So What Free Agents Are Even Still Available And Can They Help Your Favorite Team?

Since free agency officially opened this summer, there have been a total of 61 signings between both unrestricted and restricted players. Some were a surprise, other’s we expected, but we’re now at the point of the offseason where the initial wave has happened and the dust is starting to settle. What we’re now seeing is that there are still a handful of players that don’t know where they’ll be playing basketball next season, and not just scrubs either. I’m talking some legit talent that is still waiting for the right offer or situation to present themselves. The thing is, teams are rapidly running out of space, so the options are becoming more and more limited with each passing day. Of the players we have left some could definitely be starters in today’s league, others may be the perfect bench solution for your favorite team. After taking a look at who’s left, here are some notable names to keep an eye on moving forward

Jabari Parker – RFA

Parker is an interesting case in my opinion, because it feels like the Bucks are allowing him to see what price he can get on the open market. I’m one that still believes if fully healthy Parker can absolutely make an impact for a team, the question just becomes at what price. Could we see a team like SAC go ahead and give Parker an offer sheet sort of like they did with Zach LaVine. I’m not sure he’s worth $20M a year, but it would be interesting to see what the Bucks would do if something like that happened. Parker can still be effective at the four in today’s NBA and has a nice inside/outside game. You worry about his health, but if we are to assume that guys will be healthy moving forward, he is probably one of the best pure talents left on the market.

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Isaiah Thomas – UFA

There were rumors that Isaiah and the Magic had mutual interest, but then they went and traded for Jerian Grant, so who knows if they are still in the market for a guard. Isaiah is in a situation where he’s most likely going to get a 1 year prove it deal, and if he’s healthy he should be able to help a team that is in desperate need of scoring. When you look at the teams with space we see franchises like ATL, SAC, CHI, DAL and none of those really need a guard. That means Isaiah could be looking at midlevel exception money or something along those lines to a team that has a good chunk available. That list includes teams like CLE, HOU, MIA, ORL, and UTA, but again not all those teams are in the market for a 29 year old point guard.

Wayne Ellington – UFA

With shooting being such a premium in today’s NBA, I’m a little shocked that Wayne Ellington has not found a home yet. Here’s a guy that is coming off a career year shooting the ball from deep, making 2.9 3PM a night at a 39% clip. He’s only going to be 31 next season and I would imagine isn’t going to be overly expensive, so if you’re a contender that has an open roster spot why not roll the dice on a guy who can definitely help you spread the floor?

Marcus Smart – RFA

For personal reasons, this is the biggest thing I care about when it comes to guys on the market. Smart is obviously more valuable to a contending team than a rebuilding team because his skillset is best suited for a team where you don’t need him to carry the offensive load. The problem is none of the contending teams have the type of money that Smart is looking for. The Celtics are clearly taking their time, and word is that they may drag this out until the Fall before finally making a decision. Chances are Smart just accepts his QO and becomes an UFA next summer, but unless someone gets crazy like ATL/SAC, I can’t see there being an offer out there that the Celtics wouldn’t match.

Clint Capela – RFA

Everything we’ve heard from HOU is that they intend on doing whatever they can in order to retain Capela, and honestly the market has sort of dried up for centers in my opinion. Once DAL came off the board by bringing in DeAndre Jordan in my opinion it became clear that Capela would ultimately end up in HOU, but I will say it’s shocking nobody really came to him with a big money offer considering he’s gotten better every year and is just 24.

Montrezl Harrell – RFA

Everything I just said for Capela is true for Harrell. He’s another 24 year old big that showed a bunch of promise last year, but now that Jordan is off the Clippers books it’s only a matter of time before we see them reach an agreement. I’m sure just like with every RFA they are in no rush, but they’d be fucking idiots to let a guy who has starter level talent walk out the door.

Jabari Bird – RFA

I feel like I’ve already said too much. Let’s move on.

Alex Len – UFA

Once the Suns renounced their rights to Len, the 25 year old center became free to sign with any team he wants. The only problem is I’m not sure there’s anyone that actually wants him. There was a time when a young 7 footer hit the market teams lined up to snag him, but Len doesn’t really stretch the floor or really protect the rim, which in my opinion is why he remains unsigned. If I had to guess he’ll probably take a low risk prove it deal with someone and latch on to the end of the bench, it’s just weird to see a young player with potential still be unemployed.

Alan Williams – UFA

Look, he was overpaid on the Suns as their third center, but if there’s a smart GM out there who needs big man depth, they should seriously consider looking at Alan Williams. As long as he’s healthy he could absolutely be the type of energy big man you bring off the bench to do nothing but crash the glass and give you energy. He thrived in that role for the Suns, but again his salary just didn’t justify keeping him. If I had to guess someone like the Spurs or Heat or someone with a good front office is going to snag him.

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Vince Carter – UFA

For the love of God will someone sign Vince so we don’t have to worry about him no longer being in the NBA. He can still get buckets and I am not ready to say goodbye.

Rodney Hood – RFA

Are teams scared of making an offer to Hood because of how he looked in CLE? He’s still young, so it’s a bit surprising not even the Cavs have found a way to give him like a Dante Exum type offer. Maybe they are waiting out the market, but if Hood truly isn’t broken he can certainly help a number of teams that need wing depth. Things could end up to where he has to sign a 1 year prove it deal and becomes a steal for the right team. I’m betting on him returning to CLE, but hey you can never rule out a stupid team doing something stupid and overpaying for him.

Overall this has been a pretty interesting offseason when it comes to the non stars, only because teams are mostly still feeling the effects of the 2016 summer spending spree, and moving forward they’re starting to be smarter, especially when it comes to offer sheets. There hasn’t been nearly as many outrageous poison pill offers, and to be honest I think those days are dead. Team will have more money next summer, but I think front offices are learning from past mistakes and not paying role players like $15M a year. If you’re a fan of a team that struck out on all the big names so far this summer, know that there is a good level of talent still out there, it’s just not become a waiting game. I think once we get to the regular season we’ll be talking about what a steal Player X was, and how no one could believe Player X found his way to Contending Team X.

As always I’ll keep you updated as guys continue to sign, but it’s looking like things are finally starting to slow down.