Ranking the Top 10 NBA Free Agents Remaining on the 2016 Market
Kevin Durant has joined the Golden State Warriors. Al Horford is now a member of the Boston Celtics. Pau Gasol will be suiting up in the San Antonio Spurs frontcourt.
Plenty of notable names are switching locations, and the vast majority of the game-changing NBA free agents are already off the board. But that doesn't prevent the best remaining players from providing some value to whichever teams offer their next contracts.
At this stage of free agency, it's all about trying to find bargains. These 10 players—the No. 1 name notwithstanding—should be able to settle in as beneficial role players so long as they land in the right locations.
Note: These players are presented in the same order as they appear on our Top 100 Free-Agent Big Board.
10. Jordan Hill
1 of 10
Last Team: Indiana Pacers
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 28
Position: PF/C
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks
If you're still thinking of Jordan Hill as the big man who struggled to improve for the Los Angeles Lakers, you're making a mistake. He turned into a legitimate interior defender while becoming less reliant on mid-range jumpers during his lone season with the Indiana Pacers.
Hill still can't serve as a primary rim protector, however. According to NBA.com's SportVU data, he allowed opponents to shoot 53 percent at the hoop while facing 5.5 shots per game.
But his help defense and ability to force opponents into kick-out passes aided Indiana, and that's reflected in his career-best 0.9 defensive box plus/minus and 1.03 defensive real plus/minus, per ESPN.com. Both numbers represent above-average play, even if they won't leave him contending for Defensive Player of the Year anytime soon.
Help Hill continue trending upward in these areas, and you'll find yourself an offseason steal.
9. Brandon Bass
2 of 10
Last Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 31
Position: PF
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks
Signing Brandon Bass is by no means scraping the bottom of the power forward barrel.
Though he filled a diminished role for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015-16, the 31-year-old began proving himself an NBA Benjamin Button. He posted some of the best numbers of his professional career, setting a new high in player efficiency rating (17.4) while finishing with above-average marks in both offensive and defensive box plus/minus for the first time.
Bass could be more consistent on both ends of the floor, but he has distinct skills that he knows how to leverage. Perhaps more importantly, he rarely makes back-breaking mistakes and spent last season proving he could depress his turnover figures into praiseworthy territory.
If you need a power forward who's comfortable creating his own looks, knocking down mid-range jumpers and showing a bit of defensive versatility, you could do far worse than giving Bass a chance.
8. Raymond Felton
3 of 10
Last Team: Dallas Mavericks
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 32
Position: PG
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks
As Bleacher Report's Dan Favale explained while calling Raymond Felton one of the remaining gems on the open market and extolling his ability to drive through traffic, this 32-year-old point guard can still make a positive impact:
"The Mavericks' typical starting lineup, not surprisingly, fared much better on both offense and defense when subbing in Felton for the now-departed Chandler Parsons. Felton's role in orchestrating this high-octane, hyper-efficient small-ball monster isn't enough to earn him a starter's nod or an obscene contract.
But it's enough to subtly push him into the upper echelon of backup floor generals.
"
Felton's reputation still hasn't caught up with his actual production. He's plagued by the years of disappointment that engendered unfortunate jokes about both his game and his physical appearance—both are now firmly rooted in the past.
Though it would be nice to see a bit more success in the pick-and-roll sets he runs so frequently, Felton offers enough as an offensive leader that teams in search of a floor general to boost the second unit should be calling his agent ceaselessly.
7. Lance Stephenson
4 of 10
Last Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 25
Position: SG
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks
During the 26 games he spent with the injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies, Lance Stephenson finally found the success that eluded him since his original breakout for the Pacers. He averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc.
But is that sustainable?
Stephenson plays reckless basketball, and teams are often forced to accept the bad along with the good. In Memphis, there was more of the latter than the former, but we've seen him break out before, only to undergo severe regression. The Charlotte Hornets know exactly what that's like.
Fortunately, there are signs that he's figured out how to play in proper fashion. He's recording fewer turnovers per 36 minutes than he has since 2012-13, and he's connected from downtown at an acceptable clip for two of the last three seasons.
Whether he returns to his original stomping grounds (the odds are "very slim," per IndyStar.com's Nate Taylor) or embarks on a new adventure with the fifth team of his professional career, Stephenson will have to be managed carefully. But if you can keep him in advantageous situations, he's talented enough to aid the cause.
6. Terrence Jones
5 of 10
Last Team: Houston Rockets
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 24
Position: PF
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks
Hearken back to 2014-15, when Terrence Jones was completing his age-23 season with the Houston Rockets.
It seemed like he was the future of the position, able to dominate on the defensive end while spacing out the court for James Harden's bursts to the basket. He averaged 15.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from downtown. The Rockets were noticeably better when he was on the floor during his 33 appearances.
Jump back to the present, and much has changed.
The injuries no longer feel quite so fluky, as he's played just 83 total games over the last two seasons. The 2015-16 campaign also saw him undergo severe regression on both ends of the floor—his three-point jumper all but disappeared, and his interior defense became all too porous.
Jones is still only 24 years old, but there's equal reason to buy into his upside and downside. Whoever ends up gambling on him will have to hope he stays healthy first, then work to bring back the up-and-coming 4 from a few years ago.
5. Donatas Motiejunas
6 of 10
Last Team: Houston Rockets
Type of Free Agency: Restricted
Age: 25
Position: PF/C
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
If Donatas Motiejunas were guaranteed to stay healthy, he'd rise much higher in these rankings. The 7-footer has shown the type of two-way potential that could make him a household name in the not-too-distant future.
He's a convincing interior defender possessing the quickness necessary to stick with perimeter players on switches. He's a growing passer who rarely hesitates to feed an open cutter. He's a legitimate floor-spacing presence who can fit the stretch 4 mold without changing his game.
But we can't just look past the health concerns—not when his recurring back maladies were so serious they led to a trade-negating physical and forced him to stay on the Rockets roster. Even more problematically, they're still bothering him, as he told 15min.lt (h/t Sportando):
"My desire to play for the Lithuanian National Team is huge and being at the Olympic Games would be a dream. But I have to admit that the hopes to play for Lithuanian National Team are not high. I don’t know yet how long will be my new contract in the NBA. And the back is not 100% recovered yet. The specialists told me that it is necessary to strengthen it and I have to make specific exercises. I still hope to play for Lithuania but I am aware that I may not play for the National Team.
"
Without any health guarantees, it's far more uncertain Motiejunas will ever be able to realize his lofty potential.
4. Maurice Harkless
7 of 10
Last Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Type of Free Agency: Restricted
Age: 23
Position: SF/PF
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks
If you look at Maurice Harkless' total points added breakdown on NBA Math, you can build the picture of a defensive stud who's slowly developing into a useful player on offense:
| 2012-13 | Minus-68.26 | 26.54 |
| 2013-14 | Minus-60.85 | 53.24 |
| 2014-15 | Minus-40.83 | 2.63 |
| 2015-16 | Minus-11.66 | 5.83 |
On both ends, a score of zero indicates the player was exactly league-average. Finishing in the green for four consecutive years on defense is impressive for any young forward, and Harkless' vastly improved shooting around the hoop is helping his offense catch up.
In 2014-15, the restricted free agent knocked down 59 percent of his shots from the restricted area, 0 percent of his looks from 10 to 16 feet and 0 percent of his two-pointers from beyond 16 feet. During 2015-16, those percentages rose to 66.0, 40.0 and 33.3, respectively.
The upside here is palpable—made even more tantalizing by the impressive defensive floor.
3. Dion Waiters
8 of 10
Last Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Type of Free Agency: Restricted
Age: 24
Position: SG
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.2 blocks
"At some point, it has to become a seller's market for [Dion] Waiters, who in four NBA seasons has averaged 12.8 points and 28.3 minutes a game. Waiters shot a respectable 35.8 percent from the field last season and showed a propensity to get into the lane on drives. And Waiters' defense was solid," Berry Tramel wrote for the Oklahoman. "That's a good ballplayer."
Unfortunately, that last part is a bit hyperbolic.
Waiters can be a good ballplayer. Far too often, he starts calling his own number at the expense of making the proper play, and his defense hovers around mediocre on good days. Teams have likely been hesitant to sign him for two reasons: They fear the Oklahoma City Thunder could match a low-ball offer, and they know this shooting guard requires proper supervision and a system that will minimize his warts.
Good Waiters is an asset. Bad Waiters is a liability.
The latter has shown up with more frequency during the early stages of his professional career, and that has to be terrifying for anyone looking to make a splash now that the initial free-agency period has died down.
2. J.R. Smith
9 of 10
Last Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 30
Position: SG/SF
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks
As Carter Rodriguez wrote for Fear the Sword, J.R. Smith became a perfect fit for the title-winning Cleveland Cavaliers:
"In a season in which the fit of several key players were questioned, J.R.'s place on the roster makes perfect sense. He's settled in as about the highest-profile role player in the league, which suits his outsized personality, even though he doesn't have a secondary or even tertiary star's game anymore. He knows exactly what he is on this Cavaliers team. He bombs away from three, he tracks shooters better than anyone ever would have expected him to and provides the fun, sometimes silly nature that the Cavaliers need when things get a little too dramatic.
"
The harmful antics now appear to be nothing more than a relic of the past.
Instead of untying opponents' shoelaces, he's realized he can actually shut them down by following the rules and exerting effort. Instead of launching ill-advised heat checks, he's knocking down contested triples at opportune moments and biding his time between shots.
Even during his prime days with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, Smith was too inconsistent to become a bona fide three-and-D wing.
Not anymore.
1. LeBron James
10 of 10
Last Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Type of Free Agency: Unrestricted
Age: 31
Position: SF
2015-16 Per-Game Stats: 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks
Technically, LeBron James is still a free agent.
He's not going anywhere, and it's only a matter of time before he returns to the Cavaliers and begins the title defense. As ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweeted, "Teams are still calling to check on the unsigned LeBron James, but I'm told agent Rich Paul politely informs them James is staying a Cav."
So long as he remains unbound by any contracts, is there any doubt he's the top free agent?
As soon as Durant signed with the Warriors, any such debates became null and void.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from Basketball-Reference.com or NBAMath.com.
