Posted July 09, 2013
Jeff Teague posted career highs in scoring (14.6 points) and assists (7.2) for the Hawks last season. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
NBA free agents can?t officially sign until the July moratorium ends on Wednesday, but the market has already been picked over by preliminary negotiation. Such is the influence of the league?s handshake agreements, which have taken coveted stars and role players off the table and left those teams with cap space and exceptions to sort through the sparse remains of the free-agent pool. Below are the best of that remaining crop ? the top 20 available free agents across all positions, each of whom could contribute on a winning team.
1. Andrew Bynum
Some team is guaranteed to take a chance on the 25-year-old Bynum, even after he spent last year racking up knee surgeries and making questionable decisions at every turn. Such is the value of Bynum?s uncommon package of size and talent; there simply aren?t many players capable of producing like a healthy Bynum can, and thus his free agency holds the potential for a team to acquire a high-level player at what could be a sizable discount.
Still, given the length of Bynum?s absence from the court and his reluctance to work out for interested teams, he remains a precarious and presumptive leader on this list. We may ultimately find out that Bynum isn?t the player he once was, but for now we?ll work under the assumption that he?d be able to more or less pick up where he left off when healthy, making him both an incredible value and an incredible risk. So far, the Cavaliers, Hawks and Mavericks reportedly seem most willing to take that gamble. Cleveland has gone so far as to put a two-year, $24 million offer on the table, according to Yahoo! Sports. Bynum is set to meet with Atlanta officials on Tuesday, though reports differ on whether he is expected to then make his decision or go on to meet with Dallas.
2. Jeff Teague (restricted)
Though his game isn?t yet exceptional, Teague boasts the kind of all-around profile that makes him a fascinating breakout candidate. His years under former Atlanta coach Larry Drew seemed shackled. Even when given relative freedom to run the Hawks? offense, Teague was never fully unleashed as the drive-and-kick dynamo many hoped he could someday become. Still, last season he posted career highs in scoring (14.6 points) and assists (7.2), while Atlanta?s offense hummed at what was essentially a top-10 level with him on the floor.
He?s certainly quick enough to break down defenses off the dribble and a good enough shooter to complicate an opponent?s coverage. All Teague needs is time in the right role within the right offense. Teague is only 25 and primed to make the most of an expanded opportunity.
3. Nikola Pekovic (restricted)
Pekovic?s hulking frame and power game give him a throwback appeal, but a surprising mobility makes him fit to operate in modern offensive and defensive systems. He?s the inside counterpoint that so many perimeter-oriented rosters are missing, or in the case of the incumbent Timberwolves, a cooperative foil for All-Star big man Kevin Love.
When even remotely healthy, Minnesota was an effective defensive team with Pekovic taking up space in the paint and sliding into favorable position. He won?t resemble a standout NBA athlete even on his spriest day, but Pekovic does good work in repelling pick-and-roll action and pushing opponents out of the post.
On offense, Pekovic understands what he does best and rarely strays from the basics. Even without much above-the-rim potential, his strength and footwork allow him the angles and room necessary to finish in traffic, both as a post-up threat and a surprising roll option. He isn?t likely to make any leaps in production at this point (coming off his first NBA contract, Pekovic is already 27), but most every team could find use for a big man with real defensive chops and a bruising interior game.
4. Brandon Jennings (restricted)
If Jennings is to draw a huge offer in free agency, it will undoubtedly be predicated on some team?s belief that it can better harness the 23-year-old?s misguided game. There are certainly things to like about Jennings ? namely the notion of him as a confident, charismatic source of both scoring and playmaking. He?s put up the raw numbers (17.5 points and 6.5 assists last season) to justify that expectation, but the way in which Jennings reached those marks provides plenty of reason for concern. At the moment, he?s an undiscerning gunner, capable of accomplishing much with the ball in his hands but unable to read situations well enough to understand when he should shoot and when he should pass. To his credit, he did hit 37.5 percent of his 5.8 three-point attempts last season, making his?jumper-happy game more palatable than it otherwise could be.
Defensively, Jennings has betrayed every bit of the promise he showed early in his career. He legitimately helped the Bucks guard at a top-five level in his first two seasons. Since then, his coverage has grown increasingly less focused. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Jennings rated miserably in defending both isolation sequences and spot-up opportunities last season ? a basic indicator that he?s become a liability both on and off the ball. Quickness alone just can?t save a defender who takes such an open stance (thus surrendering easy blow-bys) in coverage and gets caught ball-watching on a frequent basis. Teams should be given pause by the fact that three years and change under Scott Skiles has done so little for Jennings? defensive fundamentals.
5. Andrei Kirilenko
It?s a bit surprising that Kirilenko is a free agent at all, but the 32-year-old forward declined a $10.2 million player option in order to see what the market could offer. Power to him, and power to the number of teams that could benefit from his two-way contributions.
Kirilenko isn?t the high-volume scorer that his pay grade might suggest, but he?s so splendid in so many other phases of the game that it hardly matters. He?s no longer an All-NBA defender, but he?s not far off; Kirilenko remains one of the most versatile defensive assets in the league, as he can cover the top forwards at either position while also providing impeccable help D. He?s a solid rebounder, too, particularly when slotted at small forward, and works so tirelessly that Minnesota coach Rick Adelman had to tell Kirilenko not to dive for so many loose balls when the Wolves were in the midst of an injury rush. He?s the kind of high-caliber competitor every team should want.
On top of all that he provides defensively, Kirilenko is an expert cutter, having combined a natural feel for the game with years in Jerry Sloan?s flex offense. Kirilenko understands which defensive actions can be exploited with a quick dash to the rim or a bit of misdirection, and he does a fantastic job of making himself open and available on those cuts. Kirilenko is no slouch when creating for himself, either, as his consistent movement allows him to catch the ball and quickly drive against a stilted defense. From there, Kirilenko is a solid finisher and clever passer, cementing his value as an all-around complement.
He?s certainly better suited for some systems than others, and a shaky enough shooter to make for a poor fit in some spots. But on the right team, Kirilenko could prove to be an incredible asset, likely on a short-term deal as his career winds down.
6. Gerald Henderson (restricted)
Aside from his gravity-defying throwdown early in the season, Henderson had a quiet year in a starting role for one of the worst teams in basketball. That?s not a great way to build a r?sum?, but Henderson?s performance has been sturdy enough to wonder what he might be capable of in a different context.
The Bobcats were such a mess that it?s difficult to evaluate Henderson?s defensive value within the team concept. The effort was clearly there, but Charlotte?s defenders were so rarely on the same page that it?s hard to know if Henderson was really executing as intended. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old has shown nice defensive potential over the past few seasons, and according to Synergy Sports, Henderson allowed just 0.66 points per play (and 32.3 percent shooting) in isolation situations last season. He?s clearly reliable enough to stay in front of most perimeter threats, and Henderson should do well if empowered by the fundamentals and principles of a more consistent defense.
Offensively, Henderson is skilled overall but doesn?t have any sort of specialty. He has dabbled in pick-and-roll play, does rather well in the post and has improved as a spot-up shooter. He still needs to become a more consistent threat from beyond the arc, but he?s progressively attempted more threes in every season and made a big step toward league-average marksmanship last season by shooting 33 percent. All in all, Henderson?s game seems safe and malleable enough to warrant considerable interest, provided that a team is willing to pay to sign him through restricted free agency.
Monta Ellis shot just 28.7 percent from long-range last season. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
7. Monta Ellis
I?ve already written at length about the problems with building around the 27-year-old Ellis, but it basically boils down to this: He?s too limited a long-range shooter (28.7 percent on threes last season), too worrisome a defender and too poor a decision-maker to be a first-option ball handler. His package of strengths and weaknesses make him almost impossible to build around effectively, barring some development that pushes Ellis into an ideal role as a high-value super-sub.
8. Elton Brand
Dallas had to play it safe with the 34-year-old Brand?s minutes (21.2 per game) last season, and as a result the savvy, ground-bound big man carved out another solid campaign in relative silence. His per-game numbers (7.2 points, six rebounds, 1.3 blocks) don?t jump off the stat sheet, but in limited run he proved to be a valuable contributor.
Brand couldn?t save a Dallas defense that allowed so many perimeter blow-bys or salvage the rebounding efforts of a team that struggled so profoundly on the glass. He could, however, prove to?be an outstanding addition to a roster with better support. He?s a perfect fit for teams looking for another big man to help close the gap in execution between starters and reserves, particularly in their defensive rotations. What Brand lacks in lateral speed he makes up for with spatial awareness and economy of movement, making him a viable help defender when part of a sound system.?He?s strong enough to battle for post and rebounding position on a consistent basis, and he has the discipline to make opponents work for their points.
He can?t play starter?s minutes because of his age and diminished offense. Still, Brand might make sense for teams looking to fill out their big-man rotation with the best defenders possible.
9. Chris Andersen
Most every player on this list is context-dependent, but perhaps none more so than the 35-year-old Andersen. On the right team, his ability to finish ? with dunks, reverse layups and even the occasional finger roll ? is an incredible asset. He played brilliantly off of LeBron James in Miami, but the tenets of their relationship could easily be exported to another team with an effective playmaker.?Things may not be quite as easy without James and the Heat?s impeccable spacing, but any player who can get to the rim consistently can still set up Andersen as he stalks around the baseline, or use his talents as the primary big man in pick-and-roll scenarios.
Without that kind of enabling passer, though, the most attractive qualities of Andersen?s game would be bottled up and rendered inaccessible. He would be reduced to a source of hustle defense and offensive rebounds, and while those contributions might be valuable in their own right, such a scenario would leave Andersen as significantly less valuable compared to what he can offer a team like Miami.?It seems unlikely that Andersen would bail on Miami at this point, but if the money is good enough, he might be enticed.
10. Brandan Wright
Because of injury, recovery and what often amounted to a minor role with the Mavericks, the 25-year-old Wright has played roughly the same number of NBA minutes as Kenneth Faried, Larry Sanders, and Nikola Vucevic, with the prime of his career still to come. He was drafted in 2007, but all of the above factors make him functionally quite raw by NBA standards, and theoretically interesting to any team in need of an energetic big man to round out its rotation.
Wright is an odd player in that he thrives on an array of runners and floaters, but Dallas had some success focusing his athletic gifts in the pick-and-roll. In the right context (read: with the right playmaker), Wright could be even more effective and potentially prove to be a starting-level contributor as he gets more experience. For now, he?s an effective finisher, a source of instant energy and a bouncy, quick-footed asset on defense. Nothing in his game suggests star potential, but Wright is already the kind of role player who creates value (via rolling to the rim, spacing the floor a bit, etc.) beyond his individual production.
Tags: Andrew Bynum, Brandan Wright, brandon jennings, chris andersen, Elton Brand, Gerald Henderson, jeff teague, Monta Ellis, nate robinson, nba, nba free agency, NBA free agents, nikola pekovicariel winter Paige Butcher David Petraeus Petraeus Mia Love wall street journal us map
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