NBA Free Agents 2011: Team the Top 25 Available Players Are Frequently Linked To

Adam FromalJun 1, 2018

Even though the lockout is nowhere near lifted, rumors about the top 25 free agents persists.

Some of the top 25 players eligible to switch teams without a trade seem to be on the path towards a new team while others seem as though they may wear the same uniforms for at least another year.

This slideshow not only identifies who the top 25 free agents are but also where the general buzz seems to have them heading.

Read on to learn more.

Adam Fromal is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter @Fromal09.

J.J. Barea

1 of 26

Position: Point guard

Last Team: Dallas Mavericks

2010-2011 Stats: 9.5 points, 3.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Dallas Mavericks

Ever since J.J. Barea said that he would be OK going to the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks or Miami Heat, speculation has abounded about how the diminutive point guard could excel in South Beach.

Shane Battier

2 of 26

Position: Small forward

Last Played With: Memphis Grizzlies

2010-211 Stats: 7.6 points, 2.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Miami Heat

Shane Battier wants a move to a contender, so he can win a ring, and none fits better than the Miami Heat. Supposedly, the team is going to pursue his services.

Aaron Brooks

3 of 26

Position: Point guard

Last Played With: Phoenix Suns

2010-211 Stats: 10.7 points, 3.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Phoenix Suns

Although a few teams may wind up pursuing the young point guard, both Brooks and the Suns have expressed interest in furthering their relationship.

Caron Butler

4 of 26

Position: Small forward

Last Played With: Dallas Mavericks

2010-211 Stats: 15.0 points, 1.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Dallas Mavericks

Although he had to sit out for most of the playoffs with an injury, Caron Butler is still a great talent. Not much has been said at all about Butler quite yet, but I have to assume that the Mavericks are interested in re-signing him.

Mario Chalmers

5 of 26

Position: Point guard

Last Played With: Miami Heat

2010-211 Stats: 6.4 points, 2.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Miami Heat

According to Rotoworld, the Miami Heat still want to sign a veteran point guard, but they are also comfortable with having Chalmers start and expect to match any offers for the rights to the restricted free agent.

Wilson Chandler

6 of 26

Position: Small forward

Last Played With: Denver Nuggets

2010-211 Stats: 15.3 points, 1.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Denver Nuggets

As a restricted free agent and a major part of the Carmelo Anthony trade, Wilson Chandler will most likely be remaining with the Denver Nuggets when it's all said and done.

Tyson Chandler

7 of 26

Position: Center

Last Played With: Dallas Mavericks

2010-211 Stats: 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Dallas Mavericks

Tyson Chandler may be open to joining other teams, but in the end, it seems like the only team he'll be playing for is the defending champions. It's almost as though that's a universal assumption on the blogospheres.

Jamal Crawford

8 of 26

Position: Guard

Last Played With: Atlanta Hawks

2010-211 Stats: 14.2 points, 3.2 assists, 1.7 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Chicago Bulls

There is no official source for the rumors, but people just seem to be talking about Crawford departing from Atlanta and either joining the Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks.

The Bulls just seem a bit more common.

Samuel Dalembert

9 of 26

Position: Center

Last Played With: Sacramento Kings

2010-211 Stats: 8.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Miami Heat

Doesn't it just seem like every aging veteran is being linked to the Miami Heat this offseason? Samuel Dalembert is no exception to that rule.

Glen Davis

10 of 26

Position: Power forward

Last Played With: Boston Celtics

2010-211 Stats: 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.4 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Boston Celtics

Even if the Boston Celtics don't want Glen Davis back, Big Baby is going to make it hard for them to let him go. The power forward has made it very clear that he wants to return to the team.

Marc Gasol

11 of 26

Position: Center

Last Played With: Memphis Grizzlies

2010-211 Stats: 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Memphis Grizzlies

Because Marc Gasol is such a highly sought after free agent, it seems as though he's been linked to almost every single team in the NBA.

Out of sheer attrition, the Grizzlies win the "most linked to" prize because the others cancel each other out.

Jeff Green

12 of 26

Position: Forward

Last Played With: Boston Celtics

2010-211 Stats: 13.3 points, 1.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics extended a qualifying offer to Jeff Green and would really have to be pretty dumb not to match any offer after trading away Kendrick Perkins for him in a controversial deal.

Nene Hilario

13 of 26

Position: Center

Last Played With: Denver Nuggets

2010-211 Stats: 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Denver Nuggets

Maybe it's because it was such a surprise that the long-time Denver Nugget opted out of the final year of his contract, but more rumors persist about Nene returning to the Mile High City than they do about him leaving it for lower ground.

Kris Humphries

14 of 26

Position: Power forward

Last Played With: New Jersey Nets

2010-211 Stats: 10.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Kim Kardashian

You don't think anyone's actually talking about Kris Humphries' free agency right now do you? Not with the wedding coming up!

I'm actually kind of serious though. If you search his name on Google News, there isn't a single basketball-related entry.

DeAndre Jordan

15 of 26

Position: Center

Last Played With: Los Angeles Clippers

2010-211 Stats: 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Los Angeles Clippers

As Blake Griffin's best friend on the team and a promising replacement for Chris Kaman, there is absolutely no chance that DeAndre Jordan leaves Los Angeles. I haven't heard a single rumor stating something else.

Andrei Kirilenko

16 of 26

Position: Small forward

Last Played With: Utah Jazz

2010-211 Stats: 11.7 points, 3.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: New Jersey Nets

Could AK-47 be the biggest splash that Mikhail Prokhorov makes in free agency this summer? He very well could be as quite a few random sources are predicting that it will happen.

Carl Landry

17 of 26

Position: Power forward

Last Played With: New Orleans Hornets

2010-211 Stats: 11.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.4 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Indiana Pacers

Carl Landry recently said, "But I would play in Indiana for the Pacers, and I’m from Milwaukee, so I wouldn’t mind going back there. You just never know where I will end up. I’m more than happy to play anywhere as long as I am playing in the NBA.”

It seems as though far more people are hopping on the Indiana bandwagon than the Milwaukee one.

Kenyon Martin

18 of 26

Position: Power forward

Last Played With: Denver Nuggets

2010-211 Stats: 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.7 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Denver Nuggets

After drafting Kenneth Faried, Denver executive Josh Kroenke said that he was still planning on trying to re-sign Kenyon Martin. Even if it's unlikely that this happens, no alternatives have been fully discussed yet.

Tayshaun Prince

19 of 26

Position: Small forward

Last Played With: Detroit Pistons

2010-211 Stats: 14.1 points, 2.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Miami Heat

Aging veteran? Check!

Searching for a ring? Check!

Tayshaun Prince must fit with the Miami Heat. The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson agrees.

Jason Richardson

20 of 26

Position: Shooting guard

Last Played With: Orlando Magic

2010-211 Stats: 15.6 points, 1.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Boston Celtics

Jason Richardson has made it quite clear that he wants to play for a contender next season because the Orlando Magic clearly no longer are considered as such. Since he said that, he has been never-endingly linked to the Boston Celtics.

Rodney Stuckey

21 of 26

Position: Point guard

Last Played With: Detroit Pistons

2010-211 Stats: 15.5 points, 5.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Detroit Pistons

It almost seems a foregone conclusion that Rodney Stuckey will return to Detroit as a shooting guard, freeing up a starting spot for Brandon Knight.

More people are talking about how that duo will coexist than where Stuckey could possibly go other than Detroit.

Marcus Thornton

22 of 26

Position: Guard

Last Played With: Sacramento Kings

2010-211 Stats: 12.8 points, 1.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Sacramento Kings

Kings owner may not have been able to speak the guard's name in Yuba City, but he still referred to him as a guy that played well. Sacramento wants him back.

David West

23 of 26

Position: Power forward

Last Played With: New Orleans Hornets

2010-211 Stats: 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks per game

Most Linked To: Indiana Pacers

Even though Chris Paul wants David West to remain in New Orleans, the most common rumor, somehwat surprisingly, has the power forward taking his talents to Indiana and joining the Pacers.

Nick Young

24 of 26

Position: Shooting guard

Last Played With: Washington Wizards

2010-211 Stats: 17.4 points, 1.2 assists, 2.7 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Chicago Bulls

Even though Nick Young is a restricted free agent with the Washington Wizards, it seems as though the Chicago Bulls are going to try to go after him. After all, they do seem to need a shooting guard.

Thaddeus Young

25 of 26

Position: Forward

Last Played With: Philadelphia 76ers

2010-211 Stats: 12.7 points, 1.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds per game

Most Linked To: Philadelphia 76ers

After an up and down season for the 76ers, Thaddeus Young has made it quite clear that he wants to return to the same team for the 2011-2012 campaign, if it happens of course.

There haven't really been any rumors about other teams grabbing him yet.