10 2013 NBA Free Agents Who Teams Must Let Walk

With the NBA Draft finally wrapping up this week, all eyes shift to the next big event in the league: free agency.

And while many teams are looking to improve by adding players, there are a number of teams that should be looking at addition by subtraction.

Any way you slice it, some players are just ill-suited to their current teams, and management should look strongly into letting them walk.

In some cases, this is due to the salary requirements of the players involved. Sometimes players just price themselves out of the budget of their current teams.

Other times, it is just a case of a player not fitting in with the current team structure.

Here are 10 players who their current teams should part ways with.

Monta Ellis, SG, Milwaukee Bucks

Monta Ellis has proven one thing during his time in the league—he can score.

He is a career 19.4 points per game scorer and can do it in a variety of ways.

That being said, he isn't a terribly efficient scorer. He takes a ton of bad shots, and his shooting percentage continues to drop (41.6 percent last year).

He also doesn't really do much else terribly well. He is a solid passer, but he doesn't have great court vision. He is undersized to play shooting guard, so he really needs to be paired with a bigger point guard.

The Milwaukee Bucks are likely going to do whatever it takes to re-sign Brandon Jennings, giving them one of the smallest backcourts in the league.

Additionally, Ellis is likely going to command a huge salary on the open market. There aren't a ton of quality shooting guards available, and Ellis' name carries plenty of weight.

The Bucks will be better served letting Ellis walk and doing their best to address their off-guard spot with a less pricey option.

J.J. Hickson, PF, Portland Trail Blazers

J.J. Hickson was a huge bargain for the Portland Trail Blazers last year.

They basically paid him $4 million last season to man the middle and take pressure off of LaMarcus Aldridge.

Hickson responded masterfully, scoring nearly 13 points and just over 10 rebounds per game.

However, Hickson is not a good interior defender. He can score near the hoop and grab boards, but he doesn't offer much else to the Blazers.

He also will be looking to capitalize on his big numbers last year.

There are plenty of teams that are looking for help up front, and Hickson will be a tempting option.

He could command in the neighborhood of $7-$8 million on the open market. This is just too much for the Blazers to commit to a player who really doesn't pair terribly well with Aldridge.

Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks

Josh Smith has been the face of the Atlanta Hawks for the better part of a decade. 

During that time, he is responsible for plenty of highlight reel dunks, blocks and big shots. 

However, he isn't responsible for any long, sustained playoff runs. Instead, the Hawks were perennial underachievers who rarely did as well as was predicted once the playoffs began. 

Now Smith finds himself looking for likely his biggest payday, and the Hawks should avoid shelling out big bucks for Smith. 

First off, Smith is reaching the tail end of his prime. He still is a borderline elite player, but much of his game relies on his athleticism, which generally does not improve with age. 

Second, given how weak of a free-agent class this generally is, he will likely command a max contract. What exactly would the Hawks end up with at the end of this contract? An undersized power forward who takes too many threes and can no longer provide the highlight reel dunks?

Sure, it will be tough letting Smith walk for nothing, but this relationship has run its course. 

Nate Robinson, PG, Chicago Bulls

Nate Robinson might be a curious pick to be included on this list, but bear with me. 

Robinson had a tremendous postseason, lighting up the Miami Heat and showcasing how dynamic of a scorer he can be. 

That being said, where exactly does he fit with the Chicago Bulls now that former MVP Derrick Rose is back?

Sure, he could be the primary point guard backup, but Robinson is likely going to fetch a decent contract this offseason. Should the Bulls, a team already stretched thin with big contracts, add to their ledger an undersized point guard who is typically either feast or famine?

A better idea would be to offer a contract to a player like Will Bynum, who could potentially be half of what Robinson will get.

Jose Calderon, PG, Detroit Pistons

The Jose Calderon experience for the Detroit Pistons really should be viewed as just that—an experiment. 

The Pistons wanted to see how their offense would fare with a pass-first point guard. They also wanted to see if Brandon Knight could play off the ball. 

By and large, Calderon played well. But Knight struggled and took a beating going up against bigger, stronger off-guards. 

The Pistons appear to be committed to letting Knight run the point, so they really shouldn't pay Calderon the type of money it should take to keep him in Detroit. 

Detroit could instead opt for a cheaper player, perhaps keeping Will Bynum or maybe even spending a few extra bucks and taking a shot at Jarrett Jack. 

Calderon, however, shouldn't have any trouble lining up work. This is a brutally weak point guard free-agent crop, and Calderon has proven his worth in the league. 

Al Jefferson, C, Utah Jazz

Al Jefferson has been a good player for the Utah Jazz. He has been dependable in the post on both sides of the ball and is generally considered one of the top 10 centers in the game. 

But the Jazz are absolutely loaded up front. Enes Kanter has shown signs of brilliance this year, but he was essentially log-jammed out of business. 

The Jazz need to avoid the temptation of keeping Jefferson and instead shift to their youth movement by letting Kanter and Derrick Favors run the show down low. 

Besides, Jefferson has had a history of injuries, and on the open market, he should command a hefty paycheck. 

The Jazz could instead add to their depth with a nice bench player like Carl Landry for easily half the price that Jefferson should command. 

Jarrett Jack, PG, Golden State Warriors

Jarrett Jack, like Nate Robinson, improved his standing in this free-agent crop with a tremendous postseason run. 

He provided a steady, veteran hand to a young and talented Golden State Warriors team. 

That being said, he also took plenty of ill-advised shots and didn't always allow the offense to flow. 

Jack is likely to bring back a very high paycheck from a team looking to back up a young and talented point guard. 

The Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans could each offer Jack a nice gig.

For Golden State, this comes down to choosing between Jack and Carl Landry. Since Landry is bigger and seems to fit the Warriors offensive flow better, he is the obvious choice to remain. 

And with a roster that is increasingly more expensive to run, Jack simply becomes the odd man out.

Andre Iguodala, G/F, Denver Nuggets

In the post-Carmelo Anthony world for the Denver Nuggets, Andre Iguodala has easily been the face of the franchise. 

Iguodala has provided leadership, athleticism and excellent defense for the upstart Nuggets. 

That being said, his numbers really don't jump off the stat sheet. 

He is going to get you about 13-15 points and about five assists and rebounds per game. 

The Nuggets and every other team out there should be asking themselves how much that is really worth? Iguodala is a nice complementary player, but he certainly isn't a game-changer. 

Given how weak this class of free agents is, there likely will be a team willing to offer Iguodala upwards of $10-$12 million per season. 

For a player who, like Josh Smith, relies on his athleticism, a huge contract that will take him into his 30s just doesn't seem like a smart move. 

J.R. Smith, G/F, New York Knicks

J.R. Smith enjoyed a fairly meteoric ride this year. 

He went from being a player who spent much of last season playing in China to being a huge part of the New York Knicks' success this year. 

However, Smith, at this stage of his career, is best used as a bench player for New York. 

He is an instant-offense guy who is capable of some rim-rocking dunks. He can score in a variety of ways and is actually a fairly good rebounder. 

But he is not a guy who the Knicks should pay big bucks to. 

The Knicks enter this new phase of NBA salary cap rules with tons of cash committed to their frontcourt. 

They also have to brace themselves for the real possibility that Carmelo Anthony will opt out of his contract next year. 

They likely will need some cap flexibility, and Smith is the likeliest player to be replaced. 

Tyreke Evans, G/F, Sacramento Kings

Few young players in the NBA have regressed quite the way that Tyreke Evans has. 

He went from being a Rookie of the Year point guard to a role player without a true position. 

That being said, he still does have some name recognition, and he is still very young. 

The Kings will be able to match any offer for Evans, but they really shouldn't. If they didn't find a good role for him after this many years, chances are they won't in five more. 

Evans likely is going to get paid based on his name and potential. This also could be good for him to have a change of scenery. Who knows, he could flourish somewhere else. 

But the Kings have gone down this road with Evans, and it's probably time to end this union.