2021 Cash-to-Value Free Agent Rankings

  • If you’re an NBA GM most things revolve around whether you’re buying low and selling high. Within that general goal they do what they think is best for their franchise at a given point in time and the 30 competing agendas all play out in concert.  Some of the decisions are deliberated for years and some decisions are knee-jerk reactions to a development in the marketplace.  Some of the GMs are good and some are quite terrible and that’s before you get to the owners!  It’s all great fun and opposite the NBA Draft, fortunes are changing in these next few days.

    What this list attempts to do is give GMs (or fans at home) a cheat sheet for the big event. They can target players based on overall value and the efficiency of those dollars spent, or they can look who the best players are right now and deprioritize the efficiency of how they spend. This list has been the home of big-time plays such as Joe Ingles in 2017, Joe Harris and Fred VanVleet in 2018, Richaun Holmes was the big win we had seen coming for way too many years. Last year Jerami Grant was my top Cash-to-Value rank and predictably blew up. De’Anthony Melton was one of the league’s best players in terms of net rating and it wasn’t a fluke – he was awesome and a casualty of NBA politics in crowded Memphis.

    We typically exclude elite players from the top slot in Cash-to-Value ranks even if they’re dominant like Kawhi Leonard, even if an argument can be made on their behalf. The purpose of this list is to give decision-makers around the league, fans and anybody in the basketball space an idea of how to extract the most value possible in each of their free agent decisions. Pile up enough of these winners and you can credibly go after top tier players in the league.

    So who has the top spot this year? T.J. McConnell.He controlled ball games all season long as a two-way guy, creating havoc on defense while offensively he’s nowhere near the stereotype, beating defenders one-on-one all the time with a quickness/strength edge that’s about to peak this upcoming season. From there we’re all the way under the radar at the top of each positional rank. Nathan Knight, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Strus, Doug McDermott, Bruce Brown and Cameron Payne are where smart teams want to get aggressive and lock these guys up for 3-4 years at a lower rate. And yes, Holmes tops our big man ranks because of course he does.


    GROUND RULES

    CASH-TO-VALUE RANKS

    The concept is this — you’re looking to get the best players at the cheapest costs. If you do that effectively, you have more money to spend elsewhere.

    These ranks lean into that pretty strongly. However, you can’t win in the NBA without getting above average and elite players. The key is spending up to get the right players and for the purpose of these rankings, players that move the needle in that way will skew north of a pure cash-to-value rank.

    VETERANS VS. UPSIDE

    These ranks will give older veterans that can still contribute a bit more value than a pure cash-to-value rank might represent. Teams aren’t lining up to sign them and deals may vary, but in terms of winning it all a quality old vet that’s willing to play at or close to the minimum represents a better play than some younger upside guys.

    OVERALL RANK

    If you just want to know who the best players are you can sort by the overall rank column. This rank will include some elements of upside, which is unavoidable when assessing overall free agency value. However, short-term production and win-now scenarios are going to show up in the overall ranks.  For example, Gordon Hayward is not going to do well in the Cash-to-Value ranks, but in terms of overall rank he’ll have higher marks.

    POSITIONAL GROUPINGS AND APPROACH

    I did something new this year and went with four different groupings. Ballhandlers and Small Guards, Wings, Interior Wings and Bigs. I’d like to think I’m the first to say something as stupid or smart as ‘Interior Wings,’ but that’s my way of noticing increased importance of rangy 6’8″ to 6’10” players being asked to defend 2-4 or 3-5 (well or not is another story). They’ve become much more important as teams employ five-out looks, and elite ballhandlers and offensive initiators have grown in size and versatility.  As has been the case with the league at large, they’re firing away from deep.

    In previous years I was a bit more granular in the groupings, and maybe it’s the way the NBA is trending but I felt like four groups was enough. Ballhandlers are legitimate point guards at any size and small guards typically have enough offensive skill to warrant overlooking their defensive liabilities to some degree. Wings are either asked to be outstanding shooters or they’re being asked to lock the perimeter down, or both. They’re valued in their ability to switch and otherwise facilitate offense. Bigs are the muscle you need to control the paint and shooting is a bonus.

    ELITES

    Sometimes we’ll split these guys out into their own category but this year there are only two — with Elites being loosely defined as players you don’t have any questions about on the contract side. This year that’s Kawhi Leonard and if you want to recognize what he did in the playoffs as special, John Collins definitely generates a lot of excitement. There are some big names that I don’t have in that designation, like Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul. Mike Conley probably doesn’t get an injury-risk pass for the rest of his career, but he’s an exciting grab for the Jazz. Holmes is impactful enough to be mentioned in these higher tiers, at least if winning basketball games is your thing.

    SYMBOLS

     

    A QUICK WORD ON THIS FREE AGENT CLASS

    As usual, there are no shortage of targets for smart teams. Give it up for the dumb teams y’all! But the most notable thing about this class is how guard heavy it is, especially in terms of name value. A smart team take what the market gives them at guard, grab another value play at the top of these lists and THEN take a shot at somebody more expensive feeling pretty good about the trio and what they spent.

    BALLHANDLERS AND SMALL GUARD


    I mentioned it above but T.J. McConnell is for real and his development has always been substantial each season, something we’ve benefited from in fantasy leagues for years until he blew up last season and was first page of the scouting report good. In terms of reality hoops he started getting to spots where he couldn’t be stopped in 2019-20 and then last year he was a legitimate offensive weapon. When you factor in his tenacious and smart defense this is going to be the year everybody notices.

    Mike Conley sounds like’s going 3 x $20M for Utah and that’s enough to put him behind McConnell in the C-to-V ranks at this position and he’s the top overall free agent in this positional class. His command of the pick and roll, shooting and defense are comparable with all but the elite guards in our game.

    Cameron Payne’s ranking will seem knee-jerk and subject to small sample size theater, but when a player gets granted rights to take shots that they know they can get and they have no problem making them? That and the mountain-sized chip on his shoulder are reasons Payne is going to be either a starter or a high-end sixth man, but I won’t be pigeon-holing him into that in ways that other analysts might downgrade a player because they’re not sure he can be the man. He can be the man in a year or two. It’s just a question of where he plays in terms of discussing his deployment.

    Lonzo Ball is good enough to deserve big money and he’s near the top here. Reggie Jackson is getting a big rank here because he was basically Steph Curry-like in the playoffs and there will be some coming back to Earth, but he’s also the owner of all those great skillsets that made those plays possible. He’s going to get paid by somebody. Kyle Lowry might be fun in Miami but good look trying to figure out who will pass up the more maddening open looks, and both he and Chris Paul probably don’t have what it takes to be top options for a champion contender. Third or fourth options? Sure. But they’re not going to be paid like that unless they give back significant money for location.

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    14T.J. McConnell$$+IND295 yrsUFAThere is a ton to like here. First, still nobody knows how good McConnell is. He's 29 years old, so he's almost old in a way and I haven't seen a fan base out there yelling that they have to have this guy. He controlled ball games all season long as a two-way guy, creating havoc on defense while offensively he's nowhere near the stereotype. He's beating guys one-on-one all the time and has a quickness/strength edge that's about to peak this upcoming season. Do not be surprised when a smart team cleans up.
    21Mike Conley$$$$-UTA3313 yrsUFAConley is going to get a big deal to stay in Utah by the sounds of things and any way you slice it the money isn't great on any deal he's bound to get. Even with the injury concerns he's good enough to climb the ranks, especially for teams that need to get over a hump.
    38Cameron Payne$$+PHX265 yrsUFAPayne's first step and length, in particular his hanging-scoop style layups, are impossible to guard when he also has the ability and willingness to hit a daylight three. We can pick at his game in a few spots, but his competitiveness and ability to execute was highlighted over and over again in high leverage moments. You gotta adjust your notions here and whoever can do that the fastest gets a deal, though situation will matter here. He needs another season as a third or fourth scorer to work out the kinks. That said, maybe not.
    45Lonzo Ball$$$+NOP233 yrsRFABall's going to be a polarizing player for a while but consider this … he played well through trade rumors, got his free throw shooting north of 70% (on barely any volume) and he proved to be heady on both sides of the floor. He shot well from deep and made plays. I'd have liked to have seen more team success on defense to really feel good about projecting high-end defense going forward, but any way you slice this deal he's going to be a good player for a while and he's just 23 years old. This feels like a situation where the early hype not being met cashes in at a discount right now.
    56Reggie Jackson$$+LAC319 yrsUFAWhat we saw out of Reggie Jackson wasn't a fluke. There can be questions about his durability and at 31 years old, especially coming off a prove-it deal, opinions are going to vary here around the league. If you're a contending team that needs another shooter/scorer you have to be licking your chops right now because this isn't going to be a massive number and he played like a guy that deserved a massive number in the playoffs.
    610Derrick Rose$$+NYK3211 yrsUFARose has another year or two of getting to his preferred spots and playing a fairly effective brand of ball. He probably gets paid a little too much here and at the same time, perhaps he wants to take less to get to a preferred spot.
    72Kyle Lowry$$$$TOR3514 yrsUFALowry is one season removed from dominating in the playoffs so between that and his name value, in particular as a guy who can get a team over the hump, this deal has so much potential to go wrong. It's not a knock on the player, but this is setting up to be a $$$$ deal for a guy closer to 40 than 30.
    83Chris Paul$$$$-PHX3615 yrsUFA 1When you pay big for an aging superstar you might get away with that if they're a No. 2 or 3 guy, but you can't bring CP3 in and have him stand in the corner. He's going to make an indelible impact on the team, and the style of gamesmanship can sometimes detract from his teams. The killer here is that this past year was his best, last chance to lead a team and make the right calls and he played scared way too much. He can't make teams pay in certain looks and it becomes a question of do you want to pay big for a guy who can't ultimately get it done. Unless he takes an undermarket deal to try and win a chip, this deal could leave a mark.
    99Dennis Schroder$$$+LAL277 yrsUFASchroder is good enough to deserve a payday and his next question is about leadership and burden. In terms of the latter, he doesn’t shy away from challenge so the attempt will be there and as alluded to the talent is there, but it's the former and the details game that determine if this deal hits, and that bet is a lot more shaky. At the price, this deal feels like it 'pushes' at best but also from a cap standpoint won't be crushing.
    1012Alec Burks$$+NYK309 yrsUFABurks has been pretty good lately and teams need shot creation so while the hope would be that there is value to be had but the reality of it might be that he's fairly priced. That zone gets to be a bit much when there are younger or equal players with less name value that can also get the job done.
    1111Goran Dragic$$+MIA3512 yrsUFA 2The Dragon still has name value and is one season removed from a deep playoff run in which he was instrumental. He's also 35 years old and clearly lost his fastball. This is ripe for an overpay but whoever does grab him only has to dodge the injuries, otherwise they'll know what they're getting.
    1213Will Barton$$+DEN308 yrsUFA 1Barton has been treated as an NBA starter for a while and at just 30 years old, there are probably a few teams who are willing to entertain a $$+ deal. His impactful playing style creates ups and downs for his team and that ratio has tilted the wrong way for a while now.
    1326Talen Horton-Tucker$$LAL201 yrsRFATHT looks and plays like an old man and it's easy to forget he's just 20 years old. At the same time, I watch him and wonder if he's at peak athletic condition right now. If he could somehow build up those attributes he gets way more compelling in relation to the psuedo-legend status he has attained, an unfair predicament for him to say the least, though not so for the pocket book. Let's see if anybody wants to tie up resources to pry him away.
    1415Terence Davis$$+SAC241 yrsUFADavis looked plenty effective in Sacramento and his type of athleticism and ability in a young, unheralded player is typically a good spot to look for upside and value. The RFA status will probably cool his market and in terms of overall upside, he's not climbing much higher than low-end starter or decent 6th or 7th man.
    1518Raul Neto$+WAS295 yrsUFANeto finally had everything click last season so while there are limitations to his game he actually filled in the blanks in a bunch of spots last season, improving his shooting and defense. The lack of upside tempers enthusiasm but if you can lock him in as your backup point guard that plays.
    1617Josh Hart$$+NOP263 yrsRFAHart has injury concerns but has understated value as a rebounding guard that can do a bit of everything. He's probably due to cash in on some of that value by a lower tier team that loses out on free agents above him, but it also wouldn't be shocking if the market bottomed and he was picked up on the cheap. If so he'd slide up a few spots.
    1719Alex Caruso$$-LAL273 yrsUFACaruso is going to have perhaps more name value than real value but at the same time the lower tiers of the guard positions can see the money dry up, in which case he could go up a few slots on this list.
    1816Malik Monk$$CHA233 yrsRFAMonk finally turned a corner last season and if not for all the concerns about defense and whether he can do more than score, there would be a lot more talk around him because he's starting to impact games. If a team that needs scoring and shot creation doesn't have other uses for the money, they could probably put the Hornets on a decision they'd prefer not to make.
    1920Evan Fournier$$BOS288 yrsUFAFournier has earned enough money and scored enough points in this league to have interest in at least a $$ if not a little more, unless the bottom falls out of the market for him. He might have lost enough of his fastball to really fall off a cliff so this has potential to go upside down pretty quick.
    2023Bryn Forbes$$MIL284 yrsUFA 1Forbes made a lot of huge shots and that alone will drive the price up. As knockdown as it gets from deep, being undersized and somewhat slow causes him to be a mark when on the floor. If he's not hitting he can turn liability quick. A good situational pickup for a squad, but teams can do better for the pricepoint.
    217Spencer Dinwiddie$$+BKN286 yrsUFA 1Dinwiddie is going to be evaluated mostly off of past performance and while he has become more aggressive offensively throughout the years, the things that made him a favorite around these parts started to slide a bit. The efficiency and defense, namely, and at the same time he has made a name for himself scoring the ball now. He might be viewed, when not hurt, as a top 15-20 upside guy by a team that talks themselves into this. The position is deep so that will keep the market in check, but he's still looking at least at a $$ deal and likely a $$$ deal, and if he climbs up to the high end of that latter tier there is real potential for him to get miscast as a No. 1 scorer/ballhandler and the efficiencies just won't be there for him in that role. As a No. 3 in the scorer/ballhandling roles he's probably at peak potential. The more teams envision him at the former the worse off this deal is going to be.
    2221Lou Williams$$-ATL3415 yrsUFASweet Lou can still get buckets whenever he wants and there will probably be some mild erosion. The name will still drive a substantial deal unless he decides to chase on a contender and in those cases this deal would rank higher, but those slots can be hard to come by for a scorer/ballhandler and with 15 years of tread there won't be much margin for error.
    2327Austin Rivers$+DEN288 yrsUFARivers had a great playoffs and after angling toward the bottom of the league there is probably a backstory there, as Rivers was talking like he was born again in Denver. He has always had backup-level talent at worst so work your way backwards from that to figure out his fast descent. Because of the name recognition and the great showing, he'll have a shot at getting paid more than bottom rung amounts. Given the low upside and the chance to not pay league minimum or thereabouts, this feels like wasted motion for most teams. Put him on a contender as a 9th or 10th man and that's probably a lot better.
    2428Jordan McLaughlin$MIN251 yrsRFA 4He got a QO from the Wolves and he can definitely be a decent backup right now and with a year or two in prime territory perhaps he can climb up into the top 30-40 PGs. A smart team that wants to put the Wolves on a choice they don't want to make could lock up an important position for cheap, saving cash for elsewhere.
    2522Kendrick Nunn$$MIA251 yrsRFANunn needs to improve in a number of areas to have a chance at something like Jordan Clarkson's development, which is a long way away. He has shown he can score and make plays, even on defense, but the inconsistency and lack of size on defense make this a false-upside sort of situation. Yes, he sometimes jumps off the page, and he'll get paid with that in mind by some team. I'd prefer to take on a risk-reward situation like that if I felt he had a shot at handling big game pressure, but the size issues really make that an uphill climb for him.
    2629Ben McLemore$LAL287 yrsUFAMcLemore has slowly (slowly) improved year afer year and he's actually somewhat serviceable now. This seems like the perfect time to pick him up, as the market should still be pretty tepid even for teams that like him and there's a decent shot he could play his way into being a decent No. 8 or 9 for a squad.
    2725Devonte' Graham$$CHA262 yrsRFAGraham got hit hard on both the injury-risk side and also the performance side. This could work two ways … a team might think they can catch him in a down year on the cheap, in which case this rank gets a lot better, but if somebody reaches based on the previous season then as you can see there are quite a few better targets.
    2814Tim Hardaway$$DAL297 yrsUFAHardaway has rehabbed his reputation and despite injuries has become a solid 25-30 mpg guy with some potential to go off every once in a while. Because he has had some generally favorable reviews he probably gets into double figures here unless he pays for location. I'm not impressed enough by the recent play, even when folks were claiming he was playing well, to pass up on other cheaper, better options.
    2930Furkan Korkmaz$+PHI243 yrsUFAKorkmaz clearly has limitations but he hides them fairly well and he's still on the upswing. Unfortunately he has done some damage in high leverage moments so he's not all the way under the radar, so prices may be high and for low-end players you want to aim for a better mix of value and upside.
    3045Armoni Brooks$HOU230 yrsRFA 4Brooks had some real good moments in HOU's free for all toward the end of the year and at 23 years old he's the kind of flier pickup NBA teams should be targeting.
    3146Frank Ntilikina$+NYK223 yrsRFAIt's absurd that I'm considering a $$ deal as possible for a guy that simply hasn't done much, if anything. There is a high-end defender in there and he's only 22, and because the Knicks have a bad reputation there will probably be a team or two willing to pay for the NY name. He's well worth a shot to see if he can make a living on defense while improving on offense, but it's hard to bet on him becoming a player.
    3224Victor Oladipo$$+MIA297 yrsUFAI don't really believe that Oladipo can get anybody to pay him more than $14M AAV but I'm constantly reminded that there's always a sucker in the room. Oladipo has had the obvious injury issues, but it hasn't really panned out for him in any regards for a while. I really doubt he gets the explosion back and the secondary skills aren't good enough to sustain all that degradation.
    3342Hamidou Diallo$DET222 yrsRFADiallo has some impressive athleticism but he hasn't been able to put everything together enough to stay on the floor. At 22 years old with NBA experience teams could do a lot worse, but given the depth at the guard slots spot in free agency teams might not be able to wait to see if he can develop more skills.
    3441Garrison Mathews$WAS241 yrsRFA 4Matthews never really laid claim to anything consistent in WAS but he's assertive with his strength as a shooter and it's at least a question whether he could hold up in a bigger role.
    3538Wesley Matthews$LAL3411 yrsUFAMatthews is getting to be borderline unplayable. He can crank it up for spurts and take up space on the floor, but in any high leverage situation he's going to be picked on now. Maybe not as much as some, but it will definitely happen.
    3640Ryan Arcidiacono$CHI273 yrsUFA 2The Bulls appear to be moving on as they didn't extend him a QO and at 27 years old and in his prime, Arcdiacono has a shot at being a serviceable backup.
    3731Wayne Ellington$DET3311 yrsUFANo surprises here. Can shoot. That's about it.
    3844Kris Dunn$ATL274 yrsUFA 1Dunn looked out of shape in the Finals, which is hard to really get on him about after returning from injury and having no real playing time. Still, to have any value in this league he has to be at the top-end of his physicality, which is already in question because of the injuries.
    3937Tyler Johnson$BKN296 yrsUFAJohnson can compete, run to the right spots and play hard on defense. None of this is compelling anymore but he's not quite dead weight.
    4032Avery Bradley$HOU3010 yrsUFA 2Bradley might be willing to turn in his chucker keys since he's on his last stop or two in the league. Defense isn't really there anymore, but altogether he can function as a 20-24 mpg player.
    4139David Nwaba$HOU284 yrsUFANwaba just can't beat the injury bug but he's still got a year or so in his prime and as usual he started showing signs of progress before being hurt. A solid gamble for a team that needs 10-18 solid defensive minutes.
    4233Patty Mills$SAS3211 yrsUFAMills can probably help a team but whether he can hang in high leverage situations is a question, so as you rule out contenders you start to be left with just places where younger guys should get the minutes.
    4334Elfrid Payton$NYK276 yrsUFAPayton is only 27 years old but the book is out on him and it's not getting any better. Any team relying on him or paying him more than bottom rung amounts needs to have a configuration in their second unit that can support a non-threat.
    4435E'Twaun Moore$PHX329 yrsUFAMoore showed that he can get put into important games and not fall apart and that should give teams pause before they'd otherwise write off a 32 year old who hasn't done much the last two seasons. Still, with depth at the guard position in free agency teams should be looking for more upside.
    4536Danny Green$PHI3411 yrsUFAGreen has been living off reputation for a while and he'll probably do it again in this free agency. Defensively he's average at best now and the offense is slowly deterioriating at 34 years old.
    4647Tremont Waters$BOS231 yrsRFA 4Waters has had some mini moments and is a live wire for a team to look at with their last roster spots.
    4748Dante Exum$HOU265 yrsUFAExum just hasn't been able to pull anything together and until we see him physically strong again, it's buyer beware.
    4849Brandon Goodwin$ATL252 yrsRFAGoodwin got lost in the mix as ATL added players but showed he could be a low-end backup in the league.
    4950Chris Chiozza$BKN252 yrsRFA 4Chiozza can be useful as a third point guard but that's about it.
    5051Brad Wanamaker$CHA322 yrsRFAWanamaker really fell off last year after I gave him a good amount of dap. There wasn't the same physicality as prior seasons and there's no sense betting on a reversal at this stage.
    5143Ish Smith$WAS3310 yrsUFASmith bends the offense too much in his direction and his trademark athleticism understandably has taken a hit. For veteran and contending teams, he makes sense as a situational backup.
    5252Jeff Teague$MIL3311 yrsUFATeague mania was afoot in the Finals but his basketball idiosyncracies weren't great when he was dominating physically and he's far from those days.
    5353Nico Mannion$GSW200 yrsRFA 4Mannion has decent size and versatility at just 20 years old but questions regarding staying power keep him lower in the ranks
    5454Kyle Guy$SAC231 yrsRFA 4Guy has a nice speed burst and obviously shooting is his thing but size is a massive issue and then the question becomes how much value can he add with those size limitations.
    5555Gabe Vincent$MIA251 yrsRFA 4Vincent has quietly had staying power in the league and had some nice moments for the Heat. He's a nice target as a third point guard.
    5656Dennis Smith$DET233 yrsRFASmith was overweight last season and could still sky, which makes you wonder if there's some upside hiding there, but his injuries and the balance of his issues keep his stock low and rightfully so.
    5757Shaquille Harrison$DEN273 yrsRFA 4Harrison is offense in a hurry so he at least has that going for him but he'll have a hard time landing a roster spot
    5858Mike James$BKN301 yrsRFAHe's pretty much cooked at the NBA level
    5959Tim Frazier$MEM306 yrsUFAFrazier might finally stop beating the odds on NBA roster spots
    6060Langston Galloway$PHX296 yrsUFAGalloway is not a lock to make an NBA roster
    6161JJ Redick$DAL3714 yrsUFARedick doesn't have anything left in the tank
    6262Saben Lee$DET220 yrsRFA 4Lee wasn't terrible last season and at 22 years old teams should be at least kicking the tires. A good target for a non-rotational player on a not terrible team.
    6363Chasson Randle$ORL283 yrsRFA 4
    6464Markus Howard$DEN220 yrsRFA 4
    6565Adam Mokoka$CHI231 yrsRFA 4
    6666Denzel Valentine$CHI273 yrsUFA
    6767Frank Jackson$DET232 yrsRFA 4
    6868Keljin Blevins$POR250 yrsRFA 4
    6969Nate Darling$CHA220 yrsRFA 4
    7070Devon Dotson$CHI210 yrsRFA 4
    7171Trent Forrest$UTA230 yrsRFA 4
    7272Jared Harper$NYK231 yrsRFA 4
    7373Skylar Mays$ATL230 yrsRFA 4
    7474Sindarius Thornwell$ORL263 yrsUFA 4
    7575Jalen Harris$TOR220 yrsRFA
    7676Didi Louzada$NOP220 yrsRFA 2
    7777Jeremiah Martin$CLE251 yrsRFA 4
    7878Rayjon Tucker$PHI231 yrsRFA 4
    7979Cassius Winston$WAS230 yrsRFA 4
    8080Javonte Green$CHI281 yrsRFA
    8181Quinndary Weatherspoon$SAS241 yrsRFA 4
    8282Brodric Thomas$CLE240 yrsRFA 4
    8383Cassius Stanley$IND210 yrsRFA 4
    8484Grant Riller$CHA240 yrsRFA 4
    8585Matthew Dellavedova$CLE307 yrsUFA
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    WINGS

    Let’s not bury the lede anymore let’s talk about Max Strus! The Heat all know how good he is and they’re hoping folks like me don’t write about this. Strus’ route started in Division-II hoops, went through a knee injury in the G-League, and a stop with the Bulls … who are not good at this stuff, and then on to Miami where they are good at this stuff. Erik Spoelstra trusted Strus in all sorts of important situations last year and for good reason … he was playing good defense, attacking the rim and providing the shooting that got him to the league. Just like we said with Joe Ingles, if you need a small forward and you don’t put everybody involved on an offer that cannot be denied, you’re not doing this right. The good news is that it should take significantly less than Ingles took to stay in Utah way back when.

    If Strus is just too nuts for you, a smart team might also look at Doug McDermott, who is known as a shooter but has transformed into a versatile, strong player that’s piling up +ev pretty much everywhere. As long as he stays upright that’s a lock to be a great deal. Bruce Brown is another player an aggressive team might try to pry away from Brooklyn. He makes winning plays and is an ideal No. 7 or 8 player on a winning basketball team. There is a bunched up tier of players that are expensive (Norman Powell, Duncan Robinson and DeMar DeRozan) that are hard to justify jumping in on when Nic Batum and Moe Harkless are hanging out for cheap, presuming you didn’t already go after the aforementioned top plays.

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    11Kawhi Leonard$$$$$LAC309 yrsUFA 1Kawhi can still call his shot. The trademark elite defense isn't there every night anymore though.
    210Max Strus$MIA251 yrsRFA 4Strus is one of my favorite free agents this year. His windy, injury-derailed path to the NBA has created a perfect storm for value, and whether it's the folks in Miami talking or your own eyes watching film he can do a little bit of everything and appears to have the toughness ready to take the next step.
    33Doug McDermott$$IND296 yrsUFAMcDermott really developed his game last season and he is extremely underrated. Tough, using his body and strength on both sides of the ball now, the high-end shooting is the only thing folks are seeing - he's a lot better than that and will be a great FA pickup.
    47Bruce Brown$$BKN242 yrsRFABrown got killed for having to take a late shot in the playoffs and sometimes he even looked gun-shy after that, but he's a winning basketball player and a smart team could get out there and pluck him for south of $10M AAV. He can definitely be a low-end starter in this league.
    56Derrick Jones$$POR244 yrsUFA 1Picked up his player option for just under $10M and ranked accordingly. Defensive tools and ability to hit a three and get to the rim are a great package for this number
    65Gary Trent$$+TOR222 yrsRFATrent had a little bit of a down year for Portland after he didn't continue his playoff trajectory from the year before, and then a trade to the graveyard known as Tampa Bay just wasn't serving anybody well. So the market might be a bit depressed but I kind of think his value from the playoffs will carry the day. He's very young, can defend and hit the three and that's enough to get somebody to open their wallet. At the $$$ level his value starts to become a little bit questionable, and he's not ranked higher here because he lacks a high-end gear in combination with the higher-end price.
    74Norman Powell$$$POR285 yrsUFA 1Powell is a pretty known commodity at this point. There are some injury concerns and he has had a few awol stretches, but not lately and he's a great fit on almost any team. Can guard multiple positions, do multiple things on offense and stays under the radar for the most part. He's going to get a good deal and it will be hard to project him outperforming it, but if you're looking to spend up you feel good about his ability to at least meet the number.
    88Duncan Robinson$$$-MIA272 yrsRFARobinson had a mixed year and playoffs but he's done enough in high profile minutes for the league to covet perhaps the best pure shooter not named Steph, Klay or Buddy in the NBA. And while Robinson will continue to round out the other parts of his game and his shooting will travel anywhere, the number he's likely to get could get upside down pretty quick if the other parts of his game don't develop and he can't stay on the floor to justify the number.
    92DeMar DeRozan$$$SAS3111 yrsUFADeRozan still has gas in the tank but not liking to shoot from deep and decreased athleticism are a bad combo. Add in the high price tag and this deal won't get ugly, but it starts off on the wrong side of profitable right off the bat.
    109Nicolas Batum$$-LAC3212 yrsUFABatum was great in the playoffs, showcasing how he can be a solid complementary player and that alone should fetch him some semolians. At the price tag, unless he decides to play for a chip at league minimum or something, his value gets a little muted because questions about injuries and effectiveness will dog him in his 13th season.
    1112Maurice Harkless$$-SAC288 yrsUFAHarkless has been spotty throughout the past few seasons but he can still move, hit the three and be a positive for a team. He's probably looking for a sizable deal and if he gets it, then teams probably would do better going for a cheaper option with a better long-term upside. Harkless has hit his ceiling and it's only downhill from here.
    1215Sterling Brown$HOU263 yrsUFABrown got a lot of minutes last season and if not for the incident at the club at the end of the year, he'd probably have at least some chatter around his value. He's not going to break down any doors but he has a decent shot at being serviceable in a 20 mpg role, which at his price is a nice little value.
    1318Edmond Sumner$IND253 yrsUFA 2Sumner had the team option picked up so he's still a bargain at $2.32. Defensively there is a lot of upside and he hasn't had enough ramp to put it all together, whether due to injury or a crowded rotation ahead of him as he developed.
    1411Kelly Oubre$$+GSW255 yrsUFAOubre's stock took a hit last season and it doesn't really sound like he got the right message after that. He needs to work on so many different things but he has the athleticism to make it all worth it. I just don't think it's a great strategy to pay into that equation.
    1516Tony Snell$ATL297 yrsUFAIsn't going to wow anybody but he can come in, hit shots and not mess things up
    1613Trevor Ariza$-MIA3616 yrsUFAAriza in his 17th season is probably going to be overpaid to some degree and he needs to be around stars to be held in check on the chucking side.
    1719Justise Winslow$+MEM255 yrsUFA 2Let's see what the Grizzlies do here but Winslow needs the ball in his hands to be good and he needs a very specific fit where that makes sense. So much time off the floor calls into question if he can be the defensive proposition he once was, too.
    1820Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot$BKN264 yrsUFATLC has proven that he can be a role playing scorer at this level and from there he's a bit of a mixed bad. Not bad to have as your 10th man or below.
    1921Andre Iguodala$MIA3716 yrsUFA 2The defensive execution and ability just isn't there anymore. Maybe on a contender he can pull it all together for 15 mpg but otherwise it's pretty much over.
    2017Reggie Bullock$+NYK307 yrsUFABullock's injuries really slowed his progress as a player and at 30 years old the defensive equation isn't where it once was. If you're a team and you see he's healthy and explosive, you might have better value than this rank provides.
    2114Kent Bazemore$GSW328 yrsUFABaze shows bursts of good play but less so with each passing year, and bad Baze can get bad real quick. He's still not dead money though and he might have some sneaky value on a minimum deal, but I suspect he'll have some name value built into this next deal.
    2223Svi Mykhailiuk$OKC242 yrsRFACan probably hang as a low-end backup on a mid-level team.
    2331Amir Coffey$LAC241 yrsRFA 4Has shown some promise at times but might not have the skills or athleticism to hang around for a long while
    2422Garrett Temple$CHI3510 yrsUFATemple might be cooked but just a few years ago he was the Nets' best shot at covering Damian Lillard, so there's value for that sort of thing around the league.
    2526Abdel Nader$PHX273 yrsUFANader hasn't done anything to justify any real hype but he's at least near his prime and teams could do worse with the end of their bench.
    2624Trey Lyles$SAS255 yrsUFALyles at least has some Spurs corporate knowledge built in and at 25 years old the timing is right to see if he has another gear.
    2727Justin Jackson$MIL263 yrsRFA 4Jackson just won a chip with the Bucks and stays on my radar as a potential late bloomer that has one season here soon where he's on the radar as an up-and-coming bench player. Good locker room guy and there are enough positives here for any number of teams to try and land him in a 9th or 10th slot.
    2825Otto Porter$$-ORL287 yrsUFAPorter looked cooked last season and maybe some time off will do him some good, but he needs to be very good on both sides of the floor to come close to his name value. That's asking way too much with weight, injury and effectiveness concerns.
    2929DaQuan Jeffries$SAS231 yrsRFAJeffries never got right after an injury in Sacramento last season, a mild disappointment following some flashes of mini-breakout potential toward the end of the prior season. He did a quick tour of the league last year and intel would need to be pretty positive about his physical condition because that's the appeal currently. He's what flier pickups with last roster spots are made for in the NBA.
    3028D.J. Wilson$HOU253 yrsRFAWilson was always somebody on my radar in Milwaukee and though the move to HOU brought some what-if we see a ton of him going forward moments, that never really panned out as he only played in 35 games total. With three seasons under his belt and no major traction, the price is going to be right and there's enough athleticism here for a non-contending team to gamble with him in 15-20 minute bench role - and potential for a little more.
    3132T.J. Leaf$POR243 yrsRFA 4Leaf has bounced around enough to make him questionable to be on a roster this season
    3233Stanley Johnson$TOR255 yrsUFA
    3330Isaac Bonga$WAS212 yrsRFA
    3434Axel Toupane$MIL292 yrsRFA 4
    3535Theo Pinson$NYK252 yrsRFA 4
    3636Anthony Lamb$HOU230 yrsRFA 4
    3737Juwan Morgan$UTA241 yrsRFA
    3838James Nunnally$NOP312 yrsRFA 4
    3939Kostas Antetokounmpo$LAL232 yrsRFA 4
    4040Nate Hinton$DAL220 yrsRFA 4
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    INTERIOR WINGS

    John Collins made Atlanta look silly for dilly dallying around and it didn’t seem like they were going to make it for a bit. He’s worth the high-end money. After that is where things get real interesting because — also in Atlanta — as the Hawks try to deal with their logjams they have a guy in Nathan Knight that regularly made plays last season. He’s a bit undersized so even when he’s doing amazingly athletic things one might not immediately notice him on the floor, but whether it’s in the vertical game or from beyond the arc, he has the ability to do a little bit of everything. Though he’s undersized his overall athleticism and skills package is an instant-win for any team wanting to beef up their 4/5 slots. Teams can’t get away with playing Knight at center very much, at least right now, but his versatility allows a team to use more paint-bound big men knowing they’re getting more athleticism at the four spot.

    Another player that’s under the radar, albeit less so, is Jarred Vanderbilt. Built in the mold of Jerami Grant he struggled to stay on the floor late in the season but in terms of pure lateral quickness and ability to cover super freaks he warrants this kind of attention. The Wolves probably aren’t dying to match a go-away offer and sure there’s some risk that he can’t put it all together, but even if he can’t the likelihood that he develops into a top-tier defender is pretty good.

    P.J. Tucker showed you can put him on ice for a lot of the regular season and he can crank it up in the playoffs. He probably wants to get paid but if he chases another chip then his deal deserves the rank I gave him. There are some cheaper options I like in Solomon Hill and Jeff Green over somebody like Bobby Portis, who was in a best case situation and might hurt a team who chases that. This positional group is a mess and I’m not sure I have some great wisdom to impart about that other than to say it will be interesting to see how teams deal with the need for versatile players that can play from 3-point line to the paint.

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    11John Collins$$$$ATL233 yrsRFAWe saw him justify the hype in the playoffs. I hope he makes some extra money after ATL did everything they could to screw things up.
    28Nathan Knight$ATL230 yrsRFA 4Speaking of ATL, Knight isn't a Richaun Holmes-level prospect on the board. But he's exactly what you're looking for in an under-the-radar signing. Versatile, can play a little bit above the rim and can shoot the three. Lock him up for 4 years on a $6.5M AAV and know you've got a great shot at 20-30 mpg of low-end starter, solid backup play starting in Year 2, with upside if he continues to develop.
    312Jarred Vanderbilt$+MIN222 yrsRFAVanderbilt has Jerami Grant-like defensive potential and the question is how much can he learn on the offensive end and in general. The Wolves may not be eager to match a decent offer here.
    42P.J. Tucker$+MIL369 yrsUFATucker really cranked it up in the playoffs and he probably has another year in him. He might have to not play throughout the season to save it, but if you're a contender looking for a discounted difference maker you make the deal. That said, now with a chip he might be looking for the bag, and that would drop him down this list.
    56Solomon Hill$+ATL307 yrsUFAHill had some really nice moments for the Hawks in the playoffs and is likely to come pretty cheap this summer. If you can plug a 20-25 mpg hole for less than $7M AAV you're doing alright.
    63Jeff Green$+BKN3412 yrsUFAGreen saved the Nets so many times against the Bucks it was hard to count. He can probably play at the same level this upcoming season so he's probably going to be a bargain.
    74Rudy Gay$+SAS3414 yrsUFAGay can give you a solid 22-25 mpg and bring scoring acumen with not terrible defense to round out the package. A contending team will probably get a great deal here.
    85Bobby Portis$$+MIL265 yrsUFA 1Portis is about to get overpaid and good for him. The Bucks situation was about as good as it gets as the reason he hasn't been able to stay on the floor is that teams figure out his defense and exploit him regularly. The Bucks had enough good defense around him and the Suns had too much subpar play from Chris Paul to get to the exposing part. Some poor team is going to pay him too much and he'll start out as a fan favorite, only to see that enthusiasm wane quickly after that.
    97James Johnson$NOP3411 yrsUFAJohnson can step in and provide court presence in 20 mpg spurts and probably has some high-end defense in him in certain matchups … something for contending teams to consier. Otherwise, the negatives start to stack up pretty quick as he doesn't need to be guarded and can get out of his lane pretty quick.
    1010JaKarr Sampson$IND285 yrsUFASampson isn't old but some of his high-end athleticism has left him, but he's still a solid 3/4 defender that can be pretty useful for any team.
    1111Torrey Craig$PHX303 yrsUFACraig's green light in PHO was a sight to behold at times and that equation is only going to get exasperated as his career goes. His defense has waned and he needs a real good, healthy offseason to claw back at that.
    1213Taj Gibson$NYK3611 yrsUFAGibson was the Knicks' best option in pick and roll defense against the Hawks and it showed he wasn't dead in the hoops landscape. On a contending team, in a backup role for 10-15 mpg, he can be a good fit.
    1323Killian Tillie$MEM230 yrsRFA 4It will be interesting to see what Memphis does here as they were stacked and couldn't really give him much chance to play. If they do let him out of their grasp, this is a quality place to take a flier.
    1420Harry Giles$POR232 yrsUFAGiles hasn't been able to put all the versatility and theoretic upside together but if he's healthy he's worth taking a flier pick to see how it goes.
    1517Thanasis Antetokounmpo$MIL292 yrsRFAHe's not going anywhere if I had to guess but he has enough activity on the floor to be worth a flier.
    1621Nicolo Melli$DAL301 yrsRFAMelli won't blow your hair back but he can hang as a backup-level player/spot-starter in this league for 15 mpg.
    1718Mike Scott$PHI338 yrsUFACan shoot will travel.
    1814Paul Millsap$+DEN3614 yrsUFAMillsap is dead money on the floor now and sure, there will be times he pops off but he's a backup-level player with a ton of tread on the tires. Somebody will overpay for that.
    199Carmelo Anthony$+POR3717 yrsUFAMelo was a nice story last season but anything other than an offense-only role for 20 mpg is too much for him going forward.
    2016Blake Griffin$BKN3210 yrsUFAGriffin's ball-dominant style of play translates very poorly with his cratering athleticism and inability to get to the rim. Defensively he's the mark.
    2124Rondae Hollis-Jefferson$POR265 yrsUFARHJ hasn't gone away and perhaps he can craft a future as a small-ball big but he's very much a flier at this stage.
    2215James Ennis$ORL316 yrsUFAEnnis has managed to gobble up some minutes in recent years but he's getting long in the tooth and is a mid-level backup at best the rest of the way.
    2319Nemanja Bjelica$MIA335 yrsUFAIn a 10-15 mpg role as a shooter/playmaker coming off the bench he can be fine. Sacramento was high as all hell playing him the way they did.
    2422Georges Niang$UTA284 yrsUFANiang was brutal in the playoffs and he probably has an iteration or two more of improvement, but mid-level backup is his ceiling
    2525Jaylen Hoard$OKC221 yrsRFA 4
    2626Reggie Perry$BKN210 yrsRFA 4
    2727Keita Bates-Diop$SAS252 yrsRFA 4
    2828Patrick Patterson$LAC3210 yrsUFA
    2929Ersan Ilyasova$UTA3412 yrsUFA
    3030Jordan Bell$GSW263 yrsUFA 4
    3131Tyler Bey$DAL230 yrsRFA 4
    3232Jarrell Brantley$UTA251 yrsRFA 4
    3333Ignas Brazdeikis$ORL221 yrsRFA
    3434Devontae Cacok$LAL241 yrsRFA 4
    3535Gary Clark$PHI262 yrsUFA 4
    3636Jared Dudley$LAL3613 yrsUFA
    3737Josh Hall$OKC200 yrsRFA 4
    3838Udonis Haslem$MIA4117 yrsUFA
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    BIGS

    Who knows, maybe the Kings did a good job of hiding Richaun Holmes in order to keep his free agency price down. They didn’t promo him as an All Star at all when he was often the team’s best player, and in general they’ve downplayed his value for most of this current deal. Only after it had been obvious for multiple seasons that he was this good and also under their roof did they start to treat him like a core guy. In terms of defending the cat-and-mouse pick-and-roll there aren’t that many big men who can do it better. His offensive game is a metronome as we’ve discussed since he was a wee lil’ lad getting screwed over by Jerry Colangelo. Even if he gets up toward $20M AAV it’s worth it. I’ll hedge and say it might not be worth it in Year 3 and/or 4, though, as elite athleticism for bigs starts to fade for the best of them at 27 years old. It’s unlikely Holmes suddenly drops to being average on defense or loses his efficiency on offense, but if he can be exposed in the pick and roll then he’s probably more like a $15-18M AAV guy (present money). Still, there is absolutely no losing on this deal and the Kings are lucky the rest of the league probably doesn’t know how good he really is.

    Right underneath Holmes the excitement is limited outside of Jarrett Allen, who doesn’t have the skills that Holmes has on offense or the defensive instincts and toughness, but he’s not too far behind. While he won’t be able to bang like Holmes anytime soon, he’s about to fill out and he has potential for some special size-speed combo stuff we haven’t seen much of after early career Rudy Gobert. He’ll improve in areas other than screening and rolling as he goes, but his value as a roller is such that he can be fine just making a living off that for a few years. Everything else will be a bonus and the question becomes whether a team is willing to put the Cavs in a bad spot here. For my money, I’m not sure how the Cavs don’t match anything that’s not truly ludicrous.

    Zach Collins is another interesting UFA as the Blazers did not extend a qualifying offer, which is either cap math happening in advance or they think the injury issues are going to linger or hurt his effectiveness. I kind of doubt it’s the third thing, though a decrease in athleticism would certainly take the zing off this proposition. Collins is a rangy, versatile big at a time where there are very few that can be enough of that to hang in the playoffs when pick-and-roll matchups and spacing are king. As an RFA this was a way spicier meatball because teams would have to tie up money but now this is just a straight-up what-u-think deal.

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    11Richaun Holmes$$$SAC275 yrsUFAIn his prime the next 1-2 seasons. Offensive tempo machine, among the best defensive bigs in the league.
    22Jarrett Allen$$$CLE233 yrsRFAAllen can stay in his lane and provide enough vertical gravity and defensive prowess to justify what might be a lower than expected number.
    34Zach Collins$$+POR233 yrsRFACollins is just 23 years old, we've seen players shake the injury bug so while there is risk-reward inherent here, there may be more reward than risk. Sneaky upside here.
    43Kelly Olynyk$$+HOU307 yrsUFAYes, the numbers were inflated but he was good in Miami too and basically we just saw peak Olynyk in terms of skill and effectiveness, location aside. This rank could swing based on how much teams crack open the wallet.
    59Mitchell Robinson$$+NYK232 yrsRFA 2NYK might decline his team option to make him an RFA after this season but for fun I ranked him as if he was an RFA right now.
    65Enes Kanter$++POR299 yrsUFAIt will be interesting to see how much dough Kanter foregoes to improve his playing situation but he's a known quantity. Can play at a high level for stretches but eventually gets exposed on defense and with shooting.
    719Tony Bradley$OKC233 yrsRFAI've had an eye on Bradley since his Utah days and he just hasn't quite gotten over the hump. In OKC he couldn't really separate from the pack and some of that may have been by design because of tanking, but regardless if you're looking for a low-cost big that might become a 20-25 mpg guy headed in the right direction, this is your jam.
    814Khem Birch$+TOR283 yrsUFABirch has a shot at being a serviceable low-end starter and at a low price
    96Nerlens Noel$$-NYK276 yrsUFANoel probably can't handle more than 20-24 mpg and now that his brand has been rehabbed a bit, there's a decent chance he gets hit with an overpay here. His ankle was an issue in the playoffs, but how much it impacted some substandard defensive play should at least be on the minds of would-be buyers.
    1020Isaiah Hartenstein$CLE232 yrsRFA 1Hartenstein passed on his player option of $1.8M because he probably knows some things about the market and for good reason. He's young, can move a bit and can definitely be a backup center with some low-end starter upside. Teams with needs should be trying to get in on that kind of combo at this price.
    117Serge Ibaka$$-LAC3111 yrsUFA 1Ibaka took his player option but I ranked him more or less at that amount and also where I thought teams might be willing to pay for him.
    1210Kevon Looney$+GSW255 yrsUFA 1It's kind of shocking how young Looney is when you consider how he moves and how much injury mileage it appears he has taken on. If your intel says he's mostly healthy, the low-end name value and competent play make him a nice target for bargain bin shoppers.
    1311Gorgui Dieng$SAS317 yrsUFADieng still has some basketball in him but how long that statement is true is anybody's guess. A quality addition at the price for teams needing a big.
    148Lauri Markkanen$$+CHI243 yrsRFAHere's a real gamble for an aggressive team. Injuries and general disarray in CHI throughout his career have really hit him hard. At 24 years old would-be buyers are hoping he breaks the injury curse and can provide shooting with the hope he's not a defensive liability right away. It's not my cup of tea and he'll still probably be overpaid if a team does try to pry him away.
    1518Montrezl Harrell$$LAL275 yrsUFA 1He's Wizards-bound but here's where I was ranking him based on opting out and testing the FA market. His defense is unfixable at this point, and though his motor is the key selling point I'm not a fan of how it starts to dominate the tenor of the game on offense, as most teams are alright with Harrell beating them.
    1612JaVale McGee$DEN3312 yrsUFAMcGee is what he is now and that's fine if you're looking for 12-16 mpg off the bench throughout the year.
    1715Andre Drummond$$LAL278 yrsUFAIt will be interesting to see what the market bears here but he is pretty awful these days. He can go on mini-heaters with his core competencies but that can't change his bad defense, FT shooting and general lack of awareness.
    1817Frank Kaminsky$PHX285 yrsUFAKaminsky didn't crumble during spot minutes in the playoffs and that alone was eye-opening. He's not a long-term solution but finding a cheap backup that doesn't fold in high leverage games is a win as a GM.
    1915JaMychal Green$DEN316 yrsUFA 1Green looked pretty damn bad last year in Denver and declined his player option, and he'll still probably get more consideration around the league than a bunch of guys in these lists. Hard pass.
    2013Daniel Theis$+CHI293 yrsUFATheis has enough injuries and mileage to fall off pretty much at any point now. He'll probably get a bigger deal than he justifies because of the highlights from Boston.
    2121Boban Marjanovic$DAL325 yrsUFABoban is what he is -- an amazing gameplan changer for 10-15 minutes in a game. His affable nature and likeability make him an easy target for a lot of teams in a specialist role, but at 32 it's hard to rank him much higher than this. Dallas probably brings him back.
    2216Robin Lopez$WAS3312 yrsUFALopez has another 1-2 years being able to slide his feet enough to not get truly annihilated out there and his waist-level hook shot gives him something to go to in a pinch on offense. Good locker room guy. A fine backup center target.
    2325Moritz Wagner$ORL242 yrsUFAWagner lacks in physicality but with young legs and decent versatility he can give you a tiny bit of upside in a backup center package on the cheap.
    2427Alex Len$WAS287 yrsUFALen's disappearance last season was odd after he was surprisingly effective in Sacramento.
    2528Bismack Biyombo$CHA289 yrsUFAIt feels like Biyombo has been around forever because he has been and at 28 you can probably expect more good defense and physical play, but when you're as limited as he is the every-year erosion of athleticism makes him an undesirable backup big to target in free agency outside of contending clubs needing a specialist.
    2622Willie Cauley-Stein$DAL275 yrsUFA 2WCS has always played to the beat of his own drum and he rehabbed some of that image in Dallas by surviving Rick Carlisle and getting consistent minutes. But how long he wants to put his body through the grind and at what level are going to be the considerations the rest of the way out, even at 27 years old. He is clinging to backup level ability right now.
    2723Markieff Morris$LAL319 yrsUFAMorris will probably have like 10 good games next season but he can't move, he's not as offensively talented like his brother and teams of all types can do better.
    2830DeMarcus Cousins$LAC309 yrsUFAThe end is coming for DMC, who might just have to recast himself as a threes only big man that plays 10-15 mpg when he gets on the floor. There's some mild upside because of his versatility and he's chilled out quite a bit, but as evidenced by his baseline defense for 'the play' against PHO there's so much lost in the details game that he has practically no margin.
    2933Ed Davis$MIN3210 yrsUFADavis has utility for a contender lacking offensive rebounding and that's about it.
    3031Dwight Howard$PHI3516 yrsUFAHoward had something cooking as a heel for the Lakers but his game has regressed so bad that he has become unplayable in many ways.
    3124Cody Zeller$CHA287 yrsUFAZeller is the backup center you turn to when you just need somebody to run the offense.
    3235Tacko Fall$BOS251 yrsRFA 4I don't summarily rule out Fall being a serviceable backup big in a Boban-like 12-16 minute role. Any longer than that and teams figure it out.
    3329Luke Kornet$BOS263 yrsUFAKornet has 10-16 minute upside as a mid-level backup and we're probably looking at his prime seasons so he's a nice grab with your team's 12th or 13th slot.
    3434Semi Ojeleye$BOS263 yrsUFAFirst his weight has to be in a good place to stick around and from there you might take a flier on him when filling out the back-end of a roster. He's ranked this high because there's a non-zero chance that he puts the physicality and skills package together.
    3532Dewayne Dedmon$MIA317 yrsUFADedmon is only hanging on these days because of offense and the occasional play on defense, and he's not good at either of them anymore. He'll stick as a backup center in the league for another year or two.
    3636Mike Muscala$OKC307 yrsUFAMuscala used to have a nice low-end blend of versatility and athleticism, but he has regressed in both areas and north of 30 that's not getting any better
    3737Willy Hernangomez$NOP274 yrsUFAHernangomez is too much of a liability on defense and there's not really enough offense to compensate for it.
    3740Diallo, Cheick$PHX244yrs YearsUFA**$1.8M team option
    3838Hassan Whiteside$SAC328 yrsUFASacramento bringing him on last year was hilarious and he was terrible with everything except for quotes.
    3939Cristiano Felicio$CHI295 yrsUFANot sure if Felicio is sticking around the league this season.
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