 year max deal? It is possible, but recent extentions do not support that theory. Gasol just signed an extension las December for a three year deal. Carmelo is reported to have a THREE year extension with the Nuggets. I'm not sure if I've missed someboy, but I can't find a five year deal sinch Lewis signd with Orlando. I'm not sure what is going on, but it is suggestive.
Sarver might panic, but IMHO oppinion Amare may struggle to find a team with the cap space to make him their top signing. How much do they want a guy with health isssue and performance limitations?