Associated Press
LeBron James is available. Marc Gasol, too.
That's two All-NBA first team members from last season still on the market, in case anybody thinks all the best players are gone after the first few days of dealing in the NBA free agency period.
Of course, nobody really believes either is leaving his current club, so teams will have to look at lesser names as they continue filling out their rosters.
LaMarcus Aldridge came off the board Saturday when he committed to the San Antonio Spurs. DeAndre Jordan had already decided on the Dallas Mavericks, placing two of this year’s biggest prizes deep in the heart of Texas.
The dizzying days after the market opened last Wednesday were so busy that it feels there can’t be many good options left, even though contracts can’t even be signed until Thursday.
It’s different than last season, when James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, the marquee names available, took more than 10 days to make their decisions.
Action has moved more quickly this year, starting with Anthony Davis’s extension with the New Orleans Pelicans that was agreed to just minutes after the market opened. But the dealing isn’t done, and how teams fare in the coming days could pay off in June.
For as well as Cleveland did last summer when they signed James and later traded for Kevin Love, the Cavaliers still had holes in their roster that left them too short-handed in the NBA Finals after injuries set in. So they, like every team, are hoping to load up on low-priced depth.
Here are some other things to watch:
– David West is still looking for a team after bypassing the $12.6 million (Dh46.3m) he would have earned next season with the Indiana Pacers, and his low-post scoring and locker-room leadership should be appealing to contenders.
– Former top-five draft picks Tristan Thompson (Cleveland) and Enes Kanter (Oklahoma City Thunder) are still available and both played well over the latter half of last season. But as restricted free agents, their clubs could match any offer, and probably would.
– After arriving during the season, Josh Smith (Houston Rockets) and JR Smith (Cleveland) played big roles on teams that made deep play-off runs. But there’s just enough bad to go with the good stuff they do that it probably shouldn’t be surprising that neither is signed yet.
– Teams looking for help at point guard can consider fan favourites Jeremy Lin and Australian Matthew Dellavedova – though the Cavs can match an offer for him – along with veterans such as Mo Williams and Aaron Brooks.
– Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer can still put up good numbers even late in their careers, making them potential affordable options for teams looking for scoring forwards. Other veterans who might have something left include Drew Gooden, Tayshaun Prince and Andre Miller.
– The Spurs are still awaiting word on whether Manu Ginobili will return for one more season. His Argentina national team teammate, Luis Scola, is also unsigned and could follow West out of Indiana.
– Jimmer Fredette and Tyler Hansbrough, who haven’t found the success in the NBA that made them players of the year in university, are both hoping for another shot somewhere.
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