2017 NBA Free Agency Big Board: Top 25 Remaining Players
Several more NBA free agents have found homes as we get deeper into July, but there are still bargains to be had—especially for those teams savvy enough to save some of their precious cap space until now.
The best remaining option, based on the Top 100 list we're using for these rankings, just had his rights renounced, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, which suggests at least one team isn't convinced he's worth anything close to the max.
In other words, we've reached the point in free agency where there are no sure things.
That's exciting, though. We're in wild-card territory!
Who'll sign the rotation player for next to nothing, and smile as he logs major playoff minutes in May?
Who'll snag the dirt-cheap reclamation project who winds up surprising everyone?
You know it'll happen. It's just a question of which remaining free agent slides into those roles.
25-21: Tolliver, Jones, Lawson, Williams, Reed
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25. Donatas Motiejunas, PF/C, Unrestricted
2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 4.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 73
If Motiejunas' 23.4 percent hit rate from long range last season with the New Orleans Pelicans is an indicator of what teams can expect going forward, the 7-foot 26-year-old might hang around on our list of availables for a good long while.
The reason he's here, though, is his longer track record.
He shot 36.8 percent from deep in 2014-15, and his post game makes him a viable offensive hub against second units.
24. Anthony Tolliver, PF, Unrestricted
2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 71
Tolliver is 32 and limited lateral mobility means he's likely slated for the role of undersized 4 wherever he winds up. But he shot 39.1 percent from deep with the Sacramento Kings last year (before being waived...on his birthday!) and brings professionalism that could help a young team looking for locker room stability.
23. Terrence Jones, PF, Unrestricted
2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 70
A theoretical stretch-4 who hasn't actually shown any stretch outside a low-volume effort in 2014-15 (35.1 percent from long range on 37 attempts, Jones is still just 25 years old. Defensively inconsistent but a capable rebounder at times, the former Rocket, Pelican and Buck will have to rediscover his scoring touch to make a real difference.
That's still possible, but he'll need to land in the right situation.
22. Ty Lawson, PG, Unrestricted
2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.1 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 69
Lawson is still a burner at 29, but his lack of size makes him a hesitant finisher in traffic, and he's not much of an off-the-dribble shooter. He was set up via assist for 73.5 percent of his made threes last year. In contrast, Isaiah Thomas, another small guard, had just 60.4 percent of his treys assisted.
Lawson is a low-mistake game-manager with transition burst. Just don't expect him to score at high volume or scare a defense when he gets into the lane—which he still does well. Among players averaging 26 or fewer minutes last year (Lawson played 25.1), only Tony Parker and Jeremy Lin drove into the lane more often.
21. Deron Williams, PG, Unrestricted
2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 67
Williams played fewer minutes and generally did less during them after jumping from the Dallas Mavericks to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. He did, however, shoot 41.5 percent from three-point range while steadily managing second units.
At this point in his career, Williams isn't quick enough to defend smaller guards. But his strength makes him an option against many wings.
20. Willie Reed, C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.7 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 66
The Golden State Warriors are among the teams interested in Willie Reed's services, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
If the Warriors are looking to replace JaVale McGee, they could do worse than adding a 6'11" athlete with similar above-the-rim spring. Of Reed's 162 made field goals last season, 63 were dunks.
Only two years into his career at age 27, Reed should be looking for more than the minimum he'd get from Golden State. Then again, playing a role on a championship favorite could get Reed the exposure he needs to cash in next summer.
Decisions, decisions...
19. Ersan Ilyasova, PF, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 13.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 65
Pretend you're a general manager, and you're not sure whether you want to spend a roster spot (and probably more than a minimum salary) on an 11-year veteran who's already played for six different teams.
You're probably conflicted.
Clarity's not hard to come by on this one. Just ask:
Do I like moderate-volume, moderate-efficiency shooting and lots of charges drawn?
If the answer is yes, then Ilyasova is your man.
He's a career 36.6 percent marksman from three-point distance on exactly three attempts per game, and he also puts his body in harm's way more often than just about anyone. In each of the last two seasons, he's topped the NBA in charges taken, according to NBA Miner.
The Atlanta Hawks renounced his free-agent rights, according to Keith Smith of Real GM, but Ilyasova can help a team in need of backup shooting from the 4.
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18. JaVale McGee, C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 steals, 0.9 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 64
JaVale McGee will never be in a better basketball situation than the one he enjoyed last year.
Golden State's designated lob-catcher, McGee feasted on alley-oops in a perfectly spaced floor and dominating second units unprepared for his energy and length. His teammates looked to feed him every second he was on the court, and his minutes produced a team-high 121.4 offensive rating.
There's immense value in the vertical spacing McGee offers, and even if no team can replicate the ideal system in Golden State, many can beat the Dubs' best offer.
McGee, who can only get a minimum salary from the Warriors, has met with the Kings, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN, as well as the Clippers, per Wojnarowski.
Effectively out of the league before rehabbing his career last season, McGee is in the enviable position of choosing between a championship reprise in Golden State or a significant payday elsewhere. Good for him.
17. Tony Allen, SG, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 63
Playing about half the season after turning 35, Tony Allen averaged a career high 27.1 minutes per game last year.
So to the list of things we know definitively about the 13-year veteran—he can't shoot and he's a menace on defense—we can now add this: He's not breaking down yet.
Allen earned All-Defense Second Team honors in 2016-17, and he is still among the most feared wing stoppers in the NBA. Postseason opponents will always exploit his unreliable outside shot, but the 82 games that come before the playoffs still matter.
Allen can help with those—both as a first-rate defender and as an example to younger players of how far a grimy, defiant, do-what-it-takes attitude can get you.
The Clippers have shown interest in a sign-and-trade, according to Aldridge, though that may be mostly because head coach Doc Rivers hasn't signed a player who was good in the East around 2008 this summer yet, and he's feeling the itch.
If not in Los Angeles, Allen could land somewhere for a short-term deal worth somewhere around $5 million per season. He's got more grinding to do if, as seems likely, he doesn't return to the Memphis Grizzlies.
16. Ian Clark, PG/SG, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 6.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 61
Like McGee before him, Ian Clark is another Warriors free agent who will not finder greener pastures but might find more green.
Clark made the most of a spaced floor last year by cutting all over the place as teammates spoon-fed him layups and tricky in-between shots. On the whole, roughly three out of every four Clark buckets came via the assist, including 59 of his 61 made triples.
Lacking the size to defend wings and the quickness to stay with point guards, Clark is strictly a bench weapon. He's a creative and intuitive scorer, though, and he averaged 16.7 points per 36 minutes on 57.5 percent true shooting in 2016-17. He lacks the explosion of a true bench spark plug, but you can count on Clark to make open threes and move intelligently in a good offensive scheme.
The Warriors filled his role with Nick Young, so Clark will get the chance to prove he wasn't entirely the product of a championship system.
15. Andrew Bogut, C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 2.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.9 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 60
It's safe to assume that Andrew Bogut's tenure with his next team, if there is one, will be longer than the last.
He only has to make it past 58 seconds to top his stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year.
Bogut, 32, is recovering from a leg fracture suffered less than a minute into his first game with the Cavs. Reportedly close to clearance for full basketball activities at the end of June, the 2005 No. 1 overall pick should draw interest from several teams.
Though it seems ages ago, Bogut started at center for the Warriors' title-winning team in 2014-15, then did the same through their 73-win campaign the following year.
Already slowing down upon joining the Dallas Mavericks last season (before a buyout landed him in Cleveland), Bogut may still have the potential to impact a defense. When healthy, his anticipation and sheer size make him a viable anchor in the middle. He struggles when venturing toward the perimeter and can only be used in a drop technique as a pick-and-roll defender, but Bogut guards the rim and shores up a back line well.
On offense, he's a reluctant shooter who can function as an elbow hub if there's enough cutting and shooting around him. He'll pass up shots in ways that bring possessions to a halt, though.
He's a major gamble because of his health, but Bogut may not cost much for a curious team with a hole in the middle.
14. Alex Len, C, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 57
Like Williams, Alex Len got a qualifying offer from the Suns.
At least that suggests Phoenix is interested in retaining its 2013 lottery pick at some number. What that number might be, though, remains in question.
An unequivocal disappointment since being drafted fifth overall in 2013, Len is an inefficient offensive center (he's a career 46.5 percent shooter with five made threes in four seasons), Len has also failed to gain a foothold in the league on defense.
Not great.
On the other hand, he's healthy, 7'1" and 24 years old. Even if it's a rough time to be a non-stretch big man, Len's physical tools and youth mean he's at least an intriguing commodity—one the Suns might retain inexpensively if the lack of outside interest persists.
13. Derrick Rose, PG, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 56
It's fascinating to wonder what the market would be for Derrick Rose if his name and MVP peak didn't still inform teams' perceptions about him.
If he were only judged by his performance following that fateful 2012 ACL tear, marked by below-replacement-level play and myriad additional injuries, would anyone be interested in him for a salary above the minimum?
But he's still Derrick Rose, and that provides intrigue.
Conflicting reports from Marc Berman of the New York Post and Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News indicate interest (and a lack thereof) from the Mavericks.
Rose was effectively a break-even player last year, producing 0.0 wins above replacement, and he did it in a shaky offensive system with the New York Knicks. At 28, and coming off his best season since 2014-15, perhaps he's got something left.
Maybe not as a starter on a good team, but possibly as a backup.
12. Luc Mbah a Moute, SF, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 6.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 51
Luc Mbah a Moute was only set to make $2.3 million on the last year of his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017-18, so declining his player option and hitting free agency doesn't mean he's betting on a huge payoff.
But he'll do a lot better than that $2.3 million, and get at least a two-year deal, if teams paid attention to his production last season.
By upping his three-point hit rate to a career best 39.1 percent, Mbah a Moute injected just enough offense to qualify as a legitimate three-and-D weapon. Those are in high demand when the entire contending section of the league needs as many wing-sized two-way threats as possible to have a chance against the Warriors and Cavaliers.
If any of those three-point gains are real, Mbah a Moute profiles as a rotation-caliber wing for almost any team. And as the league's small-ball preferences take firmer hold, he'll be even more valuable as a stretch-4 who can guard three positions.
11. Marreese Speights, PF/C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 8.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.5 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 50
The man Stephen Curry once called the "biggest shooting guard in the league" leaned into that label in 2016-17.
Marreese Speights, once a rugged rebounder and 6'10" interior force, took more than half of his 548 field-goal attempts from beyond the arc last season and hit at a 37.1 percent clip from long range. Speights had never attempted more than 0.9 triples per contest until 2016-17, when he flung up an average of 3.4 deep tries.
Though his defensive contributions are limited to taking charges (only Ilyasova drew more such fouls last year), Speights' offense makes him a useful bench threat. The only difference between him and the kinds of players we typically think of as reserve sparks is size.
Among bigs, Mo Buckets ranked 17th in the league in points per 100 possessions last year, slotting in right between Kristaps Porzingis and LaMarcus Aldridge.
10. Nikola Mirotic, PF, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 44
The Bulls are positioned to keep Nikola Mirotic on a team-friendly deal, as offers for the restricted free agent haven't exactly come pouring in. If one does, and Mirotic signs it, the Bulls can match knowing they didn't pay a penny more than necessary to keep their inconsistent but still promising forward.
All while avoiding the ill will that can arise during restricted free agency, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "Sources on both sides of the negotiations have described them as cordial and the gap to be bridged not that large. According to sources, Mirotic has drawn preliminary interest from at least two teams but has no visits scheduled."
Mirotic is a career 35 percent shooter from distance, but he showed real upside with a 39 percent conversion rate in 2015-16. He still drives observers up the wall with inexplicable hesitation to shoot, hot-and-cold stretches that last entire months and middling defense, but as always, players with forward size and a guard's stroke are in demand.
9. Manu Ginobili, SG, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 7.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.2 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 39
Nobody knows whether the greatest basketball player of all time (left-handed Argentine division) will return for a 16th season with the San Antonio Spurs, but as our political institutions crumble and our planet's temperature rises toward a level that will bake us all, it's clear we need Manu Ginobili in our lives more than ever.
Wrong-footed finishes will not reverse the breakdown of geopolitical relations. There's little science to prove left-handed finger rolls and impish nutmeg dimes can arrest the destructive accumulation of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
But maybe they can help take our minds off the world's real problems for, say, 14 minutes per game.
Come back, Manu. Only you can save us.
8. Jonathon Simmons, SG, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 38
We've hit the Spurs stretch in our rankings, as Jonathon Simmons follows Ginobili in the remaining top 10.
Simmons' minutes increased in his second year with San Antonio, but perhaps teams are wary of his efficiency dip in a larger role. His true shooting percentage fell from 58.6 percent in 2015-16 to 50.4 last season, and his player efficiency rating, already well below average at 11.9 two seasons ago, dropped to 9.9 in 2016-17.
With this 6'6" wing, though, it's all about the tools.
Simmons is a high-end athlete who can knock down perimeter shots and defend with great tenacity at times. More seasoning in San Antonio would be best for his development, and with the Spurs holding matching rights, there's a good chance he sticks around for at least another couple of years.
Before free agency began, The Vertical's Shams Charania reported the Kings, Wolves and Clippers would kick the tires on Simmons, and Ian Begley of ESPN.com said the Knicks have been in touch, too.
7. David Lee, PF, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 7.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.5 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 35
David Lee declined his player option to stick with the Spurs and now hits the market healthy (79 games played last year, his most since making the All-Star team in 2012-13) and having posted his best true shooting percentage in a decade.
Defensive invisibility and the lack of three-point range make Lee a clear backup, but he's a gifted scorer inside with good touch, ambidexterity and a fair passing eye.
At 34, this is probably Lee's last chance to make more than the minimum.
6. Mason Plumlee, C, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 10.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.1 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 26
Having surrendered Jusuf Nurkic and a first-rounder to get Mason Plumlee, you'd think the Denver Nuggets would be motivated to keep their restricted free-agent big man. Adding Paul Millsap to a frontcourt that already had Juancho Hernangomez and Kenneth Faried would seem to indicate, though, that Plumlee isn't much of a priority.
All the better that the cost to keep Plums appears to be declining. The restricted free agent hasn't gotten an offer sheet on the market yet.
Plumlee is a great passer at the 5, but he doesn't finish well in traffic and cannot space the floor. He's a clear backup behind Jokic, and probably shouldn't play ahead of Hernangomez either—to say nothing of Millsap. If the Nuggets can hang onto him at the market rate for a fourth big man, that'll count as a steal.
5. Pau Gasol, PF/C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.1 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 23
Pau Gasol gave up a guaranteed $16.2 million when he declined his player option with the Spurs, so he must know he's getting more than that (probably over a couple of seasons) on his next deal.
No other teams have extended offers yet, and Gasol has reportedly planned on sticking with San Antonio.
According to Jeff Garcia of of News4SA.com, the 16-year veteran is looking forward to getting a deal done soon.
Barring something unforeseen, he'll be back with the Spurs.
Extremely skilled and intelligent but also now completely immobile, Gasol can still compete with conventional centers on offense and defend the rim (when already in position) with his length. He'll be a liability against faster, smaller foes, though.
4. JaMychal Green, PF/C, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 8.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 19
Hard-capped after signing Ben McLemore and Tyreke Evans, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Memphis Grizzlies aren't in a position to match a significant offer sheet for restricted free agent JaMychal Green.
Based on their recent decisions, it seems as if the Grizzlies never intended to keep Green unless it was at a major discount. That's been fairly obvious to Green's agent since as far back as July 4, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
"I’m looking at two offer sheets and sign-and-trades," Green's representative, Michael Hodges, told Tillery. "Seems to us Memphis is going in a different direction."
Green shouldn't still be on the market at this stage of free agency. An athletic power forward who defends multiple positions, Green was one of just four players last season to hit at least 50 threes at a rate of 37 percent or better while grabbing at least seven rebounds per game.
That's some serious statistical cherry-picking, but when you're on a list with Kevin Love, Kevin Durant and Pau Gasol, (and you're the second-best defender of the group) you've done something right.
3. Dewayne Dedmon, C, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 5.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 18
The Warriors can't offer more than the minimum, the Spurs should be confident in their ability to find the next valuable big man on the scrap heap and the Boston Celtics, once rumored to be interested in a center, just agreed to sign Aron Baynes.
Dewayne Dedmon probably expected more interest when he opted out of his deal San Antonio.
His contributions as a defender, rebounder and lob-catcher should still earn Dedmon more than the $3 million he would have made with the Spurs in 2017-18, but the market is drying up, and few teams have the space to splurge.
UPDATE: Dewayne Dedmon has agreed to sign with the Atlanta Hawks, per The Vertical's Shams Charania.
2. Nerlens Noel, PF/C, Restricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 14
Every dollar teams spend around the league brings the Mavericks closer to keeping Nerlens Noel at a rate they're comfortable with.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reported the Mavs have offered something in the range of $18-20 million per season, but that Noel isn't ready to settle just yet. That could change if no better offers emerge.
The Hawks registered interest and are one of a short list of teams with the cap space to wow Noel, but Dallas has the opportunity to match.
Noel could accept the Mavs' qualifying offer, return for a year and then hit unrestricted free agency in 2018, but it's hard to imagine a player with his injury history having the confidence to forego a sizable multi-year offer.
Potentially a game-altering defender with room to grow on O, Noel, if healthy, would easily be the most impactful free agent still available. That health "if" has always been massive, though.
1. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Unrestricted
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2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.2 blocks
Top 100 Ranking: 13
The Pistons have their shooting guard of the future in Avery Bradley (unless he bolts as an unrestricted free agent next summer), and so they renounced their rights to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as reported first by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
This makes KCP an unrestricted free agent and indicates he's not getting the max salary that seemed likely for a good chunk of the 2016-17 season.
According to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated, Detroit's best offer was for five years and $80 million.
The Brooklyn Nets opted to use their cap space to take on DeMarre Carroll's salary with picks attached, and the Philadelphia 76ers spent big on a one-year deal for J.J. Redick. Perhaps the Hawks or Los Angeles Lakers will toss out one-year offers worth more than $20 million, but it's looking increasingly like KCP's earning potential is headed the wrong way.
Still just 24, the former Piston can hit an open three, defend either guard spot and has room to keep getting better. But it's not hard to understand why Detroit and the rest of the league don't see 13.8 points and a 51.9 true shooting percentage as indicative of cornerstone status.
UPDATE: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed to a one-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com.
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