The Quick Report 07.21.08: Some Agents Are Still Free

Posted by Ben Quick on 07.21.2008

Looking at the remaining free agents

Yeah, so I'm a little late to the party. The free agency market this summer is probably just about over. With Baron Davis going to the Clippers, Maggette to the Warriors, Brand to the 76ers and recently James Posey signing with the Hornets, most of the big moves have probably already been made. The general flow of the NBA off season normally moves into trade talk this time of the year, but unless the Heat can find a really good deal for Shawn Marion or the Bucks want to send Michael Redd to Cleveland, I doubt anything earth shattering will happen. So, with a lack of much else going on, I decided to take a look at the remaining free agents left on the market. That franchise changing player isn't out there, but there still are quite a few good players that could make an impact on the right team. I've separated the unrestricted and restricted free agents for a little perspective.





Unrestricted Free Agents

Ricky Davis

What a nice way to start off, right? Is there any team that is really going to want this guy? I doubt the Heat will offer anything to keep him. He's still a player who can average 13 ppg, so some team will pick him up. I'm not sure who, but he's still too good not to get signed.

Jason Williams

The Miami Heat are probably looking for a fresh start at the point, so White Chocolate seems to be on his way out. While his best years are obviously behind him, Jason Williams can still be a serviceable point guard. The Nuggets lack a true point guard, but they look to be clearing cap space so signing anyone this summer probably won't happen. The Warriors could use a point guard after losing Baron Davis, but they look to be planning for Monta Ellis to take over that spot. Point guards are a hard position to fill, so somebody will pick Williams up.

Bonzi Wells

The Hornets look to be trying to bolster up their bench this summer with the signing of James Posey. So, one would think they might try to keep Bonzi Wells. He's a guy who can come off the bench and get you ten points every night. Keeping Wells and adding Posey would give the Hornets a nice punch off the bench. Depending on how much Wells is asking for, I would expect him to land on some team's pine.

Kurt Thomas

While his stats might not blow you away, Kurt Thomas can be a very effective role player. He can defend, rebound and hit a soft jump shot on a semi-consistent basis. The last I heard was that the Spurs want to resign him. That would make sense from the standpoint of going with size in effort to compete with the Bynum/Gasol combo from the Lakers, but the Spurs probably need to get younger and more athletic. Even if the Spurs don't pick him up, some contender will snatch him. Would anyone be surprised to see him in a Celtic uniform next season?

Michael Finley

If the Spurs could've landed Maggette I would've said Finely was gone. Considering that didn't happen, I would say that Finley's chances of coming back have improved a little. In the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers the Spurs looked very old. One would think that the Spurs like to get a little more athletic at the two and those days are gone for Michael Finely. The one thing that is certain for Finely is that he won't find the kind of money he was making off of that old Mavericks contract.

Robert Horry

I would say that it's time for Horry to retire, but we'll probably be seeing him win ring number nine next June. No, the guy could barely even play last season. The Spurs should have no desire to resign Big Shot Bob. I can't think of a team that he would add much to. The guy has way more rings than most players ever dream of. It's time to call it a day. No team should pay anything more than the veteran minimum if they do choose to sign Horry.

Dikembe Mutombo

The main question here is if Dike will sign on for another year with the Rockets or if he'll retire. Mutombo can still block shots and defend in the NBA, so I would say this is a decision on his passion for wanting to play. He can still play, so I wouldn't mind seeing him come back. After seeing how losing Kendrick Perkins for a game in the Finals last season created a whole at the five, if I were the Celtics I might make an offer at the veteran minimum and push a chance for Dikembe to win a title. Still, I would expect him to stay with the Rockets or retire.



Restricted Free Agents

Josh Childress

This guy's future is really hard to peg. He's an effective player at the small forward and can get you ten or twelve points a game. I expect to see the Hawks match any offer he gets within reason.

Josh Smith

Josh Smith is one of the biggest names still on the market. Last season Josh Smith averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds and almost 3 blocks a game. The list of power forwards that can put up those kinds of numbers isn't very long. I would've said the Clippers were prime to try and steal him away from the Hawks, but with them trading for Marcus Camby they won't have enough cap space to offer enough to keep the Hawks from matching whatever they try. The Grizzlies are about the only team that could be in the mix, but they seem content to work with the core they've got now and get another high pick in next year's draft.

Emeka Okafor

Okafor is kind of in the same position as Josh Smith. He's a player that would be coveted, but no one seems to want to offer him the kind of money it would probably take to pry him away from the Bobcats. I wouldn't be surprised to see Okafor wait until next season when he will be an unrestricted free agent and then test his value on the market. There's no need to rush into a contract with the Bobcats unless they're offering a lot of money.

Ben Gordon

As Bulls GM John Paxson said on the night of the NBA Draft, the Bulls have a glut of guards. Considering Larry Hughes is still under contract until 2010 and the fact that he's almost impossible to trade, Ben Gordon or Kirk Hinrich will have to be the one to go. Ben Gordon is a great scorer from the perimeter and might have some value as a sign and trade possibility. John Paxson will have to make a decision on Gordon this season or watch him leave as an unrestricted free agent next year and get nothing in return.

Luol Deng

Luol Deng is kind of in the same position as Ben Gordon. The only difference is I would imagine is he's a little more likely to be resigned and kept by the Bulls. Both Ben Gordon and Luol Deng are apparently asking for a substantial increase on a new contract. The Bulls have always had a history of not wanting to pay any personnel not named Michael Jordan too much money. Paxson will need to make some move or he will risk losing arguably his two best non-Derrick Rose players and get nothing in return next year. There hasn't been much talk about teams going after either Deng or Gordon as restricted agents, but that will change next year if they still don't have new contracts.

Delonte West

Delonte West was arguably the Cavs second best player in the playoffs last season. While he wasn't the Jason Kidd type of point guard LeBron James may have wanted, but he did finally give the Cavs a player who could actually play the position rather than being just a spot up three point shooter. I really doubt the Cavs don't resign West considering they're trying to build a championship team and they'll need at least a serviceable point guard for that to happen. Then again, the Cavs may let his contract expire next season in hopes of picking up a better player in the next off season.

J.R. Smith

Last season it seemed, at times, that George Karl wanted to kill this guy. He's not an extremely disciplined player and that makes him kind of a question mark as to where he might go. After the Spurs missed out on Maggette my first thought was that J.R. Smith was available, but I don't know if I could imagine him playing for Greg Popovich. I would think that the Nuggets might let Smith go as to drop another two million in salary. J.R. Smith is an athletic player and can average double figures in scoring. I would think some team might throw out an offer. What will be interesting is if the Nuggets try and match it.

Monta Ellis

All signs point to the Warriors resigning Ellis. After improving into a great player the season after he had already won the most improved player award and with the departure of Baron Davis, Ellis looks to become the face of the Warriors franchise. Right now, I would imagine Golden State would match any offer sheet thrown at Ellis. This is probably the player most likely to stay put on the list.

Andris Biedrins

Biedrins is a tough choice for the Warriors. He's perfect for Don Nelson's system, but they have to be looking ahead and planning on when Nelson retires in a few years. Biedrins has been able to average almost a double-double while playing the small ball style for Don Nelson, but who knows how well he'd play anywhere else considering he's really undersized at playing center.

Sasha Vujacic

I really hope the Lakers don't resign this kid and he goes to the Bobcats, so that way I don't have to watch him play anymore. Vujacic is, hands down, the most annoying player in the league. Still, the Lakers would be smart to try and keep him. Sasha stepped up last season in the playoffs about proved to be the Lakers most dangerous threat from the three point line. Still, I pray he leaves and goes to a smaller team. I would much rather read about how he plays than have to watch him pound his chest like a chimp.

Andre Iguodala

One of the big pieces to the 76ers hopes of contending in the East is the combination of Brand and Igudoala. Iguodala can get you 20 points from the wing and is a very important player for the 76ers to keep around. After Allen Iverson left for Denver Andre Iguodala became the face of the franchise for a year and a half. Now with Elton Brand taking over the role of the number one scoring option on the team, Andre Iguodala should make a great option right behind him.

_______________________

So, while most these guys probably won't be going anywhere, there's still plenty of moves to be made that could make an impact on a bunch of teams. Hopefully we have a few more surprises left in the free agency market. Unless some big trade happens, all we have to look forward to is Team USA. Pretty soon we will be in the boring time of the NBA off season. I can picture filler columns like "10 Greatest Players Ever" just around the corner. You know, that might actually be fun to write...