Lebron James
The 2017 NBA offseason was the most fascinating of any major professional U.S. sports league has had in years. So many superstars found themselves playing for new teams.
The Celtics and Cavs—the two best teams in the Eastern Conference—flipped their star guards, Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving. The Timberwolves traded for a disgruntled Jimmy Butler, and the Russell Westbrook-led Thunder acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Meanwhile, the Rockets snagged Chris Paul.
Plenty happened on the free agency market, too. Gordon Hayward aligned with his old college coach and the Celtics, infuriating the Utah faithful. Paul Millsap joined the Nuggets. J.J. Redick signed a one-year deal with the 76ers. Thanks to Kevin Durant taking a pay cut, the Warriors kept the band together, doling out $201 million to Stephen Curry and bringing back veterans Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
Every year, key players land on the open market, and where they elect to sign shifts the fortunes of the entire league. Consider 2016, when Durant spurned Oklahoma City and signed with rival Golden State. Or the year before, when LeBron James signed a two-year deal with the Cavs. Imagine what the NBA would look like right now if either player had gone somewhere else.
Both of those guys, arguably the two best players in the league, could be on the market again this summer. They aren’t the only stars who may become available—Chris Paul, Paul George, and DeMarcus Cousins are also in the mix.
Don’t discount role players, either. A number of guys who have stepped up in this year’s playoffs, like Redick, Clint Capela, and Nikola Mirotic, will have an opportunity to explore new options, and their efforts this season may lead to big-time offers.
It’s hard to imagine the 2018 offseason could match the excitement of 2017, but when you look at the list of free agents, such an outcome seems possible. Below is our ranking of the 20 best free agents who could be available this summer.
20. Marcus Smart
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Boston Celtics
2017-18 salary: $4.5 million
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.5 RPG
Getting Smart back from a thumb injury was huge for the Celtics in their first-round win against Milwaukee. Smart may be one of the league’s biggest irrational confidence guys on the offensive end, but he’s a menace on defense. He’s due for a pay raise, but he almost definitely won’t get the $50-60 million deal he’s rumored to want.
19. J.J. Redick
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Philadelphia 76ers
2017-18 salary: $23 million
Stats: 17.1 PPG, 3.0 APG, 42% 3FG
Count me among the many who thought that the Sixers overpaid Redick with his current one-year deal—we were all wrong. The veteran sharpshooter has played an integral role in Philly’s surprising run. He’ll turn 34 in June and could receive another lucrative, short-term deal.
18. Derrick Favors
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Utah Jazz
2017-18 salary: $12 million
Stats: 12.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.1 BPG
Favors hasn’t quite lived up to his top pick billing (he went No. 3 in 2010), but the 26-year-old has bounced back this season after a rough 2016-17. The Jazz, who are building around Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, haven’t needed Favors to do too much, and he’s turned into a nice role player.
17. Jusuf Nurkic
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Portland Trailblazers
2017-18 salary: $2.9 million
Stats: 14.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG
Nurk is still only 23 years old. He’s an enigma: tremendously gifted on the offensive end but a liability defensively. Portland acquired him on one of the league’s biggest bargain deals, and he’ll command significantly more money on the market—we’ll see if the ‘Blazers are willing to pony up the big bucks.
16. Will Barton
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Denver Nuggets
2017-18 salary: $3.5 million
Stats: 15.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.1 APG
The 6’5” two guard had a solid contract year and burst into the Sixth Man of the Year conversation. Barton is an explosive athlete and prolific scorer. The Nuggets will want to hold onto the 27-year-old, but he could be tempted by the prospect of consistently starting for another team.
15. Trevor Ariza
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Houston Rockets
2017-18 salary: $7.4 million
Stats: 11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 36.8% 3FG
The 32-year-old has been one of the league’s best perimeter defenders for years—he’s Houston’s “glue guy.” Ariza has greatly improved his jumper as he has bounced around the league. With Paul turning 33 and Ryan Anderson turning 30, Houston has an aging roster. Still, it would be a surprise if Daryl Morey allowed Ariza to leave.
14. Zach LaVine
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Chicago Bulls
2017-18 salary: $3.2 million
Stats: 16.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.0 APG
The 6’5” guard is one of the most explosive players in the league. He played well coming off a torn ACL in his first season with Chicago. The 23-year-old will get a raise, likely around $10 million a year.
13. Isaiah Thomas
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Los Angeles Lakers
2017-18 salary: $6.3 million
Stats: 15.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.1 RPG
You know the story: last year, Thomas said the Celtics would have to “bring the Brinks truck” to re-sign him. Life comes at you fast. Because he played through a hip injury in the 2017 playoffs and hurried back this year, Thomas cost himself tens of millions. He wasn’t the same player this year—not by a longshot. The 5’9” point guard recently turned 29, but some team will likely still take a gamble on I.T.
12. Tyreke Evans
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Memphis Grizzlies
2017-18 salary: $3.3 million
Stats: 19.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.1 RPG
It’s still baffling that Memphis didn’t move Evans at the trade deadline. Now, he’ll sign elsewhere for a boatload of cash and Grind City will get nothing in return. The 6’6” guard had a renaissance year, upping his PPG average from 11.6 to 19.4. He’s become a consistent outside threat.
11. Nikola Mirotic
Free agency type: Team Option
Current team: New Orleans Pelicans
2017-18 salary: $12.5 million
Stats: 15.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 37.7% 3FG
Mirotic has found a home in New Orleans, where he played a key role in the Pelicans’ first-round sweep of Portland. He’s one of the best floor-spacing bigs in the league, and his defense has improved. The 6’10” 27-year-old is only in his fourth NBA season.
10. Jabari Parker
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Milwaukee Bucks
2017-18 salary: $6.8 million
Stats: 12.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 38.3% 3FG
The former No. 2 pick (2014) had a promising start to his career, but his struggles to stay healthy have thwarted his development. He has suffered two torn ACLs in the same knee (left). In Milwaukee’s first-round loss to Boston, however, it looked like Parker had some of his old juice back. Teams will approach the former Blue Devil with caution, debating whether his potential outweighs concerns about his health.
9. Aaron Gordon
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Orlando Magic
2017-18 salary: $5.5 million
Stats: 17.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.3 APG
Gordon’s free agency will be fascinating to watch. With his versatility, he could make a big difference for a contender. He’s improved on the offensive end but still needs to get better—that said, the 22-year-old is an NBA infant. Gordon has the legendary agent Bill Duffy in his corner.
8. Julius Randle
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Los Angeles Lakers
2017-18 salary: $4.1 million
Stats: 16.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.6 APG
Say it with me: “contract year.” Randle blossomed into a candidate for Most Improved Player. What a difference six months makes—the Lakers were desperate to move him before the deadline but couldn’t find a taker. Now they’ll be happy to bring the powerful, skilled forward back, but it’ll be costly. Don’t be surprised if he lands elsewhere.
7. Clint Capela
Free agency type: Restricted
Current team: Houston Rockets
2017-18 salary: $2.3 million
Stats: 13.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.9 BPG
Capela is another candidate for the Most Improved award. With Paul throwing him lobs, Capela emerged as one of the league’s best rim-runners. He plays hard; he knows himself and doesn’t try to do too much. He shot 65.2% from the field. Morey will likely make bringing back the 23-year-old his top priority.
6. DeAndre Jordan
Free agency type: Player Option
Current team: Los Angeles Clippers
2017-18 salary: $22.6 million
Stats: 12.0 PPG, 15.2 RPG, 0.9 BPG
It’s no secret the Clippers came this close to sending Jordan to the Cavs before the trade deadline. It’s not clear where the Clippers franchise is headed, so it’s difficult to project whether D.J. will be back. He may opt in. Despite his obvious limitations, Jordan remains one of the league’s best rim defenders and rebounders.
5. DeMarcus Cousins
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: New Orleans Pelicans
2017-18 salary: $18.0 million
Stats: 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 5.4 APG
If you were New Orleans, would you give Boogie the max? The Pelicans were starting to figure it out with him and Anthony Davis early in the season, but after Boogie tore his Achilles they really hit their stride. He’ll have to take a lesser deal, I think, for him to remain in New Orleans. The Pelicans may lowball him, as our team recently discussed on Out of Bounds. Don’t be surprised if another team offers the max.
4. Chris Paul
Free agency type: Unrestricted
Current team: Houston Rockets
2017-18 salary: $24.3 million
Stats: 18.6 PPG, 7.9 APG, 5.4 RPG
It would be shocking if Morey let Paul walk. He meshed with James Harden seamlessly, as the team expected. Paul returned to his vintage, dominant “point god” self. His feel for the game is second to none. Though he’s getting up there in age, he should have a few good years left in the tank—provided he stays healthy.
3. Paul George
Free agency type: Player Option
Current team: Oklahoma City Thunder
2017-18 salary: $19.3 million
Stats: 21.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.3 APG
We can now definitively say the OKC experiment was a failure in Year One; the Thunder just couldn’t perform consistently. They will pull out all the stops to bring George back, but many consider it a foregone conclusion that he’s headed to the Lakers. The 6’9” forward can’t carry a championship-level team, but he could be one of the best second options in the league.
2. Kevin Durant
Free agency type: Player Option
Current team: Golden State Warriors
2017-18 salary: $25 million
Stats: 26.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.4 APG
Durant took a pay cut last offseason so Golden State could bring back its core. He will reportedly restructure his deal this summer to get paid what he’s worth because he doesn’t want Golden State “taking advantage of me.” Fair point. Though he’ll technically be a free agent, he’s not going anywhere. The 29-year-old will be remembered as an all-time great, and he seems thrilled to have found a home in the Bay.
1. LeBron James
Free agency type: Player Option
Current team: Cleveland Cavaliers
2017-18 salary: $33.3 million
Stats: 27.5 PPG, 9.1 APG, 8.6 RPG
You could make a case for the younger Durant to be slotted at No. 1, but let’s be honest—LeBron is the best player on the planet, and though he’s older, he hasn’t given us any reason to suspect he’s slowing down. This dude is special. His free agency will likely captivate the sports world this summer. Will he stick with Cleveland? Go to Philly, Houston, or L.A.? I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
Honorable Mention: Fred VanVleet, Rodney Hood, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Anderson, Carmelo Anthony, Enes Kanter, Avery Bradley, Efrid Payton, Dwyane Wade, Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova