The HoopsHype Weekly: We rank the Top 10 available free agents ahead of the 2019-20 season restart
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TOP FREE-AGENT OPTIONS: Teams will have the chance to adjust their rosters over the coming weeks, be it to replace players sitting out the Orlando bubble or those who get injured or sick ahead of July 30’s planned season resumption.
Here are the Top 10 free agents available to be signed by teams, per our projections:
1. Isaiah Thomas: The diminutive Thomas saw action in 40 games this season, averaging 12.2 points and 3.7 assists for Washington while shooting a career-best 41.3 percent from three. There’s a chance he could help contenders lacking bench scoring.
2. Kenneth Faried: Faried spent this season in China, putting up 17.3 points and 10.0 rebounds over seven games before the halt in play. The 30-year-old big man was productive in his most recent NBA stint for the Nets and Rockets in 2018-19, including a 21-point, 14-rebound, 2-block performance for Houston against the eventual champion Raptors.
3. JR Smith: A potential frontrunner to land a job with the Lakers, Smith might be revitalized playing for a contender alongside LeBron James again. Smith shot 38 percent from three over his three full seasons in Cleveland with LeBron.
4. Iman Shumpert: He was only there for 13 games, but Shumpert acquired himself nicely with the Nets this season, playing reliable wing defense for Brooklyn. What’s more, he has nearly 80 games of playoff experience, which could make him appealing to contenders.
5. Allen Crabbe: A career 38.7 percent three-point shooter, Crabbe knows his role and plays it relatively well, rarely trying to do too much when he does receive the ball.
6. Jamal Crawford: The last game of his NBA career to this point came in 2018-19 when he dropped 51 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Phoenix loss to Dallas. He’s now 40, though, and likely not in top form considering he hasn’t been on a team in over a year.
7. Justin Anderson: After a solid season in the G League, teams are reportedly interested in Anderson for his strong wing defense.
8. Michael Beasley: The former No. 2 overall pick has looked great in full-court workouts recently, which could lead to him getting another shot in the NBA.
9. Miles Plumlee: Plumlee is a no-nonsense veteran big man who could provide teams with stout defense and solid screen-setting. He last played in the NBA in 2018-19, seeing action in 18 games for Atlanta.
10. Jonah Bolden: The most future-oriented prospect on this list, Bolden has potential thanks to his shooting and rim-protecting abilities. A savvy team could take a chance on him with the future in mind.
SIGNINGS ALREADY HAPPENING: Teams are already making some signings, including the Knicks picking up Theo Pinson off waivers, Detroit scooping up former first-round pick Justin Patton and Ryan Broekhoff heading to the 76ers.
NEW SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED: The NBA announced the upcoming season resumption schedule. Here are some of the top matchups we’ll get to enjoy in July and August.
MAJOR AGENT CHANGE: Trae Young is leaving sports agency Octagon and joining Klutch Sports, who also represent LeBron James. That surely won’t spark any rumors or anything.
LEGENDARY CAREER OVER: Vince Carter officially declared his career over, heading into retirement after 21 seasons. Carter made eight All-Star appearances in his career, along with a 2nd Team All-NBA and a 3rd Team All-NBA.
KNICKS COACHING SEARCH: Former Cavs head coach Mike Brown will receive an interview for the Knicks head coaching job.
GOAT TALK: The GOAT debate continues to rage on, with Draymond Green recently giving his two cents. Green, who is repped by the same agency as LeBron, called James the GOAT for his on- and off-court contributions.
FRESH RANKINGS: We decided to take a look at the NBA’s GOAT debate and rank active players based on where we think they’ll place in Greatest-of-All-Time rankings by the time their careers are over, according to our projections. The first-place finisher is pretty obvious.
BASKETBALL ISN’T FAIR: Sometimes, no matter how good one player is, opponents are too much to overcome for superstars. We took a look at various NBA legends’ most impressive stats in Finals defeats.
AGENT SPEAKS OUT: Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans made the tough decision to sit out the season restart. His agent, Arturs Kalnitis, joined us to talk about what went into that decision.
WHY HE LEFT: Paul George made waves this week when he said part of what went into his decision to leave Indiana was that the Pacers had the chance to pick up the best power forward in the NBA in the summer of 2017, but passed because they couldn’t afford it. We examine who he might have been talking about.
MORE DESERVING OF CREDIT: We break down the career of Dirk Nowitzki and explain why we feel he’s already being underrated by basketball fans/media despite not even being retired that long.
FUN WITH TECHNOLOGY: Curious about what most NBA teams’ top players look like as women? Well, you’re in luck.