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Top Remaining Free Agents

  1. Josh Howard, Washington (interested: Bulls, Celtics, Wizards) Had he entered free agency last summer as opposed to this summer, Howard would have been in the discussion for one of the lucrative contracts in the off-season. As it stands Howard is coming off a knee injury with lingering questions about his health and attitude. Now 30 as of April, Howard’s days of using his athleticism to get to the basket may now be in jeopardy, which will have teams looking to low-ball him with offers. Despite the concerns, Howard could be one of the bargains of the off-season, as he has more upside than any other remaining player in this free agent class. If he can make a full recovery and get his head screwed on straight, Howard could be a steal for lucky team needing a swingman.
  2. Shaquille O’Neal, Cleveland (interested: Spurs, Hawks, Mavs) There’s almost as good a chance LeBron will be named Northeast Ohio Man of the Year as there is Shaq will be wearing maroon and gold in October. Expect his massive frame to be draped in other colors, as an aging center simply has no place in what’s sure to be a rebuilding process. Shaq still has value to an NBA squad, providing size, interior defending and even some scoring in limited minutes off the bench, but the big fellow is likely to cost at least a team’s full mid-level exception. Still, for the right team at the right price, the Big Aristotle could be a huge free agency haul.
  3. Richard Jefferson, San Antonio (interested: Spurs, Knicks, Nets) It’s not every day an aging swingman coming off his worst season as a pro leaves 16 million on the table to become an unrestricted free agent. Thoughts at the time assumed he would merely rework his contract with San Antonio and a deal may have even already been in place. But here we are, in late July, and Jefferson is still on the market. Like Howard, if this was a year ago, Jefferson would command a higher salary, but now having hit the 30 mark and with a 12.3 PPG season most recently under his belt, the suitors are surely offering less than he’d hoped. Jefferson doesn’t even have the injury crutch to fall back on as an excuse.

Added Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in Free Agency Rumors Comments Off

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