Landing Spots for NBA’s Best Free Agents Still Available
Landing Spots for NBA’s Best Free Agents Still Available0 of 5
Rich Storry/Getty Images
Tyus Jones has agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns and Gordon Hayward has announced his retirement from the NBA, leading to a shakeup among the best available free agents.
This is a list now led by Isaac Okoro, the 23-year-old former No. 5 overall pick who has yet to sign an offer sheet with another team as a restricted free agent. Lonnie Walker IV would bring some scoring pop to a team’s backcourt, Doug McDermott may be the best three-point shooter available, Marcus Morris Sr. is a proven stretch-four and Jae Crowder is a two-way forward with a lot of playoff experience.
It’s time to find homes for the best free agents left on the market.
Jae Crowder: Sacramento Kings1 of 5
Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
The Sacramento Kings should have no problem scoring the basketball in 2024-25, now with DeMar DeRozan added to a core of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter.
The team could experience some defensive issues, however, and could use a low-maintenance veteran who can make an impact without touching the ball, especially with DeRozan likely taking up a lot of offensive possessions.
Crowder is a big (6’6′, 235 pounds), physical forward who’s probably best suited to play the backup four at this stage of his career. He made 37.1 percent of his three-pointers for the Milwaukee Bucks the past two years and should get plenty of open looks playing off of so many stars. The 34-year-old remains an elite corner three-point shooter as well (41.7 percent over the last three seasons).
This (mostly) young Kings team could use more playoff experience baked into the roster, and Crowder brings 115 games of it playing for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Bucks. He’s made the playoffs each of the past 11 seasons.
With Harrison Barnes shipped out in the DeRozan deal, the Kings should sign Crowder to fill their final roster spot.
Doug McDermott: Los Angeles Lakers2 of 5
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
LeBron James plus shooters has long equaled success, yet the Los Angeles Lakers ranked just 24th in made threes per game last season (11.8).
Rookie Dalton Knecht should help this cause, although the Lakers have made no other moves to bring in outside help and lost Taurean Prince in free agency to the Milwaukee Bucks.
McDermott, 32, doesn’t do much else at this stage of his career, yet he remains an elite floor-spacer who would fit in well next to James and Anthony Davis. He nailed 47.8 percent of his pull-up threes and 40.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts last season between the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers scored 7.1 more points per 100 possessions with McDermott on the floor (94th percentile, via Cleaning the Glass), and his defensive concerns would help be negated by playing alongside Davis.
Signing McDermott (or anyone else) would need to happen following a trade of some sort, as the Lakers are at a full 15 players following the signings of Knecht and Bronny James. The team also sits just $45,001 below the second apron, so a deal would need to clear up $2.1 million in additional space and a roster spot.
Los Angeles should be aggressive in trying to improve the roster via trade this summer, with an eye on opening up a roster spot and some money to sign a player like McDermott.
Lonnie Walker IV: Denver Nuggets3 of 5
Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
The Denver Nuggets are down a shooting guard this summer, as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took his talents East to join the Orlando Magic.
Denver’s been relatively quiet since, adding Dario Å arić and Russell Westbrook to a new-look bench that won’t feature Christian Braun anymore since he’ll be taking over for Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup.
Switching out Caldwell-Pope for Westbrook isn’t going to help the Nuggets three-point problem (quite the opposite, actually), as Denver ranked just 25th overall in made threes per game (11.7).
Lonnie Walker IV should be on a team by now. The 25-year-old had a good year for the Brooklyn Nets (9.7 points on 38.4 percent from three in just 17.4 minutes) and has showcased microwave-like scoring ability over his six professional seasons.
Walker connected on 39.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes with the Nets, a nearly identical mark to what Caldwell-Pope made with the Nuggets (39.7 percent).
Walker could take Braun’s old spot off the bench, giving Denver 20 good minutes a night while improving its three-point shooting next to Westbrook.
The Nuggets would need to create a roster spot, and should be looking to dump Zeke Nnaji and his $8.9 million contract on a rebuilding team with cap space or a trade exception.
Marcus Morris Sr.: Philadelphia 76ers4 of 5
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
The Philadelphia 76ers have done a terrific job filling out the roster with role players after inking Paul George to a four-year, $211.5 million max deal.
One position that’s still lacking, however, is power forward, where 6’5″ Caleb Martin is projected to start.
The 6’8″ Morris would be an ideal fit in his hometown, one where he spent 37 games last season before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a deal that sent Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers to Philly. Morris later signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he averaged 5.8 points and shot 41.4 percent from three in 15.0 minutes a game.
According to Morris, he’d be interested in coming back to the 76ers.
“For sure,” Morris said via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I built a really good relationship with those guys. … Obviously being here with [Joel] Embiid and going [against] Philly for a long time, and then just being on his side, it just felt different.
“It felt like it was something that just helped my career. You know sometimes you’ve been doing it for so long that you find different things that get you up for playing. Being home is one of those things for me.”
With 13 players on the roster, the 76ers have an open spot available for Morris, assuming he’d be willing to play on a veteran minimum deal.
Isaac Okoro: Cleveland Cavaliers5 of 5
Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Now that the Utah Jazz have used the majority of their remaining cap space to give Lauri Markkanen a raise and extension, a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers seems like the only realistic destination for Isaac Okoro.
No other team can offer Okoro more than the $12.8 million mid-level exception and not go over the first tax apron. A sign-and-trade is possible, although the Cavs should still want to keep Okoro, the team’s best perimeter defender.
The 23-year-old is a hard worker, strong defender and improved three-point shooter, although teams still don’t respect his outside shot. A whopping 93.5 percent of his three-pointers were attempted when the closest defender was six feet or more away, or defined as “wide open” by NBA.com tracking data.
Okoro isn’t a starter on a championship-caliber team and doesn’t need to be on this current Cavs roster. Playing as a seventh man in the rotation and serving as defensive specialist looks to be his calling card, one that Cleveland should be wary of overpaying, however.
The Cavs are currently just $9.6 million away from paying the luxury tax, something they want to avoid before massive raises for Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell kick in next year.
A four-year, $35 million contract like the one Caleb Martin just signed with the Philadelphia 76ers might be a good compromise for both sides.
