NBA front offices are buzzing tonight with the pending news about the NBA Draft Lottery; however, this is far from the only news about players finding new teams that we are hearing around the league. While free-agent signings (nor conversations with these players) is not allowed to occur with the NBA playoffs still going on, I am going to take a look at where I believe many of the best free-agents will land this off-season.
1) LeBron James: Cavs.
Yes, James could be hitting the free-agent market again! While a healthy season from Kevin Durant may have challenged the wide-spread notion that James is the NBA’s best player, he is still at the very least a top-three player (I would personally argue that Anthony Davis is the “soon-to-be” king of the throne). He currently holds a player option for next year with the Cavs, which I would fully expect him to exercise. This team, even with an injury-ravaged roster, looks to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference title over the Atlanta Hawks–plus the roster could look even better on paper next year with Anderson Varajao coming back. I do not believe James is awaiting player option decision of…
2) Kevin Love. Cavs.
If Love had gone through the entire postseason healthy, and playing the way he had been the entire year (and yes, he had a very good season despite how Cavs fans would make you feel), I would expect him to be gone; however, his tangle-up with the Celtics Kelly Olynyk cost him more than his postseason–it cost him a boatload of money from suitors such as the Lakers, Celtics and Mavs. I don’t believe he loves playing “third fiddle” to James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, but his player option gives him a big contract and allows him to become a free agent at a time where the NBA salary cap almost doubles! Patience, grasshopper. Patience.
3) LaMarcus Aldridge. Spurs.
It is common knowledge around the league that Aldridge has one foot out of the door in Portland already, so the only thing I can see getting in the way of this partnership would be the return of free-agents Manu Ginobli and Tim Duncan to bloated contracts. To me, this situation smells of “home-town discount” so I believe the Spurs will bring in Duncan’s eventual successor, pairing him with Duncan to form a formidable front-line–much like the Spurs did when they drafted Duncan out of Wake Forest to pair him with David Robinson.
4) Marc Gasol. Grizzlies.
We haven’t seen a more complete post-player in the league over the past couple of years, especially when you factor in his Arvydas Sabonis-like wizardry when it comes to passing the basketball. Gasol averaged 17.3 points-per-game this season (third among Centers,) proving that he is a force both offensively and defensively for the Grizzlies. Gasol seems more than happy to pass up the contracts that big market teams like the Knicks or Clippers could throw at him in order to “stay home” in Memphis.
5) Kawhi Leonard. Spurs.
Leonard was a man on a mission late in the season, almost single-handedly leading the Spurs from seventh-place in the Western Conference to a shot at the second seed on the final day of the NBA season. Leonard plays top-notch defense, having improved his offensive game year after year as well. Again, the Spurs are about to experience a “changing of the guard” after next season, with Duncan and Ginobili likely retiring. Signing Leonard, a restricted free-agent, to a large extension now will allow the Spurs to underpay him compared to where the salary will be in a few seasons. Yes, I said the Spurs will underpay Leonard (and Aldridge) with max-deals.
6) Jimmy Butler. Bulls.
I recently wrote about the recent rumors surrounding Butler here. As I previously wrote, the Lakers and Bucks seem to be the two most interesting suitors for Butler (other than Chicago); however, losing Butler would be a disaster for the Bulls. They have the cap space to give Butler a max-deal, even with having to re-pay Derrick Rose in the near future, plus Pau Gasol will only be around for another few years. The Bulls have to pay somebody, don’t they? Butler is as good a choice as any.
7) DeAndre Jordan. Mavs.
Jordan has publicly stated that he is a huge fan of Doc Rivers; however, it is common knowledge that he is not as passionate about playing with Chris Paul. According to several reports, Jordan and Paul butted heads several times towards the end of the regular season, allowing rumors of Jordan’s days in Los Angeles being numbered to spread like wild-fire. Jordan, a Texas native, would be another great home-coming opportunity for the Mavs–who have been known to spend big on free-agents (Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, with Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons as more recent examples) thanks to their eccentric owner, Mark Cuban. No state income tax, a bigger role, and a home-coming story make Jordan to Dallas make sense to me.
8) Greg Monroe. Celtics.
The Boston Celtics had been linked to Kevin Love before his trade to Cleveland, they have been linked to DeMarcus Cousins, and now I have thrown the disgruntled Detroit Pistons big-man into the fray. The Celts have a few nice perimeter players in Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley; however, they have nothing… and I mean nothing… in their front-court. Jared Sullinger is not the guy who is going to balance this team’s roster. Monroe, a legit double-double threat every night, would be a great catch for Boston. He may take less than the max-money Detroit may extend to him to leave, which has me thinking he could land in Boston–or with any of the teams hoping to land Aldridge or Gasol and settling for Plan B.
9) Goran Dragic. Heat.
Dragic fell apart towards the end of the season after his trade to the Miami Heat; however, the team traded two first-rounds picks to obtain his services, so they are not going to give up on him easily. Dragic has been mentioned as a possibility for the Lakers; however, “Dragon” has been noted as enjoying his time in Miami, plus an emerging Hassan Whiteside with a returning Chris Bosh is a tough act to pass up on.
10) Rajon Rondo. Lakers.
The Lakers need play-makers, for better or for worse, which makes Rondo an “attractive” option for them. I say “attractive” because before Rondo poisoned the Dallas Mavericks locker room (leading to the team establishing a fake injury to end his season) there were a number of teams licking their chops to grab Rondo for his post-Boston days. Kobe Bryant and Rondo have had talks about Rondo coming to L.A., and we know that the Lakers are hardly paying anybody other than Bryant, so I could see Rondo invigorated by playing next to Bryant in the NBA’s biggest market.
Do you agree, or disagree, with any of the choices made above? Let us know with a comment below, or find us on Twitter @TheHoopTrends.
The Heat Check Magazine 