NBA Free Agents 2017: Latest Rumors and Predictions for Notable Remaining Names

The smaller dominoes in NBA free agency can sometimes have the biggest impact. 

Said impact isn't always apparent right away, either. For a contending team, small additions after the big fish have reshaped the league can make all the difference. Think of a signing like David West or Ian Clark with the Golden State Warriors.

The same applies to a rebuilding team. Rajon Rondo putting ink to paper with the Chicago Bulls wasn't met with much more than a shrug a year ago, but he turned out to be a quality veteran presence, and were it not for an untimely injury, we might be talking about how he helped the team take down a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The following rumors don't have the hype of big splashes made near the start of the market's opening, but they're still important enough to track.

Terry's Options

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Jason Terry is the perfect example of the above.

Now 39 years old, he's not going to make the biggest headlines. Last year with the Milwaukee Bucks, he didn't post eye-boggling stats either.

Stats get the attention, but that's not why teams bring him around anymore. He's an outstanding mentor who started his career, believe it or not, back in 1999-00 and has played for six different teams.

This experience has teams in the Western Conference keeping a watchful eye on Terry's situation, with Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times noting one team might offer him a contract soon: "An official with a Western Conference playoff-caliber team, who requested anonymity, confirmed his team is contemplating extending Terry a contract offer."

Again, this isn't about numbers, but it wouldn't be a shocker to see contenders have an interest in Terry as well given his playoff experience, and he managed to shoot 43.2 percent from the floor and 42.7 percent from deep last year over 74 games.

One has to presume there is a limit teams will pay a point guard headed for the age of 40. This simple caveat will likely push Terry back into another season with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he'll back up and guide Malcolm Brogdon on a hopeful playoff team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Thon Maker.

Prediction: Terry re-signs with the Bucks

Ennis' Market

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On the other end of the spectrum is a guy like Tyler Ennis.

Ennis is only 22 years old and has plenty of room to grow into his upside, which would explain why his market continues to heat up. This would've happened sooner, but both the draft and free agency were deep in the backcourt.

Now three years into his career, Ennis had his best season to date with the Los Angeles Lakers a year ago, averaging 7.7 points and 2.4 assists over 22 games. It doesn't sound like too much, but it's a nice sample size helping to prove he'll be a quality asset for a long time at least as a rotational presence.

As such, one would think Ennis getting back together with the Lakers would be an obvious move, especially after this note by ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne:

But it's never so simple, right? The Lakers need a veteran presence behind Lonzo Ball and don't have it yet, not after using most of the team's free cap space on the surprise signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Granted, the Lakers have continued to strike out in this pursuit, but even Magic Johnson has confirmed what most think about the situation, according to Basketball Insiders' Eric Pincus:

With the Lakers looking in another direction, expect Ennis to keep weighing his options and perhaps land with a team like the Houston Rockets.

After all, Ennis played for the Rockets in 2016-17 and there are few things better for a young point than learning under guys like Chris Paul and James Harden.

Prediction: Ennis signs with the Rockets

Gasol Update

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The San Antonio Spurs continue to take their time when it comes to reloading the roster.

Then again, the roster doesn't need much in the way of fine-tuning, not with Dejounte Murray and Patty Mills sitting behind Tony Parker and the new arrival of Rudy Gay behind Kawhi Leonard.

Alas, it's still interesting to see rumblings about Pau Gasol buried in a revelation from ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski during a report about Manu Ginobili's return to the team: "The Spurs are also working to finalize a new deal with free-agent center Pau Gasol, league sources said."

It's easy to forget Gasol even sits on the open market after declining his player option, a move it looked like he made so the team could go out and do deals with guys like Gay.

The Spurs would be in a world of hurt if another team swooped in and wooed Gasol. He might be 37 years old now, but he's a glue guy who still averaged 12.4 points, 7.8 boards, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game over 25.4 minutes.

On paper, Gasol going somewhere else at this stage in his career doesn't make a ton of sense, especially with two downtrodden years with the Bulls still fresh on his mind. In San Antonio, he gets to play an efficient role in one of the league's best rotations while competing for more rings.

Provided money doesn't become an issue after the recent moves by the Spurs, Gasol should get back under contract soon. If not, the market has a new top name to watch.

Prediction: Gasol re-signs with the Spurs

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.