Ranking the best available free agents <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Restricted free agents</span> 1. Josh Smith, Hawks: Smith has been the hottest restricted free agent, drawing interest from the Sixers, Clippers and Warriors. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is his questionable attitude. Right now only two teams, the Clippers and Grizzlies, are far enough under the cap to give Smith an offer sheet big enough to potentially scare the Hawks. Given Atlanta's messy ownership situation, would the Hawks match a huge offer from L.A. or Memphis? That's the big question right now. 2. 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. Now that Elton Brand's on board, expect the Sixers to do everything possible to lock him up. 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 and one of the few guys in the league who's a lock to average a double-double. It sounds as if the Bobcats are open to a sign-and-trade if the right deal were to come along. 4. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, including 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 whether the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. 5. 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 but got an offer that reportedly was 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. 6. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He's young and he can score. Now that the Warriors have lost Baron Davis, re-signing Ellis is a priority. Though Ellis likely has few suitors, the Warriors will make him happy or risk that he'd take the midlevel exception. 7. 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. Still, he might 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. 8. 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 who have streaky jump shots. Gordon most likely will be the top restricted free agent not to have his offer matched, but he'll struggle to get a huge offer from anyone. Gordon may be better off taking the Bulls' one-year tender offer. 9. Nenad Krstic, Nets: Before his knee injury last season, Krstic looked to be locked up by the Nets. Now the uncertainty about his health could hurt his value. 10. Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers: Gibson has a great outside shot, can play both positions in the backcourt and has valuable experience on a contender. The problem is that it appears that the Cavs will match any offer. If he wants a big payday, he may be better off taking the team's qualifying offer and trying again next summer. Other notables: Louis Williams, Sixers; Craig Smith, Timberwolves; Sasha Vujacic, Lakers; Ryan Gomes, Timberwolves; Robert Swift, Oklahoma City; 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, Oklahoma City; Randolph Morris, Knicks.
<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Unrestricted free agents</span> 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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 clearly is reassessing the situation. Davis looks like a midlevel-or-below type of player. I doubt he'll return to the Heat. 4. Kwame Brown: 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 expects much. 5. Shaun Livingston: He has amazing talent, but will he ever recover from that horrific knee injury he suffered in 2007? With the Clippers using all of their money on Baron Davis, someone might try to roll the dice. 6. Keyon Dooling, Magic: In a market starved for point guards, Dooling may be the best guy left on the board. He can be an excellent defender, has good size for his position and is coming off a solid season. He won't break the bank, and he's not a bad backup either. 7. Brent Barry, Spurs: He still can shoot the basketball. Even though he's 36 years old, a number of teams would love to sign him. 8. Carlos Arroyo, Magic: Arroyo isn't a sexy name, but the market has a shortage of point guards, and Arroyo was more than adequate as a backup in Orlando last season. 9. Bostjan Nachbar, Nets: Nachbar is coming off the best season of his career with the Nets. He's not a starter, but he can provide some shooting and offense off the bench. 10. Eduardo Najera, Nuggets: Najera is a tough energy guy who'll rebound and bring some grit to your team. But at age 31, how much does he have left in the tank? Other notables: Matt Barnes, Warriors; Alonzo Mourning, Heat; Patrick O'Bryant, Warriors; Jason Williams, Heat; Juwan Howard, Mavs; Jarvis Hayes, Pistons; Robert Horry, Spurs; 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, Oklahoma City; 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.
Haha, funny list. Mo Evans + Matt Barnes >>> 4-10, minus Keyon Dooling Oh, and Magloire was just with the Mavs, not the Nets. I hope the Nets get Quinton Ross. Seems like he'd be available on the cheap, and is a hardworking player.
