KEVIN DURANT: It is quite possible that he will be the best player in the game, given his age (27 in 2016) and the heavy lifting LeBron James may have to do in Cleveland. It is also quite possible that he will have had his fill of living in a fly-over state with a cheap owner and want to come home to the DC area and join what likely could be the best backcourt in the NBA.
JOAKIM NOAH: With the outside exception of Anthony Davis, there is no reason to believe he won’t be the best all-around center in the game. He also will cost a lot more than the $60 million over five years that he got in his current deal.
AL HORFORD: No one questions his ability, and he would be even better if he spent more time at power forward rather than playing as an undersized center. But he has missed 116 of 230 games due to injury since signing a five-year, $60 million deal and needs to put together a couple of healthy seasons to get a max deal.
NICOLAS BATUM: He will only be 27 in the summer of 2016 and could be very intriguing as something more than the third offensive option he is in Portland. Don’t be surprised if he is maxed out because his two-way skills will be in great demand, especially because he plays the same position as James and Durant.
MIKE CONLEY: He has never been an All-Star, and his name never comes up when discussing the game’s top point guards. But how many of those guys are actually better two-way players? He has played way above the five-year, $45 million contract many thought was a reach and easily is in line for a deal averaging in the teens.
OTHERS: Kobe Bryant will be 37 and probably ready to call it quits. …
David Lee won’t get anywhere near the $80 million he got in his last deal. … Teammates
JaVale McGee and
Danilo Gallinari will help clear out Denver’s cap but need to stay healthy to maintain their earning power. …
Nene will be 33 with a long history of injuries and probably end up with the mid-level exception. …
Ryan Anderson and
Jeff Green are nice third options but probably don’t warrant eight figures.
2016 FREE AGENTS IF THEY OPT IN NEXT SUMMER
LEBRON JAMES: The game’s best player can opt out next summer but would only do that if synching his free agency with prospective new teammate Kevin Love helps the Cavaliers more in 2015 than it would in
2016. If truth be told, it’s hard to imagine James ever leaving Cleveland again, simply because the public backlash – warranted or not - would be too much.
KEVIN LOVE: There is one scenario in which Love would not opt out of his current deal and become a free agent next summer. If he winds up in Cleveland, he and James could decide to enter free agency together in 2016, when the new TV deal should be in place, dramatically increasing future salary caps and giving the Cavaliers the ability to add another key piece.
BROOK LOPEZ: Arguably the NBA’s best offensive center, he could opt out next summer if things go south quickly in Brooklyn, which is certainly possible given the roster’s average age and injury history. But he would have to show that he can make it through a season without another significant foot injury, always a concern among big men.
ROY HIBBERT: Could he opt out and become a free agent next summer? Sure, but that would mean leaving $15.5 million on the table. His disappearing act last season likely will be followed by a season where opponents will be loading up on him in the absence of Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a huge chore on his hands.
DAVID WEST: Can get his without the help of teammates more easily than Hibbert can. But he turns 34 later this month and is done as an eight-figure player. In fact, the unwarranted $2 million annual raise he received in his current deal may have indirectly cost the Pacers the ability to keep Lance Stephenson.
ERIC GORDON: Almost certain to opt in and join the class of 2016, given the injuries and inefficiency that have plagued him since New Orleans matched Phoenix’s offer sheet. Also almost certain to take a dramatic pay cut for the same reasons.
DWYANE WADE: He is only on this list because of name recognition. At 32, he doesn’t show much “Flash” anymore, and it’s to hard to imagine him remaining healthy through a season now that he has more heavy
lifting to do with James gone. He can opt out next summer but almost certainly won’t.
OTHERS: There is a quartet of younger – and in most cases, better – players who could opt in for the 2015-16 season but probably won’t. Among them is
Thaddeus Young, who can’t get out of Philadelphia and into free agency fast enough for what likely will be his only eight-figure deal. …
Goran Dragic may be able to double his $7.5 million salary next summer, but probably not in Phoenix, where GM Ryan McDonough has shown a propensity to pinch pennies and/or not budge with free agents (Channing Frye, Eric Bledsoe). …
Al Jefferson and
Monta Ellis are similar in that both have shown themselves to be different players in different settings. Another season of efficiency should be enough for both of them to opt out of their final years and get bigger, longer deals next summer.
Read more at
http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/0...s-that-will-be-best-ever/#TMM5ctOkOm6vvTLR.99
We are about to get them all...again.
Jeff Green needs to be in a Heat jersey when he hits free agency.