The vast majority of NBA playing careers end with more of a fizzle than a bang. Few athletes are lucky enough to walk away from the game on their own terms. That is how professional basketball works. Players develop, they decline, they age out. Retirement is seldom a conscious decision for the elite. ESPN Senior Writer Jackie MacMullan details the devastating waiting game seasoned veterans must play each fall, starting with former Trail Blazer Steve Blake, who, at 36, has yet to receive a call from an NBA team for the first time in 13 years.
There were 201 free agents on the market on July 1.