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FA breakdown by position
POINT GUARDS
Outlook: Pretty strong crop, even after Jason Kidd and Gary Payton. Many
teams are in need of a point guard, so this is one position where there
will be some movement.
1. Jason Kidd. The Mavericks are in the fray, but the Nets remain the
favorites, followed by the Spurs.
2. Gary Payton. Is Milwaukee serious about keeping Payton? After trading
Sam Cassell, they had better be. But Payton wants to head West, ideally to
the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs or Warriors. He must be willing to accept a
modest paycheck, though, or convince the Bucks to work a sign-and-trade.
3. Gilbert Arenas. There still is a chance that Arenas stays in Golden
State.
He wants to, but hebs taking a big financial risk if he does. The Nuggets
seemed set on Arenas but are exploring other options. The Jazz would
consider Arenas, and the Heat are a possibility, though the drafting of
Dwyane Wade probably rules that out.
4. Andre Miller. Hebs the least likely of the Clippersb restricted free
agents to stay put. He struggled in 2002-03, but Utah and Denver still
have their eyes on him.
5. Jason Terry. The Hawks could try to keep Terry, but they still do not
have an owner. So, Terry will peddle his wares, but can he get much more
than the mid-level exception, which will bump up to near $5 million if the
cap increases back to $42 million? The Jazz might look at him as a
fallback option, but his tweener status b a shooting guard in a point
guardbs body b will have teams cautious.
6. Speedy Claxton. Claxton played well in the playoffs, but he is coming off
knee and shoulder injuries, which are a cause for concern. Still, places
where Claxton could be a starter, such as New Jersey (should Kidd leave),
Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Cleveland and Golden State, are possibilities.
7. Kenny Anderson. Last year was pretty much a wash for Anderson,
because he did not play much in Seattle, and only played a little more
after being traded to New Orleans. But hebs still a veteran who can get in
the lane, make open jumpers and run a team. Hebll be a nice fallback option
for one of the many teams in need of a point man.
8. Rod Strickland. Strickland has gone from a troubled star point guard
to an underrated journeyman point guard, slightly fixing his reputation
in Miami two years ago and helping it more in Minnesota last season. He
can be had for a minimum deal, but would like to go to a playoff contender.
9. Darrell Armstrong. The Magic probably will bring Armstrong back on
a minimum deal to act as a mentor for Reece Gaines.
10. Earl Boykins. Yeah, hebs short. But if you have an up-tempo attack
and need a veteran backup point guard who can hit runners and 3-pointers,
even in crunch time, Boykins is your man. He did it for Golden State last
season. Ideally, the Warriors would bring back Boykins and Arenas.
Others: Milt Palacio, Shammond Williams, Smush Parker, Kevin Ollie,
Travis Best, Randy Brown, Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Robert Pack,
Jacque Vaughn, Chris Whitney, Mark Jackson, Mateen Cleaves,
Damon Jones.
B B B B
SHOOTING GUARDS
Outlook: Most of the top names on this list are likely to stay put, and the
bottom of the list is nothing to get excited about.
1. Corey Maggette. Maggette has the same quandary several of his
teammates have b because he is a restricted free agent, if he gets an
offer, he runs the risk the Clippers will match. Thus, Maggette could
wind up with the Clippers for one more year by accepting the teambs
one-year qualifying offer, then becoming an unrestricted free agent.
2. Richard Hamilton. Hamilton will be the top priority for Detroit this
summer. A deal should get done quickly.
3. Stephen Jackson. The Spurs will try to lock up Jackson with a
long-term deal at a reasonable price.
4. Lucious Harris. Kidd made it clear that if he stayed, he wanted Harris
to stay, too. Hebs a luxury off the bench, a shooter capable of deadly hot
streaks, and the Nets will look to keep him around.
5. Reggie Miller. Hebs one of those weird free agents who really only has
value to his current team, like Robert Horry with the Lakers. His playoff
meltdown did not bode well for his free-agency bid, and teams are not
clamoring for him. No doubt he will remain a Pacer, itbs a matter of price.
6. Eric Piatkowski. Ibm still waiting for teams to react to zone defenses
by landing better shooters. I hear it talked about, but I donbt see it
happening. Some very smart team is going to give Piatkowski a modest
contract, and let him fire away from the perimeter.
7. Voshon Lenard. He probably will look for a starting role after averaging
14.3 points for Toronto last year, but Lenard is best suited to shooting 3s
off the bench. The Raptors will keep him around if they can deal Lamond
Murray.
8. Raja Bell. A good postseason (again) should boost Bellbs stock. He is
a defensive stopper who showed he can score a little, too. Dallas would
be wise to keep him on board and probably will.
9. Antonio Daniels. Cleveland would make a good fit for Daniels, a
personable guy from Columbus, Ohio. He can play some point guard but has
proved he is not a starter at that position. Orlando, Miami and Chicago
would be good destinations, too.
10. Jon Barry. Detroit is likely to let Barry walk, which means hebd be
headed for the seventh team of his career. He is a veteran shooter, though,
and a solid, intense, all-around player. He will try to land with a
contender,
such as the Spurs, Lakers or Mavericks.
Others: Calbert Cheaney, Ira Newble, Felipe Lopez, Brian Shaw, Steve
Smith, Steve Kerr, Kendall Gill.
B B B B
SMALL FORWARDS
Outlook: Much like the shooting guard list, there are some names at the
top, but those names probably are not going anywhere. The list dries up
after No. 4.
1. Lamar Odom. Hebs in the same boat as Maggette b if he gets an undersized
offer, the Clippers will match it. Though he has had injury and, ahem,
b recreationalb problems, hebs still a huge talent. The Knicks, Heat, Magic
and Bulls could be among those interested.
2. Jim Jackson. The Kings likely will bring back Jackson, who showed he
can still be a scorer on a team other than the Heat. He also decided to try
harder defensively. Keeping Jackson probably means the Kings will continue
shopping Hedo Turkoglu.
3. James Posey. Posey is a stifling defender and a very good athlete whobs
still in the process of learning how to shoot. He improved dramatically
after being traded from Denver to Houston last year, in part because he did
not force up so many shots. The Bulls would be interested here, too, but the
Rockets traded Kenny Thomas to get Posey and will probably keep Posey.
4. Scottie Pippen. Retirement still is an option, but if Pippen wants to
play,
he probably could get offers from Portland or the Lakers.
5. WALTER McCARTY. McCarty can, and did, play all three frontcourt positions
last season for the Celtics, a team starved for depth. Boston must keep him,
which would involve giving him a significant raise from the minimum deal
he accepted last year and will cut into the Celticsb ability to land other
players.
6. Jumaine Jones. Hebs a long, athletic wing player who does a few things
well, but nothing great. He shoots 3s, but does not rebound well. The Cavs
are unlikely to keep him.
7. Adrian Griffin. Griffin can defend, but he is limited offensively. He
probably wonbt be back in Dallas, and will be one of those free agents
signed late in the summer as teams try to fill out their rosters on the
cheap.
8. Walt Williams. Don Nelson liked using Williams because he is a smart
veteran who can shoot. Of course, he does not do much else. But the
Mavericks probably will make an offer.
9. Dion Glover. Glover has never quite lived up to his potential, which he
shows in flashes. The Hawks, one would presume, will be looking to cut
payroll, which means Glover probably wonbt get an offer from them
(though Atlanta can match other offers).
10. Donnell Harvey. Harvey is a classic btweener, standing 6-8 and built
like a small forward, but with a power forwardbs game. He has shown
some improvement with playing time in Denver, but hebs still a marginal
player.
B B B B
Others: DerMarr Johnson, Bryon Russell, Terence Morris, Mike Batiste,
Lee Nailon.
B B B B
POWER FORWARDS
Outlook: Very strong position, all the way down to No. 9 on the list. This
position, more than any other, will decide how the summer goes for most
of the league.
1. Tim Duncan. Um, pretty sure hebs going to stay.
2. Jermaine ObNeal. Another All-Star big man who is probably going to
keep the same uniform. But donbt rule out San Antonio, should Kidd stay
in New Jersey.
3. Elton Brand. Brand also is facing the possibility of having his deal
matched. But Brand is amenable to staying in L.A., and he probably can get
near a max-contract offer, from the likes of San Antonio, Denver or Utah.
Hebd be willing, then, to sign a lucrative six-year contract and let the
Clippers match it if they want.
4. Karl Malone. Hello, Dallas? Hebs their priority. A return to Utah
probably is option No. 2.
5. P.J. Brown. New Orleans still is the frontrunner, because Brown is a
family/community guy, and he has a home 30 minutes from the arena.
Rumors of Cleveland have popped up, as well as Dallas, the Lakers and
San Antonio. At 34, Brown still is a popular player.
6. Juwan Howard. How much money will Howard want? Rumor is he wants
another hefty, long-term contract. He played well in Denver last year, and
rescued his value by being a locker-room leader, but he is not going to get
more than the mid-level exception. The Lakers have interest, as do the
Nuggets.
7. Keon Clark. If he does not go back to Sacramento, Clark will look for
something bigger than the mid-level exception. Good luck finding it. He
could have done more for his stock if hebd lifted the Kings in the absence
of Chris Webber during the postseason, but that did not happen.
8. Kenny Thomas. He showed toughness and versatility last season, and
the Sixers clearly like his play at power forward. He will go back to Philly.
9. Derrick Coleman. Coleman played very well after Larry Brown put him
at center for the Sixers last year, which boosts his value, particularly if
he plays in the East. He is a natural power forward, but as a center, he can
hit perimeter shots and create matchup problems for bigger players.
10. Jerome Moiso. Moiso played well at the end of the season, rescuing
himself from the doom of bust-hood. Hebs a Paul Silas project, so he could
look to be reunited with his mentor in Cleveland.
B B B B
Others: Robert Horry, Chris Anderson, Scott Padgett, Samaki Walker,
Charles Oakley, Malik Allen, Gary Trent, Shawn Kemp, Derrick Coleman,
Popeye Jones, Reggie EvansB., Tyrone Hill, Scott Williams.
B B B B
CENTERS
B B B B
Outlook: Seeing as there are not many real centers in the league anymore,
it makes sense that there are not many centers on the free agency list.
There are some available, but they are risky.
1. Brad Miller. The Pacers are going to make every effort to keep Miller,
and ObNeal, and may have to offer a near-max contract to keep Miller.
2. Michael Olowokandi. Hebs available, but after a promising start to last
season, he tailed off, and the prospects of him getting a deal starting in
the eight-figure range are all but extinguished. The Clippers will let him
walk, and the Nuggets, Spurs and Heat all could make their pitches.
3. Rasho Nesterovic. Nesterovic is 27 and has improved steadily each of
the last three yearsb-he shot 52.5 percent from the field last year. He is
not much of a rebounder, though, nor does he shoot foul shots well. But he
is a solid, straightforward center, a rarity in the NBA.
4. Alonzo Mourning. There are a lot of questions around Mourning. For one,
what will Miami do with him? He would like to stay with Miami, and the
Heat would not mind keeping him, but they also need to keep cap space to
make quality additions aimed at the future. Mourning will get offers from
contenders, too, like Dallas. It would make more sense for the Heat to
simply rebuild and allow Mourning to move on. It would make sense, too,
for Mourning to be a bench player on a championship-level team, to help
him conserve his stamina as he returns (again) from a kidney disease.
5. Elden Campbell. Campbell was out of shape and did not play very well,
or very much, last season. But if he can cut down the chub on his frame
and get back to playing shape, he can still be a valuable big man.
B B B B
Others: Sean Rooks, Dan Gadzuric, Jake Voskuhl, Kevin Willis, Vladimir
Stepania.
-Sporting News