Seven best players still available as free agents

Orlando Magic v Cleveland Cavaliers – Game Five

Welcome to the doldrums of the NBA offseason — half the league is on vacation, there are few transactions and the ones that happen are more about filling out the end of the roster (Utah signing Patty Mills, for example) or locking down two-way players and camp invites.

Still, there are a few free agents out there worth noting. They are not game changers, but guys who could fill a rotation spot and help a team. Here are the seven best free agents still on the market today.

1. Markelle Fultz

This one surprises me a little because out of the spotlight in Orlando, Fultz has developed into a solid point guard when healthy. A couple of things have slowed teams. First are health concerns — he played 43 games last season and 129 over the previous four. Second, he needs the ball in his hands to be most effective, yet he’s not a great shooter (22.2% from 3 last season).

Still, he could give a team solid bench minutes as a backup one, but no team has yet made a move. He will have to accept a minimum contract at this point, possibly from Orlando.

The Cavaliers wing expected a raise from the $8.9 million he made last season (the final year of his rookie deal) but got crushed by the restricted free agent market. Okoro averaged 9.4 points a game last season and shot an improved 39.1% from 3, but teams were not jumping in to offer more than Cleveland would have matched. The Cavaliers have let the market play out, no team was willing to come in over the top with a huge offer (so no teams made any offer), and here we are. Okoro likely re-signs with the Cavaliers before training camp.

Walker averaged 9.7 points a night in 58 games for the Nets last season, shooting 38.4%. Those are solid numbers and Walker could fit into a lot of teams’ rotations, although whether he fits in a changing Brooklyn is up for debate. The challenge is that the front offices see Walker as a scorer and little else. Still, some team should sign him on a minimum deal, he can get a team buckets and is capable of lighting it up a handful of games a season.

The veteran guard spent last season in Denver, where he…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/seven-best-players-still-available-013555287.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-15 01:35:55

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