We wrap up our look at the top NBA free agents that will be available this summer by taking a look at this summer’s best centres.
While there are some great players who will be on the market at every position, no group boasts the depth and star power than the big boys.
The top two centres in the league, Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, are both testing the waters and the list goes on from there.
The NBA Finals proved that you don’t need a great centre to compete in today’s NBA but it certainly does make it easier to compete if you can find a solid shot-blocker who is capable of dropping a high-percentage of buckets in from inside the paint.
1. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers
Obviously Howard is one of the plums of the free-agent class despite the fact that his numbers were down this season (and don’t even get us started on his character flaws.) The decrease in productivity can be blamed on recovery from a surgically-repaired back and the fact that he was trying to find his comfort zone with the Lakers. The chances appear to be about 50-50 that he returns to the Lakers this summer as the suitors will be lining up outside his door on July 1st and he says he plans to listen to every last one of them. It could be a case of the last person to interview Howard will be the one to get his signature on a contract as he is known to be a tad flakey.
Potential Suitors: L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Golden State, San Antonio.
2. Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia 76ers
Once Howard makes his decision, the dominoes will begin to fall within this year’s crop of free agent big men. Next up will be Bynum who had one dismal season in Philadelphia where he failed to play a single minute for the Sixers because of ongoing knee issues, not a good sign for his long-term production. Still, if he can somehow stay healthy, he is one of the games most talented bigs. Expect the losers of the Howard sweepstakes to quickly turn their attention to Bynum who might be just as flakey as Howard.
Potential Suitors: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston.
3. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz
Big Al would definitely not be a terrible consolation prize once some of the bigger names are off the market. In fact, some might prefer to spend their cash on Jefferson rather than the riskier Howard or Bynum as he averaged 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game last season while also chipping in a couple of assists and a block as well. The issue is that those assists are few and far as he tends to be a bit of a black hole on offence and he may not have the pace for a team looking to run and gun.
Potential Suitors: Utah, Philadelphia, Dallas, Milwaukee, New Orleans.
4. Nikola Pekovic (Restricted), Minnesota Timberwolves
It was a breakout season for Timberwolves centre Nikola Pekovic (16.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG). He was even productive while he was stationed next to Kevin Love as the two formed a strong two-man frontcourt. Even if a team were to make a major offer to the young Russian centre, the Timberwolves will be able to match as the team’s only long-term contract is Kevin Love.
Potential Suitors: Minnesota.
5. Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs
After being relegated to the bench for much of the NBA Final it will be interesting to see how this affects his summer. If San Antonio chooses to let Splitter and Ginobili walk, they will have enough cap space to add a top-tier free agent to their roster going forward. It isn’t as though Splitter had a bad season though as the slick passing centre was a key to the team’s success. It was just a bad matchup for him in the Finals.
Potential Suitors: San Antonio, Houston, Milwaukee, Portland.
6. J.J. Hickson, Portland Trail Blazers
Lost in a stellar season by rookie point guard Damian Lillard were the decent numbers posted by Hickson as he averaged a double-double (12.7 points, 10.4 rebounds) last season. While Hickson was a beast on a glass, he may be better suited for a switch to power forward in the long run as he doesn’t offer much in the way of rim protection and is not built to contain the game’s bigger centres. Portland may bring him back at the right price but will likely be looking for a bigger post to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge. Smart teams will find a way to use him while minimizing his weaknesses.
Potential Suitors: Portland, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte.
7. Chris Kaman, Dallas Mavericks
In his ninth NBA season, Kaman finally appeared to begin to slow a little although he was hampered by injuries. After a year in Dallas he will re-enter the free agent market and someone will likely pick up a decent NBA centre with enough veteran guile to contribute at a very reasonable price. The Mavericks pulled this off last year but I suspect he will not have to settle for a one-year deal this summer.
Potential Suitors: Dallas, Charlotte, Orlando, L.A. Clippers.
8. Samuel Dalembert, Milwaukee Bucks
Dalembert’s minutes dwindled in Milwaukee with the emergence of shot-blocking machine Larry Sanders. He has failed to develop much of a post game and will likely be signed by a club looking to add some depth this summer.
Potential Suitors: Dallas, Boston, Houston.
9. Boris Diaw (Player Option), San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs threw Diaw on LeBron James occasionally in the NBA Final and he proved to be somewhat effective although he rarely covered the Heat star on his own and played with a big cushion. It will be interesting to see if he opts out of the last year of his deal and risks a decent payout to try and score a long-term deal.
Potential Suitors: San Antonio.
10. Byron Mullens (Restricted), Charlotte Bobcats
Mullens is only here because he posted decent numbers in Charlotte last season but those stats fail to tell the whole story. He was a very reluctant passer on offence and is not a very capable defender. Mullens only claimed his minutes because the Bobcats had few other options at centre.
Potential Suitors: We’ll see.
Others: DeJuan Blair, San Antonio Spurs; Ryan Hollins, Los Angeles Clippers; Timofey Mozgov (Restricted), Denver Nuggets; Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta Hawks; Joel Przybilla, Milwaukee Bucks; Ronny Turiaf, Los Angeles Clippers; Brandan Wright, Dallas Mavericks.
