If there are any substantial fireworks to be had once the new NBA league year officially launches Friday at Midnight EST, they are not likely to come from the free agency pool. With Zach Lavine being the only established star of note, Jalen Brunson believed to be the most coveted prize on the UFA market (Lavine is a near lock to return to the Bulls) and DeAndre Ayton being the only splashy young player on the RFA market that seems to have a legitimate chance of leaving their current, the 2022 class is easily the least exciting in recent memory. Still, contending teams and desperate tweeners will be looking to add veteran role players and/or hoping that one of the higher-upside RFA's (Miles Bridges, Ayton, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton) can be signed away from the team that drafted them. Here are the 10 players from this class that I believe to be the best.
(Note: Since they're expecting to either exercise their player option or re-sign with their current teams, James Harden, Bradley Beal and Bobby Portis were excluded from this list.)
10.Collin Sexton, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Cleveland Cavaliers)
Even with the damning combination of a checkered history of playing hero ball/pissing off teammates with his selfish behavior and the Cavs going onto play better team basketball after he suffered a season-ending meniscus tear last November sitting on his resume, Sexton is a 23-year-old who can be relied onto score 20-25 every night and that skill set alone will be enough for plenty of offer sheets to make their way to him.
Possible Destinations: Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings
9.Malik Monk, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Los Angeles Lakers):
About the only thing that went right for the Lakers last season was the signing of Malik Monk. Bouncing between the bench and starting lineup all season long, Monk-who signed for the vet minimum after a so-so start to his career with the Hornets-showed steady improvement as an overall shooter (a career-high 47.3%-up just under 4% from 2019-20/2020-21), shot 3's at an excellent clip for a 2nd straight season (39.1%, down exactly 1% from 2020-21) and averaged roughly 14 points per game on a team that largely consisted of ball-dominant players. If Monk enters the right situation where his scoring ability can be properly utilized, he could be a very productive 6th/7th man.
Possible Destinations: Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers
8.P.J. Tucker, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Miami Heat):
At the ripe age of 37, Tucker continues to be one of the toughest, most consistent perimeter defenders in the league and as long as he can stay on the floor and make life difficult for star wings for 22-30 minutes a game, he'll have a strong market among contending teams.
Possible Destinations: Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks
7.Jusuf Nurkic, center (2021-22 team: Portland Trail Blazers)
Injuries continue to be a big concern for Nurkic and his erratic availability could end up costing him money on what is likely to be the final semi-big payday of his NBA career. That being said, he's a consistent double double producer when healthy and his floor-stretching potential gives his game an extra layer that separates him from the other traditional centers on the market outside of Ayton
Possible Destinations: Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons
6.Bruce Brown, small forward (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Last season was an impressive showcase for Brown's growth as a 3 and D player and the heart and hustle he showed during the Nets rough playoff series against the Celtics was a refreshing sight to see on a team that didn't have a whole lot of that outside of their leader Kevin Durant. Every single contending team would benefit from having a guy like Brown on their roster and at 25 going on 26, he should only continue to get better in his role.
Possible Destinations: Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat
5.Anfernee Simons, point/shooting guard (2021-22 team: Portland Trail Blazers):
Simons absolutely exploded in a Damian Lillard-less Blazers backcourt, especially after C.J. McCollum was traded to the Pelicans, finishing the season with 17.3 PPG on 44.3% shooting from the field and 40.5% from deep. Those numbers will obviously dip a bit with Lillard back in the lineup, but Simons' shooting touch and range should make him a worthy heir to McCollum's role as the Blazers highly productive 2 guard.
Possible Destinations: Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings. San Antonio Spurs
4.Jalen Brunson, point/shooting guard (2021-22 team: Dallas Mavericks):
Getting the opportunity to earn major minutes alongside Luka Doncic in the Mavs backcourt turned Brunson into a solid #2 scorer (a career-best 16.3 points per game) during their improbable run to the Western Conference Finals this season. Whether Brunson can keep that up elsewhere remains to be seen, but I'd be willing to bet that his odds of doing so will be at least twice as low if he ends up following his expected path and signs with the soul-sucking Knicks. He's yet to prove that he's a legitimate facilitator in the pros and some combo of Julius Randle, Evan Fournier, R.J. Barrett, Obi Toppin, Derrick Rose, Cam Reddish and Immanuel Quickley isn't going to help him get the wide array of open looks that helped him thrive in Dallas. The money might be real nice Jalen, but you'd be wise to go pretty much anywhere else besides the Knicks.
Possible Destinations: New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks
3.DeAndre Ayton, center (2021-22 team: Phoenix Suns):
Ayton going from being a perceived long-term franchise cornerstone in Phoenix to being benched by Monty Willliams in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Mavericks in just a year's time has been pretty shocking to witness. While his departure from Phoenix isn't guaranteed at this point, it's hard to believe the coaching staff and front office is going to want him back after he dogged it so hard in a playoff series that the Suns had absolutely no business losing. Despite his questionable effort at times, the 23-year old has still produced at a high enough level and has enough upside to secure a contract that's at least in the ballpark of the max deal he was seeking last offseason.
Possible Destinations: Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
2.Miles Bridges, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Charlotte Hornets):
Whatever fire got lit under the ass of Bridges last season is going to yield him one of the more active markets for a restricted free agent in recent memory and a big payday when he signs his name on the dotted line. While there's some justifiable apprehension to be had when a team is considering paying a guy who wasn't overly great prior to last season, Bridges' explosive athleticism, efficient scoring from all over the floor and terrific rebounding ability for a 6'7 wing (7.0 per game last season as a starter and 6.0 per game in 2020-21 as a bench player) makes him more likely to be a long-term high-level performer than a bag-chasing, contract-year wonder.
Possible Destinations: Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
1.Zach Lavine, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Chicago Bulls):
Lavine is a dynamic scorer whose improved efficiency and passing has turned him into a legit star over the past couple seasons. Considering how well the Bulls were playing before Lonzo Ball and LaVine got hurt in the second half of the season, they would be silly to not re-sign him to the max deal he'll command as the consensus top player in this free agency class and see what they're capable of achieving when healthy.
Possible Destinations: Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks
Other Notable Free Agents:
Aaron Holiday, point guard (2021-22 teams: Washington Wizards/Phoenix Suns)
Andre Drummond, center (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Austin Rivers, point/shooting guard (2021-22 team: Denver Nuggets)
Bismack Biyombo, center (2021-22 team: Phoenix Suns)
Blake Griffin, power forward (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Bryn Forbes, shooting guard (2021-22 teams: San Antonio Spurs/Denver Nuggets)
Caleb Martin, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Miami Heat)
Chris Boucher, power forward (2021-22 team: Toronto Raptors)
Cody Martin, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Charlotte Hornets)
Danuel House Jr., shooting guard (2021-22 team: Houston Rockets)
Delon Wright, point/shooting guard (2021-22 team: Atlanta Hawks)
Dennis Schroder, point/shooting guard (2021-22 teams: Boston Celtics/Houston Rockets)
Dewayne Dedmon, center (2021-22 team: Miami Heat)
Donte DiVincenzo, shooting guard (2021-22 teams: Milwaukee Bucks/Sacramento Kings)
Dwight Howard, center (2021-22 team: Los Angeles Lakers)
Gary Harris, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Orlando Magic)
Gary Payton II, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Golden State Warriors)
Goran Dragic, point/shooting guard (2021-22 teams: Toronto Raptors/Brooklyn Nets)
Gorgui Dieng, center (2021-22 team: Atlanta Hawks)
Isaiah Hartenstein, center (2021-22 team: Los Angeles Clippers)
JaVale McGee, center (2021-22 team: Phoenix Suns)
Jevon Carter, shooting guard (2021-22 teams: Brooklyn Nets/Milwaukee Bucks)
Joe Ingles, small forward (2021-22 teams: Utah Jazz/Portland Trail Blazers)
Juan Tuscano-Anderson, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Golden State Warriors)
Kent Bazemore, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Los Angeles Lakers)
Kevon Looney, center (2021-22 team: Golden State Warriors)
Kyle Anderson, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Memphis Grizzlies)
LaMarcus Alridge, power forward (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Lonnie Walker IV, shooting guard (2021-22 team: San Antonio Spurs)
Marvin Bagley Jr., power forward (2021-22 teams: Sacramento Kings/Detroit Pistons)
Mitchell Robinson, center (2021-22 team: New York Knicks)
Mo Bamba, center (2021-22 team: Orlando Magic)
Montrezl Harrell, power forward/center (2021-22 teams: Washington Wizards/Charlotte Hornets)
Nemanja Bjelica, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Golden State Warriors)
Nicolas Batum, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Los Angeles Clippers)
Nicolas Claxton, center (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Otto Porter Jr., small forward (2021-22 team: Golden State Warriors)
Patty Mills, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Brooklyn Nets)
Ricky Rubio, point guard (2021-22 teams: Cleveland Cavaliers/Indiana Pacers)
Serge Ibaka, power forward/center (2021-22 teams: Los Angeles Clippers/Milwaukee Bucks)
T.J. Warren, small/power forward (2021-22 team: Indiana Pacers)
Thaddeus Young, power forward (2021-22 teams: San Antonio Spurs/Toronto Raptors)
Tristan Thompson, power forward (2021-22 teams: Sacramento Kings/Chicago Bulls)
Tyus Jones, point guard (2021-22 team: Memphis Grizzlies)
Victor Oladipo, shooting guard/small forward (2021-22 team: Miami Heat)
Wesley Matthews, shooting guard (2021-22 team: Milwaukee Bucks)
No comments:
Post a Comment