Free Agent Frenzy

For now we’ll pretend that players have not been recruiting other players since the All Star weekend in February and we’ll say that the NBA Free Agency period officially begins on July 1st. As a basketball fan this is one of the most exciting parts of the season and certainly the most exciting part of the offseason. In past years we have seen players such as Lebron James ditch Cleveland and take his talents to South Beach along with Chris Bosh in order to form a superteam with Dwayne Wade. That decision alone changed the entire landscape of the league and is still having it effects, for better or worse, seven years later. Just 12 months ago Kevin Durant announced he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors creating arguably one of the greatest teams in NBA History with one decision.

Free agency isn’t just an exciting time because of big name players making league altering decisions, it also allows seasoned veterans to go chasing after the one prize that has so long alluded them, an NBA Championship. Some notable free agents that have changed teams in order to win championships have been Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Tracy Mcgrady and Steve Nash. Now even though this year lacks the big names we have grown accustomed to seeing in past years, with the exception of Kevin Durant and Steph Curry who are both likely to resign with the Warriors, this year’s free agency period provides interesting players whose decisions will still have major implications on the NBA. Below are the most intriguing names in free agency this summer and what team would be their best fit.

Gordon Hayward

Current Team: Utah Jazz

Best Fit: Boston Celtics

Gordon Hayward is perhaps the best player poised for making a change of uniforms this summer. Gordon Hayward has meant more to Utah Jazz fans than any other player since the days of Stockton and Malone and yes that includes Deron Williams. While putting Hayward up among the ranks of Stockton and Malone is blasphemous there’s still no denying that Jazz fans are absolutely crazy about Hayward and for good reason. Hayward has been the go to player on a Jazz team that has been in rebuild mode since 2010. The departure of Deron Williams left the door open for Hayward to step in and become the face of the Utah Jazz and he took it. And Jazz fans have loved him ever since. Hayward has come a long way since his college days. Eight years ago Hayward looked more like the kid who sat front and center in math class than an NBA player who was tasked with being the face of a rebuilding franchise who had just lost their only All Star. Hayward was named to his first All Star team this year and many felt he should have been named All NBA. With all the progress Hayward has made over the past several seasons it comes as no surprise that he will be on every team’s radar this offseason. However the Boston Celtics have a few things that not many other teams have.

The first is something no one else in the league has; his college coach, Brad Stevens. Stevens was Hayward’s coach at Butler and it’s no secret they had and still do have a very good relationship. Now Jazz fans are quick to point out that as of this year Hayward has played longer under current Jazz coach Quinn Snyder but many forget that Hayward had a good relationship with Brad Stevens long before he enrolled in classes at Butler. In fact, Hayward’s relationship with Stevens was so good that he committed to Butler instead of Purdue, the school his family had season tickets to for basketball and where Hayward grew up going to games. So if Gordon has a good enough relationship with Stevens to go to a school other than his ‘family school’ then who is to say he won’t sign with Boston for that same reason. The second is also something no one other than Boston has and that is a huge amount of draft assests. Boston at one time had the number one overall pick in this years draft before trading it to Sixers in return for the number three pick which they used for Jayson Tautm and a future pick. Over the next 5 seasons Boston has 22 draft picks. These assets can either be used for actually drafting players or use them as trade bait to land a superstar. Either way, Boston’s future is the brightest in the league and that may be too much for Hayward to overlook. The third thing that may factor into Hayward’s decision to join Boston is that they have a star player who values the team’s success more than his own. Isaiah Thomas has already said he wants the Celtics to focus on adding pieces to help them contend rather than worry about his expiring contract. This kind of attitude can allow the Celtics to add a player like Hayward without having to sacrifice other key players due to money. The final thing that Boston has going for them is the fact that they are one of maybe 4 teams that can contend for a championship. There’s no doubt that the Cavs and Warriors rule the NBA however the Celtics finished ahead of the Cavs in the East this year. Now while the Cavs beat the Celtics in 5 games in the playoffs, Boston still showed they can go out and compete and perhaps adding Hayward along with a core of Thomas and Horford will change them into a real threat to Lebron and the Cavs in the East. And let’s face it, Jazz fans may want to look away, as nice as it may sound a team like Utah will not be contending for a championship with the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets standing in their way, with or without Gordon Hayward.

Kyle Lowery

Current Team: Toronto Raptors

Best Fit: Minnesota

Kyle Lowery made headlines earlier last week when reports came out that Lowery was not going to resign with the Raptors and instead look elsewhere this off season. Lowery quickly but those rumors to bed when he tweeted that you shouldn’t believe everything you read. Whether or not the rumor that Lowery has his sights set on leaving Toronto this summer or not there is no denying that the chances of him bolting to a new team this off season are high. Lowery expressed his desire to compete for a championship right now following the Raptors elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers so it should come as no surprise if Lowery dons a new uniform next season. It’s no secret that Lebron rules the East and the Cavs made it clear that the Raptors are nowhere close to contending for championships despite the additions of Serge Ibaka and PJ Tucker to their roster this past season. So the stage is set for Lowery to make a change of scenery. If Lowery is looking to contend the list of teams is shorter than Isaiah Thomas. The list of teams that could be considered “contenders” goes as follows: Golden State, Cleveland, San Antonio and possibly Boston. The Celtics already have a star point guard and have their sights set on different free agents. Cleveland has a pretty good Point Guard already in Kyrie Irving and the team is maxed out when it comes to the salary cap while the Warriors have a pretty good thing going already. San Antonio would be an intriguing option for Lowery but news coming out of the NBA is that the Spurs have their sights set on Derrick Rose. So with each ‘contender’ already having a point guard in place or plans to obtain one in free agency then it would be smart for Lowery to assess his options outside of the obvious contenders. One destination that would be a tremendous fit for Lowery is Minnesota. The Timber-wolves at first mention do not sound like a contender. However with the addition of Jimmy Butler, a top 15 player in the league, the Timber-wolves are well on their way to competing in the West. While the entire league still has to go through the Warriors, Minnesota is in a good position going forward. Jimmy Butler will lead a team comprised of a young core with two of the best young players in the league in Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony Towns. The only road block is the fact that the Wolves already have a point guard in Ricky Rubio although reports are that the Wolves are shopping Rubio in order to make room for a point guard who can add scoring, which is exactly what Lowery does well. So while the Timber-wolves won’t be winning a championship soon, Lowery can still pair with Butler and lead this young Minnesota team into the future and most likely into the playoffs. Plus the cold Minnesota weather won’t affect Lowery seeing as he’s coming from Toronto.

Blake Griffin

Current Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Best Fit: Boston Celtics

Mostly known for high lying dunks and acrobatic alley oops Blake Griffin used to be one of the most exiting players in the NBA. The LA Clippers star once even jumped over a car to win the NBA Dunk Contest. Today, however, Griffin spends more time sitting on the bench due to an injury than he does jumping over cars. While Griffin doesn’t have the explosiveness he once had, he is still more than capable of contributing to a team looking to contend for a championship. The Los Angeles Clippers appear to a team in disarray as Griffin is a free agent and Chris Paul was traded to Houston earlier this week. It's apparent the window of competing for a championship has been slammed shut on the Clippers. It would be no surprise to see Blake Griffin look elsewhere for employment this summer and the team that immediately comes to mind is the Boston Celtics. If there is one hole in the Boston Celtics roster it’s the power forward position. At one point in the playoffs the Boston Celtics were starting Gerald Green, a third string Small Forward throughout the season, at the Power Forward position. Blake Griffin fills an immediate need for the Celtics as well as provides further offense for a team that struggled to create scoring opportunities outside of Isaiah Thomas. Not only is Blake Griffin a good fit for the Celtics but the Celtics are a great fit for Blake Griffin. In Boston, Griffin would not have to be to star player with all the spotlight that comes in Los Angeles. And as we have seen recently, Griffin struggles under the immense spotlight on and off the court in LA. And Blake Griffin appears to be fond of Boston and what Danny Ainge has done for the team. Recently an “anonymous” Western Conference player raved about what Danny Ainge had going on in Boston and speculations were that the “anonymous” played referred to was in fact Blake Griffin. And for what it’s worth Griffin recently named Boston as on his ‘Mount Rushmore of NBA Cities’. So if Blake Griffin wants to be in a winning environment and help his team compete for a championship in the here and now he should look no further than the Boston Celtics.

Vince Carter

Current Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Best Fit: Golden State Warriors

There’s no debating that Vince Carter will go down in the history books as one of the most exciting players in the history of basketball. The player known as ‘Half Man Half Amazing’ is best known for his victory in the Dunk Contest in 2000 in which he completed quite possibly the greatest dunks of all time. But that was 17 years ago. Although Carter is 40 years old he still shows signs that he can contribute to a team as that he’s still got a little spring in his step. The past couple of years Carter has been playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and although the Grizzlies are a playoff team nearly every year there’s no NBA championship in the near future for Memphis. So as Vince Carter enters his early 40’s it’s time to start looking for teams that have a good chance to win a championship and there’s no team with better odds to win it all than Golden State. Following the Warriors’ NBA championship win this season Vince Carter appeared on ESPN’s NBA: The Jump where he discussed the possibility of joing the Golden State Warriors. On joing the Warriors Carter said "I'm open for it. I want to win when I play,". Carter went on to say that although he wants to win a championship first and formost he wants to contribute to his team. When it comes to veterans contributing to a championship team no one does it better than Golden State. Vince needs to look no further than David West, Shaun Livingston and Javalle McGee to see how Golden State involves veteran players. Each of the players named contributed key minutes off the bench throughout the playoffs and players like West and Livingston played key minutes throughout the Finals. So if Vince Carter truly wants to contribute to a team and win a championship his list of teams should be short. The Golden State Warriors and no one else.

Paul Millsap

Current Team: Atlanta Hawks

Best Fit: Utah Jazz

It seems like it was a long time ago that the Atlanta Hawks were in first place in the Eastern Conference and 4 of their 5 starters were All Stars. Now, only Paul Millsap remains of those 4 All Stars and the Hawks front office seems to be entering full rebuild mode after trading Dwight Howard for the equivalent of a Diet Coke and Peanut M&M’s. At this point in his career Millsap should not be looking to a member of a rebuilding team especially considering that Millsap spent the first few years of his career with a rebuilding Utah Jazz team. But now roles have been reversed, the Hawks are in rebuild mode and the Jazz have become a Western Conference contender. A homecoming for Millsap back to Utah could be a great fit for both parties. For Millsap he would be coming back to a familiar situation and would be an instant starter and key player on a playoff team in the West. For the Jazz, Millsap would return as an instant fan favorite as well as filling one of the weakest positions on the Jazz roster. Favors’ career has been riddled with injuries and as he comes up on free agency in 2018 the Jazz should be hesitant to pay a player who only played 112 games over the past two seasons, including playoffs. The Jazz could easily deal Favors in order to free up enough cap space to sign Millsap. Pairing an All Star in Paul Millsap with another All Star in Gordon Hayward along with defensive player of the year candidate Rudy Gobert should be enough to elevate the Jazz into a possible third place finish in a tough Western Conference. The market for Millsap this summer will be competitive and the Jazz have failed to make a big free agency splash for as long as I can remember but if there was ever a chance for the Jazz to land a big name free agent it’s now.

George Hill

Current Team: Utah Jazz

Best Fit: Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have a lot of big decisions to make this off season. If the Jazz can find a way to sign Paul Millsap as well as resign Gordon Hayward then that would mean George Hill would most certainly be on his way out of Salt Lake. But if the Jazz are only able to sign one of those two players then they should most certainly set their sights on resigning George Hill. Hill has been the first starting caliber point guard the Jazz have had since Deron Williams so it would be foolish to not resign him if they have the money to do so. George Hill would be just as foolish to not resign with the Jazz if they decide to offer him a new contract. Hill had a career year with Utah as he averaged a career high 16.9 points per game to go along with 4.1 assists despite struggling with injuries. Utah provides Hill with the best chance to play while also winning games. Hill has also been giving the opportunity to be around young talent and help to mentor them as they adjust to life in the NBA. While there are multiple teams in the NBA with young talent none of them are entering their prime like the Utah Jazz. It would be a mistake on George Hill’s part to leave a team that is finally entering it’s prime and competing in the rigid Western Conference all the while being the starting point guard. However, this all is dependent on what Gordon Hayward chooses to do in free agency. If Hayward leaves Utah that sets the Jazz back a few years and could lead to the departure of players like Hill.