Keeping up with and assessing an ample free agency market is a bit like trying to name every individual in a school of fish. The second you feel like you have the hang of it, things shift in the opposite direction, disrupting what little control you thought you had.
To help things out, SJN will be keeping track of the NBA’s always-shifting free agency, starting with the first major happenings below. With them, we assess what each move means for the winning team or where the player opting to test the market might end up.
Let us work for you.
Ray Allen – Without Shuttlesworth the Miami Heat aren’t repeat champs.
Though he’ll be 38 years old when the new season rolls in, the Heat will be glad that the shooting guard has decided to return for another year. As one of a cadre of Miami sharpshooters, Allen might be its first or second most valuable option in spreading the floor. Shane Battier shot a better 3-point percentage (43.0% to 41.9%) and allowed the Heat to outscore their opponents at a higher rate than Allen (plus-4.7 to Allen’s plus-2.2), but in big playoffs moments Allen is their go-to-guy.
There might never have been a better option of that type to turn to ever, so a win for Miami.
Trevor Ariza – For what Ariza is giving the Wizards (9.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.0 APG), they can easily pick up another player that won’t demand his hefty $7.7 million-per year tag, but, alas, Ariza has decided to remain a  Washington fixture. With his opt-in, that commits $57.4 million of the Wizard’s payroll to just nine pairs of legs―not too good for a team that needs a solid makeover to build around Wall, Beal, and Porter.
Jerryd Bayless – The backup PG, can-be shooting guard, has decided to stay with the Grizzlies. Great keep for Memphis at $3.1 million a year if not the cheapest tool in the shop. If Tony Allen jumps boat, he can be a nice strategic plug at the 2 depending on who else the Grizz get their hands (claws) on.
Tyreke Evans – I’m secretly rooting for Tyreke to get out of dodge. His current team, the Sacramento Kings (more like Squires), have made a qualifying offer to the former ROTY, but the New Orleans Pelicans upped the ante. NOLA extended a $44 million, four-year offer to Evans which means they could be thinking of cutting ties with Eric Gordon as Tyreke seems best suited for the 2 position. In New Orleans, Evans can get a change of scenery and tap into unexploited potential; if he remains in Sacramento it’ll be more heartbreak for a player with a once promising career.
Andrei Kirilenko – Newly acquired swingman Shabazz Muhammad is an insurance measure for the Timberwolves. That’s because the Russian Andre Iguodala has opted out of the final year of his $20 million deal. Rumors put the Spurs at the forefront of his assets which could be a major pickup for the squad. Something like a more disciplined and capable Stephen Jackson, AK-47 would be a pesky defender for guys like Durant or LeBron and would allow for Kawhi Leonard to focus more on his offense and get more breathers in contested games.
Sad loss for Minnesota, big gain for the Spurs potentially.
Chris Paul – The girl everyone wants to take to the ball has decided to not even go to the dance.
CP3 has decided to remain a Clipper and his five-year $107 million deal guarantees that Lob City won’t be picking up many other high-level names. But with Doc at the helm, the first-round Clippers might gel into at least Western Conference attendees.
I still see them losing out in round one again though. It all depends on what they can get for Bledsoe.
Nikola Pekovic – I’m not one to see how Love and Pekovic can ever have complimentary games, but by that token, it would be tough to imagine surrounding Love with a better center. The bruiser is already 27, and doesn’t seem to have a very high ceiling, but the Wolves have extended a qualifying offer to him because of his solid numbers and dedication. Maybe a sign that Love gets shipped soon?
J.R. Smith – You die by J.R. and you live by J.R. But mostly die … horribly.
After a very good, 6th Man of The Year-winning regular season, J.R. did like his haircut and faded all too magnificently. Smith has been said to want to return to New York, but with only $2.9 million due next year, the boisterous guard wants to improve his bounty. A bad team might improve exponentially from his services and might not care too much about his well-documented postseason hiccups. Sources say that the Bucks are willing to gamble on Smith. Makes too much dumb sense, if you ask me.
Metta World Peace – A past-his-prime ‘3 and D’ guy, who can’t do much of either anymore, has decided to stay on the Lakers, an aged team who is in desperate need of young perimeter defenders who can help space the floor for Dwight (if he stays). As said, Peace isn’t one of those guys.
Not a plus for the Lakers.
{Note: All stats courtesy of NBA.com’s Advanced Stats forum}
