Best Value Free Agent from each team

[WigNosy]

I saw this idea somewhere else and thought it was cool. So for this little article, I'm going to try to divine who is the "Best Value" free agent from each team - the criteria are fairly simple.

1. The Player must be entering Free Agency this off-season (I'm assuming player options will be picked up for the purposes of this article).

2. The player's total statistical contributions (not per-game averages) versus his salary are being considered. In other words, this tends to value guys who put in a lot of minutes on small deals (think vet minimum deals or rookie contracts). I think over half of these guys are vet min signings, most of the rest are rookie deal dudes, but a handful are guys that were picked up on very frugal deals... if you have one of these rare ones (e.g., Jay Adkins, Boris Haley, Marc Gasol), be proud of yourself!

3. The rating next to a player's name measures his contributions per salary paid divided by the league-wide total of contributions per salary paid - in other words, a value of "1" would be a player getting paid exactly as much as he's worth. A value over 1 means he's producing much more than he's paid to, a value under 1 means he's producing less than you would expect based on his salary. If a player is paid "fairly" based on his contributions, his current salary should be multiplied by the rating, so a player with a rating of 3 should probably expect to be paid triple his current salary in Free Agency.

ATLANTA HAWKS - James Webster (6.41)

Webster was a veteran minimum pickup by the Hawks who wound up starting over half the season for them and posted averages of 10 ppg, 5 rpg, while shooting 45% from three and over 47% overall. Excellent value for a contract worth less than $1.4 million. He's still just 26 and an unrestricted free agent, so he's probably in line for a substantial pay raise next season - whether he gets it from the Hawks remains to be seen.

BOSTON CELTICS - James Peacock (2.89)

The Celtics have a lot of young players still on rookie deals in the rotation, but when it came to value, the C's got more out of Peacock for the $2 million they spent on him than they did from KAT and his almost $9 million salary. Peacock posted 5.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg in just 12.6 mpg, which suggests had he gotten the minutes KAT did he might have outperformed him! The difference is that Peacock is probably playing close to his ceiling while KAT has room to grow. Peacock should probably get a slight pay hike next season since he modestly out-performed his contract but I wouldn't expect anyone to give him a long-term deal.

BROOKLYN NETS - Kurt Kelly (2.24)

Slim pickings here because Brooklyn only has three players that are coming out from their contracts and Ish Smith and Brandon Jennings are making enough that they're within range of what they "should" be compensated. Kelly was a bit player off the bench for the Nets, but probably deserves a slight pay hike over his veteran minimum salary, given the 4 ppg and 3 rpg he averaged were done on an efficient .498 shooting percentage.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - Julian Byrd (7.87)

Byrd was the word in Charlotte - he soaked up a lot of minutes off the bench this year (23.7) and was a fairly efficient shooter and moderately effective glass-cleaner who played for a paltry $743,081. Honestly, it's that tiny contract that made him show up on this list, as he probably "deserves" closer to 5 million based on what he gave the Bobcats this season. But if he's shown the ability to be efficient even on a bad team, he could definitely get some time as a backup big somewhere else, and at 24 years old still has time to grow.

CHICAGO BULLS - Boris Hailey (4.97)

No surprise here - 78's most-lamented free agent loss did a marvelous job out-performing his meager $2.4 million contract with the Bulls as the third big man in their rotation, posting 8.6 points and 6.8 boards off the bench. The good news for the Bulls is he will probably help propel them deep into the playoffs this season. The bad news is, everyone's looking to pay him and steal him away this offseason.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS - Tarik Black (3.85)

Tarik did most of his damage on the glass for Cleveland, but doing it on a veteran minimum contract means he was a great value pickup for the Cavs. Tarik is 29 and not getting better, so his ceiling is probably "backup big" but 5+ rebounds in just 18 minutes mean he's an effective rebounder that someone should be looking to pay a little more than the minimum next season.

DALLAS MAVERICKS - Jason Fisher (4.96)

The 16th pick in the draft a four seasons ago, Fisher found himself this year with the Mavs, starting all 82 games and posting 16.7 ppg as the Mavericks' second-best offensive option. He's hitting RFA so it's a good bet he's in line for a substantial pay raise. His production and potentials don't suggest "max" but $15 million wouldn't be out of the question.

DENVER NUGGETS - JaMychal Green (3.71)

A solid rotation piece in Denver who even collected a double-fistful of starts this season, Green is a journeyman who signed for the vet minimum and proceeded to outplay his contract. Sadly for him, he's on the wrong side of 30 and his numbers - while impressive given how small his contract was - aren't likely to net him a huge free agent contract since he's on the back end of his career. Still, it's performances like this from role players who are solid but not spectacular that have made the Nuggets a favorite in the West this season.

DETROIT PISTONS - Joseph Mercado (5.96)

Mercado's reputation as a hatchet man may or may not be well-deserved, but after posting a great assist line last season starting on the Grizzlies, he showed he could also peform with a good team as he played a solid backup guard role for Detroit this season, posting a 5.2 ppg scoring average and contributing a very respectable 3.5 apg in his limited minutes. He's still quite young and would make a great backup point guard - or possibly even a starting point guard on some teams - and a little training could go a long way with him. We'll see if anyone wants to give him a raise this off-season after seeing what he could do on a good team.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - Jay Adkins (7.99)

Adkins' all-star selection last season might have seemed flukey, but he handled a demotion to the bench with class this season and continued to produce points and blocks at a high rate and rebounds at a decent one. Now that he's no longer a secret, it's unlikely he'll make under $1.5 million next season - teams have seen what he can do and a team that looks past ratings colors and ponies up some cash might be able to get considerable production at a non-max - but still substantial - contract slot (around $10 to $12 million would be about right given his production, and at 26 he probably has 4 more years at that plateau).

HOUSTON ROCKETS - Nelson Stark (9.14)

Stark got a lot of burn off the bench for the Rockets and dropped in 9.3 ppg in just 18.2 mpg - he's a pure scorer and is probably ready for a slightly more expanded role. He's another one on that tiny $743,081 contract, so his value is a little magnified but if you need a guy who knows his role - and that role is putting the ball in the basket - Stark is definitely a guy you should consider chasing.

INDIANA PACERS - Langston Galloway (2.57)

The Pacer's backup SG gave them good defense and spot-up threes this season, but nothing too spectacular. At the age of 29, he may have outperformed this contract but probably isn't in line for much of a bigger one (only the amount the vet min goes up based on years of service) next season. Much like the Nets, it's a weak selection because the Pacers don't have many expiring deals, and thus, few Free Agents to choose from.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS - David Brunette (9.04)

The Clippers' Brunette got a TC boost this off-season and made the most of it, parlaying it into a starting role at Center and playing all 82 games. His twin averages of 7.8 ppg and rpg aren't much to write home about, but he still has room to grow and did this on an extremely efficient 57.8% shooting game. He's a second-round pick and eligible for RFA and it would behoove the Clippers to exercise those rights... he should continue to grow into a very serviceable starting center and they got him cheaply on his rookie deal this season... they won't be able to get such cheap production next season I suspect.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS - Marc Gasol (4.96)

The ageless wonder spent another season in LA starting, and put up 10.0 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, and 1.8 bpg - solid, if not spectacular numbers - for just $2.75 million. A lot of other teams would have loved to get that from their starting center! Gasol's advanced age (36) mean he probably can't continue to sustain this production but at the very least he should make sure his salary doesn't go DOWN next season. He's still got a little bit left in the tank and it will be interesting to see if he stays in LA or if the Lakers decide McCormick and Briseno are ready to take over.

MIAMI HEAT - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3.13)

KCP is the classic example of a journeyman on a modest contract who gets to start on a bad team and puts up decent numbers as an audition to get a job somewhere else. He's pretty much an average to below-average starter who would be really good off the bench. I suspect, though, that given the fact he does everything decently but nothing well, he'll be hard-pressed to make much more than he did this season and may even have to settle for a veteran minimum contract next year.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS - Dennis Tatum (5.83)

Tatum showed he could be a rotation player with the Bucks and put up nice scoring numbers in limited minutes. Mostly he makes this list based on his super-low first-year rookie salary. He probably deserves more than the minimum next year but may not get it because teams won't trust his production on a rebuilding Milwaukee squad. That would be good news to IamQuailman if he can bring him back on the cheap and secure Early Bird rights.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - Jerry Millsap (7.56)

Another case of "rookie on bare minimum contract in the rotation and producing" here. Millsap posted good rebounding numbers considering his limited minutes, but I don't think teams will be knocking down his door to sign him. Given enough playing time, he does show the potential to be a scoring threat, but at 26 you have to worry he doesn't have much room to improve.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS - James Comstock (7.07)

Plucked from last year's free agent pool by the Pelicans, Comstock showed the ability to score in limited minutes (9+ ppg in 18 mpg) and has some nice defensive potentials with time at 23 to grow into them. I suspect he took a TC boost as well. Someone is going to fall in love with his game and pay him this offseason - the question is just how much he's worth. The rating suggests that $7.5 million or so is about what he should be paid, but if his minutes increase, his productivity will increase and with a guy with his youth and potentials, well... let's just say Nick might want to think about keeping up his "max Malone" nickname.

NEW YORK KNICKS - Phil Hogg (6.09)

This guy has been a Boss for the Knicks this season since Jokic went down and he went from backup to full-time starter. He's a bit foul-prone but a capable scorer when called upon to do so. His valuation is high because he's had to spend so much time replacing Jokic, but I suspect it would be lower on most teams with a decent Center. Do I think teams will give him a look to steal him away? Sure. Are they going to give him a huge offer? No.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - Jerrod Stepp (4.23)

I've never been a Stepp fan going back to his days in Detroit, but I have to admit that he was able to produce on a horrible OKC squad this year. But anyone will get the chance to post stats if given enough minutes and Stepp is to me a case of empty numbers on a bad team. I think as he goes into RFA someone is likely to try to get him for a relatively cheap deal, and hope the Thunder aren't paying attention to match... or that he gets declined and becomes a UFA. He's had 4 years to become a decent big man and he's still a foul-prone, low-rebounding, non-rim protecting stiff.

ORLANDO MAGIC - Daniel West (6.86)

Another backup big with a nice offensive touch, West did a nice job off the bench and getting spot starts for the Magic this season. He's not worth breaking the bank on but I think he's in line for a raise above the veteran minimum in the offseason, particularly since he's young and still has serious room for growth in rebounding and blocking shots... meaning his defense is going to come around to match his offense soon enough. I'll be watching the bidding on him in UFA with great interest.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS - Duane Babineaux (4.40)

Just edged out Markelle Fultz (4.31) because he has a much smaller contract to go with his smaller role. Babineaux is an unusual player because he has a very nice passing touch for a man his size and is an excellent if slightly undersized post defender. It's hard to find a natural position for him, though, because of that skill set. He isn't going to command a huge contract but a team that can figure out how to use his gifts could get a relatively cheap mismatch creator. (He kind of reminds me of real life Boris Diaw).

PHOENIX SUNS - Timothy King (7.73)

King was the "5th starter" for the Suns and didn't light things up, but his tiny contract means that he gave the Suns a lot of value for the money. His strengths are mostly on the defensive end, which makes them a bit harder to measure anyway, but it's tough to see where King will get paid next season given the fact that he's an offensive liability when he's not shooting. I think this might be another case of "player on tiny contract gets a lot of minutes" as opposed to finding a diamond in the rough.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS - Jose Lo (5.70)

Another guy on those micro-first year rookie veteran minimums, Lo did get a lot of backup minutes and even a dozen starts where he showed some flashes of being good but never seemed to be able to get everything working all at once. There is some potential there, and he's only 24, so there's a good chance someone - maybe one of the luxury tax strapped teams - brings him in and gives him an extended look - but I don't think he's in line for a huge pay raise.

SACRAMENTO KINGS - Ryan Kelly (4.20)

Kelly has teased a number of teams with his shooting ratings and did show great ability to make shots in limited minutes with the Kings. It's an open question if he can perform that well in extended minutes and against teams' starters instead of their bench. Mostly he's here because he got solid rotation minutes and made a minute salary; given the limits of his game and his age - 30 - I don't think he'll be seeing much free agent interest.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS - Paul Lugo (20.65)

The most underpaid player in the league given what he did this season, Lugo's 16.7 ppg 5.1 rpg, and 54% shooting for three-quarters-of-a-million bucks make him the best value player here. Nice find by Eazy, and now the only question is who can look past the potential colors and will pay the dude? He's certainly in line for a raise - it won't be maximum money, but as an unrestricted free agent, he should see plenty of action.

TORONTO RAPTORS - Brett Lopez (1.65)

Lopez is headed into RFA and has been a backup big most of his career. He produces like a backup, he's getting paid like a backup... the question is does another team see enough of a need to give him a raise that would make him unpalatable to the Raptors. I suspect the answer is no. Unless he goes to a team where his role is going to be greatly expanded (in terms of minutes) he's probably in line for a modest raise, no more.

UTAH JAZZ - Joseph Kight (6.73)

No big surprise here - Kight was an all-league selection, an all-defense selection, and he's now coming off his rookie contract so he'll get paid like an all-league selection. Based on his production this season, he's a sure max player in RFA, and I'm sure the Jazz will pay or match. Not much else to say here... the guy is the cream of the FA crop.

VANCOUVER GRIZZLIES - Clement Turner (13.45)

Almost as productive as Paul Lugo and on a micro-contract, the Grizzlies' tax situation meant they're producing a number of these guys. Turner put up 14 ppg and almost 6 rpg while starting 77 games. Is he a full-time starter on a great team? Probably not. But he's shown he can produce given the minutes so he's probably looking to get a pay hike and go to a team where he can be the third big man or maybe a part time starter. Not sure without additional potential he'll get all of that, but a modest raise (above that tiny 0-year rookie deal) would be realistic.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS - DAngelo Russell (1.97)

Probably the Wizards' best starter (since Lillard was their 6th man), Russell isn't an overwhelming scorer, but he gives you a little bit of everything, and is doing it on a rookie deal... for now, anyway. He's an RFA and his potentials suggest it's going to be an expensive proposition for the Wizards to retain him. He still has plenty of room to grow and I think the best comp to his all-around potentials is probably Draymond Green - except Russell projects to be a much better scorer. Green got a couple of max deals, and I think Russell's on his way to a max deal or two as well.

[ballsohard]

5 Points and welcome to Cap city!