10 most underrated NBA free agents of 2016

When it comes to NBA free agents, the high profile stars draw the most attention. Still, there are plenty of undervalued assets ready to help a team get better.

While most of the NBA’s focus will be on Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside and Mike Conley when free agency kicks off at midnight on July 1, teams that delve deeper into the free-agent pool can find similar bang for their buck.

These players won’t pack the superstar upside of Durant, Horford, Whiteside or Conley, but role players could wind up being some of the biggest bargains in this year’s free-agent class. Just ask Portland and Boston whether they regret signing Al-Farouq Aminu, Ed Davis or Jae Crowder early last summer while other teams jostled for the services of DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe.

Given the number of insane contracts about to be handed out, it sounds preposterous to suggest there’s value to be had in this free-agent class, but it’s true.

Teams just need to know where to look and can’t be concerned with optics.

General managers who resist the temptation to make splashy free-agent signings in favor of targeting role players may be ridiculed, but those signings will almost assuredly be better values than most of this summer’s biggest megadeals. Again, ask yourself: Would Milwaukee rather have Monroe signed at nearly $17 million per year or Crowder signed at $7 million annually?

The following 10 players, in particular, aren’t yet generating much buzz on the free-agent market. In fact, all 10 fall outside of The Vertical’s top 30 free agents. Though these guys aren’t needle-moving superstars, the teams that land them will smile upon their good fortune in the years to come.

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