NBA free agency backup plans for teams who miss on Plan A

There’s a whole lot of cap space available in the NBA this offseason. There are not enough high-level, max-salary type players to fill it. That means several teams are going to miss out on that top-end talent and instead will be looking to the second and third tiers of free agents to fill out their roster. Luckily for them, there is plenty of depth available to fill basically any kind of role.

Let’s walk through some (but by no means all) of the most attractive options.

POINT GUARD

Patrick Beverley (UFA); George Hill (UFA); Jeremy Lin (UFA); Terry Rozier (RFA), Delon Wright (RFA), Tomas Satoransky (RFA)

The majority of quality depth at this position comes in the form of players who can act either as a primary ball-handler or a co-lead in the backcourt.

Beverley has plenty of experience playing both roles, and his defensive tenacity makes him the most enticing option for contending teams that are not in the running for Kyrie Irving and/or Kemba Walker. Hill proved during his postseason run with the Bucks that he still has high-level play left in him. He’s a quality shooter and very good defender, and has shown a lot more on-ball workability throughout his career than he gets credit for. Lin did not factor in Toronto’s championship run after playing very well for the Hawks earlier in the season and has had injury issues essentially throughout his entire career, but any team in need of a pick-and-roll ball-handler who can handle heavy volume as a starter or off the bench could do worse than giving him a look.

Rozier is likely the weakest of the restricted free agent trio listed above, but also the most gettable. He has flashed starter ability in fits and starts and acquitted himself nicely during Boston’s 2018 run, but he was far less efficient as a scorer during that run than people remember, and his defensive effort (his greatest asset) is likely to wane if he has to assume lead ball-handler duties on a full-time basis. Wright saw his shooting drop off a bit in Memphis this season but was very productive otherwise. He makes a ton of sense as a partner and backup for Ja Morant, and the Grizzlies seem likely to match any offer sheet that isn’t insane. Given John Wall’s injury, Satoransky seems like he should be a priority re-sign, but the Wizards’ financial realities and lack of a full-time general manager cloud the waters a bit. Any of the teams in need of point guard help should get interested quickly and put some pressure on interim GM Tommy Shepard to make a quick decision on how to shape a roster he may not be in charge of for much longer.

SMALL WING

Terrence Ross (UFA); Danny Green (UFA); Austin Rivers (UFA); Rodney McGruder (UFA); David Nwaba (UFA); Reggie Bullock (UFA); Seth Curry (UFA); Jeremy Lamb (UFA); Garrett Temple (UFA); Avery Bradley (UFA)

This seems like a market that a smart team may be able to wait out, depending on what their level of need at the position is. Shooters, defenders, and 3-and-D guys are always in demand, but this year there appears to be an over-saturation on the wing and it could prove worth it to let the chips fall where they may and grab two of these guys, one at the room exception and another at the minimum, as opposed to paying one of them big money on a long-term deal. There are certain teams that can’t afford to wait and will this strike earlier, potentially opening up tremendous value for those playing the long game.

BIG WING

DeMarre Carroll (UFA); Trevor Ariza (UFA); Bojan Bogdanovic (UFA); Rudy Gay (UFA); Marcus Morris, (UFA); Al-Farouq Aminu (UFA); Danuel House (RFA)

There are answers for whatever you need from a player in this role. High-level defense? Aminu. High-level defense with a side of shooting? Carroll and Ariza. Shooting with a side of solid defense? House. Shooting with a dash of creation? Bogdanovic. Creation with a dash of shooting? Gay. All-around solidity? Morris.

These players should be varying degrees of sought after, with age and fit likely to be primary determinants in terms of how much money they get, and over how many years. The more flexible you are, the more teams that could be interested, but if you don’t have a specific specialty you might fall through the cracks. Unless, of course, someone sees you as the answer for everything that ails them in a combo forward role, and comes correct with a big offer right away. (Morris seems like a near lock for a contract that makes people go, huh?)

The Pacers would presumably like to bring Bogdanovic back after he slid into a primary scorer’s role upon Victor Oladipo’s injury — especially if their primary point guard target is Ricky Rubio, which could crowd their spacing even more. Aminu should be a priority for the Blazers, but if they run into cap issues, perhaps he can be plucked away. He’d be incredibly valuable for just about any contender. Carroll and Ariza can simply fill the roles they’ve been filling for several years, and teams like Utah, any of the star-chasers, and Oklahoma City and/or Dallas should get in the game. And if the Rockets are going to chase after Jimmy Butler hard early on, perhaps someone can swoop in with an offer sheet to steal House, who played his cards so that he could hit free agency this offseason and presumably get a raise, rather than signing a below-market long-term deal with the Rockets. Houston has only non-Bird rights on House and would have to break into the mid-level exception to match any offer that exceeds 120 percent of the minimum salary.

FLEX BIG

JaMychal Green (UFA); Julius Randle (UFA); Thaddeus Young (UFA); Jared Dudley (UFA); Luke Kornet (UFA)

There are all different kinds of players available here, at various stages of their careers.

Green has long been an underrated frontcourt option, and his combination of shooting and flexibility makes him an attractive piece for anybody looking to go relatively cheap on bigs. Randle is likely to command a more sizable deal after posting the best raw numbers of his career, but it takes a specific kind of team to make a player like him work. You’re probably going to have to use him as one of your top scoring options, and ideally he needs a frontcourt partner who can both space the floor and protect the rim. Those players are rare, though, and his inability to do either of those things makes for a tricky fit in any situation that lacks those unicorn-type talents.

Young seems to be the odd man out in Indiana, but any team looking for a combo forward type who can defend essentially any position should give him a call. If you want the same kind of thing but with more shooting and less stamina and athleticism, Dudley’s your guy. And if you want to take a flier in the hopes of landing the type of player that can make a Randle type workable, Kornet has shown he can shoot and he’s 7-foot-1 so there’s a possibility he can turn into a strong rim protector if he learns the nuances of paint-guarding.

TRUE BIG

Ed Davis (UFA); Robin Lopez (UFA); Dewayne Dedmon (UFA); Nene (UFA); Joakim Noah (UFA); Willie Cauley-Stein (RFA); Kevon Looney (RFA)

Quality centers who can serve as either placeholder starter types who may or may not close games or veteran backups to young, up-and-coming types abound. Pick your favorite and pounce.

Cauley-Stein seems like he is not long for Sacramento, and it’s possible he could end up becoming an unrestricted free agent if the Kings elect to use some of their space on another big man. He regressed a bit this past season but he is wildly athletic and has shown the occasional ability to be a canny passer, 15-ish-foot shooter, and valuable space-defender. There are worse bets than one that he can figure things out and put it together. Looney emerged as the Warriors’ best center this season and in theory they should be trying to bring him back with a strong offer early in free agency, but they did decline to pick up his option, seemed extremely reluctant to use him as a starter at all, and are staring down the barrel of massive salary issues over the next few seasons, so maybe there’s a number at which they would walk away and let him get out the door.