The top tier NBA free agents are signed, sealed and delivered, but there are still a handful of guys that can help impact teams this year. And with the season starting in nine days, it’s time to pull the trigger to get them into camp as soon as possible. With that, here are the Top 5 NBA Free Agents Available. Remember, spend your money wisely.
1. Arron Afflalo (restricted)
After the Nuggets locked up Nene, their attention turned immediately to re-signing Afflalo. And from what we’ve heard, progress was made toward a deal. According to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, the Nuggets still remained “very optimistic” as of Thursday that they will re-sign Afflalo, but it’s not out of the question that he won’t sign an offer sheet with another club. If that’s the case, it’s more than likely that Denver will match.
2. Andrei Kirilenko
On Monday, Kirilenko’s agent told me that “no decision has been made yet” whether AK-47 will stay in Russia or come back to the NBA this season. Nonetheless, the Nets and Kings are very interested in bringing him back to the States. Kirilenko is reportedly seeking $9 million per year for three seasons, but New Jersey has made it clear they only want to sign players not named Dwight Howard to a one-year deal. If there’s anyone that can steal Kirilenko away from CSKA Moscow, it’s Prokhorov.
3. Rodney Stuckey (restricted)
We wrote about Stuckey’s situation in detail on Wednesday, and since then not much has changed. While he clearly wants to get paid, it appears his best bet at this point is to accept his $3.9 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the reports are true that Stuckey declined a five-year deal in Detroit that would pay him between $40 million and $45 million, then we could see him unsigned by the start of the season.
4. Samuel Dalembert
For teams looking to add size, Dalembert is the best big still available. And while teams like Boston and Miami are in the market, Dalembert wants more than they have to offer. Right now, he has received the most interest from Houston and Sacramento, but it once again comes down to money. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have spoken with Dalembert, “but have moved cautiously, not wanting to spend too much current or future cap space unless adding to a team better positioned to contend.” The same sentiment is being voiced in Sacramento, where the Kings most likely would only offer Dalembert a lucrative one-year deal.
5. Nick Young (restricted)
It’s surprising that we’ve already seen guys like Richard Hamilton and Jamal Crawford sign multi-year deals, but Young’s future remains in limbo. Perhaps that’s because most teams assume the Wizards will match any reasonable offer sheet, and Young hasn’t been able to get more than the one-year qualifying offer of $3.7 million in Washington. At 26 years old, Young is definitely worth the investment for a team in need of a scoring two-guard. All he needs is a chance.
What do you think? Who is the best free agent available? Who would you want your team to sign?
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