2016 NBA Free Agents: Best Fits for the Top 20 in This Year's Class
Feel like making decisions on behalf of the NBA's best 2016 free agents?
Then you've come to the right place.
Players earned their top-20 status here based on their performances this season. Proposed destinations will take into account potential player-team fits and prospective cap space.
Some verdicts will be obvious since certain names simply won't be leaving their current digs. At the same time, just because a player may be likely to stay put doesn't mean he wouldn't be best served signing somewhere else.
20. Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings
1 of 20
Age: 30
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $9,500,000
Rajon Rondo's redemption season is, much like the player himself, beyond explanation.
Sure, Rondo is an offensive plus for the first since time, oh, dinosaurs paraded around Earth. The Sacramento Kings pump in nearly 1.5 points per 100 possessions more with him on the floor. His three-point percentage has never been higher, and he's the first player since John Stockton to average at least 11 points, 12 assists and two steals per game.
But the Kings remain a tire fire overall. Their offensive efficiency is below the league average, and their point differential is better with Rondo on the bench.
Today's NBA isn't, by and large, for ball-dominating point guards with shaky jumpers. Rondo has to be on a team that can functionally accommodate his excessive half-court dribbling with a bevy of shooters while also deploying enough rangy wings to cover up for his inconsistent defensive efforts.
Sacramento has nonetheless given Rondo's playmaking abilities a chance to shine once more, and it would be foolish of him to leave when there aren't a ton of starting point guard openings elsewhere.
Best Fit: Sacramento Kings
19. Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans
2 of 20
Age: 27
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $8,500,000
Ryan Anderson is about to get "Oh my god did he actually get paid that much? I feel like he shouldn't have been paid that much?" paid.
The 6'10" Anderson is today's old-school stretch 4. Yes, old school. He stretches defenses beyond function, dabbles in off-the-dribble shooting, grabs some rebounds and doesn't do much else.
Playing him at power forward without a paint-policing big at the 5 is defensive suicide. Even the New Orleans Pelicans' frontcourt pairing of Anthony Davis and Anderson has been a disaster on the less glamorous end.
Still, Anderson is one of just six players who are averaging at least 16 points and five rebounds per game while shooting 37 percent or better from long distance. His statistical siblings? Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Dirk Nowitzki.
Someone somewhere is going to hand him a truckload of money, and it most likely won't be the Pelicans. They have around $31 million committed to Omer Asik and Davis next season. Anderson is financial overkill unless New Orleans moves the former.
Expect the Detroit Pistons to enter the running in a big way. Stan Van Gundy coached Anderson in Orlando and has showed interest in a reunion, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe (h/t ESPN.com's Marc Stein), and the Pistons have enough defensive depth behind Anderson in Andre Drummond.
Best Fit: Detroit Pistons
18. Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic
3 of 20
Age: 23
Free-Agency Status: Restricted
2015-16 Salary: $2,288,205
Evan Fournier rejected a four-year, $32 million extension from the Orlando Magic ahead of this season, a move that now tracks as a no-brainer.
Dynamic wings can make a killing on this summer's star-starved market, and Fournier projects as one of the top consolation prizes for jilted free-agency aggressors. The Magic have the right to match any offer he receives but cannot reinvest willy-nilly into a nucleus that is prepping for yet another lottery berth.
Dumping Tobias Harris' deal on Detroit at the trade deadline will allow Orlando to raise the theoretical ceiling on what it's willing to pay Fournier. But he joins Curry, Khris Middleton and Jeff Teague as the only players who are averaging 16 points, three assists and one steal per 36 minutes with a three-point success rate of 40 percent or higher.
Seldom do impact restricted free agents get poached, and the Magic can deploy some intriguing combinations featuring Aaron Gordon at the 5, the 6'8" Mario Hezonja at the 4 and Fournier at the 3. But if they're also bent on keeping Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic in town long-term, the minutes situation would get dicey.
Fournier holds more value to a suitor like the Pelicans—a team thin on versatile wings that cannot afford to sling max offer sheets without moving heaven and earth. Pursuing Fournier doesn't transform them into a contender, but it fits with the balance they must strike between rebuilding and competing. A four-man nucleus of Davis, Tyreke Evans, Fournier and Jrue Holiday would put the Pellies in position for a return to the postseason.
Best Fit: New Orleans Pelicans
17. Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks
4 of 20
Age: 27
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $15,361,500
Chandler Parsons' hypothesized breakout with the Dallas Mavericks has not gone according to plan. His scoring and minutes averages have dipped since his last season with the Houston Rockets, while a right knee injury prematurely ended his 2014-15 crusade.
These setbacks won't stop him from re-exploring free agency in July. And they also won't stop the Mavericks from lining up to keep him.
"Don't assume Parsons will automatically re-sign with the Mavs this summer after he opts out of the final season of his three-year, $46 million contract, which is a virtual certainty with the salary cap soaring, despite owner Mark Cuban's making it clear he is committed to keeping Parsons as a foundation piece," ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon wrote.
Parsons still has the outline of a starry playmaking 4 and is enjoying his most productive stretch in Dallas as the season winds down. Since the start of February, he is averaging 18.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and three assists on 50.8 percent shooting, including a 45.7 percent clip from deep.
Orlando is considered a threat to whisk Parsons out of Dallas, according to MacMahon, but Dallas has already shown it's unafraid of committing large chunks of change to wings. (See: Parsons in 2014 and Wesley Matthews in 2015). The Mavericks know what they have in him, and Parsons, at 6'9", gives them a serviceable power forward option to help usher in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era.
Best Fit: Dallas Mavericks
16. Marvin Williams, Charlotte Hornets
5 of 20
Age: 29
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $7,000,000
We are absolutely going here and make no apologies.
Marvin Williams remains an understatedly awesome contributor for the Charlotte Hornets. His 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and one block per game don't begin to do his worth justice.
Opponents are shooting a ridiculously low 45 percent against Williams at the iron, a mark that ranks fifth among all players who are averaging at least 20 minutes and contesting four point-blank opportunities per game. Mix in his 39-plus percent shooting from deep, and it's no wonder why his player efficiency rating is approaching career-high territory—or why he's emerged as one of the most valuable power forwards, period.
According to the Total Points Added (TPA) metric, which was developed by Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal and shows how much better the average team is with a given player on the floor, Williams ranks as the fifth-most valuable power forward, checking in just behind Anthony Davis.
That's enough ammo for Williams to exceed an average yearly salary north of $10 million in his next contract. Paying Spencer Hawes, Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller could give the Hornets pause in negotiations. Al Jefferson, another free agent, is as good as gone, but Charlotte must still worry about compensating Nicolas Batum.
Williams could accept a slight discount to remain with the team that served as the springboard for his mid-career leap. But outside suitors in need of frontcourt spacing could get desperate leading into July—the Chicago Bulls, for instance.
Best Fit: Chicago Bulls
15. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
6 of 20
Age: 22
Free-Agency Status: Restricted
2015-16 Salary: $5,694,674
Bradley Beal is supposed to be a max-contract lock, and he still might be. The Washington Wizards passed on offering him an extension ahead of the October deadline for the sake of preserving financial flexibility for Durant's free agency.
If the Wizards land their primary offseason prize, Beal would once again be assured a max contract and return to Washington. But a Durant homecoming is looking less likely with the playoff hopes of D.C.'s finest ebbing onto life support. And that complicates things.
Beal's individual numbers are good. This is the third consecutive season in which he's clearing 15 points and 2.5 assists per game on 38 percent shooting from deep. Just two other players are sustaining a similar streak: Curry and Durant.
But the Wizards are a statistical wash with Beal on and off the floor. What he gives them on offense, he basically takes back on defense. Too many of his shots continue to come from mid-range (29 percent), and his overall field-goal percentage has actually declined alongside John Wall since 2013-14.
And yet, the Wizards are in no position to cut bait with Beal—Durant or no Durant. They don't have his replacement on the roster, and there's nothing to suggest they've suddenly become a free-agent hot spot.
Forking over the max deal that Beal is bound to get somewhere else is worth it just for the rights to retain Playoff Beal anyway.
Best Fit: Washington Wizards
14. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets
7 of 20
Age: 30
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $22,359,364
It's difficult to fathom a scenario in which Dwight Howard begins next season with Houston. The Rockets offered him to just about everyone at the trade deadline, per Stein, and league sources previously told CBS Sports' Ken Berger that James Harden was at least partially behind that push.
Some or most of Houston's discord could be fabricated. But there's too much noise for the Rockets to play the "all is well" card.
Howard, for his part, can be a huge asset. His days of being The Guy are just over. He hasn't been fully healthy since leaving the Magic and, coupled with the natural regression of age, isn't someone around which an entire team can be constructed.
The best suitors are those who will use him as a defensive anchor and convince him to ditch post-ups in favor of full-time pick-and-roll devastation. Howard joins Davis, Drummond, Derrick Favors and Nerlens Noel as the only players who are averaging 1.5 blocks and one steal per game, and his 1.15 points per roll-man possession rank inside the 81st percentile of efficiency.
Finding a team both prepared to maximize his strengths and pay him won't be easy. Milwaukee Bucks announcer Gus Johnson, as relayed by Zach Harper of CBS Sports, claimed there could be some mutual interest brewing between Howard and Wisconsin's wunderkinds. But Greg Monroe is still on the roster, and head coach Jason Kidd doesn't have enough off-ball shooters to make room for Howard's slashes in volume.
Then again, Milwaukee does have the right mix of ball-handlers (Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton) to set up Howard, and Monroe has already been relegated to bench duty. There won't be room for both him and the injured John Henson on the bench long-term, and a Howard-Jabari Parker pairing up front could be deadly for years to come.
Best Fit: Milwaukee Bucks
13. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
8 of 20
Age: 34
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $20,000,000
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade recently worked out together in Miami.
What does this mean?
Absolutely nothing.
Wade isn't leaving the Miami Heat in free agency, nor should he. Team president Pat Riley gave him enough money this season to justify the pay cut he's assured of taking for next year, and the team's foundation, with the exception of Chris Bosh's ongoing blood clot issue, is starting to take concrete shape.
Goran Dragic's production is picking up as the Heat increase their pace, and Hassan Whiteside has been Miami's most valuable defender since Jan. 1. Wade himself is having another stellar campaign. He has appeared in all but five games and is hitting 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal per game for the eighth time of his career—something only nine other players have ever done.
There is still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Heat's championship window. They're banking on free agency to keep their line of contention open, and improving the roster while holding onto both Wade and Whiteside might prove impossible.
This changes nothing. Wade remains the face of the Heat; he's the ambassador of everything they stand for, from championship rings (three) to contractual pay cuts. It doesn't make sense for him to leave if Miami isn't planning a full-scale teardown.
Best Fit: Miami Heat
12. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
9 of 20
Age: 37
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $8,333,334
Here's an official list of all the crazy scenarios that are more likely to take place than Nowitzki leaving the Mavericks in free agency:
- Every crazy scenario ever
The end.
Nowitzki isn't going anywhere. It'll be a surprise if he even enters the open market. Next season's $8.7 million salary will most likely play into Dallas' sales pitch to other prospective targets.
Should Nowitzki decide he wants a raise or choose to rework his contract, the Mavericks aren't about to bristle. More than he is a franchise icon, he's good at basketball.
Dallas' offensive output drops by eight points per 100 possessions when he rides the pine, the second-largest differential of anyone on the team. Nowitzki is also exceeding 17 points on 45 percent shooting and 35 percent three-point shooting for the 15th time of his career. No one in NBA history has accomplished the same on more than seven occasions.
Keeping Nowitzki in Dallas isn't just about rewarding him. The Mavericks, even after all these years, need him.
Best Fit: Dallas Mavericks
11. Harrison Barnes, Golden State Warriors
10 of 20
Age: 23
Free-Agency Status: Restricted
2015-16 Salary: $3,873,398
Harrison Barnes turned down a four-year, $64 million extension from the Golden State Warriors before 2015-16 tipped off, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
And he was smart to do it.
All that money floating around after the salary-cap boom will give way to some truly decadent offers, likely pinning Barnes to the max-contract discussion. He has never posted an above-average PER but carries cachet because of his performance amid low usage.
Ninety-two qualified players are averaging 14 points and two assists per 36 minutes, and Barnes' usage rate ranks dead last. Some team will lay down an expensive gamble in hopes he'll mature into a star once he snags more touches.
It helps that Barnes is a known commodity outside the pressures of producing like a No. 1 option. He has borderline thrived as a complementary piece with Golden State. He knows how to work off the ball, is putting down nearly 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples and, not unlike Draymond Green, defends almost every position.
Golden State's "Death Squad" lineup doesn't exist without Barnes. And though the Warriors, as a possible dynasty, are the ideal fit, the Durant bugaboo isn't going away. Cap-rich teams in the market for a versatile wing/small-ball 4 who can help headline a rebuild may have a chance to price Barnes out of the Warriors' range.
Best Fit: Golden State Warriors
Alternative Best Fit: Los Angeles Lakers
10. Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat
11 of 20
Age: 26
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $981,348
Moving to the Heat's bench has galvanized Whiteside. Since making the switch, he's averaging 15.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. Even his free-throw shooting has improved, eclipsing 76 percent.
Where his volume shot-blocking was once painted as an empty spectacle, it has now become a necessity for Miami's defense. The Heat are still allowing more points per 100 possessions with Whiteside in the lineup overall, but the statistical narrative has shifted since Jan. 1:
| 99.0 | 2 | |
| 102.7 | 13 |
Re-signing Whiteside will cost the Heat a pretty penny. They don't own his full Bird rights and cannot go over the cap to retain him. It's a caveat that's supposed to drive him out of Miami and into the arms of another admirer who is dangling more dollar signs.
Except things have changed.
"I feel comfortable as long as I've got a Heat jersey on," Whiteside said, per Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. "Coming off the bench, starting, I just love playing for this team."
This Heat team has unfinished business. Miami owns the third-best net rating this side of the All-Star break and is making a run at one of the East's top three seeds—all without Bosh. Keeping the core intact should now be a priority.
Best Fit: Miami Heat
9. Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls
12 of 20
Age: 35
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $7,448,760
Pau Gasol is having the best season of any 35-year-old in NBA history. And it's not even close.
He is now the eighth player to average at least 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks per game. His company includes Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Bob Lanier, Bob McAdoo, Bill Walton and Chris Webber—none of whom was older than 31 at the time(s) of his statistical explosion.
Suggesting that Gasol should leave Chicago feels almost stupid when you look at his numbers. But with the Bulls tottering on the edge of a lottery appearance, it's a distinct possibility.
As Gasol told Marca.com, as translated by HoopsHype:
"I don’t know what kind of effort the team will put in to re-sign me. I do know I put in effort into this, turning down a better offer money-wise to play for a contender. If (the effort) is not there, I’ll have to consider other options. Sure, money will not be the most important factor, but I also want them to value my performance.
The Bulls’ door is open because I’ll opt out and become a free agent, and Chicago will be always my first option.
"
It's by no means his best. The Bulls, even with a healthy Jimmy Butler, are caught in the middle. If Gasol isn't enough to push them over the top now, that's not going to change ahead of 2016-17.
Signing a short-team deal with a team that's trying to pry open its title window just a bit longer makes the most sense. And the Mavericks spring to mind here.
Zaza Pachulia is set to hit free agency himself. Dallas has been looking for someone to excel at the 5 for years, and a Gasol-Nowitzki dyad boasts lethal offensive upside.
Best Fit: Dallas Mavericks
8. Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets
13 of 20
Age: 27
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $13,125,306
Nicolas Batum, in all likelihood, will not be leaving the Hornets.
Teams don't unload top-10 prospects (Noah Vonleh) in exchange for an expiring contract without the intention of keeping that player. And beyond that, Batum has made himself indispensable to Charlotte's cause.
Despite fielding smaller lineups that are, ostensibly, inferior to the defensive products of years past, the Hornets are once again hovering around the top 10 of points allowed per 100 possessions. Batum is long enough to absorb many of the assignments typically reserved for the sidelined Michael-Kidd Gilchrist, plus he has the handles and size to see time at four different positions.
Only three other players are reaching Batum's benchmarks of 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and one steal per game: Harden, James and Russell Westbrook. That's the kind of statistical balance capable of earning Batum max-contract consideration.
The Hornets will most likely be damned before they're outbid for his services. He has the third-highest net rating of every healthy rotation player, and Charlotte doesn't have the free-agency curb appeal necessary to reel in high-profile upgrades.
In the event Batum is looking to join a squad that is closer to title contention, though, the addition of him to the Boston Celtics roster would be straight fire. Their success is tightly tethered to rangy wings like him, and they tried dealing for another perimeter stud in Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, according to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett.
Boston will have the wiggle room to make a run at Batum, and while he isn't the patented superstar it's thought to need, lineups that feature Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Batum have the makings of a legitimate Eastern Conference contender.
Best Fit: Boston Celtics
7. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
14 of 20
Age: 39
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $5,250,000
Hello, Mr. Formality.
Duncan will only be leaving the San Antonio Spurs by way of retirement. This is more about justifying his standing as one of the NBA's premier free agents, even at this stage of his career—which, truthfully, isn't particularly hard.
No player in the league has a higher defensive box plus-minus (DBPM). Even in limited playing time, with a career-low usage rate, Duncan is the face of the best defense the Association has seen since Bill Russell's Celtics.
Rival scorers are shooting under 46 percent at the rim when being challenged by him. Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gobert and Serge Ibaka are the only players to match Duncan's stinginess while also contesting at least seven close-range shots per game.
There isn't a team in the league that couldn't use him as its defensive anchor, and that says a lot—especially for the Spurs, who needn't worry about losing him to any offseason competition.
Best Fit: San Antonio Spurs
6. DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
15 of 20
Age: 26
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $10,050,000
Multiple teams are expected to offer DeMar DeRozan max money in free agency, which could prompt the Toronto Raptors to move in a different direction, according to ESPN.com's Zach Lowe:
"DeRozan is particularly interesting, because the Raptors have an obvious succession plan: Ross at shooting guard, alongside Carroll, giving them above-average 3-point shooting at all three perimeter positions. Ross hasn't earned that sort of trust, but spending $35 million per year on two shooting guards would cramp Toronto's ability to add at other positions of more dire need.
"
Another first-round exit makes it tough to shell out max money for DeRozan. Anything less than genuinely challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference throne could compel Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri to give the roster a thorough facelift. And if Toronto isn't offering max money or a fifth guaranteed year, DeRozan has little incentive to return.
But a divorce presents risks for both sides.
The Raptors can't count on Terrence Ross being the answer just because he's shooting almost 38 percent from deep for his career, and DeMarre Carroll hasn't played since Jan. 3 as he recovers from knee surgery. DeRozan works next to Kyle Lowry and has gone to great lengths to improve as a passer and shooter.
His 33.3 percent clip from downtown won't earn him sniper status, but it is a career high. He's also shooting close to 43 percent on catch-and-shoot treys, a mark high enough to keep defenses honest.
If the Raptors decide to shake things up, DeRozan shouldn't be the one to become collateral damage. A healthy Carroll will improve the core by default ahead of next season, and no one, including a maxed-out DeRozan, will be immovable in the new salary climate should Toronto discover that its model has peaked this season.
Best Fit: Toronto Raptors
5. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
16 of 20
Age: 28
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $9,588,426
Mike Conley may be the rare star free agent who finds himself with a shortage of suitors.
Point guard remains the NBA's deepest position, and the lack of openings around the league can inherently limit interest. Not only has Conley never made an All-Star appearance, but he has yet to pilot a top-10 offense. The Memphis Grizzlies have never ranked better than 13th in points scored per 100 possessions with him running the show (2009-10, 2014-15).
Those in need of a floor general won't be chomping at the bit to offer him a max contract. And there isn't a single team that can promise a better situation than the one he has in Memphis. As the point guard said of his free-agency priorities, per ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo:
"I want to win. That's what I want to do at the end of the day, wherever that may be. So hopefully, when that time comes, I'll have a better vision on what I want and what I want going forward in the summer, but right now, I'm all about winning, and I want to be somewhere that's committed to doing that.
"
Signing with, say, the Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks, two squads in dire need of a competent point guard, doesn't bring Conley closer to winning an NBA title. The Grizzlies, even at full strength, aren't equipped to rise above the Spurs, Warriors or Oklahoma City Thunder. But they, unlike Conley's other potential swains, can offer him the starring role for a playoff fixture.
Best Fit: Memphis Grizzlies
4. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
17 of 20
Age: 22
Free-Agency Status: Restricted
2015-16 Salary: $3,272,091
Can you name the last player to clear 16 points, 15 rebounds and one block per game? Of course you can't. He doesn't exist. There is only Drummond.
Likewise, no other player has ever matched his current rebound, steal and block percentages. He has a better DBPM than Howard and ranks in the 70th percentile of points scored per pick-and-roll possession. His post-up game remains a disaster, and he is shooting under 36 percent from the foul line, but the Pistons' new starting five carves out enough space to thrive offensively with him on the floor.
To that end, Drummond isn't leaving Detroit.
The Pistons can match any offer he receives. Van Gundy is just the coach to design an offense around his limitations, and Drummond specifically delayed his extension so that Detroit could enter the 2016 offseason with maximum spending power, per MLive.com's David Mayo.
Best Fit: Detroit Pistons
3. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
18 of 20
Age: 29
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $12,000,000
Al Horford is criminally underrated.
Pau Gasol is the only other player who is exceeding 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 1.5 blocks per game, and Horford's three-point volume puts him in a class of his own. He has already hit more long balls this season (64) than through his first eight combined (21), and his 34 percent clip from downtown is good enough to earn him stretch 5 designation.
Even with the NBA placing premiums on bigs who can space the floor and protect the rim, such talent exists in short supply. Horford is going to generate a lot of interest on the open market and projects as a max-contract lock.
That's why the Atlanta Hawks contemplated moving him ahead of the trade deadline. They have been unable to duplicate last season's 60-win miracle and can't reasonably justify handing out a nine-figure deal just to maintain the status quo.
Enter the Rockets.
General manager Daryl Morey is best known for his superstar fetish, and Houston needs a multifaceted tower to partner with Harden. Howard will most likely be jumping center elsewhere next season; the Rockets already tried trading Donatas Motiejunas to the Pistons; Terrence Jones could command more than $10 million annually in restricted free agency; and Clint Capela can't score outside three feet of the basket.
Throwing Horford alongside Trevor Ariza, Patrick Beverley, Harden and another name would instantly give Houston one of the most dynamic starting fives out west—a four-pronged backbone fit to erase the trials and tribulations of a disappointing 2015-16 season.
Best Fit: Houston Rockets
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
19 of 20
Age: 31
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted (Player option)
2015-16 Salary: $22,970,500
Try as we might to picture a scenario in which James leaves Cleveland again, it's just not possible.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith indicated there was a chance the four-time MVP could spurn the Cavaliers a second time while making an appearance on ESPN Radio's Jorge & Izzy (h/t The Big Lead). Sources told The Vertical's Chris Mannix the on-court disconnect between Kyrie Irving and James is real, and the relationship between Kevin Love and Cleveland's savior has never seemed peachy keen.
But leaving the Cavaliers would open up James to a world of criticism that his legacy isn't built to endure. He already left once, only to return under the guise that it was his sole mission in life to bring the city of Cleveland a title.
Rumors of his discontent will be bandied about so long as he's under short-term contract. His one-plus-one deals, though a necessity until the Cavaliers own his full Bird rights, keep the pressure on Cleveland to make the most of his prime.
James won't enjoy this unique blend of leverage and power on another team. The Cavaliers are his baby, and any changes, wholesale or otherwise, cannot and will not include him leaving Cleveland.
Best Fit: Cleveland Cavaliers
1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
20 of 20
Age: 27
Free-Agency Status: Unrestricted
2015-16 Salary: $20,158,622
Pretty much every argument against Durant leaving Oklahoma City revolves around the obvious: There is no clear destination that drastically improves his chances of winning a title—that is, unless he plans on joining the Warriors.
League sources told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski in February that the reigning champions were emerging as "significant front-runners" in the Durant sweepstakes. It's an idea that has generally been met with fear and disbelief.
Why would the Warriors break up a historically good team, even if it's for Durant?
Because Durant fits.
Playing beside Curry and Green would diminish Durant's one-on-one opportunities, but he is already used to working without the ball. Around 25 percent of his total shot attempts come off the catch, and most of his made buckets are assisted on.
Functioning predominantly as a spot-up scorer, though an adjustment, would allow him to expend less energy, perhaps safeguarding him against injury and helping prolong his prime. And while the Warriors would need to sacrifice much of their depth to accommodate his salary, a Core Four of Curry, Durant, Green and Klay Thompson is godly enough for them not to care.
Yes, Durant has it pretty good with the Thunder. But, with or without Durant, the Warriors aren't going anywhere. His best shot at winning a championship, at being part of a dynasty, lies with Golden State.
Best Fit: Golden State Warriors
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com and accurate leading into games on March 9. Salary information via Basketball Insiders.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @danfavale.
