The 10 Best NBA Free Agents for 2016
By Jason McIntyre
NBA free agency begins at midnight tonight, and here are the 10 best unrestricted free agents on the market. (Restricted free agents Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond have been left off this list.) Several of these guys probably stay put, but from impetuous owners to inept GMs, nothing’s off the table.
1. LeBron James, small forward. Very likely stays in Cleveland. Has a tremendous wingman in Kyrie Irving. But … let’s say Dan Gilbert goes to the negotiating table with LeBron and lets his ego get in the way. Then what?
2. Kevin Durant, small forward. I want him to leave for the Warriors, I think it’s a safer move. But by all accounts, he’s staying in Oklahoma City. Is he going to look like a chump next year if Russell Westbrook leaves for the Knicks or Lakers? Sure, Durant could just leave then, but he’ll have returned to a wingman that was leaving all along.
4. Al Horford, center. I went Whiteside because he’s three years younger, but it’s very close. He’s had a couple injuries in the last five years, and his rebounding/shooting stats were down last year in Atlanta.
5. DeMar DeRozan, shooting guard. Turns 27 in August, so he’s just entering his prime. THe 3-point woes are a concern (33 percent from deep last year, but just 4-of-26 in the playoffs). He’s going to give you 23 points a night and play tough defense, but if you are going to go with a shooting guard who can’t shoot 3’s, you better have two other starters who can make ’em.
6. Dwight Howard, center. A goof-off, he’s worn out his welcome in his last three stops, he’s on the wrong side of 30, and he’s not nearly the shot blocker and rebounder he was five years ago. Still, he’s an athletic 7-footer, so he’ll command a mega deal.
7. Dwyane Wade, shooting guard. Had a tremendous career, but he is 34 and for a shooting guard to make 15 percent of his 3-pointers during the season, that’s sub-optimal. He’s Mr. Miami, very unlikely to go anywhere.
8. Mike Conley, point guard. Memphis will probably offer him the max. The Grizzlies appear to have peaked last year, so it’s interesting to think maybe Conley bolts for a fresh start … but who is just a point guard away? The 76ers? Ha.
9. Nic Batum, small forward. By a hair, I’d give him the edge over Chandler Parsons when you’re talking about a 3-and-D wing who could maybe play the PF in a small ball attack.
10. Chandler Parsons, small forward. See Batum. I know Dirk is a Hall of Famer, but he’s 38 and feels like a guy you’re getting to play limited minutes in the regular season and then really contribute in the playoffs.