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NBA Free Agency: Klay Thompson headlines 6 best shooters available – NBA.com
From household names to veterans to players on the rise, these marksmen are available in free agency this offseason.
John Schuhmann
Klay Thompson’s vast resume will speak for itself during 2024’s free agency period.
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In today’s NBA, you can never have too much shooting.
The two teams that finished at the top of the standings this past season — the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder — had eight players who shot the league average (36.6%) or better on at least 100 3-point attempts.
Of the four factors (which includes free throw rate, turnover rate and rebounding percentage), effective field goal percentage is the one that most strongly correlates with overall efficiency … on both ends of the floor. If you want to be great, you must shoot effectively and keep your opponents from doing the same.
With that in mind, here are six free-agent shooters (in alphabetical order) who could help teams next season.
Note: This is the first of a series, and some of the best available shooters will be featured in other categories.
Malik Beasley, Milwaukee Bucks (unrestricted)
Number to know: Beasley’s 105 corner 3-pointers in 2023-24 were the second most for any player in the 28 seasons for which we have play-by-play data.
Most corner 3-pointers, single season*
* Since 1996-97
Beasley wasn’t fit for the role of defensive stopper, but he did his part offensively in Milwaukee, shooting a career-high 41.3% from 3-point range.
After getting that production on a minimum contract, the Bucks probably won’t be able to re-sign Beasley, and they’ll need to replace his minutes with younger guards on the roster. There are multiple teams out there with a need for shooting and an ability to give Beasley better money.
Eric Gordon, Phoenix Suns (player option)
Number to know: The Suns outscored their opponents by 12.9 points per 100 possessions in 134 regular-season minutes with Gordon on the floor alongside Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
That’s a small sample size, and it was a different story (minus-13.5 per 100 in 60 minutes) as the Suns got swept in the first round of the playoffs. But it shows that Gordon is in an appropriate role in Phoenix as a floor spacer (like he spaces five feet beyond the 3-point line) who’s shot 38.5% from deep over the last three seasons.
Gordon is 35 and has missed just 27 total games over the last two seasons. He has a cheap ($3.4 million) player option for next season, but may not fetch much more elsewhere.
Buddy Hield, Philadelphia 76ers (unrestricted)
Number to know: Nobody has made more 3-pointers over the last five seasons than Hield (1,322 at a 39.2% clip).
While he seemed like a good fit in Philly alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid and shot 38.9% from deep in 51 total games with the Sixers, Hield barely played any minutes with both stars on the floor and was DNP’d in two of the team’s six playoff games.
Hield has been remarkably durable, missing just three total games over the last three seasons, but may have lost some value in going from Indiana (where he meshed well with Tyrese Haliburton) to Philadelphia and failing to earn coach Nick Nurse’s full trust in the postseason.
Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies (team option)
Number to know: Among the 343 players with at least 250 3-point attempts over the last four years, Kennard (530-for-1,154, 45.9%) has the highest 3-point percentage.
Kennard even shot 45% last season despite, with the Grizzlies so shorthanded, having the ball in his hands (asked to make plays) more than he had in the previous three seasons.
The final year of Kennard’s contract is a $14.8-million team option. After a season riddled with major injuries, the Grizzlies should be ready to return to the top of the Western Conference standings. Kennard can be a significant part of that revival, maybe under a new contract (after the option is declined). There are also some young wings (who can absorb minutes) on Memphis’ roster.
De’Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers (unrestricted)
Number to know: The Sixers’ most-used lineup — Maxey, Melton, Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum and Embiid — outscored opponents by 34 points per 100 possessions in 219 regular-season minutes. That was the best mark among 104 lineups that played at least 100 minutes.
That lineup’s minutes were limited, of course. And though Embiid returned for the playoffs, Melton (back injury) could only play seven minutes of Game 4 against the Knicks. After shooting 38.8% from 3-point range over the previous three seasons, Melton (who just turned 26) dropped to 36% last season, also shooting a career-low 42.5% inside the arc.
With only three players under contract for next season, the Sixers have a lot of business to do come July 1. But bringing 4/5 of that lineup back, while upgrading at small forward, is certainly a realistic possibility.
Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (unrestricted)
Number to know: Three players in the league who have been with the same franchise for at least the last 12 seasons: Thompson (13), Stephen Curry (15) and Draymond Green (12).
If Thompson doesn’t return, it will mark the end of an era for the Warriors. And you can understand why the franchise might want to move on. Thompson isn’t the same (overall) player he was before he lost two seasons to injury, and he’s trending toward being less of a multi-level scorer and more of just a 3-point shooter. The Warriors were outscored by 1.6 points per 100 possessions in 1,427 minutes with Curry and Thompson on the floor together last season.
But Thompson played in 77 games last season and ranked fourth in total 3-pointers made. He still has value, but he may need to accept a lesser role than he’s had over the last 13 seasons.
Most 3PM among 2024 free agents
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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