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If the offseason of 2017 was one of the momentous summers for the NBA in all of its history, the lineup of free agents available this summer makes for a recipe that could possibly trump even last season's mad scramble for players.
A number of players have made significant improvements to their games this season, and are set to be hot property come 1st July. Here, we try to power rank the top players who are available as unrestricted free agents or could opt out of their player option(s) to test the free agency waters.
Before we count down our definitive list of the top 10 free agents this summer, and where they are most likely to end up, here is the list of honorable mentions who failed to crack our top 10.
Avery Bradley
While Bradley is a two-time All-Defensive selection and will be a solid player for whomever he plays, he misses the cut because of his age, and relatively low upside compared to the other players on this list.
He would be a valuable addition to fringe title contenders like the San Antonio Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Washington Wizards - should he choose to chase a ring instead of landing his last big payday
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza is one of those 2nd round steals that every team dreams of drafting. For over 10 years, Ariza has been of the most consistent 3-and-D players in the league. At his peak, he was one of the most athletic players in the league as well - while he's still got the bounce and gets dunks once in a while, Ariza during his Lakers years was one of the most terrifying players in the league on the fast break.
Ariza is now 32, and his best years are not likely to last for more than 2-3 seasons at best. Which is why he checks out on this honorable mentions list instead of the top 10 list that he'd have made 2 years ago.
Jabari Parker
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the #2 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, a couple of ACL injuries have prevented basketball fans from seeing the very best of Jabari Parker - as we should have by his 4th season in the league.
He was putting up 20.1 points per game for the Bucks in a breakout season last year before going down with an ACL tear in February. The lack of a true full season of stardom on his resume prevents us from featuring him in our top 10 - but he has the ability to prove us all woefully wrong.
#10 Jusuf Nurkic - Portland Trail Blazers
It may not seem like it on the stat sheet, but Jusuf Nurkic is perhaps the most important player on the Blazers roster. True, he's only putting up 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game - figures which may seem less stellar than some of the honorable mentions on our list.
But he's an elite rim protector every night irrespective of what kind of scoring punch he's flashing that day. Opponents shoot 7.5% worse from within 6 feet, and 4.4% worse from within 10 feet with him packing the paint with his 7', 280-pound figure.
On his best nights, Portland are able to give the likes of the Rockets and Warriors a run for their money. On the strength of their backcourt's scoring and their 8th-ranked defense, the Trail Blazers have a 2-game lead at the third seed.
Nurkic is the anchor of that defense and should get paid by the Trail Blazers this offseason based on the excellence that he has displayed. Considering that he is just 23 and has all of his prime years of him, the Trail Blazers would have to pay him in excess of $10 million per season.
#9 Aaron Gordon - Chicago Bulls
The #4 overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft is finally starting to justify his high draft placement. Gordon's stat line of 18.3/8.5/2.4 combined with shooting splits of 44.3/34.6/70.2 in 33.6 minutes per game mark a significant improvement from his first 3 seasons, when he scored 5.2, 9.2 and 12.7 points per game respectively.
Gordon is one of the most athletic players to ever play in the league, and that alone would be enough to keep him in the league for 10 more years. However, playing at the small forward position has allowed him to become a better shooter, and his improved shooting from downtown is clearly no fluke (Gordon shot less than 30% in each of his first 3 seasons).
Gordon has a legitimate case as Most Improved Player for the 2017-18 NBA season, and a number of young teams looking to rebuild from this draft could benefit by adding him.
The best move he could make would be to Chicago, where along with Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and whomever the Bulls draft this summer, Gordon could kick off the new Bulls era as part of an exciting young core for whom the sky is the limit.
#8 Isaiah Thomas - Los Angeles Lakers
If only Isaiah had opted for hip surgery this offseason! If only he'd become a free agent last summer instead of this one! If only he'd had enough practice time with the Cavaliers in his cameo there!
If any of these what-ifs had had a different answer, Isaiah Thomas would be much closer to the top 4 on this list right now. In fact, during the nightmarish spell he endured with the Cavaliers, many experts wrote him off as a one-season wonder for the Celtics, when he finished 5th in MVP voting and led them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
As things stand, the best alternative for Isaiah this offseason would be to sign another one-year deal with the Lakers this summer and continue in his role as a volume scorer/playmaker off the bench for a young squad which sorely needs veteran presence and a scoring punch off the bench next season.
He's not going to land a max contract playing at this level, while the Los Angeles Lakers would be looking to nab one of the top free agents slated to become available in 2019. Signing a one-year deal and continuing with the Lakers allows Isaiah to reestablish himself as one of the best point guards in the league, and last one big payday - a payday he richly deserves based off his body of work in the league so far.
#7 Clint Capela - Houston Rockets
A fully fit and firing Clint Capela is one of the worst matchup nightmares for any center in the league. This season, Capela has put up career-best marks across the board - in 27.4 minutes per game, Capela has averages of 14. points, 11 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
Capela has improved his free throw shooting percentage from a dastardly 17.4% in his rookie season to a relatively decent 55.6% clip for this season. In most of the big games he's appeared in, Capela has dominated the boards and put the ball in the hoop with a vengeance, feeding off Hall of Fame point guards Chris Paul and James Harden.
The Houston Rockets helped develop the Swissman into a stellar center, and they will be looking to re-sign him this summer based on the evidence we have seen from this regular season. For what it's worth, let's throw in a fun fact: the Rockets have lost just 2 games with Capela, Paul and Harden starting.
#6 DeAndre Jordan - Los Angeles Clippers
If Capela is a nightmare matchup for most centers on his best nights, there's no center who can stop DeAndre Jordan from getting his share of the pie even on an average night. Jordan is currently on the way to post the best statistical season of his season with 12.3 points and 15.4 rebounds.
The fact that he's putting up these numbers without Chris Paul should be enough evidence for the rest of the league to try and nab him in free agency, should he opt out of the final year of his contract in order to net a final big payday.
The Clippers, despite being fringe players in the Western Conference playoff picture and shorn of Blake Griffin, are still sitting 5 wins above a .500 record in a large part due to the consistent two-way play of their 6'11", 265-pound center.
However, centers with little to no jump-shooting ability are a dying breed in this league, and unless the Clippers to choose to bank on him for the long term, Jordan may find it difficult to find a taker for his services in a league that is advancing towards small ball and 5-out offenses surely but surely. We think that he will opt in for his final year to stay with the Clippers.
#5 DeMarcus Cousins - New Orleans Pelicans
In an ideal world, Boogie would still be powering past helpless centers on the low post before ramming the ball.
However, since players are susceptible to season-ending injuries in the real world, the New Orleans Pelicans have been deprived of the services of the best center in all of basketball for the season as Cousins recovers from an Achilles injury that will probably keep him out till the end of the year.
A number of players have been unable to recover from Achilles injuries at the form that they displayed before the injury, which is why Cousins is not higher up this list of the best free agents available on the market in 2018.
However, the New Orleans Pelicans seem to look genuinely committed to Cousins' long-term future, and will probably re-sign him to a max deal that he richly deserves in today's day and age.
#4 Chris Paul - Houston Rockets
The Point God has meshed into Houston's league-leading lineup effortlessly since his blockbuster trade went down in June - he's one of the primary reasons why the Rockets own a commanding 60-14 record and are the best team in the NBA this season.
Paul's sustained excellence, deep into his 13th season in the league - combined with the fact that he does not rely on athleticism or speed, should be enough to land him a max contract with any contender that has enough cap space for the best two-way point guard in the league.
Barring major upheaval in the free agent market or an early exit in the playoffs for the Rockets (which are both massively unlikely prospects), it is expected that Paul will re-sign with the Rockets.
#3 Paul George - Los Angeles Lakers
Paul George has been the Oklahoma City Thunder's best two-way force this season, putting up a stat line of 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.04 steals per game this season. It is because of George's presence that the Thunder are likely to go beyond their first-round matchup at 4th place in the Western Conference standings.
But that may not be enough for the Thunder to retain George's services. PG-13 has stated his desire to play in his hometown Los Angeles in the past - which is what forced the Indiana Pacers to trade him for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The Lakers, as presently constructed, display a much higher upside. While Paul George has been spoilt while playing alongside Russell Westbrook, Lonzo Ball has flashed enough potential to be a transcendent player at the Lakers.
The rest of the Lakers' young brigade, including Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram, have all flashed All-Star potential during their time in the league and would make for a better fit in the long term for George.
#2 Kevin Durant - Golden State Warriors
If there is a basketball equivalent of having a premium Swiss Knife on an adequate toolkit, it has to be the fit that Durant provides to the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant has been the game's best two-way player this past season, and his absence from a Warriors lineup leaves them vulnerable on both ends of the floor - as evidenced by their recent run of bad luck and form.
Durant has every single skill possible for a player to have. At 6'11" or more, Durant's jump-shooting is the most unstoppable weapon in all of basketball. Through 60 games, Durant is averaging shooting splits of 52/43/89 while scoring 26.6 points, grabbing 6.8 rebounds, dishing out 5.4 assists and blocking 1.9 shots per game.
For a long time, he was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year honors, before going down with a rib injury in the middle of March. While Durant has a player option on his contract that enables him to become a free agent this summer, it is all but a formality for the Warriors to lock him up on a 2-3 year deal this summer should that transpire.
#1 LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
The best player in the world has been going as great as ever in his 15th NBA season and is even averaging career highs in rebounds and assists, with 8.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game. LeBron James is also scoring 27.5 points per game at a 55% field goal percentage while knocking down 36.6% of his 4.9 3-point attempts per game.
In the unlikely event that the Cavaliers fail to reach the NBA Finals this year, LeBron might have a decision to make regarding his free agency destination this year - by opting out of a contract that would pay him in excess of $35 million through 2019.
But Cleveland remains his best bet at landing another NBA title, and he will probably re-sign with the Cavaliers even if he fails to make the Finals this year. Dan Gilbert remains invested in surrounding LeBron with the best talent at his disposal, and that should be enough to keep LeBron beyond the summer of 2018.
Guess the Lakers players!
