The money has flown like a turbulent flood this summer. Free agents, restricted and unrestricted, have signed for unconscionable amounts of money from new teams and old. All the big name free agents are in that mix. In addition to Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors, Dwyane Wade went home to Chicago. Al Horford took his talents to Boston. As a result of that, Dwight Howard got to go home to the Hawks. Andre Drummond, DeMar DeRozan, Mike Conley, and Bradley Beal all took max deals to stay in their respective cities. The pickings may seem slim at this point, but you would be wrong. There is still a plethora of free agents still on the market that could help a team. And at this point, they’ll probably come at a bargain.
J.R. SMITH, SHOOTING GUARD (CLEVELAND CAVALIERS)
Say what you want about J.R. Smith. But when focused, there are few shooters in the NBA more capable than him. Renown for his hot shooting streaks and hotter temper, Smith found a sense of calm in Cleveland. Unlike in New York or New Orleans, he didn’t have to be a primary scorer. Hell, he wasn’t even a tertiary option in Cleveland. But when the team needed a big shot, Smith never shied from the opportunity. In today’s NBA, somebody with that range, and confidence, is very valuable. Cleveland would love to keep him, but they may have worked themselves into an unforeseen Ray Allen sweepstakes. It looks likely that Smith will indeed end up re-signing, but stranger things have already happened in free agency’s first month.
DION WAITERS, SHOOTING GUARD (OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER)
We move from a current Cavs shooting guard to a former one. Dion Waiters may be the most coveted player left among free agents. He’s nearly a lock to not return to the Thunder, and has plenty of suitors. He’s developed a reputation, and truthfully so, of being tough to work with. But in the current financial climate of the league, risky signings aren’t as risky as they once were. Waiters is a valuable player off the bench or in the starting lineup for the right team. That right team at the moment may be the Brooklyn Nets. Spurned by both Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson, despite astronomical offer sheets, the Nets are desperate. But the Thunder may not be able to let him leave. If they do, it may point towards a quicker path towards a complete rebuild than we thought for OKC.
LANCE STEPHENSON, SMALL FORWARD (MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES)
My how it has gone so wrong for Lance Stephenson these past couple years. Once regarded as one of the up and coming players in the league, his stock has plummeted. To say it didn’t work out in Charlotte would be understatement of the year. His tenures in Los Angeles and Memphis were too short to rule whether the same could be said there. However, Stephenson is still just 25. With the market thinned, he now sits as one of the belles of the ball. Several teams are inquiring about his services, but none make more sense than the Pacers. Sure Lance left in unceremonious fashion in, but the Pacers know how to get the best out of him. A multi-year deal is supposedly on the table from Indiana for Lance to make his triumphant return. However, don’t rule out Miami, who just lost out on Dwyane Wade.
MAURICE HARKLESS, SMALL FORWARD (PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS)
Put aside the old picture, and you’ll see the man with the foggiest future left on the market is Maurice Harkless. The Blazers are in a bit of a cap pickle now after matching Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Allen Crabbe. They’d love to bring Harkless, a restricted free agent, back. He was a vital part of their bench a year ago. He was one of their more efficient wing players from the field. But along with the Crabbe outlay, the Blazers traded for Shabazz Napier and re-signed Meyers Leonard as well. Therefore, a one year qualifying offer may be all they can offer Harkless. With many teams circling, as many as nine if you believe the rumor mills, Portland is at a disadvantage. But, he seemed to enjoy his role with the club and a team, like those pesky Nets or Lakers, would have to overspend to get him.
JARED SULLINGER, POWER FORWARD (BOSTON CELTICS)
Entering the summer, Jared Sullinger’s restricted free agency scared a lot of teams off. He has enough skills to warrant an offer sheet, but many teams didn’t feel as if a long term contract was plausible for him. But now the tables have turned. The Celtics renounced his rights making him an unrestricted free agent. The threat of the Celtics matching a lowball offer is gone. He won’t be back in Boston with that loaded front court, so the offers should come in hot. The renouncing helps Sullinger as well as Boston. He can take a one year deal to prove he’s starter-worthy, or try to latch on with a title contender. Better yet, he could embrace a role as a second unit guy, and probably get a multi-year contract out of it, something that he probably never would have received in Boston.
UPDATE: Sullinger signed a 1 year, $6 million deal with the Raptors.
TY LAWSON, POINT GUARD (INDIANA PACERS)
Similarly to Stephenson, Ty Lawson was once a prized commodity. He was once the future of the Denver Nuggets, on the cusp of being an All-Star. Instead of his career trajectory projecting northward though, things went south real quick for him. Off the court issues, as well as a dwindling sense of care on it, made Lawson expendable in Denver. His trade to the even more volatile Rockets did nothing but further Lawson’s woes. He ended up a waiver wire pickup by the Pacers. As you can probably guess, he wasn’t that impressive for the Pacers either. So why would a team take a flyer on him? Because the talent is still there. There are organizations out there, Miami or San Antonio for example, that could get his head on straight. Let’s hope for his sake he ends in one of those places and not in another calamity like Sacramento.
Which other free agents do you think could still be impactful for an NBA club? (And no, LeBron James does not count.) Would you want your favorite team to sign any of the players above? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @TREVORutley or @sportsftb.