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With the NBA offseason right around the corner, the majority of NBA teams are planning their moves to take a step forward in the 2021-22 NBA season. The league could see a shakeup coming in regards to the small forward position, with a number of talented veterans possibly set to move around.
From championship level talent to young rising players and everything in between, there is plenty of talent available at small forward in the upcoming offseason. The best teams are always looking for contributors on the wing and holes will be able to be filled during the 2021 offseason.
Which Small Forwards could be on the move this offseason?
Some are more likely than others, though each of these players has a valued skill set in the NBA. That is why they will be coveted on the open market.
#1 Kawhi Leonard
Things must start off with the elephant in the room as Los Angeles Clippers small forward Kawhi Leonard has a player option this offseason. His season-ending injury may play a role in his decision this offseason, but the reality of the Clippers situation will require him to at least consider his options.
There aren't a ton of reasonable options for where the multi-time NBA champion could wind up on the surface. But teams will be lining up to make a push for him if they're under the assumption they have an actual chance of convincing him to leave Los Angeles.
There's a reason teams still expect Kawhi to opt out of his contract. If he does, the big question will be whether or not he entertains offers or just wants to sign long term with the Clippers.
#2 DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan played much of last season in the power forward spot for the Spurs but can be considered a small forward for the sake of how different teams would utilize him. He has spent his long and successful career playing 2-4 and in a positionless game it is hard not to give him the nod as a small forward.
DeRozan is a scorer in every sense of the term, having averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last eight seasons. The San Antonio Spurs appear destined to move in a different, more youthful direction this offseason and that may be ideal for both parties.
Any team looking for half-court scoring would love to bring in a player of DeRozan's caliber. The Spurs, meanwhile, could move in a younger direction featuring players like Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassel, both players that clog up the small forward rotation for the Spurs.
DeRozan could then become a potential x-factor on a team with title aspirations.
#3 Kelly Oubre Jr.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is going to be one of the most interesting free agents to watch once teams can officially sign players. That is due to the money that seems likely to be thrown toward him, which will all but take the Golden State Warriors out of contention to bring back the small forward.
Oubre had a rollercoaster 2020-21 NBA campaign. He is still just 25 years old but rode some all-time streaky shooting over the course of the season for the Warriors. By season's end, he was a 31.6 percent three-point shooter after finishing the year prior at 35.2 percent.
Still, Oubre displays a knack for scoring the ball in bursts and is an interesting piece to a team defense when playing a small ball lineup. He can play that hybrid forward role in addition to the small forward spot and gives opponents nightmares when he is hitting shots.
He is a small ball four when asked but a natural small forward that brings versatility but inconsistency.
The problem is when will they be making them? Someone is going to pay to find out and it doesn't seem like it will be the Warriors.
#4 Otto Porter Jr.
Otto Porter Jr. is inevitably going to play for a new team in the 2021-22 NBA season. He was dealt by the Chicago Bulls to the Orlando Magic to match salary in the Nikola Vucevic trade and the Magic have no reason to bring him back moving forward.
He is set to take a steep pay cut in free agency after appearing in just 28 total games last season between the Magic and the Bulls. This isn't the first time in his career he has missed extended time, as the year prior he played in 14 total games.
Porter Jr. is a 40.2 percent shooter from behind the arc in his career, though. That means he will have value and could even find himself on a prove-it deal in a great situation where he can make a difference and prove himself ahead of another go at free agency.
He could be one of the steals on the small forward market in NBA Free Agency
#5 Doug McDermott
Another sharpshooting former Chicago Bull rounds out a list of small forwards who could be on the move this offseason. McDermott enters free agency as one of the top three point specialists on the market and that could mean big money is headed his way.
The Indiana Pacers have his Bird Rights but also have a logjam in the forward spot. They have an abundance of offensive threats and paying big money to retain McDermott wouldn't make much sense at all.
McDermott is a proven threat from the outside at the small forward spot, hitting 40.7 percent of his career three-point attempts. Last year, he shot 38.8 percent from that range to follow up back-to-back seasons above the 40 percent mark.
One thing is for certain with this small forward free agent class, there is talent and difference makers available. Will small forwards dictate all of free agency this offseason? That's certainly possible.
Guess the Lakers players!
