LeBron James' move to the Los Angeles Lakers shook up the landscape of the league and Paul George's decision to stay put elated everybody in Oklahoma City, but the vast majority of free agents have experienced the last couple of days very differently. This is a team-friendly market, and, especially for players looking for a fresh start, there are few great options out there that don't involve sacrificing money.
In no order, here is a look at the top free agents who are still available:
The Rockets might be lucky enough to avoid paying Capela the max simply because the market is so barren, but it's hard to imagine him getting much less than that. His development in Houston has been exceptional, and at 24 his combination of rim protection, switchability, screening and vertical spacing make him one of the league's better centers already.
The guard met with the Thunder on Sunday and will meet with the Lakers on Monday, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes. It's also worth noting that his former agent is Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers. Evans outperformed his $3.3 million salary last season and transformed his game by launching off-the-dribble 3s, and usually that would mean he'd be looking for a massive raise. If he joins one of those teams, though, he'd likely have to settle for a modest one. Might he settle for the $5.3 million mini-midlevel exception?
It's strange that Mbah a Moute is still available and there has been such little chatter about him. He's the most versatile defender on the market, and when he was healthy last season he played an important role for the Houston Rockets. I think Golden State would be smart to go after him, and I'd imagine re-signing him became an even bigger priority for the Rockets as soon as Trevor Ariza left for Phoenix.
Another reported candidate for the Warriors' mini-midlevel exception, Bradley would fit any team that is looking for perimeter defense, shooting and secondary playmaking. His value isn't quite what it was a couple of years ago, though, partially because he wasn't as productive when he left Boston and partially because his brand of intense, physical one-on-one defense against guards isn't appreciated as much as it used to be -- teams are looking for bigger, longer wings who can check taller players. Almost nobody hounds point guards like Bradley, though.
The sharpshooter has said he wants to stay in Miami, but the Heat don't have a ton of wiggle room financially if they want to avoid the luxury tax. Ellington seems like a popular guy: The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reported that nine other teams are interested in him, and the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds reported that 23 (!!!) teams have reached out to his representatives. Everybody wants shooting, but how many of these teams have the wherewithal to pay for it?
Lopez is the kind of player who seemed destined to take a serious discount in this market -- as a 30-year-old 7-footer who has trouble switching onto smaller players, there aren't a ton of teams that make sense for him. The Lakers, however, are one of them. If giving Lance Stephenson the room exception costs them the chance to bring Lopez back, I just don't understand it. He still seems like a nice fit as their starting center, but I guess JaVale McGee might occupy that spot now.
The Celtics' chances of keeping Smart without overpaying look pretty good now, with the Indiana Pacers adding Doug McDermott and the Dallas Mavericks spending their money on Jordan. Would the Magic go after him? How about the Bulls? At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if Smart accepted his qualifying offer and tried free agency again a year from now. Restricted free agency can be brutal.
How much do you pay a 23-year-old shooting guard who doesn't play much defense and has questionable shot selection? LaVine is surely better than he showed last season coming off a torn ACL, but his all-around game hasn't quite matured and any long-term commitment would come with real risk. I believe he will become an efficient scorer again, but he believes he should be paid like a star now. The Bulls are in a tough position because he was a big part of the Jimmy Butler trade, and they have to be careful here. According to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson, they are willing to pay him $14M-16M per season. Is any team going to give him an offer sheet worth more than that?
Committing serious money to Exum is another gamble, but it's such a fascinating one after watching him defend James Harden so well in the playoffs. I have no idea how to value him because he has a long way to go offensively and he's been so injury prone, but I can't imagine the Jazz front office wants to give up on him just yet. I wonder what they'd do if a team like the Magic gave him an offer sheet worth the full midlevel exception.
Another restricted-free agent conundrum. Maybe you think he's the next Victor Oladipo, destined to break out and make good on all his potential a little later than experts expected. Maybe you think he's not a winning player because he doesn't rebound or defend like you want from your power forward and he stops the ball on offense. Parker is not a clean fit in Mike Budenholzer's system and the Bucks just added veteran stretch 4 Ersan Ilyasova, but is the front office OK with being made to look stupid if he shines elsewhere? Maybe a sign-and-trade is a possibility here.
Bjelica is a stretch 4 who can defend, the kind of "16-game player" that Draymond Green was talking about recently. He had his issues with injuries and inconsistency in Minnesota, but the team will find him hard to replace -- it withdrew its qualifying offer to him on Monday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. There hasn't been a lot of buzz about Bjelica, but The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski reported just before free agency began that the Jazz were interested.
In contrast to Bjelica, Nurkic might not be a 16-game player in the modern NBA. He didn't really have a place in the Blazers' series against the Pelicans, and while he has moments where he looks like a star, teams are generally looking for centers that can dominate defensively and/or stretch the floor. Maybe he'll take the qualifying offer, start shooting 3s next season and become an unrestricted free agent next year.
Every hipster's favorite under-the-radar restricted free agent, Harrell had a fantastic year for the Clippers last season. I'd love to see him return and compete with Marcin Gortat for the starting spot, and I wonder if any of the teams with the full $8.6 million midlevel exception are considering offering it to him.
The rebuilding Cavaliers should probably keep him, and his mostly poor play for them after the trade deadline might be a blessing in disguise from a financial perspective. No restricted free agent hurt his value as much as Hood did last season, but he remains a skilled playmaker and a 37-percent career 3-point shooter.
Is there any team out there willing to sign Thomas and give him the keys to the offense the way Brad Stevens did? At his best, Thomas can carry an elite offense, with an awesome arsenal of hesitation moves and creative finishes over bigger players. He couldn't do his normal thing when recovering from a hip injury last year, though, and his offense no longer made up for his defensive deficiencies. Looking around the league, there really aren't many teams with starting point guard jobs available as currently constructed -- would the Magic or the Suns be interested?
If you can get past how slowly Anderson moves and how weird his game is, you can see an effective player: He's a good midrange shooter who passes extremely well, rebounds pretty well and plays smart positional defense. He's not a floor spacer and you wouldn't want him switched onto a quick perimeter player or a bulky center, but he will find ways to help your team. He seems entirely too Spurs-y for them to not retain him.
Everybody expects Wade to finish his career in Miami because that's what he said would happen. I can't help but wonder, though, if he'd consider giving it another try with LeBron in Los Angeles.
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