NBA Free Agents 2018: Rumors, Predictions for Marcus Smart, Tony Parker, More
After a fast-paced first few days, NBA free agency has come to a screeching halt.
The action on the free-agent market slowed down because of the lack of cap space across the league and the number of high-profile names scooped up before Wednesday.
Plenty of intriguing names remain on the market, but some of the top players available are restricted free agents, which complicates matters for teams interested in luring them away from the franchises they represented last season.
A collection of veteran players, bench assets and young stars looking to make a good amount of money remain on the market, but their decision-making processes could take longer than expected as teams look to make them fit into their salary structure.
Marcus Smart Reportedly Frustrated with Boston
With the Boston Celtics labeled as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference with LeBron James no longer a Cleveland Cavalier, it makes sense for them to bring back Marcus Smart to reinforce their defensive presence.
However, Smart hasn't received a call from the Celtics to talk about his free agency, which is making him frustrated, per Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
The Celtics extended a qualifying offer of $6.05 million to Smart before the free-agency window opened, but that's all the contact that's been made between the two parties.
"He would have thought there would have been some kind of three- to four-year deal from them to show they're interested," sources told Murphy. "But the qualifying offer is the only one he has received, and there's been no talk since free agency opened. He's most disappointed that there has been no reaching out from their end."
As a restricted free agent, Smart could agree to a one-year deal with the Celtics and opt to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
In that situation, the Celtics would keep him for the 2018-19 season before he looks for a big contract elsewhere.
The issue facing Smart is he might have to accept the qualifying offer if another team doesn't swoop in to make an offer, which is likely given how little teams have to spend.
Prediction: Smart hears from Celtic and signs a one-year deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
Tony Parker Potentially Moving On from San Antonio
While almost all of the chatter about the San Antonio Spurs revolves around a potential Kawhi Leonard trade, there's another major piece of their roster they should be concerned about.
Point guard Tony Parker remains on the free-agent market, and there's potential for him to land elsewhere for the 2018-19 campaign.
The 36-year-old's representatives are looking for a favorable deal, and the Spurs are still interested in retaining him, per ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright:
Other landing spots for Parker could be the Charlotte Hornets or Denver Nuggets, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted on his podcast, The Woj Pod, that both teams are interested in the veteran point guard, with the Hornets being a particularly interesting team:
"Parker's gonna be an interesting one because they're trying to figure out in San Antonio what they're doing. Can he sit around and wait for that? There is some money—Charlotte's got some interest in him, Denver might have a little interest. Now Denver, they're looking for a backup point guard so that might be a veteran—minimum guy, but Charlotte has an exception. They've got some money, and James Borrego, the new Charlotte coach, coached him with the Spurs. And there's others. There's not a team in the league who wouldn't love to have Tony as a backup."
Charlotte appears to have a better chance of bringing in Parker because of his connection with James Borrego, who was an assistant with the Spurs before becoming Hornets head coach in May.
Although the Spurs remain a wild card in the offseason because of the Leonard fiasco, it's hard to imagine Parker not playing there after what he's meant to the franchise.
Prediction: Parker ends up back in San Antonio.
LeBron James Not Pressuring Lakers into Acquiring Another Star
Amid all the noise surrounding a potential trade by the Los Angeles Lakers for Leonard, LeBron James isn't pressuring the franchise to make flashy moves.
According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, James isn't forcing the Lakers to chase down a second superstar, which makes a long-term build possible.
A plethora of veterans signed to one-year deals are reportedly joining James at Staples Center, but no one on the roster stands out as someone who could help James topple the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets in his first season with the Lakers.
If James is committed to building the roster step by step, it would make sense for the Lakers to prepare for the 2019 offseason, when they could sign Leonard as a free agent.
James has enough talent around him to help L.A. make the playoffs in the Western Conference and a build a foundation for the new era of the franchise, but it won't be enough to contend for a championship.
Prediction: Lakers add another veteran player but don't do much else.
LaVine Reportedly Receiving Interest from Sacramento
As one of the few high-profile restricted free agents left on the market, the Chicago Bulls' Zach LaVine is drawing a bit of interest.
The 23-year-old and the Sacramento Kings have mutual interest, according to Wojnarowski on his podcast, but any deal is hampered by the brutal market.
"The restricted free-agent market is decimated," Wojnarowski said. "I don't know where these guys are going to get their money. The one hope is Zach LaVine in Sacramento. They've been pretty serious about doing that, and maybe he can get an offer sheet from them."
Sacramento would be an interesting roster for LaVine to join, as the Kings are attempting to build with a young core led by De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III.
Finding a fit on the crowded Kings roster for LaVine might halt any deal in its tracks given Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Frank Mason and Buddy Hield occupy spots on the guard depth chart.
If the Kings aren't the best fit for LaVine, it might be wise to come back to the Bulls in search of some financial security.
Prediction: LaVine returns to the Bulls after garnering interest from other teams.
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