While many NBA free agents have deals in principle (teams can’t officially sign anyone until tomorrow), several game-changers are still wholly available on the market.
Keep it here for a regularly updated look at the latest buzz surrounding the best free agents available.
10. Trevor Ariza
Age: 29
2013-14 team: Washington Wizards
Position: SF
2013-14 salary: $7,727,280
Why he’s worth a shot: Everybody needs wing “D” and deep shooting, and Ariza shot a career-high 41 percent from deep last year. Several teams are going to lose out on the LeBron/Melo sweepstakes—Ariza is a good backup plan.
Latest dirt: Washington wants to return its core, and already secured Marcin Gortat. But there’s interest in Ariza around the league that complicates things. The Cavs, for one, have a lot of money carved out for one King James and no guarantee they’ll land him.
9. Pau Gasol
Age: 34
2013-14 team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: PF/C
2013-14 salary: $19,285,850
Why he’s worth a shot: He’s 34, but like Tim Duncan he’s got a wily old man’s game and doesn’t depend so much on athleticism to get the job done (coughdwyanewadecough). Even playing on a spirit-killing Lakers team last year he put up 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds with 1.5 blocks in 60 games. Durability will be a concern for any team that hires him, though, as he’s missed more than 50 games over the past two seasons.
Latest dirt: No shortage of suitors here, but no clear front runner. Reports say he’s looking for a contract anywhere between $5 and $10 million, but that the Heat don’t have enough cash to interest him.
8. Luol Deng
Age: 29
2013-14 team: Chicago Bulls/Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: SF
2013-14 salary: $14,275,000
Why he’s worth a shot: He’s a willing defender and a good second or third option on offence, though he didn’t often look it after getting traded to the Cavs at the deadline last year. He needs to go to a contender. And probably shouldn’t play for Mike Brown. (Then again, neither should anyone.)
Latest dirt: The Heat want Deng, but—again—don’t have the money to get him as they wait on decisions from LeBron, et al. Chicago has a need at small forward, but hasn’t made any overtures as they seek Carmelo Anthony. The Hawks are one team that has both interest and copious amounts of cap space.
7. Greg Monroe (Restricted)
Age: 24
2013-14 team: Detroit Pistons
Position: PF/C
2013-14 salary: $4,086,454
Why he’s worth a shot: He hasn’t shot the ball well (just a touch under 50-percent from the field last year despite the fact that the vast majority of his shots came near the hoop), and he’s struggled the past two years finding a role alongside Andre Drummond and then both Drummond and Josh Smith. But he’s a big body, has been durable, is a good rebounder and passer, and might just be a good fit away from breaking out. He’s also the youngest player on this list.
Latest dirt: There were rumours early on in free agency that Monroe had little interest in playing alongside Smith long-term, but further reports have quashed them. Detroit “very, very much” wants him back. He’s also been held up as another possible LeBron backup plan for the Cavs.
6. Chandler Parsons (Restricted)
Age: 25
2013-14 team: Houston Rockets
Position: SF
2013-14 salary: $926,500
Why he’s worth a shot: Player Efficiency Rating puts him about league average overall, but he’s a big wing with athleticism, passing and shooting ability who can easily fill in at small-ball four. He’s also reportedly an incredible teammate, and was instrumental in bringing Dwight Howard to Houston, making him the kind of guy who can fit in any locker room.
Latest dirt: With the Rockets focused on adding Chris Bosh, the Mavs, Bulls and Cavs (again, if they can’t sign LeBron) are apparently interested in signing him to an offer sheet and forcing Houston’s hand one way or the other.
5. Dwyane Wade
Age: 32 (spiritual age: 57)
2013-14 team: Miami Heat
Position: SG
2013-14 salary: $18,673,000
Why he’s worth a shot: He’s a three-time champion who can be the best player on the floor on any given night—when his knees are willing. But that caveat is huge. He’s playing both less and less effectively overall with each passing season. If you re-jigged this list based on who you’d want in four years (when his next contract will be winding up), Wade might slide out of the top 10 altogether.
Latest dirt: While rumours abound about where his famous teammates are going, nobody’s said anything about Wade jumping ship. As Pat Riley said in total discord with the rules of the English language, he’s a Miami Heat for life. The only question will be how much he gets paid. Wade opted out of $20 million next season, and rumours have him getting something in the $12- to $14-million range over a longer term, but if LeBron and/or Bosh bolt would he still leave that much on the table?
4. Eric Bledsoe (Restricted)
Age: 24
2013-14 team: Phoenix Suns
Position: PG/SG
2013-14 salary: $2,626,473
Why he’s worth a shot: Before last season the question was “Is he a point guard?” Now it’s more like, “Who cares?” A bit in the Russell Westbrook mode, he’s so athletic and skilled that position doesn’t really matter. He’s undersized for a two, but that didn’t matter whatsoever as he played with Goran Dragic last year. He was a maniac on “D” and a killer on “O”, shooting 47 percent from the field while racking up points and assists. Anyone who actually earns the nickname “Mini-LeBron” deserves a shot.
Latest dirt: The Suns are apparently ready to match any offer Bledsoe gets on the open market, and from the looks of things it may be a max contract from Milwaukee. The Lakers may also have interest.
3. Chris Bosh
Age: 30
2013-14 team: Miami Heat
Position: PF/C
2013-14 salary: $19,067,500
Why he’s worth a shot: His role has been dictated by the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates, and he’s gamely signed up for it. He might not be the 24-and-10 first-option type he was before he left Toronto for South Beach, but he’s far more versatile than he’s been asked to be on the Heat. He can rebound and put the ball on the floor, pass well out of doubles (that he hasn’t seen much of lately), and he’s one of the best mid-range shooters in the league, at any position.
Latest dirt: He’s considering a max offer from Houston (four years, $88 million), who had initially carved out said offer for Carmelo but were rebuffed, but just about everyone is reporting he’d vastly prefer to return to Miami. It’s still unclear what kind of pay cut he’d have to take to do so, though.
2. Carmelo Anthony
Age: 30
2013-14 team: New York Knicks
Position: SF/PF
2013-14 salary: $22,407,474
Why he’s worth a shot: Next to Kevin Durant he might be the best pure scorer in the league. On the right team (ie. the Bulls) and with the right support system, he could feasibly be the missing piece toward serious contention. Or he could be an electric 30-point-a-night scorer on a really bad team that doesn’t bother playing defence. As good as he is, unlike the guy above him he’s not going to drag a team to the playoffs by himself. Buyer beware.
Latest dirt: Chicago makes the most sense, and apparently the Bulls have interest, but they’d need to amnesty Carlos Boozer—throwing his $16.8-million salary into the wind—to create the space. That said, most signs point to Melo returning to New York for a five-year, $129-million deal that’d make him one of the two or three highest-paid players in the league.
1. LeBron James
Age: 29
2013-14 team: Miami Heat
Position: SF/PF
2013-14 salary: $19,067,500
Why he’s worth a shot: He’s the best player in basketball.
Latest dirt: He’s going to Cleveland or staying in Miami (pretty much). The Cavs have cleared the space for him to sign the max contract he’s after, but Pat Riley and the Heat have his ear in a meeting Wednesday. Many GMs think he’ll opt for a shorter deal with the Heat, which would keep him on the contending team for now but extricate him before Wade’s effective on-court retirement really kicks into gear, but a majority of fans want him to return to northern Ohio.