10 Intriguing NBA Free Agents Nobody Is Talking About
Not all 2023 NBA free agents capable of making an impact next season are receiving significant time under the go-get-them spotlight.
Let's change that.
The goal here isn't to churn out the cheapest options—though, virtually none of these players will break the bank—or least recognizable faces. This is instead an exercise in identifying the unheralded or shockingly under-discussed. (In some cases, it's both.)
All of these players should be generating more buzz—leaguewide interest, fan consideration, rumor-mill face-time, the whole nine. They're not hidden stars in waiting, but they are skilled enough to comfortably crack a regular rotation in 2023-24.
Jevon Carter
1 of 10
Point guards standing 6'1" who aren't especially adept shot creators or table-setters seldom earn the "must-have" label. Carter is among the most potent exceptions.
He plays suffocating defense for a full 94 feet, and the meld of his speed, physicality and relentless screen navigation allows him to cover either guard spot. His offensive limitations, meanwhile, are part of his charm.
Carter is at home away from the ball. Nearly 60 percent of his looks last year were from deep, the vast majority of which were assisted, where he shot over 42 percent. He can, quite literally, fit anywhere.
Every team in need of defense, shooting or reserve guards who don't cost the moon should have Carter on their free-agency big board. With that said, it should take more than the minimum to nab him.
Best Destinations: Boston, Dallas, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto
Hamidou Diallo
2 of 10
Hamidou Diallo would be generating (slightly) more fanfare if his season didn't end in early March. He was tracking toward back-of-the-ballot Most Improved Player consideration before suffering a Grade 2 right ankle sprain.
Limited offensive range renders him a niche fit, but Diallo delivered harbingers of scalability with the Detroit Pistons this past year. He downed 48.5 percent of his mid-range jumpers from Dec. 31 onward, and while many of those looks took the form of pushes and running layups, he looked more fluid pulling up after turning corners or using one to two dribbles.
Granted, the perimeter shooting remains a problem overall. Diallo connected on under 60 percent of his free throws and just about eradicated threes from his shot diet.
Still, he plays with an explosiveness that translates to heady transition attacks and directional half-court drives and capable defense across up to three positions.
Best Destinations: Boston, Dallas, Indiana, Sacramento, Utah
Ayo Dosunmu (Early Bird Restricted)
3 of 10
Point guard options are running thin on the open market. In particular, there's a dearth of middle-ticket names after big-money candidates like Kyrie Irving, Fred VanVleet and D'Angelo Russell. I expected Ayo Dosunmu, Tre Jones (restricted) and Gabe Vincent to dominate that space.
So far, that territory has belonged to Jones and Vincent. Dosunmu, 23, has fallen by the wayside after knocking down under 32 percent of his threes for a painfully mediocre Chicago Bulls offense.
What once upon a time seemed like a poison-pill-contract candidate may now be someone who The Windy City cuts loose if he gets a multiyear offer worth around his qualifying offer ($5.2 million). This dip in stock will be some team's gain.
Dosunmu's outside accuracy is an issue, but he's one year removed from hitting 37.6 percent of his treys. What he lacks in long-range volume, he makes up for with dependable finishing around the basket. And while he's not a conventional floor general, he keeps the ball moving, especially on drives, and has defended all the way up to select 4s.
Best Destinations: Boston, Dallas, Minnesota, San Antonio, Washington
Javonte Green
4 of 10
Javonte Green has the potential to make some team extremely happy in free agency—for not a lot of money.
A right knee injury cost him most of last season, and his recovery wasn't going well as of March. That's a little unsettling. It also probably means he can be had for the minimum, if not slightly more.
The best version of Green is a defensive diamond. At 6'4", he's strong and athletic enough to guard everyone except centers, including massive wings. Peak Green will also hit enough of his triples to stretch the floor—or at least not shrink it—and finish at a high clip and above the rim in transition or when afforded wide-open space inside the half-court.
For what he will likely cost, Green is not so much a gamble as a no-risk, high-reward flier.
Best Destinations: Boston, Dallas, Golden State, Miami, Milwaukee
Trey Lyles
5 of 10
Plenty of teams could use a combo big who just swished 37-plus percent of his spot-up treys and has the coordination and speed to put the ball on the floor off pump fakes and catches in the lane. Because, duh.
Searching for this archetype typically yields names like P.J. Washington (restricted), Grant Williams (restricted), maybe even Cameron Johnson (restricted). It should also feature Trey Lyles.
Make no mistake, he's not on the same level as those above. But any squad jilted by—or unable to afford—them should have Lyles circled as a contingency. He came up huge for the Sacramento Kings this year, taking on significant reps at both big-man slots.
Certain teams will fare even better defensively when pivoting to Lyles-at-the-5 arrangements. He doesn't promise top-tier rim protection or switchability, but he's galaxies from stiff and viable on the glass.
League-minimum shoppers need not request a meeting. Lyles is firmly above that tier, and the Kings know what they have in him. Yet, he's still low profile enough to pique the attention of mini-MLEers.
Best Destinations: Boston, Brooklyn, Indiana, New Orleans, Sacramento
Jalen McDaniels
6 of 10
In a market starving for competent combo wings who won't require gargantuan sums, how Jalen McDaniels isn't considered more of universal target goes beyond me.
Perhaps his stock is repressed by a shaky jumper. He posted an effective field-goal percentage south of 52 on spot-up jumpers while splitting time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets last year.
That's not a good enough reason to overlook him. Not even close. McDaniels canned 40 percent of his threes after arriving in Philly, albeit on negligible volume, and has some downhill sauce when attacking with his right hand.
Combine this with a try-hard motor on the glass and the bandwidth to cover 2s, 3s and 4s, and the 6'9" combo forward is among the most plug-and-play options available in the doesn't-break-the-bank price range.
Best Destinations: Denver, Philadelphia, L.A. Lakers, Sacramento, Utah
Shake Milton
7 of 10
Shake Milton deserves more shine in the Tre Jones (restricted) and Gabe Vincent point guard tier. At the very least, he should be adjacent to it.
Though he's not the most dynamic facilitator, the 26-year-old can initiate half-court sets and keep defenses guessing amid dribble hesitations and changes in direction. His size, at 6'5", lets him guard up some while arming him with leverage when attacking the basket at the other end. He has shot at least 62 percent around the hoop in four of his first five seasons.
Playing him next to more ball-dominant playmakers isn't out of the question, either. Milton knows how to catch and go, and he just drilled 37.8 percent of his threes—including 40 percent of his zero-dribble treys.
Pretty much any team can afford to speak with him. Those peddling only minimum offers might be out of luck, but Milton seems under the radar enough to take less than mini-MLE money ($5 million).
Best Destinations: Boston, Charlotte, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Phoenix
Dario Šarić
8 of 10
Dario Šarić has spent the past few years transitioning from a never-really-was playmaking combo wing to complementary tweener big.
And it looks good on him.
Losing part of 2020-21 and all of 2021-22 to a torn right ACL definitely sapped Šarić of some east-west mobility, a functional deprecation most noticeable on defense. But he still maintains his balance of force and finesse mixed with operable floor spacing.
Šarić's performance started to turn a few weeks before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn't play a big role upon arrival, but he drained 39.1 percent of his threes; got some reps in as a screener; used his shoulders as subtle battering rams on slips to and catches around the basket; peppered in nifty push shots; and kept his head on a swivel when prowling for rebounds.
Deploying him at the 5 requires the right defensive personnel but is a workable lineup option. That versatility alone could drive his price past the minimum, though anyone looking for frontcourt versatility should give him a ring.
Best Destinations: Brooklyn, Denver, Golden State, Miami, San Antonio
Matisse Thybulle (Restricted)
9 of 10
Matisse Thybulle is as high end as it gets for this type of exercise. He isn't here, per se, because he's underappreciated. He's here because it feels like no one's talking about him.
It'd be one thing if he completely bombed upon joining the Portland Trail Blazers. He didn't. On the contrary, he converted 38.8 percent of his 3.9 three-point attempts per game, suggesting he might be more than a complete non-factor on offense.
Maybe teams are worried that Thybulle's dalliance without outside shooting is a flash in the pan. Maybe he's still too low volume for most. Or maybe prospective admirers have written him off as just another restricted free agent whose incumbent team won't let him leave.
Whatever the reasoning, I promise you that I won't understand it. This year's market is short on wings, and Thybulle retains his frenetically disruptive defensive appeal.
If he's also capable of attempting five triples per 36 minutes and hitting them at a reasonable clip, at least one squad should consider coming in with bigger-MLE money—if not more, as part of a shorter-term, stab-in-the-dark windfall.
Best Destinations: Dallas, Indiana, Portland, Utah, Washington
Yuta Watanabe
10 of 10
If you root for an NBA team that doesn't have any real money to spend in free agency, then you might assume Yuta Watanabe is too big-time for this list. His name has been bandied about for a cornucopia of cash-strapped squads.
And it's beyond easy to see why.
Watanabe does nearly everything well enough to be considered a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-some. Saddling him with any meaningful ball-handling responsibilities can get dicey, but he has a smattering of hop-steppy separation tactics he can use to bust out a floater.
Not that he needs to be on-ball. Way more than half of his shot attempts last season came off the catch, on which he posted a 68.6 effective field-goal percentage. His defense holds up across three positions, and he will party crash passing lanes or provide help without over-gambling.
At 6'9" and just 28 years old, inflexible contenders like Golden State, Miami and Phoenix aren't the only ones who need to be targeting Watanabe. Offers that exceed the minimum, from teams of all different competitive windows, should be on the table.
Best Destinations: Cleveland, Dallas, Indiana, Memphis, Sacramento
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
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