Ranking the best available free agents

link



Group I: Unrestricted free agents




1. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards: Arenas has turned himself into a max player over the past few years and, despite recent knee troubles, will likely cash in on his newfound celebrity status. While he continues to maintain publicly that his first choice is to re-sign with Washington, it's possible that, given his eccentricity, he could change his mind.



The biggest issue for Arenas is the same one that plagues all the free agents: Who else has the money to pay him? I can't see the 76ers or Grizzlies spending the cash. The Clippers would have interest, but Arenas already spurned them once.





2. Corey Maggette, Clippers: Maggette has been on the trading block for years and appears eager to bolt the Clippers. He's making $7 million next season and should be due a raise.



Teams will be out in force trying to get him, but most will have only the midlevel exception to offer -- which would mean he'd be taking a pay cut. A sign-and-trade is the most likely option, with the Phoenix Suns looking like the team most interested in him. They could offer a swap of Leandro Barbosa that may interest L.A.





3. Antawn Jamison, Wizards: Jamison is still putting up big scoring and rebounding numbers at the age of 32. He even made a surprise appearance at the All-Star Game this past season. Washington will likely try to lock him up, and should have the best shot to do so.



With teams capped out, which team is going to spend all of its money on a 32-year-old?



4. DeSagana Diop, Nets: He's only 25, but five points and five boards are about all you're going to get from him. Still, he's big and he plays good defense … meaning some team will blow its midlevel exception on him. I think Dallas is the front-runner to give him a ridiculous deal.





5. Beno Udrih, Kings: The Kings were impressed enough with his play that they felt no remorse in letting Mike Bibby go. But will they be able to keep him? As the only decent unrestricted point guard on the market, Udrih is drawing a lot of interest. Expect him to get multiple offers for the full midlevel from a number of teams desperate for a point guard. I'd put the Clippers at the top of the list.



6. Kurt Thomas, Spurs: He's 35 years old, but still tough enough to help just about any title contender. The Spurs got him in a steal of a deal at the trade deadline. Look for them to try to lock him up with a three-year deal this summer.



7. James Posey, Celtics: Posey helped himself with a strong performance against the Lakers in the Finals. He's another player who should get a three- to four-year midlevel deal somewhere.





8. Mickael Pietrus, Warriors: No one is sure why the Warriors didn't play Pietrus more. He's one of the most athletic defenders in the league and he's a solid 3-point shooter. Some team will pick him up and try to use him in a Bruce Bowen-type role.



9. Ricky Davis, Heat: The talented but troubled swingman hasn't helped his cause in his second tour with Miami. Pat Riley thought, after dumping him the first time, that Davis finally had the maturity to play for him. But Riley is clearly reassessing the situation. Davis looks like a midlevel-or-below type of player. I doubt he returns to the Heat.



10. Kwame Brown, Grizzlies: The former No. 1 pick has run out of excuses. Yes, he's huge, athletic and only 25 years old. But after seven years in the league, he's yet to prove that he's anything more than a backup. Someone will pay him something, but no one is expecting much.



Other notables: Shaun Livingston, Clippers; Brent Barry, Spurs; Bostjan Nachbar, Nets; Carlos Arroyo, Magic; Chris Duhon, Bulls; Eduardo Najera, Nuggets; Matt Barnes, Warriors; Alonzo Mourning, Heat; Gerald Green, Rockets; Patrick O'Bryant, Warriors; Jason Williams, Heat; Juwan Howard, Mavs; Jarvis Hayes, Pistons; Robert Horry, Spurs; James Jones, Blazers; Michael Finley, Spurs; Jannero Pargo, Hornets; Damon Stoudamire, Spurs; Sam Cassell, Celtics; Jamaal Magloire, Nets; Kareem Rush, Pacers; Gordan Giricek, Suns; Michael Doleac, Timberwolves; Francisco Elson, Sonics; Keyon Dooling, Magic; Quinton Ross, Clippers; Antoine Wright, Mavericks; Fred Jones, Knicks; Juan Dixon, Pistons; Maurice Evans, Magic; Primoz Brezec, Raptors; Anthony Johnson, Kings; Tyronn Lue, Kings; Theo Ratliff, Pistons; Adonal Foyle, Magic; Sebastian Telfair, Timberwolves; Kirk Snyder, Timberwolves.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Group II: Restricted free agents



Only six first-round draft picks from the 2004 draft were signed to extensions last fall. That means there will be some serious young talent available this summer. These players' restricted status still makes it likely they'll stay with their current teams, but at least they'll be in play:





1. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. He had a great regular season, but a woeful postseason has put his stock back in check. He's coveted by the Grizzlies, but the chances of them prying him away from Philly look very slim.



2. Josh Smith, Hawks: On talent and potential, Smith should be on top of this list. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is a questionable attitude. Nonetheless it appears the Hawks have to re-sign him.

Given the Hawks' ownership woes, Smith is one of the few restricted free agents a team with cap space may try to pluck away -- the same way the Hawks did with Joe Johnson a few years ago. I could see the Sixers making a run at him.





3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market. Still, there's no guarantee he'll get more money from another team. I'm sure the Grizzlies will be interested, but they know the Bobcats will match. I don't see him going anywhere, but a sign-and-trade isn't out of the question here if the negotiations go on too long.



4. Jose Calderon, Raptors: Calderon played at an All-Star level this past season. When T.J. Ford went down with injuries, he became the leader of the Raptors and proved to be the best true point guard on the free-agent market.

The Raptors say they'll match any offer for Calderon and I believe them -- especially now that they've agreed to a trade with the Pacers that will ship T.J. Ford to Indiana. As it stands now, he's their only point guard. Still, don't be shocked if the Sixers make a big offer to him. They need a long-term replacement for Andre Miller and I hear Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is a big fan.





5. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, but so do the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer.

He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see if the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less.



6. Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range and got an offer that was reportedly substantially lower.



Biedrins falls a little bit into the Anderson Varejao category -- energetic big man whose stats don't tell the whole story in terms of on-court contributions. Given that he continues to improve and he's only 21 years old, it's hard to believe the Warriors wouldn't match an offer.





7. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He's young and he can score. But his restricted status is going to hurt him. No team has the money to offer him more than the midlevel, and he probably feels as though he's worth considerably more than that. He's a player who may be better off taking the one-year tender from the Warriors so that he can be an unrestricted free agent in 2009.



8. Josh Childress, Hawks: Childress doesn't get nearly the respect or hype of many of his teammates in Atlanta, but he's been a devastatingly effective sixth man and who might still be expendable given all of Atlanta's wing talent. He probably can't get more than a midlevel deal on this market, but he'd be a bargain at that price.





9. Ben Gordon, Bulls: Of all the players who turned down lucrative contract extensions last summer, Gordon made the most mind-boggling decision. He turned down a five-year, $50 million deal that seemed above market value on a down season.



For him to recoup that money this summer seems almost impossible … and now that the Bulls have added Larry Hughes to the mix, it's no longer clear where Gordon fits into the picture.



There isn't a huge market for undersized 2-guards with streaky jump shots. Gordon is most likely to be the top restricted free agent not to have his offer matched, but he's going to struggle to get a huge offer from anyone. Gordon may be better off taking the Bulls' one-year tender offer.



10. Nenad Krstic, Nets: Before his knee injury last season, Krstic looked like he'd be locked up by the Nets. Now the uncertainty over his health could hurt his value.


Philadelphia is one team to watch for. Sixers GM Ed Stefanski was a fan while he was back in New Jersey. A sign-and-trade is another possibility for the Nets.



Other notables: Louis Williams, Sixers; Craig Smith, Timberwolves; Ronny Turiaf, Lakers; Sasha Vujacic, Lakers; Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers; Ryan Gomes, Timberwolves; Robert Swift, Sonics; Carlos Delfino, Raptors; Carl Landry, Rockets; Kelenna Azubuike, Warriors; Delonte West, Cavs; David Harrison, Pacers; Walter Herrmann, Pistons; J.R. Smith, Nuggets; Tony Allen, Celtics; Dorell Wright, Heat; Salim Stoudamire, Hawks; Mickael Gelabale, Sonics; Randolph Morris, Knicks .