NBA Free Agents 2011: 7 Players Who Will Not Get Signed This Summer

NBA free agency is a while away, but while we wait, it's important that we take an early look at all the NBA free agents. While some of the unrestricted free agents of 2011 are highly coveted, others are going to be scrounging for the veteran's minimum. 

Once big-name players, these athletes had their careers stalled by injuries, chased money far too often, didn't practice hard enough, or were just not that awesome to begin with. After bouncing from team to team, these NBA vets are now struggling to find their niche on any team, regardless of championship potential or salary. 

Some NBA vets may get more consideration should the "offseason" caused by the lockout last considerably longer. But for the most part, the players that won't get signed this summer will be up a creek without a paddle, or something like that. 

Here are seven players that won't get a contract this year. 

Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady wasn't all too bad of a player with the Detroit Pistons last season—he played a decent point guard, and led the offense to some pretty decent possessions. 

Sadly, no one is in the market for an aging, ailing 6'7'' point guard who was primarily known for scoring and having the ball in his hands at all times. 

To this day, McGrady can't play off the ball—he isn't a knockdown shooter and he can't drive to the basket effectively enough to put up points or make plays. He'll need to have the ball in his hands to be effective, and that might not be a great trait to have if you're relegated to becoming a perennial bench player. 

McGrady has fallen off quite a bit since his days with the Houston Rockets. His injuries and lack of practice to polish his game has gotten him here, so don't feel sorry for him. 

Roger Mason Jr.

In 2008, Roger Mason Jr. proved to be a key piece for the San Antonio Spurs, making himself nearly indispensible with his consistent play and outside shooting. 

Three years (and two mediocre seasons) later, Mason is now a free agent after a disappointing season with the New York Knicks. He would end up playing in only 26 games as a Nick after being bumped from the rotation, namely because he was being outperformed by competing guards on the Knicks' squad (which included Toney Douglas, Bill Walker and Raymond Felton). He entered a shooting slump that season, and never recovered.

The only thing Mason had going for him was his sharp-shooting—he isn't very good at running the offense as a point guard, and he lacks the ability to drive in and attack the basket effectively. He's already 30 years old, so it's not as if he has a lot of room to grow.

Unfortunately, teams will realize that Mason won't put up the numbers he did back when he was a Spur.

Earl Boykins

The NBA's littlest player, Earl Boykins, might not get the littlest contract he can ask for. 

Boykins was once known for being a solid reserve man for the Denver Nuggets five years ago, thanks to his long-range shot and ability to get inside the paint and cause some havoc. He was never a good starter, but he provided valuable relief for his starting point.

Since the 2006 season with the Nuggets, though, Boykins has seen a stark drop in his play, minutes, and numbers. His three-point percentages haven't been nearly as good as they were five years ago, and he doesn't get the reps necessary to stay as active as he'd like on the court. 

He's also 34 years old and coming off a pretty mediocre season with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

That might've been the deal-breaker.

Maurice Evans

Maurice Evans has bounced around the league a good amount of times throughout his career. He's been on seven different squads, and has been traded three times. 

It's safe to say that no one will want Evans as trade bait this summer. 

Mo Evans has never been able to do much on the offensive end and his once highly sought-after defensive prowess hasn't been as good as it was three years ago. Evans has lost a step, and he hasn't gotten much better throughout his career. 

Not many teams will be interested in a one-dimensional, 32-year-old small forward.

Marquis Daniels

Marquis Daniels became pretty popular in Boston as a member of the Celtics for the past two years. He contributed valuable backup minutes deep off the bench when called upon, and logged zero minutes whenever he was asked to without complaint. 

Daniels suffered a bruised spine, which saw him collapse on the basketball court and lay motionless for quite a few moments. He wound up missing the entire season. 

Then, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for cash.

It's unlikely that the Sacramento Kings will re-sign Marquis Daniels, but knowing what everyone else knows, Daniels won't be able to sign anywhere else.

Daniels hasn't produced as much as he should have in Boston, even if he was sitting behind Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. He was never a great shooter and he was a poor scorer during his time in Boston. Defensively, he was adequate, but what will his condition be when he comes back from that scary back injury?

Jason Kapono

Just three years ago, Jason Kapono looked like one of the best three-point shooters in the league, and even managed to rack up over 50 percent from long range in the 2006-07 season with the Miami Heat.

Since then, his shooting percentage has taken a steep dive; in 2009-10, Kapono shot for just 37 percent from downtown, which led to cut minutes and being bumped from the Philadelphia 76ers' rotation. 

Kapono was never able to do anything else well; he spread the floor and made opposing defenses pay for leaving him open from long-range, but when that went out the window, so did Kapono's entire game. 

This shooting slump might not go away, either. He's not getting the minutes a shooter requires in order to get back on track, and that's due to his one-dimensionality.

He's also 30 years old and has little athletic ability. Yikes.

Kurt Thomas

Kurt Thomas hasn't given any indication that he's going to retire, so let's assume he's looking for yet another veteran's minimum contract.

Thomas hasn't done too bad for himself—over the past 15 years, he has proven to be a decent defender on the inside. His offense is nothing to gawk at, but he's shown he can get the job done for his team. 

The problem with Thomas? He's 38 years old and he's losing a step on the defensive end. 

Thomas won't be able to defend some of the up-and-coming big men in the league (namely Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum). Teams realize that Thomas is only 6'9'', too, so it isn't as if he'll have the length to take on some of the more talented fronts in the NBA. 

Kurt Thomas is the likeliest of all players on this list to get signed; however, because of his age and height, the possibility is tough to imagine.