The best available free agents Email By Chad Ford ESPN.com http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...?columnist=ford_chad&page=TopFreeAgents2010-2 Can someone please print the rest of this article....
Whats the difference they are all going to Heat and sign for less........ Just kidding....I wish I had the article.
Editor's note: This file will be updated continually throughout free agency. The 2010 NBA free-agent frenzy began at 12:01 a.m. ET on July 1. It reached its crescendo Thursday night when LeBron James announced that he'd join the Miami Heat. As of Monday evening, virtually all of the top free agents have agreed to terms with teams. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, David Lee and Carlos Boozer are changing uniforms, while Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay are returning home. With most of the top players off the board, here's a look at the best 15 players left out there. Here's the latest on what we're hearing: Key: R = Restricted free agent O'Neal O'Neal 1. Shaquille O'Neal, Cavs Potential destinations: Mavs, Spurs, Cavs, Hawks In Cleveland, Shaq had to play second fiddle to LeBron to try to prove he could still win a title. Ultimately, the experiment failed. Shaq is clearly slowing down and, at times, it seemed that he hindered more than helped the Cavs. He turned 38 years old in March and has played more games than any other active player in the league. Still, there's probably a GM or two willing to offer him millions on a two- or three-year contract. The Hawks seem to have shown the most interest so far. Shaq has also coveted playing for the Mavs for a long time. Scola Scola 2. Luis Scola, Rockets (R) Potential destinations: Nets, Rockets, Heat, Knicks, Raptors Scola proved once again this season to be a legit threat in the paint for the Rockets. He's already 30, so he doesn't have more than one big contract in him. Given that the Rockets have traded away Carl Landry and used up all their cap space, I expect they'll re-sign Scola. However, the Argentine big man could see some interest from some of the big-cap-room teams. The Nets have been pursuing Scola since losing out on many of the top free agents. Jefferson Jefferson 3. Richard Jefferson, Spurs Potential destinations: Spurs, Cavs, Knicks, Nets Jefferson shocked the world when he opted out of his contract, leaving $16 million on the table to pursue free agency. The thinking was that the Spurs would quickly re-sign him to a smaller, but longer-term deal. However, it's become clear that Jefferson is exploring all sorts of deals and would love to return to the New York area. Harrington Harrington 4. Al Harrington, Knicks Potential destinations: Mavs, Cavs With the market slowly beginning to dry up, Harrington was starting to run out of options. That is until the Mavs swooped in and offered Harrington their full mid-level. With the addition of Tyson Chandler and now, possibly, Harrington, the Mavs are stocking up and spending huge dollars to do it. Ridnour Ridnour 5. Luke Ridnour, Bucks Signed with Wolves (four years, $16 million) One thing we've learned from GM David Kahn is that he loves point guards. Last year, Kahn landed two point guards in the draft and signed another, Ramon Sessions, via free agency. With the addition of Ridnour, you can expect the Wolves to move either Sessions or Flynn to make space. Ilgauskas Ilgauskas 6. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavs Signed with Heat (two years, $2.8 million) Ilgauskas has grown close to LeBron over the years, obviously closer than he has with the Cavs over the past 14 years. Big Z would love to win a title and knows this may be his best chance. The Heat won't ask him to do too much, but they really needed to add some size. Lowry Lowry 7. Kyle Lowry, Rockets (R) Potential destinations: Rockets, Pacers, Blazers The Rockets are likely to sit back and wait for Lowry to get an offer sheet before engaging him. It's usually a smart move that saves money in the long run. The two teams to watch are the Pacers and Blazers. Both teams need a point guard and like his toughness. Brewer Brewer 8. Ronnie Brewer, Grizzies Potential destinations: Jazz, Cavs The Jazz have lost Kyle Korver and are mulling whether to match a huge offer sheet from Portland for Wesley Matthews. If they pass, the most likely scenario has them bringing Brewer back to the team. Brewer and point guard Deron Williams are very close and Williams was frustrated when the team traded Brewer away at the trade deadline. Howard Howard 9. Josh Howard, Wizards Potential destinations: Bulls, Celtics, Wizards, Cavs Howard would be much higher on the list if he wasn't recovering from a knee injury at the moment. It's unlikely Howard will be ready to play by the start of the season. The Bulls have interest, but much of it's predicated on whether the Magic match the offer for J.J. Redick. The Celtics like him too, but they used their mid-level exception already and need to do a sign-and-trade to get him. The Cavs could get him via sign-and-trade too. It's not out of the question that the Wizards get him as well. McGrady McGrady 10. Tracy McGrady, Knicks Potential destinations: Heat, Bulls McGrady knows he's not going to get a huge deal at his age. But he's been eyeing South Beach and seems to be leaning toward taking a minimum deal for a chance to play with the Miami Thrice. The Bulls have some interest in McGrady too. Miller Miller 11. Brad Miller, Bulls Potential destinations: Bulls, Heat, Celtics Miller is looking to land on a team that he can help win a championship. If the Bulls make the right offer, he'll return. If not, he can take the veteran's minimum and land in Miami or Boston. Robinson Robinson 12. Nate Robinson, Celtics Potential destinations: Celtics For a guy who exploded for some big games in the playoffs, the market has been a bit cool to Robinson. Celtics president Danny Ainge says he wants to re-sign Robinson and with the team losing Tony Allen to Memphis, I think it probably happens. Brown Brown 13. Shannon Brown, Lakers Potential destinations: Lakers, Bulls, Jazz Brown wants to stay with the Lakers and the team wants him back. But Brown wants more money. The Bulls (if the Magic match Redick) and Jazz have also shown a lot of interest. Watson Watson 14. Earl Watson, Pacers Potential destinations: Raptors, Heat Watson was solid for the Pacers last year and is generating interest around the league. With the Raptors sending away Jose Calderon to Charlotte, there's a good chance he lands in Toronto. Brown Brown 15. Kwame Brown, Pistons Potential destinations: Celtics, Heat Brown continues to disappoint and at this point, he's probably looking at close to a minimum salary somewhere. The Celtics showed interest, but Brown is looking for more money. Wouldn't be shocked if he lands on the Heat when all is said and done. Free agents who have agreed to deals: LeBron James, Heat (six years, $110 million); Dwyane Wade, Heat (six years, $107 million); Chris Bosh, Heat (six years, $110 million); Amare Stoudemire, Knicks (five years, $100 million); Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs (four years, $80 million); Rudy Gay, Grizzlies (five years, $81 million); Carlos Boozer, Bulls (five years, $75 million); Joe Johnson, Hawks (six years, $120 million); David Lee, Warriors (six years, $80 million); Paul Pierce, Celtics (four years, $61 million); Ray Allen (two years, $20 million); John Salmons (five years, $39 million); Jermaine O'Neal, Celtics (two years, $12 million); Brendan Haywood, Mavs (six years, $55 million); Tyrus Thomas, Bobcats (five years, $40 million); Linas Kleiza (R), Raptors offer sheet (four years, $18 million); Josh Childress, Suns (five years, $35 million); Mike Miller, Heat (five years, $30 million); Udonis Haslem, Heat (five years, $20 million); Raymond Felton, Knicks (three years, $25 million); Travis Outlaw, Nets (five years, $35 million); Chris Duhon, Magic (four years, $15 million); Hakim Warrick, Suns (four years, $18 million); Channing Frye, Suns (five years, $32 million); Drew Gooden, Bucks (five years, $32 million); Amir Johnson, Raptors (five years, $32 million); Darko Milicic, Wolves (four years, $20 million); J.J. Redick, Magic (three year, $20 million offer sheet from Bulls); Steve Blake, Lakers (four years, $16 million); Randy Foye, Clippers (two years, $8 million); Ryan Gomes, Clippers (three years, $12 million); Kyle Korver, Bulls (three years, $15 million); Brian Cook, Clippers (two years, $2.5 million); Dominic McGuire, Kings (one year, $800k); Jordan Farmar, Nets (three years, $12 million); Anthony Morrow, Nets (three years, $12 million); Johan Petro, Nets (three years, $10 million); Luther Head, Hornets (two years, $2.3 million); Dorell Wright, Warriors (three years, $11 million); Wesley Matthews, Blazers (five year, $34 million offer sheet; Tony Allen, Grizzlies (three years, $10 million); Ben Wallace, Pistons (two years, $4 million); Derek Fisher, Lakers (three years, $10 million); Quentin Richardson, Magic (three years, $8 million); Ian Mahinmi, Mavs (two years, $4 million) Other notables still on the market Allen Iverson, Sixers; Juwan Howard, Blazers; Marquis Daniels, Celtics; Jerry Stackhouse, Bucks; Roger Mason, Spurs; Craig Smith, Clippers; Eddie House, Knicks; Larry Hughes, Bobcats; Antoine Wright, Raptors; Raja Bell, Warriors; Bobby Simmons, Nets; Rasual Butler, Clippers; Matt Barnes, Magic; Will Bynum (R), Pistons; Joe Alexander, Bulls; Oleksiy Pecherov, Timberwolves; Javaris Crittenton, Wizards; J.R. Giddens, Knicks; Sergio Rodriguez, Knicks; Hilton Armstrong, Rockets ; Adam Morrison, Lakers; Josh Boone, Nets; Sasha Pavlovic, Timberwolves; Joe Smith, Heat; Michael Finley, Celtics; Brian Scalabrine, Celtics; Shelden Williams, Celtics; Theo Ratliff, Bobcats; Acie Law, Bulls; Ronald Murray, Bulls; C.J. Watson (R), Warriors; Jamaal Tinsley, Grizzlies; Primoz Brezec, Bucks; Royal Ivey, Bucks; Brian Cardinal, Wolves; Trenton Hassell, Nets; Ike Diogu, Hornets; Etan Thomas, Thunder; Jason Williams, Magic; Rodney Carney, Sixers; Louis Amundson, Suns; Jarron Collins, Suns; Travis Diener, Blazers; Sean May, Kings; Ime Udoka, Kings; Rasho Nesterovic, Raptors; Kyrylo Fesnko (R), Jazz Also see: Complete list of 2010 and 2011 free agents
I hate it when the media says Scola is 30 years old and on the decline. His game is more about skill than athleticism. He is so crafty and I'm suprised their was such little market for him. I think he is a tad below Boozer and better than Lee. Also Houston gets no love in the Brad Miller sweepstakes? I think we are the front runners to land him seeing as how he wants to go back to play for Rick.
All he said was that this is his best chance for a big contract. Never said he was on the decline. And as for better than Lee? No.
Man, are the Rockets never considered likely for anyone? Not even Brad Miller, who the Rockets are apparently high on? I swear it seems we're in our own little corner despite having a legit team, a legit money spending owner, and a legit superstar in Yao.
I've been harping on this for a long time...we mistreat our players and most FA's will not come here willingly. We need to get our players through the draft or trades so they don't have a choice.
