NBA TOP FREE AGENTS LISTED BY POSITION
1. Chris Paul. Paul has already decided to stay put with the Clippers, and with Doc Rivers also as a drawing card, LA figures to be a popular free-agent stop.
2. Jeff Teague (R). The Hawks are holding out hope on Dwight Howard, but theyâre longshots. Look for them to match any offers Teague gets.
3. Brandon Jennings (R). Of the many difficult decisions the Bucks have to make, Jennings is the toughest. He played well two years ago but was just average again last year, and his lack of progress is concerning.
4. Jarrett Jack. If Jack is your starter, youâre in trouble. If he is coming off the bench and playing alongside Stephen Curry, though, itâs a fantastic fit. The Warriors would like to keep that situation in place, but with Curryâs contract extension kicking in, Jack might be too expensive.
5. Nate Robinson. Robinson shot 40.5 percent from the 3-point line last year, then was outstanding in the playoffs. His career was on the fritz but he saved it in Chicago. Now, he is probably going to move on.
6. Jose Calderon. Calderon is still a solid playmaker, and still a terrible defensive player. But he is useful because of his passing.
7. Darren Collison. Collison had a decent year (12.0 points and 5.1 assists) but like the Pacers before them, the Mavs have learned he is best suited to be a backup.
8. Beno Udrih. Already guessing that Udrih will be an overlooked guy on the free-agent board this summer. But he is a solid, low-risk backup.
9. C.J. Watson. Another reliable backup who seems to get overlooked each summer.
10. Mo Williams. Williams said he doesnât want to stay in Utah if he is playing behind Trey Burke. Unfortunately, he will soon discover that he will be a backup no matter where he goes next.
Shooting guards
1. Tyreke Evans (R). Evansâ rocky development has been a frustration for the Kings, but he was the Rookie of the Year four years ago and perhaps the new administration will give him another shot. But not if he gets a big offer elsewhere.
2. Kevin Martin. The Thunder got Martin to replace James Harden, and he did a credible job, averaging 14.0 points and shooting 42.6 percent on 3s. They wonât overpay him, but it is unlikely that Martin gets a huge offer anyway.
3. Tony Allen. Allen is 31 and his offense is limitedâhe was 3-for-24 on 3-pointers last season. But he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and the Grizzlies greatly value that. If no one else values it that much, expect Allen to stay.
4. Manu Ginobili. Ginobili seemed to age before our eyes during the postseason, but he showed enough bursts to make you think that, after a summer off from the national team, he can come back better next year, even at age 35.
5. Monta Ellis. No one likes a volume shooter these days. Ellisâ best role probably would be a lightning scorer off the bench, where a coach could manipulate matchups to limited the damage he does to team defense. But he will get paid like a starter, which means he will start.
6. J.R. Smith. It is looking like the Knicks canât afford the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. But who is going to be willing to shell out for a guy who is known to be a very loose cannon?
7. Gerald Henderson (R). The Bobcats can match any offer for Henderson, who was one of the few bright spots on the roster last year. Itâs doubtful theyâd let him walk.
8. J.J. Redick. He didnât shoot particularly well after he was dealt to Milwaukee (31.8 percent from the 3-point line), which isnât going to help his supposed request for a $10 million-per contract.
9. O.J. Mayo. It is hard to believe that Mayoâs season started so well and ended so poorly, with coach Rick Carlisle ripping Mayo publicly at the end of the year. Hard to see where he winds up.
10. Marco Bellinelli. Heâs a 3-point specialist whose shooting has been going south. But heâs worth a shot on a small deal.
1. Andre Iguodala. Iguodala will meet with the Nuggets this week, and is likely to sign on to stay in Denver.
MORE: Full list of free agents
2. Andrei Kirilenko. It was a mild surprise that Kirilenko opted out of the last year of his deal, which was slated to pay him $10 million. Kirilenko showed that he is still one of the most versatile players in the NBA, but he also had trouble staying healthy.
3. Matt Barnes. Barnes is perennially overlooked, and itâs hard to figure out why. He can defend, rebound and isnât a bad shooter. What more do you want from a small forward?
4. Chase Budinger. Injuries limited Budinger to just 23 games last season, which doesnât help his free-agent cause. But the Wolves are still interested in bringing him back.
5. Corey Brewer. The Nuggets are pretty loaded on the wings, so Brewer may be moving on. He is a solid defensive wing and is excellent in transition, but he is a career 29.8 percent 3-point shooter who made only 36.2 percent of his midrange jumpers.
6. Kyle Korver. There are plenty of things Korver canât do on the floor. But we know he can shootâhe made 45.7 percent of his 3s last year. In a league that just set a record for 3-point attempts in a season, Korver has value.
7. Mike Dunleavy Jr. Dunleavy has worked himself back from knee surgery nicely. He is 32 and wasnât much of a defender even before he got hurt, but he has carved out a spot in the leagueâhe averaged 10.5 points and shot 42.8 percent from the 3-point line.
8. Martell Webster. Webster had a solid year, arguably the best season of his uninspiring eight-year career. Even with Otto Porter in the fold, it would make sense for the Wizards to keep Webster.
9. Al-Farouq Aminu. Hard to believe that Aminu is only 22. His offense has shown slow growth, and given his age, youâd expect him to take a leap forward soon.
10. Dorrell Wright. Wright is pretty much a 3-point specialist who can play a little defense and run the floor. He made 37.4 percent of his 3s last year, attempting 4.6 per game.
1. Josh Smith. Remember that one season in which the Hawks seemed to convince Smith not to take 3-pointers â â09-10, in which he took just seven 3s all year. Well, thatâs long gone. He took a career-high 201 last season (making 30.3 percent), just another reason he drives fans and coaches nuts.
2. David West. West wants to go back to the Pacers, but Indiana is watching its tax situation closely, knowing that Paul George will get a mega-contract and the team needs a bench.
3. Paul Millsap. The presumption has long been that the Jazz will allow Millsap to walk so that they can open playing time for Derrick Favors. Chances are, Millsap will get a big enough offer out there to nudge the Jazz into letting him go.
4. Carl Landry. Landry is undersized and frequently gets overlooked on the free-agent market. But he was vital to the Warriorsâ success last year and figures to price himself out of the Wsâ range.
5. Andray Blatche. Blatche pulled his career out of the gutter with the Nets, following his amnestying by the Wizards with a very good season in Brooklyn. The Nets would like to keep him.
6. J.J. Hickson. So, who is J.J. Hickson? The guy who averaged 12.7 points and 10.4 rebounds last year in Portland, or the one who averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in Sacramento the previous year?
7. Earl Clark. Clark played well enough in stretches for the Lakers to draw interest from other teams. The Lakers are focused on Dwight Howard, so Clark probably could be plucked.
8. Tyler Hansbrough (R). Again, the Pacers are going to be very careful in free agency. They want to keep Hansbrough, but they will not overpay.
9. Jason Maxiell. Maxiell was miscast as a starter in Detroit, but he is a very good, tough big man to bring off the bench.
10. Elton Brand. Brand looked his age (34) at times last year, but his numbersâ7.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocksâsuggest he is still worthy of a rotation spot.
1. Dwight Howard. You might have heard that Howard will be a free agent.
2. Nikola Pekovic (R). The big concern about Pekovic is his inability to stay healthy. But when he is on the floor, he is a deft post scorer and a good rebounder.
3. Al Jefferson. If Jefferson could play defense, he would easily be a maximum contract guy, because he is such a smooth offensive player in the post. But his defense is costly.
4. Tiago Splitter (R). Given a chance to prove himself last year, Splitter came through. He plays within himself offensivelyâhe is a very good pick-and-roll big manâand is an outstanding post defender. The Spurs will have to pay big to keep him.
5. Andrew Bynum. Repeated injuries to both knees make Bynum an obviously huge gamble. But he was one of the best two or three centers in the league just two seasons ago, so someone will take a gamble.
6. Mareese Speights. Speights is on his third team in five NBA seasons. Thatâs not because he canât play, thoughâitâs because he always seems to be in a bad situation. He should get a pretty good payday this summer, and hopefully will get a bump up in minutes, too.
7. Zaza Pachulia. Nobody likes Pachuliaâunless heâs on your team. But beyond the annoyance factor, Pachulia is a good defender who does enough offensively to make him a worthwhile backup.
8. Samuel Dalembert. Maybe Dalembert never fully became what he his potential would seem to dictate. But he is a solid backup big man.
9. Timofey Mozgov(R). The Nuggets traded Kosta Koufos in order to free up time for Mozgov. Safe to say they intend to re-sign him.
10. Chris Andersen. He got new life in Miami, and the Heat are hoping to bring him back. But if he gets a sizable offer elsewhere, they wonât be able to afford it.
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