2011 NBA Free Agency: Grant Hill and Veteran Players Who Will Be Overlooked

The NBA is back and the free-agency period is going to come fast and furious with players being signed at breakneck speed. Teams are going to be throwing money at free agents like we have never seen before. Some players are going to get huge deals, while veteran players like Grant Hill will get overlooked.  

Hill has played 16 very good years in the NBA. He’s battled a number of injuries, but has persevered to have a very long career. However, because he is entering his 17th NBA season, you will see a lot of teams be hesitant to give the veteran a contract.  

His knees have gone through a number of surgeries and his body in general has gone through a lot of NBA games. Not to mention that his point totals have stayed around 11-13 points per game for the last four years.  

However, what teams will be missing out on is a player who has played in no less than 70 games every year for the last four years. He’s averaged 30 minutes per game in those last four years, which have all been with Phoenix.  

Hill would make a great addition to a young team that needs veteran leadership, just like if a team would take a chance on Peja Stojakovic.  

Peja was an afterthought during the Dallas Mavericks' championship run last year. He only played in three of Dallas’ six NBA Final games, with Game 1 being the only game where he saw double-digit playing time.  

However, when Stojakovic saw a considerable amount of playing time, like in the Mavericks' first two rounds against Portland and Los Angeles, he averaged 10.7 points per game. On top of the point total he was still a deadly shooter, averaging .417 field-goal percentage against Portland and .514 field-goal percentage against Los Angeles.  

As Peja heads into his 14th year in the NBA, he can be a valuable addition to any team that is looking for a shooter who can either start or come off the bench. 

Just like Hill and Stojakovic, Kurt Thomas will get overlooked because of his age when free agency starts.  

Thomas will be coming into his 17th year of NBA service when the new season starts. Playing 16 years in the NBA will keep teams away from Thomas. Just like it kept the Chicago Bulls away from signing Thomas until they lost Joakim Noah to an injury.  

With Thomas on board last year, he provided a solid season that saw him average 22.7 minutes, .511 field-goal percentage and 5.7 rebounds per game. Those are solid numbers from someone who only played in 52 games while starting 37 of them.  

If there is a team that needs a solid veteran forward to help with its young team, they would benefit greatly from adding Thomas to their team.  

These three players all are coming into the twilight of their careers. However, with age comes wisdom, and any team that would add these players would be adding a quality player to their roster. 

Follow @tjmcaloon