Ray Allen Exercises Option with Boston Celtics: 10 Free Agent Shooters Available
With Ray Allen's decision to exercise his player option and return to the Boston Celtics for the 2011-12 season, an already shallow free agent class has thinned even more.
The free agent bonanza of 2010 was an exciting offseason, and the 2012 class promises to be filled with potentially even more stars than that.
The 2011 offseason group isn't as exciting of a bunch, but there are certainly still some productive players here that can help any team looking to stretch the floor.
10. Rasual Butler
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Butler was sort of an afterthought last season despite being one of the more capable reserve swingmen over the last few campaigns.
After an inability to get off the Clippers bench led to an eventual buyout, Butler joined the Bulls in the hopes for contending for a title but really didn't see much playing time there either.
Now, the veteran is coming off a down campaign, but that doesn't mean that he can't help a team. He's got a proven ability to stroke it from long range and is capable of logging starter's minutes in the wake of an injury.
Teams looking for a veteran shooter and depth on the bench could do a lot worse.
9. Daequan Cook
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Despite seeing somewhat limited action with the Thunder this season, Cook's outside stroke really seemed to blossom, and he shot a remarkable 42.2 percent from beyond the arc.
With Oklahoma City clearly having more pressing needs (most notably acquiring some help along the front line), Cook could wind up in a different uniform next season and with a club that views him as an integral part of its nightly rotation.
He's still just 24 years old, and if last season's improved shooting is a harbinger of things to come, whatever team takes a chance on him is certainly going to reap major benefits.
8. Marco Belinelli
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Belinelli is a really intriguing player because of his struggles with inconsistency, but when he's in the zone he can be among the most prolific scorers on the floor.
Although he's probably a better fit off the bench than as a starting 2 guard, the Italian registered career highs in both points per game (10.4) and three-point percentage (41.4).
He's proven to be somewhat one-dimensional at times considering that he usually doesn't provide much else across the board, but if he can build upon his improvements from last season and achieve some consistency between performances, he's going to be a very nice asset to any club.
7. Michael Redd
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Perhaps no NBA player has experienced a harder fall from grace than Michael Redd, thanks to two ACL tears in the same knee within three seasons, but now the veteran is healthy and is looking to prove it.
There's very little chance that he re-signs with the Bucks after they just paid him gobs of cash to rehab, and the former All-Star will certainly have to take a pay decrease with whatever team he joins next.
Redd is undoubtedly one of the riskiest signings of the offseason, but if a needy team is willing to take a gamble for its second unit on this competitor, they definitely wouldn't be sorry.
He is the epitome of a low-risk, high-reward signing.
6. C.J. Miles
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The Utah Jazz front office has already gone on the record as stating that it'll wait until the very last minute to make a decision on Miles' option, which seems to indicate that it is considering declining it in the face of a lockout.
If that happens, Miles immediately becomes one of the best sixth men available on the market, and as he showed for a banged-up Utah club last year, he is more than capable of taking on a starting role.
It'll be fascinating to see where the veteran lands if he doesn't return to Utah, as he was rumored to be on the move at the deadline last season to a number of perimeter-needy teams, and he could definitely help out a contender like Chicago, Oklahoma City or even Los Angeles (Lakers) assuming he doesn't price himself out of their range.
5. J.R. Smith
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Smith would be a lot higher on the wish list of opposing teams that seek guard help in free agency if there weren't so many concerns about his attitude, but his tenure in Denver has been marked by ups and downs to say the least.
He's been in and out of coach George Karl's doghouse over recent seasons, but to deny his obvious talent would be absolutely asinine. Smith is an elite athlete who has the ability to go off for 30-plus points at the drop of a dime.
He would be a phenomenal fit on a team with veteran leadership, but his explosive athleticism coupled with his extraordinarily unique skill set may make him a coveted target on a rebuilding team, and it's entirely possible that Smith is looking for a big-time payday.
4. Nick Young
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The Washington Wizards have stated that they'd like to bring Nick Young back into the fold, but with the near certainty of a serious salary increase and the breakout play from Jordan Crawford, the scenario just doesn't seem all that likely.
Despite the fact that Young battled knee woes down the stretch of the regular season, the USC product showed that he can be among the standout scorers in the game last season, averaging 17.4 points per game.
If Young receives a lucrative deal from a team that's looking to make him the first or second option in the offense, it's possible that he experiences a statistical regression, but I'm very much a firm believer that his breakout campaign was the real deal.
3. Aaron Brooks
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It's fairly unlikely that the Suns let Aaron Brooks slip away in the offseason considering that they just acquired him at last season's deadline, but it would be foolish to overpay for a backup point guard.
Brooks really looked like a shell of his former self last year, and after battling an ankle issue for the majority of the first half of the season, he found himself as a backup to Kyle Lowry in Houston before eventually being traded to the desert.
The point guard certainly has the ability to enjoy a nice rebound campaign assuming that he stays healthy, but that is definitely not a lock by any stretch.
2. Marcus Thornton
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Marcus Thornton could barely get off the bench in New Orleans, but after being traded to the Sacramento Kings at the deadline, he showed exactly why he's No. 2 on this list.
The shooting guard lit the net ablaze with make after make for the Kings, and he was regularly scoring 20-plus per evening down the stretch for the club.
He's already stated his desire to return to the team that gave him the minutes he was searching for, but if another club wants to reward him for the promise that he showed last season, Sacramento might decide to go another route considering that it's already got both Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans in the backcourt.
1. Jamal Crawford
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Crawford has really thrived in a sixth man role for the Hawks, but now that he's set to test the waters of free agency, and with Atlanta having a lot of money tied up already, he may not be back with the club.
He's been one of the better volume scorers (in a reserve role) in the league over the last few seasons, and there's every reason to believe that a number of clubs view him as a definite starter in the lineup.
The veteran sniper posted some pretty serious numbers during his tenure with the Knicks, and if an interested club believes that he can replicate that performance once again in a starting role, it certainly won't hesitate to make a move.
