Buy Low, Sail High: The Best Players Left On the NBA Free Agent Market

As the calendar turns the page into August, most of the NBA’s premier free agents have long been scooped up. Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Hedo Turkoglu, Rasheed Wallace, Andre Miller, and Jason Kidd are off the market, and even the majority of lesser-tiered role players have determined their 2009-10 addresses.

Still, a handful of big names, smart backups, and improving youngsters are there to be had. Some of those players could be signed outright, while a few others would have to be plucked through the murky waters of restricted free agency.

Here are the best treasures up for grabs.

Allen Iverson—Unrestricted Free Agent

As evidenced by his tenure in Detroit last season, Iverson can’t fit in to balanced offensive approaches and won’t sacrifice for the good of a team. What's even worse, age has caught up to him as his electric athleticism is fizzling, while injuries have begun to take their toll.

Iverson’s pride can’t allow him to accept a bench role, so his options are limited to bottom-feeding teams where he’d be guaranteed to massage the ball and take as many shots as he’d like. However, a majority of those teams are in penny-pinching mode and can’t afford to waste money on a player who won’t make their team better.

Charlotte is a rumored destination, but it’s hard to believe Larry Brown would want to stomach the indigestion he suffered from coaching Iverson in Philadelphia.

The Timberwolves would be a great fit, as they need perimeter scoring to match Al Jefferson’s interior post game. But given that they don’t have a coach yet, a novice signal caller would face extra stresses from coaching an ego of Iverson’s magnitude.

Milwaukee could use him but they don’t have the money to spend. Sacramento is too entrenched in a youth movement to take a flier on Iverson. The Knicks have shown interest but the answer they’re more concerned with involves clearing cap room for next offseason.

Given the individual-centered, pass rarely, play defense never approach Don Nelson has to basketball, it’s clear the only place for Allen Iverson is the Golden State circus.

David Lee—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks

Lee is a bouncy rebounder who can knock down wide-open jumpers, occasionally drive to the basket, and who always plays with maximum hustle. Conversely, his defense is non-existent and he has trouble creating his own offense consistently.

Both Lee and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, overvalue his worth by asking for star money at $10 million annually. Instead, in a perfect world, Lee is a high-end bench player on a great team, or a fourth option on a good one.

The Knicks had plans to try to acquire two major free agents in 2009-10, including mega-stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, among others. With the sinking economy and news of a lower salary cap, the Knicks won’t have as much cap room as they anticipated, which is why they’re more than willing to try to let another team set the market for Lee.

The Hawks would love Lee’s ability to rebound and run. So too would the Sixers and Hornets.

The Lakers would love an upgrade over Josh Powell, though it’s doubtful Lee would want to be a fourth big man in a rotation. Golden State puts no premium on defense, so Lee’s athleticism and rebounding will find playing time by the bay.

In the end, though, Lee’s best bet is to stay with the Knicks.

Nate Robinson—Restricted Free Agent: New York Knicks

Robinson has a world of talent. He has unlimited range, can leap skyscrapers, is a tough finisher, has a lethal first step and a filthy crossover.

What can’t he do?

• Stop his emotions from getting the best of him
• Run an offense
• Do anything defensively besides reaching and gambling
• Follow a coaches’ instructions
• Make simple plays instead of trying to hit home runs on every possession
• Understand shot selection
• Grow up

Where’s the best place for Robinson?

Disneyland or Six Flags Great Adventure.

Any free-wheeling, fun-loving, team that doesn‘t care about discipline or is starved for talent. Golden State, Phoenix, the Clippers, Sacramento, Minnesota, and Milwaukee fit those descriptions best.

It should be noted that if Robinson ever experiences puberty, there is not a single team in the league that wouldn’t love to have his nuclear talents.

Raymond Felton—Restricted Free Agent: Charlotte Bobcats

Felton is a rare commodity in Charlotte—he’s actually respectable at creating his own offense—so it’s doubtful the Bobcats won’t match any offer made for him unless it’s a gross overpayment. But bad teams looking for starting point guard or good teams looking for a backup could use Felton.

Sacramento, Indiana, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston make sense, but he’s Charlotte’s to lose.

Ramon Sessions—Restricted Free Agent: Milwaukee

With Brandon Jennings as the future of the franchise, and Luke Ridnour being the backup, Milwaukee won’t match any decent offer made for Sessions. He’s a small, quick play-maker who makes the most of his opportunities.

His lack of size and stature has scared off many teams, but any squad looking for a talented young backup would love Sessions. Atlanta, Indiana, and the Knicks would love to have him on their squad.

Bruce Bowen—Unrestricted Free Agent

Bowen isn’t the standout he once was, but he can still play above-average defense for spot minutes off the bench.

It’s likely he’d only go to a contender, so that eliminates two-thirds of the league, and most teams already have a handful of defensive stoppers. But Boston has never found a replacement for James Posey and it’s a lot to ask of Paul Pierce to be the team’s primary scorer and primary stopper.

For 12-15 minutes a game, Bowen could be invaluable to the Celtics.

Glen Davis—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics

Davis is a tough rebounder who can hit mid-range jumpers and bull his way into points inside the paint. But he’s not a particularly quick perimeter defender and is undersized down low.

With Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett returning from injuries, along with Rasheed Wallace added to the mix, Davis could be the fifth big in Boston’s rotation. This means the Celtics might not match a sizable contract offer made to Big Baby.

The Bobcats would love Davis’ versatile, if limited offense, and his energetic, wrecking ball hustle. Portland could use more brawn at the power-forward position, as would the Wizards.

In the end, because of Boston’s front-court age, expect the two sides to reach an agreement where Davis stays in Boston.

Leon Powe—Restricted Free Agent: Boston Celtics

Powe falls into roughly the same category as Davis, as he too could be a fifth big man in a rotation, lessening the chances he’s resigned. However, Powe is coming off micro fracture surgery, which probably means he won’t have the same athleticism and explosion he had before the surgery.

Still, Powe is rugged, physical, and can score from the post, which are all valuable commodities to winning teams. If a team is willing to weigh the injury risk, they may wind up with a great backup or a low-end starter.

Sacramento isn’t going anywhere, and it’s doubtful Sean May will be better than a post- micro fracture Powe. Toronto can use his toughness, as can Portland.

Because of his injury, though, expect him to be given a qualifying offer and stay in Boston.

Linas Kleiza—Restricted Free Agent: Denver Nuggets

There’s little reason for the Nuggets not to sign Kleiza, who is a valuable shooter with good toughness. Kleiza can’t defend, and he’s not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, so his role as point-maker off the bench is perfect for him.

Other teams that can use his scoring include the Rockets, Heat, Bobcats, Pacers, and Kings.

Von Wafer—Unrestricted Free Agent

Wafer can put the ball on the floor to create his own shot and can plug his open jumpers. Any team looking to bolster its bench offense can use Wafer.

He’d be an auto-upgrade over Sasha Vujacic in Los Angeles, and would bring valuable offense back to Houston. Miami and Philadelphia would be his next best options.

Stephon Marbury—Unrestricted Free Agent

His days as a valuable basketball player may be over, but what bottom-feeding team couldn’t use a Vaseline-eating, car-wrecking disaster to distract fans from the on court disasters during games?

Given that the Knicks appear headed for another fruitless season, it’s only proper that Marbury take his side show back to New York City. Knicks fans will need a scapegoat after they realize they won’t be able to sign LeBron in 2010, and Marbury, as always, needs the biggest spotlight possible.

If that bridge has been burned down, what better way for the Sacramento Kings to prove they still exist than by having Marbury refuse to enter a game sometime next January? Geoff Petrie, the ball is in your hands.