The 10 Most Interesting NBA Free Agents to Watch Down the Stretch
Even after the NBA's trade deadline passed, it's impossible to get away from talk about player movement.
These days, it's a constant, 12-straight-months story underlying everything else happening in the league.
Over the rest of the regular season's stretch run, a handful of free agents could make or break their individual markets ahead of this offseason.
The most interesting ones can be found below, but some definitional thoughts are in order first.
To be interesting, at least for purposes of this slideshow, we're going to limit ourselves to the free agents who present at least some chance of relocation. So, most who are restricted or have a team option for 2024-25 won't be here.
For example, it's hard to imagine the Philadelphia 76ers not matching any offer sheet restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey might sign elsewhere. The Oklahoma City Thunder not picking up Isaiah Joe's $2.2 million team option seems almost impossible.
So, those two and others who might be in similar camps aren't below.
Other considerations for inclusion are players' roles over the last few weeks of the season, chances to be showcased for a playoff run, leaguewide demand for certain player types or opportunities to change perceptions.
LeBron James (Player Option)
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Over the course of his six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, most indications from LeBron James suggest he wants to finish his career in the glamorous market and for the legacy franchise.
But during those six years, L.A. is also outside the top 10 in winning percentage. Currently sitting in the bottom half of the play-in tournament, there's a very real chance this season ends without a playoff appearance.
If that happens, LeBron could very well start thinking about other organizations that offer him a better shot at a fifth championship.
Of course, there's also the Bronny James factor.
LeBron has made no secret of the fact that he'd like to play NBA basketball with his son, and James' agent weighed in on the younger James' pro prospects recently.
"I don't value a young player getting into the lottery as much as I do getting him on the right team in the right developmental situation," Rich Paul told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
If that leads to James entering the draft, a desperate team might roll the dice in hopes of his father following him there.
Paul also told Wojnarowski that his client isn't necessarily guaranteed to switch teams just to be able to play with his son, but that could certainly be posturing.
Long story short, LeBron has a player option for 2024-25. Declining it in the same summer that Bronny enters the draft would create quite a whirlwind of rumors about where both might end up.
Pascal Siakam
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The Indiana Pacers may have already backed themselves into a corner with Pascal Siakam.
They gave up two young talents and three first-round draft picks for Siakam in a trade earlier this season. Losing all of that and then failing to re-sign Siakam this summer would look like a borderline disaster.
That makes it hard to imagine Siakam emerging from this summer with any less than a max contract. The question, of course, is whether he's truly a max player.
Siakam is a consistent 20-point-per-game scorer, and he's underrated as a creator. But for his career, Siakam is way below average from three. His overall scoring efficiency (both with and without free throws) has basically been average.
And his ability to shift between the 4 and 5 has typically worked better in theory than reality.
Add the fact that he turns 30 in April to all of the above, and it's more than fair to question whether a max offer is the right choice for any team (even if it's one that Indiana may have already functionally made for itself).
James Harden
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James Harden has suddenly become an NBA journeyman, playing for four different teams since the start of 2020-21.
At each of the stops since the Houston Rockets, things got off to a great start for the future Hall of Fame playmaker. He was initially deferential to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets, as well as Joel Embiid on the Philadelphia 76ers.
The same thing happened with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for the Los Angeles Clippers, but he's only been there a few months. There's still time for things to sour the way they did in Houston, Brooklyn and Philly.
As he approaches unrestricted free agency in 2024, it'll be interesting to see if any such souring takes place during the stretch run of this season.
Will Harden's playmaking continue to push the Clippers toward contention? Will it contribute to a deep playoff run? Or will he suffer another playoff collapse that drives a wedge between him and his teammates?
The next couple months could determine a lot about the rest of Harden's career.
Malik Monk
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Malik Monk isn't just one of this offseason's most interesting free agents. He's been one of the 2023-24 campaign's most interesting guards overall.
After spending his entire career as a shoot-first 2-guard (or maybe, as a combo guard), Monk is averaging almost as many points generated by his assists (13.3) as he is points (15.4).
He's fully morphed into a lead playmaker for the minutes when the Sacramento Kings are without De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. But he can still shift seamlessly back to a catch-and-shoot threat when needed.
That offensive versatility should make him one of this summer's most in-demand free agents.
Klay Thompson
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Klay Thompson's acceptance (or lack thereof) of his basketball mortality has been a near-constant topic of discussion this season.
The latest turn in the story is his move to the Golden State Warriors' bench. When everyone's available, it looks like Thompson's role will be that of a reserve, and he's undeniably been better as such this season.
- Klay as a starter: 16.7 points, 55.5 true shooting percentage
- Klay as a reserve: 19.2 points, 62.4 true shooting percentage
If Thompson and any potential suitors both realize that his surest path to effectiveness now includes some time feasting against reserves, he could have serious suitors beyond the incumbent Warriors.
As crazy at is to think about the core with him, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green being broken up, it's also hard to justify staying in the luxury tax for a team that's not currently threatening to win titles.
There's likely a level to which Klay's next contract can get, and that could scare Golden State off.
Buddy Hield
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There's a number of Philadelphia 76ers that could get the nod here.
Tobias Harris, De'Anthony Melton and Kelly Oubre Jr. have all had significant roles and will be unrestricted free agents. Maxey was mentioned at the top.
Everyone is seemingly in some sort of extended audition to be a part of the next iteration of the Sixers while Joel Embiid continues to work his way back from a meniscus injury.
And the most interesting auditioner might be Buddy Hield, whose high-volume, high-efficiency three-point game would make him an easy fit in just about any team's rotation.
Over the course of his career, Hield has averaged 3.1 threes and hit 40.1 percent of his three-point attempts. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the only players in NBA history who match or exceed both marks.
That kind of shooting should make him an almost ideal offensive complement to Embiid, but that description could fit him and a number of other stars around the league too.
Floor spacing is always in demand, and Hield should have plenty of suitors this summer.
Andre Drummond
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Just a few short years ago, it felt like the NBA was going to transition away from traditional centers for a while. The Golden State Warriors had popularized small-ball, and few players were as nitpicked as the old-school bigs like Andre Drummond.
But the Chicago Bulls center hung around just long enough to see a resurgence at his position led by Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid. Now, after playing at or near the league minimum for each of his last four seasons, Drummond might be proving worth a bigger exception this summer.
Since Christmas (29 games), Drummond is averaging a double-double (11.3 rebounds and 10.9 points) in just 21.4 minutes. He's also adding a block per game in that limited playing time.
He's making it harder for fans or analysts to preach "empty stats for a bad team!"
The Bulls' point differential is better when Drummond is on the floor this season, and they've even survived some minutes with him and Nikola Vučević playing together.
OG Anunoby
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An elbow surgery has taken him off the radar of some fans, but OG Anunoby was having a massively positive impact on the New York Knicks before that.
Despite missing New York's past 15 games, Anunoby is still third in the NBA in total plus-minus since he entered the Knicks' rotation (behind only Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum).
His defense made an already nasty team borderline terrifying, and his lower-usage offensive game made him a better fit alongside Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle than RJ Barrett was.
But does all that warrant max or near-max money? Does Anunoby provide enough ancillary production, like assists and rebounds, to devote that much of the cap to him? Does an average of fewer than 60 appearances per season over the course of his career change the analysis on that?
A lot of those questions could be answered after Anunoby's return from surgery and during the Knicks' upcoming playoff run.
Kyle Anderson
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Kyle Anderson has been one of the most interesting players in the league for years. He's essentially a slow-footed point guard, operating from a power forward's body. His defense is way too effective for a player nicknamed "slow-mo." And in the years he's knocking down threes, he can ably lead a second unit.
The thing is, 2023-24 happens to be one of those years in which he's not hitting threes.
After averaging 1.5 attempts and making 41.0 percent of them last season, Anderson is only shooting 20.0 percent on 0.6 attempts this season. That drop-off could be affecting his value.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves or some other team is able to capitalize on that adjustment and sign Anderson to a smaller deal, and then the shot suddenly comes back, they could have one of the game's most unique and versatile bigs for a discount.
Tyus Jones
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After spending most of his career developing a reputation as perhaps the league's best backup point guard, this season was sort of supposed to be Tyus Jones' shot to show what he could do as a starter.
The Washington Wizards possibly being the worst team in the NBA has probably ruined (at least to some degree) that showcase.
But individually, Jones has still been solid.
He's posting career-highs in points (12.1), assists (7.3) and three-point percentage (41.8). Among the 169 players with at least 100 assists, his 7.4 assist-to-turnover ratio is, by far, the best in the league.
As a backup on a good team, or even as a starter alongside more competent teammates, Jones may yet have a bigger moment in the NBA.
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