The Most Undervalued 2016 NBA Free Agent at Every Position
In some ways, LeBron James and Kevin Durant will be the most "undervalued" free agents this summer. They each are likely to sign for max salaries north of $25 million for 2016-17, but neither figure would come close to matching what they're actually worth to NBA franchises.
Heck, they could take home more than $50 million apiece next season and still undershoot the true value they bring to a team, both on and off the court.
This list isn't for them.
Rather, it's for the unsung (and less sung) heroes of this year's free-agent class. These five players—one for each position—will cash in to some degree on the upcoming money-flooded market. But none of them will finish among the biggest earners at their respective spots.
It could be about health. It could be about age. It could be about personality.
Whatever holds back these players' earning potential, the teams that sign them could be in for some serious steals.
Point Guard: Langston Galloway (Restricted Free Agent)
Forgive Langston Galloway for his rookie and sophomore struggles. As if learning to play point in the NBA weren't tough enough, he had to do so for the New York Knicks, within the confines of the triangle offense. SNY.tv's Keith Schlosser described Galloway's plight:
"Galloway was rather quiet, often getting lost in the Knicks' continued triangle offense tailspin. They played him more off the ball, turning him into somewhat of a spot-shooter. Without the ball in his hands, Galloway's assertiveness (and perhaps his respective confidence level) appears to waver a bit. He's not one to actively move too well without the ball.
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Should Galloway stick with the Knicks, he would likely find his situation much more comfortable. When it comes to point guards, new head coach Jeff Hornacek could swing the opposite way from where Phil Jackson had New York headed. While the Zen Master has long marginalized floor generals, Hornacek had success with the Phoenix Suns playing two (and sometimes three) of them at a time.
As Hornacek told ESPN's Zach Lowe, then with Grantland, upon taking the Suns job in 2013:
"You have to get a read on your players and what suits them the best. When you look at the game today, with the rule changes -- that's why everyone is going to some sort of pick-and-roll. The rules are, you can't touch that guy with your hands. It's not like the old days, where you could hand check.
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To take advantage of those rules, the Knicks will need all the guards they can get, especially those on developmental timelines similar to that of Kristaps Porzingis. Galloway fits both bills.
And if the Knicks decide they don't need him, he should be able to find a landing spot on a squad willing to take a chance on a young point guard (i.e. the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings), with a yearly salary inching toward $5 million.
Shooting Guard: Lance Stephenson (Team Option)
Lance Stephenson remains to the NBA what Russia was to Winston Churchill: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
In some ways, Stephenson isn't quite as mysterious and enigmatic today as he once was. After failed stints with the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, it seems clear that the man known around Brooklyn as "Born Ready" wasn't, well, ready for sustainable NBA stardom.
Stephenson was, at one point this season, on the brink of washing out of the league.
His future as a pro shouldn't be quite so precarious now, after a strong stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. Under Dave Joerger's watch—and amid a roster ravaged by the injury bug—Stephenson averaged 14.2 points after the trade deadline, with two 20-point games and a 30-pointer sprinkled in. He acquitted himself well during Memphis' brief playoff appearance, dropping 14 points in Game 1 and a game-high 26 during Game 4 of the San Antonio Spurs' sweep of the Grizzlies.
Those performances might not convince the Grizzlies to pick up Stephenson's $9.4 million team option for 2016-17. They should, however, remind prospective employers that the Lance of Indiana Pacers vintage isn't entirely a figure of the past. Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Nets and Utah Jazz—all with playmaking holes to fill—could do worse than take a $5-7 million flyer on him.
Small Forward: Jonas Jerebko (Team Option)
Like Stephenson, there's no guarantee that Jonas Jerebko will be a free agent this summer. The Boston Celtics have a $5 million option on his contract for 2016-17, and it would seem wise to exercise it.
The Swedish forward is just the sort of versatile player who fits the Celtics' oddball roster. At 6'10", he's tall enough to be a factor on the interior but can also shoot threes (39.8 percent from deep this past season) while defending guards and wings.
Jerebko did all that and more during Boston's first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. With the C's in an 0-2 series hole, head coach Brad Stevens slipped Jerebko into his starting five, ahead of Jared Sullinger.
The result? Back-to-back double-doubles and consecutive victories for the Celtics, as Jerebko also had a hand in pestering Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder.
Ideally, Danny Ainge would sign a player (or two) to push Jerebko back down the depth chart. With or without a major addition, the C's could do much worse than retaining him at his nominal number.
If the two parties are bound to part, Jerebko needs only to shop around his playoff mixtape to drum up interest. A team in search of shooting up front—think the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets—could perhaps up his salary into the $7-9 million range.
Power Forward: Dwight Powell (Restricted Free Agent)
Dwight Powell might have had a field day in Beantown this season as part of the Celtics' frail frontcourt rotation, had Boston not dealt him to Dallas during the Rajon Rondo trade a couple years ago.
Instead, Powell has had to scratch and claw for even modest playing time behind Dirk Nowitzki. In those fleeting minutes, the Stanford product has flashed a fluency in smart basketball and, with his size (6'11") and athleticism, a penchant for pulling down rebounds—9.9 per 36 minutes during the regular season.
Powell won't blow anyone away with his skill level, though he has tested out a long-range jumper (5-of-27 from three) during his season-and-a-half with the Mavs. Given time to work on his game and in live NBA action, the 24-year-old could be key to ensuring a strong end to Nowitzki's career and a smooth transition into the next era.
For the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko, the choice is clear for Dallas, which holds the right of first refusal over Powell this summer:
"They want to keep him. And they should. If the Mavericks are ever going to grow talent from within, Powell and Justin Anderson are going to have to be two of the poster kids. For that reason, the Mavericks have to bend over backwards to retain Powell, and if somebody throws silly money at him, find a way to match it.
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That is, if Powell gets that kind of offer at all. Should he be lucky enough to draw, say, $8-10 million per season on a three- or four-year deal, he might not look like such a steal out of the bargain bin in the end.
Center: Joakim Noah (Unrestricted Free Agent)
It's weird to think of Joakim Noah as being "undervalued"—almost as weird as seeing him in anything other than Chicago Bulls colors. As Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin put it: "For the past nine years, Noah has been a Chicago institution, both on the court and in the community. He's the team's emotional leader and, when healthy, a game-changing defensive presence in the frontcourt with the passing instincts of a point guard."
Two years ago, Noah's all-around game was on brilliant display. He led the Bulls to 48 wins while earning Defensive Player of the Year honors and a fourth-place finish in the MVP race. Since then, injuries, surgeries, a coaching change and frontcourt competition have turned the Florida product into an afterthought.
Sure, he struggled to adapt to life under Fred Hoiberg. And, in truth, his current decline began during Tom Thibodeau's final season, long before shoulder surgery turned Noah into a spectator. But coming off the bench clearly didn't suit him. Nor did playing power forward next to Pau Gasol, whose claim to the lane left Noah to track smaller, quicker players out to the perimeter.
A new start on a new team in a more appropriate role could work wonders for Noah's game and perception. With his bona fides, he should be able to snag a multiyear deal that pays him upward of $12 million per season, presumably with a big-city squad (New York Knicks? Los Angeles Lakers?) that strikes out in pursuit of this summer's bigger fish.
Stats per NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise cited.
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