Best Potential Landing Spots for Amar'e Stoudemire in 2015 NBA Free Agency

Amar'e Stoudemire no longer carries a winning lottery ticket around with him in NBA free agency.

Both Father Time and the injury bug have severely altered his perception on the open market. Five years after scoring a $100 million deal from the New York Knicks, the 32-year-old knows he isn't about to land another Powerball-sized payday.

And he's OK with that.

"I'm already paid in full," Stoudemire said, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "Money is great to have, but it's not what I'm searching for at this point."

During his 13-year career, the six-time All-Star has never appeared in the NBA Finals and only twice advanced beyond the second round. He should be looking to latch onto a contender, and he still has something to offer in the right situation.

In a complementary role, he can be an efficient scorer. He averaged 19.7 points per 36 minutes on 55.7 percent shooting this past season (split between the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks), so he can bolster a bench in need of interior offense.

With marquee names being snatched up around the league, he should be moving up the list of available players. These five clubs in particular could use a big body like the 6'10", 245-pound Stoudemire to strengthen their bench.

Unless otherwise noted, signings and other player moves are courtesy of ESPN.com's tracker.

Dallas Mavericks

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Less than a week into free agency, the Mavericks have already radically reshaped their roster. Three of last season's starters have taken their talents elsewhere (Rajon Rondo, Monta Ellis and Tyson Chandler), and a pair of high-profile players have been added to offset their losses (DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews).

Dallas has made a concerted effort to improve their defense, and it isn't hard to figure out why. The Mavs never looked the part of full-fledged contenders in 2014-15 with their forgettable marks in defensive efficiency (103.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, 18th overall) and opponents' field-goal percentage (45.0, tied for 16th).

Bringing Stoudemire back would seemingly send the Mavericks in the opposite direction. They allowed 8.7 points per 100 possessions more when he was on the floor.

But if Dallas' other additions can fill in the defensive cracks, then Stoudemire might help the Mavs retain their offensive punch. Their newest players aren't exactly self-sufficient scorers—Jordan gets most of his points off lob passes and putbacks, Matthews works best as a catch-and-shoot sniper—so this team will need players capable of creating their own shots.

Last season, 53.1 percent of Stoudemire's field goals were unassisted. For comparison, 69.0 percent of Jordan's buckets were created by his old Los Angeles Clippers teammates. With no top-shelf point guard on Dallas' roster, the Mavs need players who can fend for themselves.

Earlier this offseason, Stoudemire told Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling he would welcome a return to Dallas. That was before Jordan agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Mavs, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon, but Stoudemire could still have interest if he's willing to accept a supporting role behind Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki.

Indiana Pacers

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Before the summer even started, the Indiana Pacers hinted at potentially making major modifications to their makeup.

"We'd like to play a little faster tempo," Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in April, per Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star." And that means we've got to run a little faster, maybe at times play a little smaller... I would like to score more points, and to do that, you've got to run."

The Pacers have now positioned themselves to do exactly that.

Longtime frontcourt starters David West and Roy Hibbert have both reportedly moved on from the Circle City. West agreed to team up with the San Antonio Spurs, per NBA.com's David Aldridge, and the Pacers worked out a deal to send Roy Hibbert to the Los Angeles Lakers, per Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling.

With the demolition portion of Indiana's remodeling project possibly completed, the Pacers must shift to the addition part of the process. With the financial flexibility created by Hibbert's departure, the Pacers are reportedly hunting for "a big man to help replace Hibbert," sources told ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

While Stoudemire is no longer the burner who once helped fuel Mike D'Antoni's old "seven seconds or less" Phoenix Suns teams, the big guy still fits in an uptempo attack. The Mavs averaged 97.67 possessions per 48 minutes with Stoudemire last season, a pace that would have ranked ninth overall and well ahead of Indiana (95.50, 19th).

Stoudemire could work pick-and-rolls (or pick-and-pops) with Paul George, Rodney Stuckey and newcomer Monta Ellis. Indiana might have the perimeter defenders needed to utilize Stoudemire as a small-ball center, or the Pacers could support him in an oversized lineup with Ian Mahinmi or rookie Myles Turner at the 5.

Los Angeles Clippers

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Losing Jordan was a crushing blow for the Los Angeles Clippers. The high-flying center anchored them at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he looked like the mayor of Lob City. Defensively, he covered up perimeter breakdowns with volleyball-spike rejections.

But that's not the only reason his departure stings. Lacking both cap space and expendable trade chips, the Clippers have no comfortable way to replace him.

"They have no cap space to sign a decent center... No Western Conference team that wants to contend is going to facilitate a sign-and-trade," wrote Hardwood Paroxysm's Daniel Lewis. "... They have no money, no draft picks coming in... and no young projects on the roster."

There is no easy way out for the Clippers, but with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin on the roster, they have to try something. Clippers president-coach Doc Rivers is reportedly eyeing both Stoudemire and JaVale McGee, sources told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

If McGee could ever stay healthy and figure things out, he could be a similar pogo-stick presence in the paint. But he has only played 28 games during the past two seasons combined, and he failed to post an average player efficiency rating in either one.

The Clippers might decide their best path moving forward is trying to overwhelm opponents with offense on a nightly basis. They paced the league in offensive efficiency last season, and next year's group could have some new wrinkles with the arrivals of Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce.

If L.A. opts to prioritize scoring, then Stoudemire has to get a look. Even though he isn't the force he once was, he is the only player other than Dwight Howard to average at least 10 points and shoot 55-plus percent from the field during each of the last three seasons.

A Griffin-Stoudemire frontcourt would be an open invitation for opponents to attack the paint, but it could also be a nightmare to defend.

Miami Heat

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If the Miami Heat can avoid the injury issues that plagued them last season, they should have one of the league's top starting fives. But every contender needs a strong supporting cast, particularly one likely to have three starters on the wrong side of 30.

Miami struggled mightily with consistency from the reserves last season. The Heat managed only 26.6 bench points per game, via HoopsStats.com, which ranked 28th overall. Having a healthy Josh McRoberts could help improve that number, but this bench still seems light on scoring—especially if 19-year-old rookie Justise Winslow needs time to find his footing.

The problem is that addressing the issue won't be easy. And it would be expensive. Between salaries and luxury-tax hits, "the Heat are facing a total payroll cost in excess of $130 million," according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Miami can use the taxpayer $3.4 million mid-level exception, but the Heat would only spend that money on someone playing for less than market value, according to Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick. Based on Stoudemire's earlier quote, that sounds like something he might be willing to do.

Would the Heat have interest in him? Well, they have kicked the tires on Carlos Boozer, sources told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman. Boozer, who Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted "spends a lot of time in Miami," is at a similar point in his career as Stoudemire.

But Stoudemire, who Winderman noted lives in South Florida, has more to offer. He hasn't averaged fewer than 19 points per 36 minutes since 2005-06. Boozer hasn't hit that number since 2010-11. Stoudemire also owns a career 53.6 field goal percentage compared to Boozer's 52.1, and the former is a superior option to run the floor with Miami's electric point guard, Goran Dragic.

If the Heat would consider adding Stoudemire, they might need to make some subtractions first. The expiring contracts of Chris Andersen ($5 million) and/or Mario Chalmers ($4.3 million) could need to be dumped before Miami brings anyone else on board.

Toronto Raptors

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The Toronto Raptors carried two major weaknesses into this offseason: defense and rebounding.

They ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency and 21st in rebounding percentage last season. Those numbers helped explain how their 49-win campaign collapsed amid a first-round sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards.

The Raptors have gone on the offensive to improve their defense this summer.

They aggressively threw $60 million at wing stopper DeMarre Carroll to start free agency, then made a four-year, $30 million commitment to defensive pest (and Toronto native) Cory Joseph, per ESPN.com's Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst. Rim protector Bismack Biyombo recently landed a two-year, $6 million deal from the Raptors, via Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Raptors should break training camp looking more defensive than they have in a while. But rebounding is still a concern.

Biyombo hits the glass hard (career 10.4 boards per 36 minutes), but any playing time he receives will keep potential centerpiece Jonas Valanciunas off the floor. The Raptors haven't replaced Amir Johnson (who scored a two-year deal from the Boston Celtics), and free-agent forward Tyler Hansbrough remains unsigned.

Stoudemire isn't a dominant rebounder, but his 9.1 boards per 36 minutes would have trailed only Valanciunas' 11.9 among Raptors' regulars last season. Stoudemire's interior offense could complement Toronto's perimeter scorers, and his ability to work in the high post would allow him to serve alongside either Valanciunas or Biyombo.

With major money used to solve one of their biggest deficiencies, the Raptors need a bargain investment to take care of the other. If Stoudemire sees championship potential north of the border, he might be willing to go there for cheap.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via Basketball Insiders.

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