NBA Free Agents: Ideal Signing for Top 5 Contenders

The top six teams in the NBA are close enough that a single signing can make the difference between not making it to the conference finals and winning it all. With the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder, each of those teams is in need of one player that can put them above the rest. 

Oklahoma City is a complete team, and they could make a run for the title. However, if the other teams get better, they still may be a year away. The last thing they want to do is push for something early and give away a key component. The best thing for them to do is stand pat. 

Dallas won the NBA Championship last year because of the addition of Tyson Chandler. The only mistake when they signed him, though, was that it was a one-year contract. The biggest mistake they could make this year would be to let him get away. 

The Mavericks were 3-5 without their starting center last year. 

The question is, what exactly is it he does? The 10.1 points and 9.4 boards a game sure don't indicate a lot. On both ends of the court, the Mavericks were better all year long. When Chandler was on the court, the Mavs scored 110.8 points and gave up just 103.17 per 100 possessions. 

When Chandler was off the court, the Mavericks scored only 107.64 points and gave up 106.53. While he was on the bench, the Mavericks were only 1.11 points better than their opponents. When he was on the court, they were 7.63 points better than their opponents.

They were a much better team with Chandler, and they need to retain him. 

Miami needs a big man who plays like a big man. While Bosh was able to do that in spots, the Heat ultimately failed because they didn't have what Dallas did, a Tyson Chandler-type of player. In fact, of the 30 teams in the NBA last year, Miami was 27th in net production form their center. 

The answer to their dilemma lies in Samuel Dalembert, whom they say they are interested in and who is mutually interested also interested in them. Dalembert gives them everything they need to get to the next level—a player who can get in and throw elbows and do the dirty work in the paint. 

Chicago was 28-3 when Keith Bogans hit at least two threes last year. When he was hitting his shot, that forced opponents to defend him. Otherwise, it was essentially Rose being guarded two-on-one all the time. So, imagine if they added a player in Jason Richardson who made the second most three-point shots of any team in the game. 

Chicago has only a mid-level exception to pay him, so when he says “I’ve been blessed by God to play in the NBA for a lot of money. I’d like to go someplace that has a chance to win a championship,” that's got to be music to the ears of Bulls fans. 

The best part of this is that it's not a rumor. Richardson all but flat out said that he'd go sign in Chicago for the MLE if they want him. He's surely an upgrade over Bogans!

Los Angeles took a flat out drubbing last year when the got swept by the Mavs, but honestly, they struggled way too much against the Hornets before that. The problem is that they are getting long in the tooth and they've lost their fire. 

Now, they have a new coach with a new system, and they are going to have a lot of problems trying to find a bona fide point guard to do it. The best hope for the Lakers, barring a miracle trade for Chris Paul, is that no one bids on Baron Davis. He would make a nice addition to run the team, and he has the capacity to create shots and relieve Kobe Bryant from having so much responsibility for the offense. 

Boston was one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last year. They are over the cap, so it's not realistic that they are going to land themselves a marquee player except through trades, which is a definite possibility with them shopping Rondo around.

For the sake of discussion, though, let's consider the possibility that they can't find a reasonable trade offer for Rondo and stick with tweaking their current team through free agency. A perfect fit for them would be Joel Przybilla, who could be obtained for the MLE. 

Przybilla is one of the better rebounding centers in the league with a career defensive rebound percentage of 25.8. He isn't a player that requires a lot of set plays, but he provides a lot of second-chance points while limiting that of opponents.