NBA Free Agents 2015: Latest Rumors and Predictions
The NBA’s early-July free-agency frenzy was a startling production of capitalist excess.
In just a few days, over $2.5 billion in contracts were lavished upon players—that’s more than the GDP of Liberia, an African country with over four million inhabitants.
Though the fervor has died down and the general population of stars and starters has found new homes, there are still several intriguing names floating about with no team. Yet.
Here’s a look at some of the remaining NBA vagabonds still seeking a contract and where they’ll most likely end up.
Tristan Thompson
It’s not exactly a secret that LeBron James wants his boy Tristan Thompson back in wine and gold next season.
Thompson and James are both represented by agent Rich Paul, a protege of Creative Artists Agency’s Leon Rose. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Paul reportedly had Thompson turn down a four-year, $52 million extension from the Cavaliers prior to the Oct. 31 deadline last season, in essence a gamble on the 24-year-old's season.
The Cavs extended a qualifying offer to Thompson on June 30, though it was widely expected he would sign a lucrative deal shortly after the free-agency signing period began.
On July 1, Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Cleveland and the No. 4 pick in the 2011 draft were nearing an agreement on a deal worth in excess of $80 million, but said deal has yet to come to fruition.
It appears we’re at the either-or portion of the negotiations, with the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto reporting, “He will either play for the one-year qualifying offer ($6.8 million) or sign a lucrative extension.”
Thompson was key in the Cavs’ run to the NBA Finals last season following Kevin Love’s season-ending shoulder injury. Standing 6’10” with a 7”2 wingspan, 38.5-inch vertical and unrelenting motor, the Toronto native proved that new-age bigs need not be do-it-all Renaissance men like Draymond Green in order to have a critical impact on the game.
But Cleveland has already gifted power forward Kevin Love a max contract, and while owner Dan Gilbert has thrown caution to the wind in regard to massive contracts and tax ramifications this summer, even he may balk at the idea of two max-contract power forwards occupying space on his team.
The process has taken far longer than most imagined, but James is confident a long-term deal will get done, and the King, like most monarchs, tends to get what he wants.
Prediction: Cleveland and Thompson, with some coercing from LeBron, work together to ink a long-term deal.
With the marquee names all gone, what remains is largely a collection of role players and deep bench assets.
Kevin Seraphin doesn’t believe he’s either of those.
“I definitely want a chance to be a starter,” he told CSN Washington’s J. Michael back in May (h/t Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk). “I definitely want to be somewhere I have a chance to be a starter.”
He continued: “I want to play. I really want to play and have a chance to prove what I can do.”
Selected 17th overall by Chicago in 2010 and subsequently traded to Washington that summer, Seraphin has spent all five of his NBA seasons as a Wizard, playing in 326 games but starting just 31. A desire for more playing time is understandable, but the big man’s insistence on a starting role may have a causal link to his extended free-agency campaign.
At this point, Seraphin will have to accept the realities of whom and what he is. Even with those noted delusions of grandeur, he’s still been drawing interest from a number of teams, per Sheridan Hoops’ Michael Scotto:
New York and Los Angeles—two major markets mired in a brutal stretch of failure and mediocrity—represent intriguing situations. Seraphin would be able to carve out an ample portion of playing time on either squad, as each lacks significant frontcourt depth.
The vet has averaged a respectable 14.1 points, eight rebounds and 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes over his five-year career, but his 5.2 fouls per 36 indicate a serious lack of patience and adroitness on the defensive end.
The French Guiana native has never been able to find consistent playing time in D.C., and with Washington’s roster already filled, Seraphin should find himself in an unfamiliar jersey to begin the 2015-2016 season.
Prediction: Seraphin finds himself on a new coast this year, playing for the Purple and Gold in Los Angeles on a reasonable contract.
Norris Cole
Norris Cole began his career in enviable fashion, winning two consecutive NBA titles riding shotgun with the Heatles in Miami.
Cole was never an integral component—he averaged 8.9 minutes and 19.9 minutes per game during those respective playoff runs—but his defensive intangibles and workmanlike approach won him many fans in Miami.
Cole was dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans in February as part of the three-team deal that saw Goran Dragic land in Miami, and Cole, as he did in Miami, found favor with the team’s resident superstar.
Anthony Davis hasn’t taken to the recruiting trail like other, more seasoned NBA stars this offseason, but he understands that keeping Cole’s presence around is important for a young team looking to shatter the Western Conference’s glass ceiling.
"As far as Norris, I haven't really talked to him,'' Davis admitted, relayed by the Times-Picayune’s John Reid. "I'm kind of out of that situation, I'll let Dell [Demps] and Coach [Alvin] Gentry do what they do. I know they are going to make the right decision. But we definitely hope he can come back."
A ringing endorsement from the future (or present) of the NBA never hurts, and the Brow understands what an experienced veteran with a couple of rings can mean to a squad that has yet to find postseason success.
“He did a wonderful job for us in the playoffs," Davis said, per Reid. "When we brought him along with Quincy and Donte [Cunningham], we kind of went to a different level you know defensively. He brought a lot to the table for us."
Scotto relayed that Cole has been receiving interest from Sam Hinkie’s odd outfit in Philadelphia, but his status as a restricted free agent allows New Orleans to match any contract offered to him by another team.
The Pelicans extended a qualifying offer worth $3 million to Cole in July, but the 26-year-old guard believed his worth to be more on the free market. It turns out, at least for now, that wasn’t the case.
Aside from Philly and New Orleans, the market for Cole’s services has turned rather cold. It wouldn’t make much sense for the 76ers, a team so averse to spending it’s become farcical, to outbid the Pelicans for Cole, so a return to the Big Easy seems likely.
Prediction: Cole signs the one-year qualifying offer and will be back in New Orleans alongside AD for another run at the playoffs.
All statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
