NBA Free Agents 2011: 5 Smartest Veteran Players on the Market

Like most free agent classes, this year's features a few veterans who have a strong basketball I.Q. to go along with their skills.

Of course, unlike most free agents, this year's class has a lockout to deal with that prevents players from signing with a team. To make it worse, the league cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season.

It’s understandable that some people feel no basketball-related stories should be written until the lockout’s culmination, unless they are about the lockout’s meetings or fighting cameramen, but there are still things (in my opinion) that merit interest. 

Here is my list of the five smartest veteran players that will become available on the free agent market if the lockout ends.

Grant Hill

Since a brutal stretch from the 2000-01 season to the 2005-06 season in which he missed 281 games, Grant Hill has had a renaissance of sorts. Over the past three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Hill has only missed three games and has played very well.

Hill, who recently turned 39, says he feels great and isn’t thinking about retirement. With all the time he’s missed because of injuries, his body probably has the wear and tear of someone younger, not that of a 39-year-old.

The former Duke Blue Devil, who was once considered as the heir apparent to Michael Jordan, has stated he’d like to stay with the Suns. Still, it’s reasonable to believe a contending team like the Miami Heat will try adding Hill.

Wherever Hill ends up, he’ll bring along a bevy of knowledge and experience.  

David West

Up until his season-ending injury in March, David West was having another solid year. It was his sixth straight season averaging at least 17 points and seven rebounds per game and shooting at least 47 percent from the field.

Whenever the lockout ends, the nine-year veteran has a tough decision to make.

Should he bolt New Orleans out of fear that his All-Star point guard, Chris Paul, might soon do the same? Or should he remain with the Hornets and try helping the franchise keep CP3 from leaving?

Regardless of what West decides, the fact remains that he’s a 32-year-old, 240-pound power forward who’s roughly six months removed from a major knee injury.

Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand each suffered severe knee injuries prior to their most recent entrance into free agency. They both still got major money, however, their play has not come close to matching the monetary expectations of their respective contracts.

Still, there may be a general manager out there who looks past West’s recent injury, instead focusing on his career averages of 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and how his presence could help solidify a roster.

There’s also a possibility that West decides to stay in New Orleans for one more season by using his player option that will pay him $7.5 million.

West is a smart veteran player who should be able to contribute anywhere he lands—as long as his body holds up. 

Kurt Thomas

Last season, Kurt Thomas played a huge role in holding down the interior for the Chicago Bulls when Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah went down with injuries at different points during the year.

The then-38-year-old Thomas played so well that Hall of Famer and TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley felt he deserved an All-Star nod.

While the 16-year veteran wasn’t selected to last season’s Eastern Conference All-Star team last season, his play during the first half of the season helped the Bulls earn the NBA’s best record.

Thomas may be a few seasons removed from being a player you could pencil in for at least 12 points and seven rebounds a night, but he’s still someone who can contribute a few points and rebounds per game on a nightly basis while teaching younger big men how to have a successful and long professional basketball career. 

Of course, he is 39, so there's a possibility he may hang up his sneakers by the time the NBA resumes.

Tyson Chandler

Besides Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler was the Dallas Mavericks MVP this past season. Chandler’s anchoring of the defense helped the Mavs finally win their first Larry O’ Brien Trophy after years of coming up short in the playoffs.  

The Compton native is a 10-year veteran with experience playing on the United States’ Olympic team. He’s a solid double-double player who alters a lot of opponent’s shots and makes sure his teammates are in the right place on defense.

The 29-year-old center will be highly sought after once the lockout ends. It’s probable that Dallas will do everything in their power to keep him in a Maverick uniform.

Whatever team ends up with Chandler, they’ll benefit from his defensive prowess and rebounding expertise—especially if they have a young big man prospect that hopes to one day become a defensive force in the league.

Shane Battier

After being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Memphis Grizzlies last season, Shane Battier provided the Grizzlies with a solid presence off the bench and consistently brought effective defense and three-point shooting.

Battier's roughly 23 minutes per game in the regular season and postseason proved even more helpful after Rudy Gay went down with a season-ending injury.

The Duke alum will probably be coveted once a new collective bargaining agreement sees the light of day. The 33-year-old could bolster the benches of many teams, especially those in need of a wing defender who can also stretch the floor with his shooting.

It’s feasible to believe a team like the Miami Heat would love having Shane Battier on their bench—especially when that team is playing a dominant wing scorer like Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant.