Fansided

10 most underrated NBA free agents of 2016

By Bryan Toporek

Nov 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) controls the ball during the first quarter as Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones (6) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) controls the ball during the first quarter as Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones (6) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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June 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) during the first half in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
June 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) during the first half in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Matthew Dellavedova (RFA)

Matthew Dellavedova first burst into the national consciousness when Kyrie Irving went down with a knee injury in the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. In two starts against Atlanta, he averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 triples, shooting better from three-point range (37.5 percent) than he did overall (32.1 percent). When Irving broke his kneecap during Game 1 of the Finals that year, Delly became a Cleveland folk hero, temporarily stymying Stephen Curry and helping stake the Cavaliers to a 2-1 series lead.

Dellavedova had a far quieter playoff run this past spring, but he set career-highs across the board during the regular season with 7.5 points, 4.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 three-pointers in 24.6 minutes per game. He also shot a career-best 41.0 percent from deep on 3.1 attempts a night, which, when coupled with his pesky defense, makes him an ideal free-agent target for teams in need of a low-usage, three-and-D floor general. (Here’s looking at you, Philadelphia 76ers.)

The Cavaliers have Bird rights on Dellavedova, who is a restricted free agent, so they’re technically capable of matching any offer sheet he receives. However, with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love already gobbling up a grand majority of their cap space, a hefty offer sheet from another team could be enough to deter them from matching.

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