5 Remaining NBA Free Agents Who Should Be Signed Before 2014-15 Season
NBA free agency kicked off all the way back on July 1, but there are five still-available players who can make an impact on the 2014-15 season.
Whether it's a stalemate in negotiations, consideration of retirement, attitude concerns or simply an absence of the right fit, the reasons they're available are varied.
Working around the aforementioned obstacles and signing one of these five could be a great low-risk, high-reward opportunity (except in the case of the first player in the slideshow, who will eventually command a hefty contract).
In the following slides, organized by position, you'll read why each player is still available and what he has to offer a team this season.
Eric Bledsoe, PG/SG
1 of 5
2013-14 Numbers: 17.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 47.7 percent from the field
2013-14 Salary: $2.6 million
Age: 24
Before free agency kicked off, it was pretty much assumed that Gordon Hayward, Greg Monroe and Eric Bledsoe would be the big fish in the restricted market.
So far, the only scenario that has played out as expected was Hayward's. He became a restricted free agent, signed the Charlotte Hornets' offer sheet and then stayed with the Utah Jazz after they matched.
Monroe simply signed the qualifying offer from the Detroit Pistons, fielding no other offers afterward. That makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
As for Bledsoe, well, he hasn't taken any of those steps.
Just a couple of weeks after free agency kicked off, ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that the Phoenix Suns were willing pay $48 million over four years, but that Bledsoe wanted $80 million over five.
To the surprise of no one, months have now passed, and that gap of $32 million has yet to be overcome.
Even with LeBron James in his corner, Bledsoe can't get the big payday from the Suns. In early September, James posted a picture with Bledsoe on Instagram, saying, "Future All-Star in this league in no time. PHX break bread."
If you take the dollars and cents out of the equation, retaining Bledsoe should be an absolute no-brainer for Phoenix.
According to Basketball Reference, the two-man combination of Bledsoe and Goran Dragic played 884 minutes together last season. Their 10.1 average plus-minus was the best of any duo on the team.
You'd think retaining that dynamic one-two punch would be critically important to the front office, but it has to think about the future as well.
Dragic will be a free agent next season, making cap space in 2015 vital. That could be a big part of why Phoenix is reportedly going after Goran's brother Zoran.
Add to that the signing of Isaiah Thomas and the presence of Gerald Green, and the Suns' backcourt starts to look mighty crowded. If Bledsoe's the odd man out, some other team could be in luck.
Bledsoe's averages, shown above, made him one of just six players to post such numbers in 2013-14.
| Kevin Durant | 25 | 32.0 | 5.5 | 7.4 |
| LeBron James | 29 | 27.1 | 6.3 | 6.9 |
| James Harden | 24 | 25.4 | 6.1 | 4.7 |
| Russell Westbrook | 25 | 21.8 | 6.9 | 5.7 |
| Kyle Lowry | 27 | 17.9 | 7.4 | 4.7 |
| Eric Bledsoe | 24 | 17.7 | 5.5 | 4.7 |
He can play both guard positions, as evidenced by the time he spent on the floor with Dragic, and is a lights-out defender.
Assuming he can stay healthy (which is a question mark, as he only appeared in 43 games last season), Bledsoe could make James' All-Star prediction look good fairly soon.
Ramon Sessions, PG/SG
2 of 5
2013-14 Numbers: 12.3 points and 4.1 assists
2013-14 Salary: $5 million
Age: 28
It's tough to peg exactly why Ramon Sessions remains available. A number of guards with lesser numbers have already signed, which means the veteran is looking either for the perfect fit or a bigger payday than teams feel he deserves.
Whatever the case, the wait may be coming to a close, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:
"A couple of teams have been trying to secure Sessions before camp and word is he may be closing in on a deal.
The Houston Rockets had expressed a lot of interest in Sessions, but couldn’t get a deal done through Milwaukee. They ultimately agreed to a trade for Jason Terry instead.
A Sessions deal could be coming in the next few days, so he may be coming off the free agent board shortly.
"
Whatever team lands Sessions will have a uniquely efficient backup point guard who possesses an innate ability to get to the free throw line.
Last season, Sessions put up 9.5 freebies per 100 possessions. That was the most of any player standing 6'3" or shorter, proving Sessions isn't afraid to attack the rim despite giving up several inches to NBA rim protectors.
Ray Allen, SG
3 of 5
2013-14 Numbers: 9.6 points and 37.5 percent from three-point range
2013-14 Salary: $3.2 million
Age: 39
Ray Allen may be dangerously close to the big 4-0, but there's still gas left in the tank thanks to a healthy diet and a conditioning regimen known throughout the league.
Prior to the 2013-14 season, The Miami Herald's Joseph Goodman provided an inside look at Allen's "championship habits:"
"For an encore, Allen, already one of the best-conditioned players in the league, is now in even better shape. He said he plans to snack on pecans, cashews and plantain chips during flights and hopes it "rubs off on other guys, because the recovery for me now is so much more important.
"I like to be able to recover quicker. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to manage my body from an eating standpoint. I’ve always done it, but I’ve taken it to the next level."
"
With little doubt attached to his physical ability, the attention has to shift to whether or not Allen actually wants to play anymore.
In a report for ESPN, Chris Broussard said Allen is looking to play rather than hang up his sneakers, but added, "Publicly, Allen maintains that he is still considering retirement."
If he decides to give it one more go, the 18-year veteran's leadership and experience might be even more valuable than the floor spacing he'll provide.
Michael Beasley, SF/PF
4 of 5
2013-14 Numbers: 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 49.9 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range
2013-14 Salary: $1 million
Age: 25
In the summer of 2008, Michael Beasley was a newly drafted NBA rookie, coming off one of the best freshman campaigns in NCAA history.
After the Kansas State star averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds during the 2007-08 season, ESPN's Jay Bilas said, "Michael Beasley is the best player in the country and an unstoppable man among men."
Six years later, he's an unsigned, unrestricted free agent with training camps right around the corner.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald broke down why Beasley's last team, the Miami Heat, has decided not to bring him back:
"A person with direct knowledge cited several reasons for the Heat's lack of interest: Inconsistency, lack of trust in his defense (and ability to execute the Heat's defensive system), and maturity/focus issues, which are still a concern even though he improved somewhat in that regard last season.
"
Certainly, there's at least one or two teams out there willing to deal with those issues for a guy who could give them 20 points per game.
Even with everything Jackson laid out, Beasley can still get buckets in volume. Take a look at his per-36-minute numbers compared with Chris Bosh, whom he backed up in Miami.
| Michael Beasley | 2013-14 | .499 | .389 | .772 | 7.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 18.9 |
| Chris Bosh | 2013-14 | .516 | .339 | .820 | 7.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 18.2 |
Just imagine what he could do if he was focused.
That's a big gamble on whatever coach is charged with, for lack of a better term, fixing Beasley. But at this point, he's not likely to command much more than the veteran's minimum salary, and that's a risk worth taking.
Andray Blatche, C/PF
5 of 5
2013-14 Numbers: 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds
2013-14 Salary: $1.4 million
Age: 28
Andray Blatche was a surprise hit at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, averaging 21.2 points and 13.8 rebounds for Gilas Pilipinas, the national team of the Philippines.
It wasn't all roses, though. Grantland's Rafe Bartholomew summed up the pros and cons following Gilas' elimination from the tournament:
"He’s a classic give-and-take player — he gives his team scoring and size, and his perimeter skills create mismatches against most international teams; he also takes away from his team’s success with turnovers, sometimes questionable shot selection, and by slowing down the offensive rhythm. I think there’s little doubt that Reyes and the Gilas coaching staff will accept the negatives in Blatche’s game to keep the positives.
"
Will an NBA team be willing to make that same compromise? If Blatche maintains a reserve role like the one he had with the Brooklyn Nets, it's tough to see why not.
In his two seasons with Brooklyn, he averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, or drawn out per 36 minutes, 18.9 and 9.2.
That scoring ability stretches to just inside the three-point line, making Blatche a pseudo-stretch 4. If he could extend that range out a couple more feet, he'd be a hot commodity. As it stands now, he still has plenty of value as a reserve big.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
