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June 30, 2026, 2:04 amLast Updated on June 30, 2026 2:04 am by Aaron Bruski | Published: June 30, 2026
If you’re an NBA GM most things revolve around whether you’re buying low and selling high.
And there is no better month for that than the two week happening known as the NBA Draft, followed by the start of NBA free agency.
30 competing agendas all play out in concert, with big tectonic plates shifting over months and years of angling, and about 100 other deals will go down in some cadence around this time that determine how the next 3-5 seasons will go.
Some of the GMs are good and some are quite terrible and that’s before you get to the owners!
Still, for all that variance the basic idea is that you need to get the most value for your salary cap buck.
What these ranks attempt to do is give a cheat sheet for the big event.
On one hand I rank players based on overall rank of the acquisition … independent of how efficiently the player is using salary cap dollars
Then I rank players by how valuable they are as an asset, balancing the need for high-end play against all of the downstream impacts the cost of the contract will have.
Underperforming assets sometimes just run their course and aren’t as impactful but more often than not underperforming assets create circumstances and needs which put stress on future decisions, creating a cycle of bad choices.
Some decisions are so bad they can singularly doom a trajectory (see Sabonis in Sacramento).
On the other hand, if you can nail down important roster slots and get starting level and above talent at 10% of the going rate you enter those same decisions with flexibility and leverage. These choices are illustrated by what I call our Cash to Value Free Agency Ranks.
SPORTSETHOS PROMO ALERT
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MORE ON HOW THIS WORKS
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, above average players get plenty of love in their cash-to-value rank, depending on how much they cost of course. As mentioned above the Cash to Value ranks are going to significantly reward players who are both cheap and high-end, most likely giving them the top Cash to Value ranks.
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, James Harden 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 two seasons ago and went with four different groupings. Ballhandlers and Small Guards, Wings, (the terribly named) Frontcourt Non-Fives and Bigs.
Ballhandlers are legitimate point guards or can play on the ball (excluding point centers and FNFs that run the point).
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.
A key difference between Wings and FNFs is that you’re not generally seeing Wings play the four slot. This (FNFs) group is often a rangy 6’8″ to 6’10” 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. With so many different player types landing in this group one commonality is that they’re being asked to play 3-5 in tons of small lineups as the league goes small, but they’re just simply not able to command the paint. As has been the case with the league at large, they’re firing away from deep.
Bigs are the aforementioned muscle you need to control the paint and shooting is a bonus.
SYMBOLS AND ANNOTATIONS
A QUICK WORD ON THIS FREE AGENT CLASS
There are the typical assortment of extraordinary values this season but the class as a whole is really underwhelming. The ballhandling cohort has a ton of depth. The wings and frontcourt non-fives are thin this year. The fives (bigs) might be the most interesting bunch given some of the names, expected contracts and risks.
LOOKING BACK AT THE RESULTS
Joe Ingles in 2017, Fred VanVleet in 2018, in 2019 Richaun Holmes was the big win we had seen coming for way too many years. In 2020 Jerami Grant was my top Cash-to-Value rank and predictably blew up. Top ranked wing De’Anthony Melton was awesome all season long and in the postseason. In 2021 years ago it was our second ranked cash-to-value wing Max Strus knocking in big shots all season long for literal pennies and in 2022 he was making big plays alongside other alumni of the 2022 class — top ranked Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent. Back to 2021, we begged everybody to grab Isaiah Hartenstein as the 10th ranked cash-to-value big when he didn’t even get picked up in free agency. We made him our top ranked big in 2022. In 2024 he got big time paid. Also in 2022 we pick-pocketed Malik Monk, correctly hit the gas on Jalen Brunson, and went on a wing bonanza including third ranked wing target Caleb Martin as well as Kyle Anderson and Bruce Brown. In 2023 it was a very boring class but it felt like we had the answers before the test as we correctly ranked Austin Reaves, hit real big on Donte DiVincenzo, saw Coby White coming from a mile away, had Naz Reid and more. In 2024 it was Isaiah Hartenstein again after he got paid. Last season, we could have handed you Collin Gillespie for a song as the entire NBA slept on him.
All the previous years’ ranks for your perusal.
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017BALLHANDLERS AND SMALL GUARDS
Watching Ayo Dosunmu put it all together this past season was a real treat. He always had the athleticism and played the game the right way but with increased trust and responsibility given to him as he improved on his skills package we saw the emergence of a real dangerous two-way player. I don’t think people understand the confluence between his efficiency and his overall ability on offense and it just sends his value proposition through the roof.
Austin Reaves is ranked despite heading back to Los Angeles and getting his bag. Phoenix already got a steal on Collin Gillespie last season and they did it again!
This is an interesting group overall. Nearly 20 players deep you have players that can legitimately help squads. There are some value names like Jordan Goodwin and Jaylen Clark that folks may not know, and other lesser-known names like Daniss Jenkins and Jamal Shead who will be retained but are otherwise very undervalued. You will also see big names ranked lower, even in the overall ranks where cost of contract is not considered, such as Trae Young and James Harden. I’m betting against Fred VanVleet and it feels not great!
As usual, there is a ton of quality depth and teams really can be picky and should be picky.
OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS 1 1 Ayo Dosunmu $$$ 26 5 yrs UFA Dosunmu made his name this past Spring and yet he is still extraordinarily undervalued. These next three seasons should be special as he has the physical ability to get to his spots powered by a skills and shooting package that has finally caught up. Breakout signs have been everywhere. One of the leaders in the clubhouse for Most Improved Player next season. 2 3 Austin Reaves $$$$$ 28 5 yrs UFA1 We've been driving this bandwagon for a while now and Reaves has answered the call, but now the current challenge is to live up to high expectations and higher-level criticism that comes with playing in Los Angeles for big money. There's nothing to worry about at all offensively for the next few seasons, but he will have to continue making plays on defense for a team that skews heavily offensive. He also needs to learn how to fall correctly. He's taking way too many falls from above 3-4 feet in the air and injuries have been a problem, and he needs to be able to slide his feet at peak levels to keep from becoming a subpar defender 3 2 Collin Gillespie $$ 27 3 yrs UFA A future All-Star, Gillespie is 1-2 on the ball moves away from becoming a true on-ball every possession attacker. He has quite a few ways to get to the rim, a great fade away inside of three and enough strength to play an attacking style and keep defenders on their heels. He's a great shooter who has another level to go as he improves his consistency and gets greater command of the offense. Defensively, his instincts are off the chart and the physical speed and strength to go with his solid length make him competitive in high-end match ups. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry types don't just walk all over him. The fact Phoenix kept him this cheap, again, is amazing. 4 4 Daniss Jenkins $ 24 2 yrs RFA2 Jenkins' combination of burst and relative size and strength jumped off the page last season. Because he's faster than most players with or without the ball he's a live wire in terms of play creation against most defenders, something that teams can't really have enough of. His percentages are a tiny bit lower than they should be because of the amount of grenades he's obligated to take on. Defensively he can compete even against the elite, and for somebody with very little experience at the NBA level he was able to hang in during big moments against big time players. His shooting consistency and lack of high end touch pulling up are the next levels for him to figure out, and some of that is associated to the improvement he needs with his handle to truly take advantage of all of his gifts. 5 11 Trae Young $$$$$ 27 8 yrs UFA Young obviously is an elite talent on the ball as a shooter and playmaker, but the downsides of being forced to wrap your entire team around him on offense are difficult to manage. Young may eventually star in a secondary role on a good team once the reality sets in that he can't be a gunslinger that also requires so much accommodation on the defensive end. That said, those accommodations practically mandate that you squeeze every bit of offense out of him that you can, further tilting the team his direction. The variance of his play and his effectiveness isn't punishing enough in high leverage situations to justify the defensive limitations, and it's hard to bring in better players with so much usage going Young's way 6 5 Coby White $$$ 26 7 yrs UFA Injuries are the only there concern as otherwise White plays efficient basketball and can bring you back average defense with a hint of upside 7 6 Bennedict Mathurin $$$ 24 4 yrs RFA athurin really needs to refine his shot to unlock all of his gifts and defensively the hope will be that experience covers up some of what he cannot physically do. But at 24 years old, showing he could handle a big role next to Kawhi Leonard after being traded, there's a lot to like here. 8 7 Jose Alvarado $ 28 5 yrs UFA1 Winning player leaves bad team to join hometown team and do winning player things and win NBA championship. I think folks who have watched Alvarado through the years are 0% surprised by any of this. He has had some injury concerns in the past and he will need to stay relatively healthy because any degradation of speed or strength at his size is going to be tough. 9 8 Jordan Goodwin $ 27 5 yrs UFA Goodwin brought so many winning minutes to Phoenix last season as he was repeatedly pressed into bigger roles and he almost always answered the call. Because of his size, strength and speed package he can compete defensively against multiple player types. He brings just enough overall playmaking on offense to be a great, connective role player. 10 9 Jamal Shead $ 23 2 yrs RFA2 Defensively he is above average and continuing to climb the charts. He needs to find his own offensive game as defenses are treating him like a game manager, but it's a role he's really good in as well. 11 10 Kevin Porter Jr. $ 26 6 yrs UFA1 Whatever you think of his off the court past can push him however much lower you would like to place him on this list, but absent that discussion I would have him a lot higher if he still didn't make so many bad decisions on the floor. I don't really think the athleticism is going away anytime soon but eventually the habits become impossible to truly get rid of. The ceiling is really high here but only for a few seasons before younger freak athletes start catching up to him. 12 13 Norman Powell $$$ 33 11 yrs UFA Powell could easily maintain his effectiveness for another season or even two, but whether it's injury risk or continued decline on the defensive side, asking him to carry a load is probably asking for too much. If he took less money to play on a contending team that's probably the best move for everybody involved. 13 12 Jaylen Clark $ 24 2 yrs RFA Clark has been limited by injuries and also by a logjam of players in Minnesota. He's a bulldog and credible defender, with offensive skills continuing to improve 14 14 De'Anthony Melton $$ 28 8 yrs UFA1 Injuries have stolen away what would've been a really fun career. Though he was load managed a lot in Golden State, there were also times when he was tasked with being their top guy for long stretches. He competed as an underdog in that role and it wasn't without some failure, but the idea he was out there doing that after the injuries that he has had was a nice under the radar story. A great target for a contending team 15 15 Luke Kennard $$ 30 9 yrs UFA Coming off a Spring to remember, Los Angeles used him as a hub and a repeat effort could work well for any number of good teams. Of course, it's probably best to assess his ability to deliver on a year-to-year basis 16 18 CJ McCollum $$$ 34 13 yrs UFA Who'd of thought that McCollum might've been the only thing standing in the way of a New York Knicks championship. CJ proved that total command with the handle and shot paired with serviceable athleticism and good strength is enough to go on fire any given night. We can pick apart at his game and age but going back to Atlanta it's a great fit alongside their perimeter defenders. 17 19 Anfernee Simons $$$ 27 8 yrs UFA Last season might've been so quiet for Simons combined with all of the questions about his size and defense that he enters free agency as a bargain? Offense is almost always overrated in the market so this outcome could go a few different ways. Wherever he lands, a bench gunner role awaits. 18 22 James Harden $$$$ 36 17 yrs UFA1 I don't care how good or productive he can be in the regular season or even for a game or two in the playoffs. Whether it's style of play or going deeper into the criticisms, I just don't need that near my squad almost regardless of the price being paid, which is always way too much 19 16 Bones Hyland $ 25 5 yrs UFA As long as Bones can keep it within the guardrails he can play another 5-7 years in the league as a credible creator 20 17 Craig Porter Jr. $ 26 3 yrs RFA2 Porter was a spark plug in his limited minutes and with decent size as a playmaker he presents a unique chess piece for Cleveland to explore the next few seasons 21 20 Fred VanVleet $$$ 32 9 yrs UFA1 I don't want to rule out FVV from returning and giving 25-30 decent playoff minutes per-game. That high watermark against his overall risk for injury and degradation make this a tough sell depending on how much money and minutes are involved. 22 21 Collin Sexton $$$ 27 8 yrs UFA 27 years old for a player who can be at least average on both sides of the ball with stretches of being more than that isn't a bad bet 23 23 Kobe Sanders $ 24 1 yrs RFA2 Sanders showed he could play credibly for small stretches and Los Angeles probably wants to see that play out this upcoming season 24 24 Marcus Smart $$$ 32 12 yrs UFA1 There could be another useful playoff series for Smart, but it would need to be on the right team asking him to play more like 20-25 MPG rather than a starting role. 25 25 Brandon Williams $ 26 4 yrs UFA His ability to get to the rack is well worth somebody's attention in the Association 26 26 Russell Westbrook $ 37 18 yrs UFA Say whatever you want about Westbrook being liked in the locker room and playing hard most of the time, his style of play still has significant drawbacks and the overall volume steers your squad in his overall chaotic direction no matter what. Can it be corralled in the right situation? Gun to head I would say the answer is no. 27 38 Zach LaVine $$$$$ 31 12 yrs UFA1 A turnstile on defense even if he's trying, and it's the most recent case of star scorer not having it in his bag to bring defense on every possession. He has practically no wiggle or elevation anymore leaving him to kamikaze efforts to score the ball. His pure shooting ability gives both he and his team enough rope to hang themselves with for the one in five shot that he can get red hot for a game. His name is way bigger than his game and both he and theoretic acquiring teams should be absolutely looking at 22-25 minutes of concentrated high usage ball off the bench. 28 27 Pat Spencer $ 29 3 yrs RFA Spencer isn't going to bend the defense or lock anybody down but he's stout enough to hold up and dedicated to playing connective basketball. It's classic winning player stuff 29 28 Aaron Holiday $ 29 8 yrs UFA Between his experience and general athleticism, possibly some underrated offense, he can be a stopgap solution maybe even a round or two into the playoffs 30 29 Ryan Nembhard $ 23 1 yrs RFA2 I'm not convinced Nembhard can overcome the size issues but at 23 years old he certainly worth giving a chance for the next season or two at the NBA level 31 30 Keaton Wallace $ 27 2 yrs RFA Wallace has quietly given Atlanta good minutes and there is enough athleticism here to go with enough of a baseline of talent to want to kick the tires 32 31 Bogdan Bogdanović II $ 33 9 yrs UFA2 It all comes down to health for Bogi and whether he can be a 20 MPG contributor 33 32 Gabe Vincent $ 30 7 yrs UFA Vincent showed last season that he wasn't all the way done and that alone should make him a fine fit as a low minutes backup 34 33 Tyus Jones $ 30 11 yrs UFA Long gone are the days of Jones being the underrated darling but in a pinch he can still handle a low minute bench role 35 34 Nick Smith Jr. $ 22 3 yrs UFA2 Smith had a handful of standout games last season and has enough talent at 22 years old for somebody to give him a shot. The hope would be he can blossom into a legitimate scorer off the bench 36 35 Jordan Clarkson $ 34 12 yrs UFA Clarkson is probably cooked but he actually got playoff minutes and kinda sorta not really survived them. Teams could do worse! 37 36 Seth Curry $ 35 13 yrs UFA I'm not really sure he has anymore basketball in him 38 37 Mike Conley $ 38 19 yrs UFA If anybody deserves to take the baton from Garrett Temple and Udonis Haslam it's Mike Conley 39 39 Bradley Beal Jr. $ 32 14 yrs UFA1 I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he's retiring but if he somehow got healthy 20 MPG and a bench role might not be bad 40 40 D'Angelo Russell $ 30 11 yrs UFA1 20 MPG in a very strict catch and shoot, drive and kick role could theoretically work, presuming he has stayed in shape 41 41 Jalen Pickett $ 26 3 yrs RFA2 To think Denver got rid of Michael Malone in part over this guy. Pickett just need to play a lot better to last at the NBA level 42 42 Kyle Lowry $ 40 20 yrs UFA Bench dad? 43 43 Jevon Carter $ 30 8 yrs UFA I thought for sure Carter was on his way out of the league but he had a handful of serviceable moments last season. Maybe he can catch on for one more run. OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS WINGS
Whereas ballhandlers are aplenty, the wings grouping is all sorts of a mess. Pelle Larsson is under team control and narrowly behind Peyton Watson in overall ranking. Watson is going to get paid most likely and at 23 years old represents an intriguing mix of offense and defense, albeit with a lower ceiling, which is where I think Larsson might end up zooming past him.
Then, one of my favorites in Julian Champagnie has already proven himself for what he is and then Quentin Grimes is probably the best actual target of the bunch given how affordable he will be.
After that there is a tier of proven talent in Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre and Lu Dort, followed by another group of players I really like which includes Keon Ellis, sadly after experiencing a significant drop in rank following the shit sandwich that was Sacramento in Cleveland this past season. I’m concerned he has a knee issue but I’m mostly just down on the lack of development, regardless of who is to blame.
Jordan Miller and Jordan Walsh are under team control but they round out my higher-end upside potentials. Daeqwon Plowden showing up here makes me happy since I thought during his Atlanta days that he had it in him. Brooks Barnhizer and Elijah Harkless intrigue me for their physicality and then maybe Ochai Agbaji and Blake Wesley can do something to revive their careers. Landry Shamet is going to get paid after a huge playoffs.
Overall, this is a tough market for teams to navigate. Not only is there a lack of overall available talent, but the targets will be names that teams don’t normally notice until it’s obvious.
OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS 1 4 Peyton Watson $$$ 23 4 yrs RFA Actually like Pelle Larsson better, but I simply have to respect what Watson was able to do on short notice for Denver last season. We went from most things on offense were considered a bonus to consistently being the number two option on a lot of nights. I feel like his trajectory could go a few different directions. Peak athleticism could dwindle without the skills improvement and the inverse could be true, as well. As for Larsson, Watson has the lead in terms of the overall skills package. 2 1 Pelle Larsson $ 25 2 yrs RFA2 I think Larsson has more upside than Watson and it's because he has a larger frame with potential to have more quickness. He just needs the ball skills and shooting to round out but because we have seen Watson put the ball into the hole he has to get the edge at this point. 3 2 Julian Champagnie $$+ 24 4 yrs UFA2 I had Champagnie on vinyl before you did! I respect the hell out of his game and the only thing I would like to see going forward from him is increasing his ball skills and I'm not even sure what kind of a Delta he would get from that. Of course it could theoretically give him a big jump considering he is 24 years old and has played exceedingly well on the biggest stages. But what's great about him right now is that both he and his brother are a handful on cuts and offensive rebound chances. But more than that it's how well he (and his twin) star as role players. Especially if he can stick around San Antonio, we might see him be the Robert Horry of this generation. 4 3 Quentin Grimes $$ 26 5 yrs UFA Grimes probably doesn't have anything close to All-Star upside, but he has a pretty good likelihood of being a solid starter for somebody over the next 2-3 years of his career. He can physically compete, there is a foundation for good shooting and currently he can get to the rack, even if it's never going to be a symphony so to speak. 5 6 Andrew Wiggins $$$ 31 12 yrs UFA1 Wiggins might maintain athleticism for another 3-5 seasons which is what happens when you are the number one overall pick in an NBA draft. Given his credentials in the NBA Finals as well as his recent history, despite a lot of bumps in the road lately, it's not wise to underestimate him. He can get to his spots, physically he's still there, and the only question is whether more speed bumps lead to a decrease in efficiency. These are sustainable risks. 6 5 Kelly Oubre Jr. $$ 30 11 yrs UFA Oubre has had a mysterious career never really breaking the bank, whilst still getting good amounts of attention whether that was back in his Golden State days or playing above initial expectations in Philadelphia. Hell, he played well in Charlotte and despite whatever curveball comes his way he eventually gets back on the floor and competes. At 30 years old there still enough juice in those legs to compete in high leverage minutes, though it's probably time to start decreasing expectations 7 7 Luguentz Dort $$$ 27 7 yrs UFA2 Dort is built like a linebacker and the concern would be how long he can get away with manhandling other teams along with some questionable dirty plays to maintain his generally elite defensive play. There has been a tough focus on the foul calling situation in Oklahoma City and my sense is the trade-off will be a general drift toward covering larger players where he can still get away with that. I don't think at 27 years old he can continue at this weight to maintain that edge, while the focus will be on the difference how the OKC offense and defense is called. 8 8 Jordan Miller $ 26 3 yrs RFA2 Miller has a physical edge that has led to some nice initial results, as he has displayed an efficient offensive game with plenty to build off of on both sides of the court 9 9 Jordan Walsh $ 22 3 yrs RFA2 There were like three weeks last season in which Jordan Walsh was on top of the world, with defense that was being hailed as elite and offensive contributions to boot. By the end in the playoffs, it just wasn't there and along the way there were several ups and downs that led to sporadic minutes. The bottom line is that even the threat of elite defense can drive overall value so at 22 years old, you simply have to lean into this kind of a bet. 10 10 Keon Ellis $$ 26 4 yrs UFA As the founder of Keon Ellis Estuary, what I saw last season was possibly some sort of a knee concern as he had a wrap on I'm pretty sure all season long, but the headline is that Sacramento was Sacramento and generally fumbled his deployment as well as his development. Then he lands in Cleveland where James Harden arrived and minutes had already been bequeathed to everybody else. My overall concern was that he didn't ride the correct side of the razors edge between elite and above average in purely perimeter defense. There are so many factors to gauging other elements of his defensive play but the snap on his fastball just wasn't there so whether he was dealing with anything, or the sporadic minutes developed into tentativeness, but clearly there was not any sort of a leap. Kudos to the first coach that tries to get the ball into his hands because the same theoretic athleticism that led him to shutting down everybody had also been periodically displayed two seasons ago when his length allowed him to create way more then than he has the past two seasons 11 11 Daeqwon Plowden $ 27 2 yrs RFA4 Plowden looked great in Atlanta and continued along in Sacramento just fine. I would like to see more versatility in his game, but right now he's just sticking threes and using plus athleticism to stay on the floor defensively 12 12 Caleb Love $ 24 1 yrs RFA4 Love showed really good scoring ability for a rookie and at 24 years old there is an experience factor that shows up, especially on that side of the ball. It will be interesting to see which skill he develops offensively that could edge him toward starters minutes, but overall we could see his game had a few different directions so there is some variance here 13 13 Tim Hardaway Jr. $$ 34 13 yrs UFA Shooter for hire 14 14 Brooks Barnhizer III $ 24 1 yrs RFA4 Size and physicality along with Oklahoma City corporate knowledge. Let's see what happens next 15 15 Amir Coffey $ 29 7 yrs UFA There are enough NBA minutes here to give Coffey another cup of coffee 16 16 Elijah Harkless $ 26 2 yrs RFA4 Harkless showed great athleticism during tanking minutes for Utah last season and will have to see what he was able to add to his game over the summer 17 17 Ochai Agbaji $ 26 4 yrs RFA Agbaji had some nice stretches two seasons ago but was largely buried last season. He is a live wire in terms of athleticism and theoretically could put it all together for some solid role player upside 18 18 Javonte Green $ 32 7 yrs UFA Green is just that dude and probably has another one-two seasons of being able to contribute 20 MPG in high leverage situations 19 19 Gary Payton II $ 33 10 yrs UFA I'm as big of a fan of Payton as there is I believe and I'm concerned about his ability to hold up for solid regular season contributions. I'm less concerned about the playoffs but any falloff at all really hurts him and I believe we have seen some of that in the past few seasons already. 20 20 Landry Shamet $+ 29 8 yrs UFA It was a magical playoff run for Shamet as he showed an amazing step back game and managed to hold serve in a lot of defensive situations. Given the toughness of his shot profile, it would be asking a lot for him to continue playing that well so the question becomes what kind of a falloff do we see when he's not playing above baseline. Regardless, playing well in high leverage situations necessarily brings you up the ranks and it 29 years old, there's no reason he can't do it again this upcoming season 21 21 Blake Wesley $ 23 4 yrs UFA Wesley missed 43 games with a right foot fracture and it's a bummer because he has shown enough in prior seasons to be worth watching. There is enough athleticism and talent to easily be in the mix for bench minutes on a lot of squads. At 23 years old, hopefully he is on his way to putting the injuries behind him and theoretically there is pretty good value here. 22 22 Josh Okogie $ 27 8 yrs UFA Okogie has a heavier frame and it's concerning that he will need to continue shifting toward guarding bigger players, while not having the height to love that value proposition. But his strength and a theoretic improvement in shooting might actually make that work out for him. A lot depends on the number but teams could do worse. 23 23 Bruce Brown Jr. $ 29 8 yrs UFA At least Brown got into the mix competing again after knee issues ruined his trip to Indiana. It's hard to see him getting close to his prior championship form, and the decreases in relative physicality aren't being matched by increases in overall play. That said, he has another one-to seasons in which he can contribute to a winner 24 24 Dalano Banton Jr. $ 26 5 yrs UFA2 Banton has gone on some flurries for the ages but has never been able to stick. Just that prior history alone should warrant some attention, but the fact that he has been eminently available is certainly a yellow flag along with questions about defense and overall upside 25 25 Andre Jackson Jr. $ 24 3 yrs RFA2 Jackson gave us some while moments early in his career with otherworldly athleticism but he has had no real traction in his career. Perhaps some of his athleticism and lack of overall skills has been duplicative in the Giannis era, but this was always going to be an uphill climb for Jackson to round out his play 26 26 Jamaree Bouyea Jr. $ 27 4 yrs UFA2 Bouyea did well with the minutes he got last season but at 27 years old the clock is ticking on his overall value proposition 27 27 Jett Howard $ 22 3 yrs UFA At 22 years old has been hanging on and can theoretically continue to put himself in position to get consistent NBA minutes. 28 28 Kevin Huerter $ 27 8 yrs UFA Injuries stole the small edge that Huerter had defensively early on in his career, and took away the consistency he had offensively as interior play receded and shooting gravity continued to decrease. At this point, team should be hoping he can make shots and hold up as a stopgap solution for 20 MPG 29 29 Gary Trent Jr. $ 27 8 yrs UFA1 Trent should theoretically be a live wire and he has disappeared only to return to form a few times, begging the question of whether he has another serviceable run in him. Ultimately his overall lack of versatility makes for bad math as a reserve on a good team 30 30 Nicolas Batum Jr. $ 37 18 yrs UFA2 It wouldn't shock me if he made a few more plays in the playoffs but unless you are playing for a championship or using him as a bench dad expectations need to be held in check 31 31 Tyrese Martin $ 27 3 yrs RFA4 Showing up every once in a while for Brooklyn is a thing he can put on his resume 32 32 Rayan Rupert $ 22 3 yrs RFA4 Rupert had some massive games on a two way deal for Memphis and obvious caveats aside, he's well worth a look at 22 years old to see if he can parlay that into more improvement 33 33 Bez Mbeng $ 23 1 yrs RFA2 Mbeng had some wild stat lines for Utah and there is enough physical ability to keep tabs on him 34 34 A.J. Lawson $ 25 4 yrs UFA Lawson at has just been hanging around at the NBA level and at 25 years old with four years experience this is probably the right time to take a chance on a young bench player 35 35 Pat Connaughton $ 33 11 yrs UFA2 Connaughton has seen the physical tools decline and may not be able to answer the call if pressed into action. With plenty of big game experience, however, he's worth a look for teams needing that kind of presence 36 36 Patrick Baldwin Jr. $ 23 4 yrs UFA4 Showing flashes every once in a while, Baldwin is just 23 years old and has another season or two before his scouting report is completely baked into concrete 37 37 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $ 33 13 yrs UFA1 KCP can crank it up every once in a while but for the most part he has lost a step on both sides of the ball and other than experience he can provide a winning club, the name is bigger than the game by a lot 38 38 MarJon Beauchamp Jr. $ 25 4 yrs UFA4 Is playing time has dwindled each season since entering the league, but the hope would be that at 25 years old perhaps he can make an impact for less competitive squads 39 39 Gary Harris $ 31 12 yrs UFA1 It's not likely Harris has anything left in the tank OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS FRONTCOURT NON-FIVES
It’s not that the Frontcourt Non-Fives are low on talent – after all LeBron James and Draymond Green hover at the top of the list, it’s that between they and the Wings it’s a struggle compared to the Ballhandlers and even the Bigs.
LeBron and Draymond are more or less in their last year of action. I like Leonard Miller, who is under team control, as a value play and then we quickly get into the Rui Hachimura and John Collins ho-hum portion of the show.
I like Mouhamed Gueye and Jamir Watkins and we can go down the list and pick out some fun names but overall teams that need to amp up the talent don’t have a lot to pick from.
Of course teams should want to target value plays in the 2-4 slots, and free agency has essentially become a low to middle class endeavor, but regardless it still sucks to try and round out your team with so many minutes going to Wings and what I’m calling the Frontcourt Non-Fives. This feels like at least 3/4 of the league’s minutes are getting addressed with just a handful of targets.
OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS 1 1 LeBron James $$$+ 41 23 yrs UFA Even if LeBron just gave you the basics of what a player with his size, strength, skills and experience gives you, it vaults him to the top of this list. Of course, there isn't a lot of high-end talent in this grouping but even if there was it's likely he would be on top, which might be the most impressive part of his legacy at 41 years old. 2 2 Draymond Green $$$ 36 14 yrs UFA1 Similarly to LeBron, the corporate knowledge and defensive instincts in addition to how to work the game make Green formidable at 36 years old. He's still capable of taking over a match up in the playoffs. Are there 10-20 other things that can detract on a given night? Of course there are. This group doesn't have a lot of high-end talent and a player that can punch like that in the playoffs is hard to find 3 3 Leonard Miller $ 22 3 yrs RFA2 I'd like to see Miller use his physical gifts with more consistency and his shooting form leaves a lot of question marks, but overall he's making enough shots and bringing enough versatility on offense to profile well on that side of the equation. Defensively he's a bit of a mixed bag but because of the athleticism there is enough good there as a foundation to be optimistic about. With his athleticism and length, if he can fill in the gaps he has a chance at being average or above average on both sides of the ball. 4 6 Rui Hachimura $$$ 28 7 yrs UFA Hachimura has done his part to perform and enough high leverage moments to deserve serious consideration as a 25-30 MPG player for a good team 5 7 John Collins $$$ 28 9 yrs UFA Collins could be a really good get for the right team that deploys him just right but once those perfect circumstances naturally can't be found, his game can fall apart quickly and especially in the playoffs. Given the name value and associated cost here, teams that don't have a perfect role for him can probably look elsewhere 6 4 Mouhamed Gueye $ 23 3 yrs RFA2 Gueye's block rate got cut in half last season and that seems like a little bit of an outlier. He can move his feet, protect the rim, shoot the three and at 23 years old there is a lot of room for improvement 7 5 Jamir Watkins $ 24 1 yrs RFA2 Watkins got buried in the laugh track that was Washington last season but he showed great defensive potential, hit some three-point shots and was otherwise somewhat consistent amidst the joke that was the Wizards deployment last season 8 10 Precious Achiuwa $$ 26 6 yrs UFA Precious continues to be an enigmatic player who wants to do everything and can do a little bit of everything, but is going to struggle when his attempts to do so overstep their own bounds. Last year's numbers in Sacramento were aided greatly by the circus-like environment, and at the same time he went out there and earned them, giving him credibility to pair with that he had earned in New York. The hard part is that he certainly improves his value proposition by getting the ball in his hands and at the same time it's not something teams really should want to do all that much. He will lose a little value being placed into the correct role, which should be about 25 MPG for a good passing squad that can streamline his eclectic efforts 9 8 Spencer Jones $ 25 2 yrs RFA Jones can carve a nice roll out for a lot of teams because his strength and shooting aren't likely to go away. You know what you are getting here 10 9 Dominick Barlow Jr. $ 23 4 yrs UFA2 At just 23 years old, Barlow has a lot to like with his size and length, workable shooting and his quickness. His skills package needs to improve to keep him from being so hard to place as an asset, but any improvements in strength, ballhandling, decision-making and shooting will have a nice multiplier effect for him. 11 13 Tobias Harris $$$ 33 15 yrs UFA Harris can still cook on the offensive side of the ball and given his physical profile the fact that he was able to compete defensively at times during the playoffs last season is encouraging for at least one more season of not getting run over by father time. He has made a ton of money in his career and can be choosy about his situation and a 25 MPG bench scoring role would be ideal for him 12 14 Sandro Mamukelashvili $$ 27 5 yrs UFA1 Mamukelashvili took a big step forward last season as his size and unique skills package, mostly as a shooter, all came together and Toronto embraced it. My concerns would be that he is on the razors edge of not being quick enough to stay on the floor and that's before the question of whether he can continue being this good as a shooter. Still, at 27 years old there is a good shot he can keep his quickness for 1-2 seasons 13 11 Mohamed Diawara $ 21 1 yrs RFA Diawara has physical tools and at 21 years old he has already shown potential as a shooter. If he can keep adding elements to his game we might be talking about him as a starting quality role player in a few years. 14 12 Josh Minott $ 23 4 yrs UFA2 It was a strange season for Minott, who theoretically could have had a role in Boston but saw it evaporate before he was eventually traded to Brooklyn, where things stayed weird. Both locations had an element of issues on their own sides of the line. Minott showed enough to deserve more minutes and in Boston, it was Joe Mazzulla's perhaps overreaching demands keeping him from getting more, and in Brooklyn it was the overall disarray due to the tanking. That's not to say that he doesn't have a long way to go because he does. At 23 years old with solid physical tools, the hope would be that he can develop much more awareness and round out his game so that the physical elements can take over and do their thing 15 15 Jamal Cain III $ 27 4 yrs UFA2 His dunk in the playoffs was seared into the memory of anybody who watched it. The physical tools are there and checking in at 27 years old is a bit concerning but for where he is at in terms of overall value within the league, the next 2-3 seasons shouldn't be a concern for teams that want to take a chance here, though Orlando would be crazy to just let him walk at this point. 16 19 Tari Eason $$$ 25 4 yrs RFA When it all comes together for Eason he can be a compelling role player. The problem is that injury risk is real and when his mental approach the game starts sliding or he simply can't make shots or even play well, the bottom starts to fall out a little bit. Still, he has accumulated quite a bit of experience and has nice toughness, making him a live wire depending on the situation. 17 16 GG Jackson $ 21 3 yrs RFA2 Jackson worked on his body, slimmed-down and went from being unplayable on defense to being in the ballpark of average on any given night. This is very encouraging, especially at 21 years old, but given the fact that he was so top-heavy early on in his career it should be considered a risk at least until he can prove that this is his new body type. Players with this type of composition tend to age faster than others. If he can keep up on this trajectory, though, and we don't want to overvalue a lot of what we have seen in Memphis during last spring, this is a really good turnaround and theoretically he could perform better than his placement on this list. 18 17 Ousmane Dieng $+ 23 4 yrs RFA There are skills for days and at the same time I'm not sure he can bring the quickness required to tap into them on the offensive side and keep from becoming a liability on the defensive side 19 18 Dean Wade $$ 29 7 yrs UFA Wade probably has one more season where he can be considered a plus defender, maybe two, and that's good enough to be useful as a role player for good squads 20 21 Jonathan Kuminga $$$ 23 5 yrs UFA2 Perhaps most notably, playing with Stephen Curry and the basketball IQ driven squad in Golden State hasn't resulted in Kuminga turning the corner on his biggest issue – losing basketball plays. He has a variety of tools at his disposal because of his physical abilities and sporadic skills display, but for every highlight play there are two plays killing the drill. Overall, these kinds of situations typically detract from a basketball squad because the player can naturally get what they want, but it's not what anybody needs and that's before all of the qualitative analysis surrounding roles and team vibes. 21 20 Taurean Prince $$ 32 10 yrs UFA1 Prince might have one-two more seasons of being a capable role player 22 22 Trendon Watford $ 25 5 yrs UFA2 Watford looks destined to have a 20-25 MPG role as an offensive spark plug for the next few seasons. 23 23 Julian Phillips $ 22 3 yrs RFA2 Phillips just had his team option declined and a quick glance at his stats might leave you generally unimpressed. But it 22 years old he has good length, some shooting foundation even if he has a long way to go, and the hope would be that his next team is the one that watches him put new skills together. Given all of the gravity in Minnesota for the star player equation, perhaps he just got lost in the shuffle. There is some distressed asset potential here. 24 24 Olivier-Maxence Prosper $ 23 3 yrs UFA2 Prosper really needs to get the rebounding figured out and become way more versatile. But 23 years old he has been getting good minutes to gain experience and for that reason he has put himself in position to stay on the radar for the next season or two 25 25 Jeremy Sochan $ 23 4 yrs UFA Sochan really saw his stock drop as he got a lot of opportunity in San Antonio and because it didn't really pan out, he now carries a bust label. Surely there is some middle ground here for him to evolve into a productive wing defender but if that shot doesn't develop, it's hard to see him sticking in the league. 26 26 Matisse Thybulle $ 29 7 yrs UFA Thybulle can still give you good defensive minutes but I'm not sure how much longer his defensive only equation can hold up 27 27 Ziaire Williams $ 24 5 yrs UFA2 Injuries and sporadic deployment in Brooklyn leave his stock in a fairly bad place. The bottom line is that he doesn't have enough athleticism or skill to stand out in a league crowded with all of that 28 28 Simone Fontecchio $ 30 4 yrs UFA There is respect for Fontecchio for his work the past few seasons but at 30 years old, it's not likely teams will be relying on him for more than spot minutes at this point 29 29 Jalen Wilson $ 25 3 yrs RFA The real hope here if you wanted to take a chance on Jalen Wilson is that Brooklyn either screwed him up or didn't give him an opportunity to improve. It could also be said that not being able to stand out there is indicative of his game. 30 30 Anthony Gill $ 33 6 yrs UFA Gill ended up getting consistent minutes for Washington down the stretch and at 33 years old, if you squint hard enough maybe he can be a 12th man big for a playoff squad. 31 31 Kyle Anderson $ 32 12 yrs UFA The magic is mostly gone and all one should be looking for here is a player who can stand in the right spots and occasionally string together some winning plays 32 32 Dalen Terry $ 23 4 yrs UFA2 Terry hasn't really seen his career develop after being drafted by Chicago but at 23 years old, Philadelphia or another squad can get the best shot at whatever he can be. 33 33 Lindy Waters III $ 28 5 yrs UFA Waters has had an interesting career path and with corporate knowledge from San Antonio, Detroit and Oklahoma City, it wouldn't be surprising if he somehow contributed off the bench for a stretch on a good squad. Obviously, the clock is ticking on his NBA career 34 34 Khris Middleton $+ 34 14 yrs UFA Middleton was a fun story at times when Dallas decided to give him the ball and get out of the way but being real about it, there's nothing left in the tank here 35 35 Isaiah Livers $ 27 4 yrs RFA4 Livers is good enough to play at the NBA level but his ceiling is as a bench player. He will be a decent get for a team truly lacking on the wing 36 36 Kenrich Williams $ 31 8 yrs UFA2 Williams has another season or two in which he can contribute with his versatility but there will be several comparable options available for teams that are younger and without some of the downside of declination 37 37 Doug McDermott $ 34 12 yrs UFA McDermott is basically cooked but if you want some cheap three-point shooting for end of game situations he will be worth a look 38 38 Jae'Sean Tate $ 30 6 yrs UFA Tate no longer has enough athleticism to be a viable bench solution but might have some value at the end of a roster 39 39 Jeff Green $ 39 19 yrs UFA Give it up for Jeff Green and his ability to step on NBA floor and not get embarrassed at his age and mileage. 40 40 Joe Ingles $ 38 12 yrs UFA You're basically paying for vibes at this point OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS BIGS
It’s fun that Isaiah Hartenstein tops the list again since he has been such a mainstay here from the days when he was barely in the NBA. A lot of that is that the other names on this list just aren’t good values on the high-end. And as much as I like Neemias Queta, Jalen Duren is probably a better overall prospect than him, which makes this a tantalizing bunch. The problem with a lot of the guys on this list like Duren, Walker Kessler, Kristaps Porzingis and Mitchell Robinson is that they are going to get paid big money in relation to either their risks or the chance they destroy your cap.
Duren, specifically, has been in the news as he negotiates against Detroit through the press following his disaster playoff performance. At 22 years old, being third team all NBA is a fairly rare performance. Ben Simmons did it at 23 years old before flaming out and most of the names that appear on those teams at such young ages went on to do amazing things. But few of those players are as large as Duren and with his ankle issues playing in a league of quickness, his pay me season is set against the backdrop of major risk.
Kessler has suffered major injury absences and Porzingis is as risky as it gets. Mark Williams joins this list and he is pretty much as risky as it gets. Down the list there is actually quality depth and then one name stands out more than any but that might be an island of just one person. Moussa Cisse is a physical talent that I have not seen many of during my time covering the Association. There should be 29 teams right now calling to figure out what to give up and how to give him as many minutes as he can handle going forward.
OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS 1 1 Isaiah Hartenstein $$$ 28 8 yrs UFA2 Hartenstein showed how he can maintain value in the playoffs where physicality, strength and now his trademark clutching and holding can take the edge off of his declines in lateral quickness. I would be more punitive in his rank if he had not developed a rather amazing floater that delivered so many times in high-pressure moments against Victor Wembanyama. A favorite around these parts back when nobody knew his name, here he is on top again. 2 8 Jalen Duren $$$$+ 22 4 yrs RFA I thought he ran out of gas in the playoffs and I thought that Detroit flew too close to the sun chasing regular season accolades for both he and the team. This is a player who has struggled with ankle issues and at his size those issues can only get more pronounced. At the beginning of last season he looked spry and with huge jumps in dribbling ability he started to venture into 'what can he be' territory because players his size don't generally have a handle like the one he was displaying. I think his size and career long durability are certainly in question and he needs to find specific tools he can bring into playoff situations because it's very likely that a lot of what he does will get shut down when the whistle get puts away. And while he can wrestle with the best of them, his inability to get vertical makes him somewhat less imposing in high leverage situations, as well 3 2 Neemias Queta $$ 26 5 yrs UFA2 I'm concerned about his durability as knee issues have plagued him a bit, but if he can gain some distance on those the skills package and generalized ability to be at least average in the facets of the game that apply most to his position make him an incredible get right now. 4 3 Moussa Cisse $ 23 1 yrs RFA4 Perhaps the best athlete in the NBA, Cisse just needs a smart team to be willing to invest minutes and mistake allowances so he can find his niche on offense while reducing fouls on defense. Some smart team needs to punish Dallas for how they handled his contract down the stretch last season. Obviously, there has been an upgrade in the front office but I haven't seen something so stupid in a long while. 5 4 Deandre Ayton $$ 27 8 yrs UFA1 Ayton has become a punching bag and of course he has brought a ton of it on to himself. A lot of it is circumstantial as well playing in Los Angeles. He's the easy target on a team with high expectations. The bottom line is that even if he doesn't improve at all he can handle 25 MPG and you know what you will get from him 7 5 Mitchell Robinson $$+ 28 8 yrs UFA Robinson has proven he can bring his bankable assets into high leverage situations and deliver. At 28 years old, betting on him to keep that going is a tough bet, though the degradation might be minimal over the next one-two seasons 8 13 Walker Kessler $$$$+ 24 4 yrs RFA Kessler is about to get paid and while he steadied the ship while on the floor last season, he would really need to turn a corner in terms of overall versatility to not force his team into a classic lumbering big man style of play, speaking mostly on the defensive side. It can work but when talking about investing big money and big minutes into a player who probably starts declining in 1-2 seasons, it's not great math 6 7 Kristaps Porziņģis $$$ 30 11 yrs UFA I won't totally rule out his ability to become the key that unlocks everything for a team in the playoffs but that proposition is getting impossible to bet on 9 6 Mark Williams $$ 24 4 yrs RFA Phoenix did a great job managing Williams' health last season and even then, it fell apart toward the end. It's not fun but it's probably reality that Williams has a pitch count for the rest of his career. 10 9 Jonathan Mogbo $ 24 2 yrs RFA2 Mogbo disappeared for the most part last season and his athleticism, size and speed combo are still unworldly so the hope would be that he just needs opportunity and that some of the skills improvement has been chugging along in the background 11 10 Keshad Johnson $ 25 2 yrs RFA There is an athletic foundation here to work from and at the same time, at 25 years old he will need to quickly improve his versatility before his NBA clock starts ticking. 12 11 Moritz Wagner $$ 29 8 yrs UFA Wagner certainly fits on any playoff team as a backup big simply because he can make the other team want to fight him. Part of that is playing effectively enough to get their attention and the other part of that is pure heely toughness. I'm not sure I would go to him for more than 15 MPG but those 15 MPG are probably wisely spent. 13 12 Micah Potter $ 28 5 yrs UFA2 Potter showed good versatility during Indiana's lost season and even though he is 28 years old, teams could do way worse than adding him as a backup big 14 14 Day'Ron Sharpe $$ 24 5 yrs UFA2 I'm not sure why Brooklyn refused to play him more than 18 MPG but I suspect there were some injury concerns and maybe even sandbagging on his expected eventual contract. He is only 24 years old but it feels more like 26 or even 28 and at the same time he projects to be a quality backup big, with some theoretic upside if he can somehow handle 25+ MPG 15 15 Jericho Sims $ 27 5 yrs UFA1 Sims surprised last season by adding some passing versatility to his game and maybe if we squint hard enough he could provide 15-20 serviceable minutes on a good team in a high leverage situation following ultimate improvement. 16 16 Jock Landale $ 30 5 yrs UFA If Landale was a little bit younger the free agency equation would be a lot better but at 30 years old, it's going to be hard for him to provide higher end backup minutes without declining or suffering injuries. That said, a contending team would do well with him as their ninth or 10th guy off the bench. 17 17 Al Horford $$ 40 19 yrs UFA1 Death, taxes and Al Horford hitting four three-pointers to decide a playoff basketball game 18 18 Jaxson Hayes $$ 26 7 yrs UFA Hayes has actually done better than things could have gone. Whether off the court stuff factors into your calculus or not, his minutes contrasted well against DeAndre Ayton and there is enough athleticism here to be viable, especially at 26 years old. He's not a lock to maintain this level of play but for one-two seasons it's a pretty good bet, making him a nice target for 18-22 MPG off your bench 19 19 Nikola Vučević $$ 35 15 yrs UFA I can't see him surviving high leverage minutes deep into May or June, but 20 MPG as a placeholder for a lot of teams could be fair. Unfortunately, he will probably be paid a lot more than that value proposition 20 20 Brook Lopez $+ 38 18 yrs UFA2 It might be over for Lopez as last season he had good opportunity and couldn't cash in. Yes, he can bomb threes since nobody can really block his shot and he can stand in the paint with decent athleticism for a player his size, age and mileage. Unfortunately, he can now be eaten up in a lot of matchups and anything above 20 MPG should be considered a bonus 21 21 Jusuf Nurkić $$ 31 12 yrs UFA Nurkic put up some bonkers numbers at times and Utah are really wrap themselves around him. Defensively he's still a total mess and he has tended to wear out his welcome, so while he needs to get big stats to justify minutes it's all the other stuff that bubbles under the surface to make this an unwise bet 22 22 Kevon Looney $+ 30 11 yrs UFA2 Assuredly there is a home for Looney in the NBA but all those miles, prior injuries and the like certainly showed up lately. He was always straddling the line between athletic enough to shut down prime Domantas Sabonis and too washed to stay on the floor. We are at the latter stage of his career now 23 23 Trayce Jackson-Davis $ 26 3 yrs RFA2 At 26 years old there is still some potential for him to develop some sort of versatility to stay on NBA squads but betting on it is another story 24 24 Andre Drummond $+ 32 14 yrs UFA Drummond should do the reverse of what he did this last season. Stay fresh until the playoffs rather than showing up in November all spry and ready to go. A man of his size just isn't going to be able to play at the necessary level for more than a month or two 25 25 Quinten Post $ 26 2 yrs RFA Having the bankable skill of shooting make him will serviceable for 15-20 MPG 26 26 Marvin Bagley III $+ 27 8 yrs UFA It was funny watching Dallas media get all excited about Marvin Bagley doing the same stuff he has done since Sacramento. If a team wants to try to milk that for 15-20 MPG, it's there for them but paying for it should be a bridge too far 27 27 Robert Williams III $ 28 8 yrs UFA Williams had some nice moments this past season but given his injury history, age and mileage affecting him to continue being good like that even for brief stretches is probably a 50-50 proposition 28 28 Karlo Matković $ 25 2 yrs RFA2 Every now and then Matkovic looks like a real player and then eventually reality sets in and his shortcomings level out. At 25 years old there might be a couple of seasons here in which he can actually hold down 20 MPG and do a good job with it 29 29 Ariel Hukporti $ 24 2 yrs RFA Hukporti might get a chance at the backup minutes this season if Mitchell Robinson walks and overall he's a big big just trying to stay on the floor in a league of quick bigs 30 30 Tony Bradley Jr. $ 28 8 yrs UFA Bradley surprised everybody in the playoffs two seasons ago and at 28 years old you're basically paying for experience at this point. Definitely best suited for 12th man status at best 31 31 Lachlan Olbrich $ 22 1 yrs RFA4 Olbrich lacks athleticism and overall upside but it 22 years old, perhaps he can be on track to become a viable 10-18 minute backup big 32 32 Amari Williams $ 24 1 yrs RFA2 Williams isn't jumping off the page but there is enough versatility here to be encouraged that he might be able to handle a regular backup role in a season or two 33 33 Nick Richards $ 28 6 yrs UFA Richards really hasn't done anything with all of his athleticism and at 28 years old it's going to start declining even faster. With no real versatility, he's just a placeholder big best suited as a 12th man 34 34 Christian Koloko $ 26 4 yrs RFA4 For a team lacking athleticism, Koloko could bring that off the bench but there is not enough upside here to warrant much consideration 35 35 David Roddy $ 25 4 yrs UFA4 Roddy at least has a unique physical build that he brings to the equation but the overall product just isn't there 36 36 Zach Collins $ 28 9 yrs UFA It's probably the end of the road for Collins as injuries have sapped whatever was left over the past few seasons 37 37 Xavier Tillman $ 27 6 yrs UFA Tillman seem to get his weight under control at least a little bit but at his size, 27 years old might as well be 37. 38 38 Dwight Powell $ 34 12 yrs UFA Powell can hang for a little bit here or there but at 34 years old, unless you are looking for a bench dad there's no real reason to bring him into a backup role 39 39 Larry Nance Jr. $ 33 11 yrs UFA Injuries have stolen most of the effectiveness from his game and especially at 33 years old, teams can look elsewhere 40 40 Maxi Kleber $ 34 9 yrs UFA Kleber has lost any semblance of confidence offensively and is essentially an enforcer at this point 41 41 Thomas Bryant III $ 28 9 yrs UFA Defensively unplayable but has some offensive skills. Teams can find offense elsewhere over giving opponents a major advantage like this 42 42 Trey Jemison III $ 26 3 yrs RFA4 Not enough physicality to offset the lack of skills he's bringing to the table 43 43 Drew Eubanks $ 29 8 yrs UFA He is more or less cooked. My watch as the evangelist of Eubanks estuary was complete a few years ago 44 44 Kelly Olynyk $ 35 13 yrs UFA If Olynyk had anything at all left in the tank we would've seen it when Luke Kornet was struggling mightily in the playoffs 45 45 Mason Plumlee $ 36 13 yrs UFA He can stand in the lane and that's about it these days 46 46 Kevin Love $ 37 18 yrs UFA I would say he could be a good bench dad but he tends to rile things up. Unless that's a good thing, teams can look elsewhere OVR $/V NAME COST AGE EXP TYPE COMMENTS
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I’m a father, husband and friend. Also, a high stakes fantasy basketball player and I’ve been working in fantasy sports since the turn of the century. Before founding SportsEthos, I spent nearly a decade at Rotoworld building their NBA operation, where we won the FSGA award for Best News and Analysis Site regularly. I cut my teeth in the reporting world at ProBasketballTalk.com on the Kings relocation story, developing sources in Sacramento and throughout the NBA. I’ve won two FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year awards and been nominated four times. I started SportsEthos to help this industry evolve so content producers can have some long-term security and customers can get a better product.
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