Sports
Here are the best remaining NBA free agents – NBC Philadelphia
The opening week of 2024 NBA free agency has seen some major moves across the league.
The Philadelphia 76ers pulled off the biggest free agent heist, luring Paul George away from the Los Angeles Clippers on a four-year, $212 million max deal. Philadelphia also retained rising star Tyrese Maxey on a five-year, $204 million extension.
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Another star who changed teams in free agency was DeMar DeRozan, who went from the Chicago Bulls to the Sacramento Kings via a reported three-year, $76 million sign-and-trade.
While the Clippers lost George, they were able to bring back James Harden on a two-year, $70 million deal. LeBron James unsurprisingly remained in Hollywood as well, re-upping with the Los Angeles Lakers on a reported two-year, $104 million deal.
Meanwhile, Klay Thompson’s legendary run with the Golden State Warriors came to an end as he joined the Dallas Mavericks via a reported three-year, $50 million sign-and-trade. Isaiah Hartenstein departed the New York Knicks for a reported three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. And former Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope brought some much-needed shooting to the Orlando Magic on a reported three-year, $66 million deal.
So, who’s still available on the open market? Here’s a look at the best remaining free agents (listed alphabetically by last name):
Beverley carved out a role with two contenders in his age-35 season, first with the Sixers and then with the Bucks following a midseason trade. Across 73 combined appearances, he posted 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 20.0 minutes per game. The defense-first guard shot 33.7% from deep and 41.7% overall.
Bey‘s status for the start of next season is in doubt after suffering a torn ACL in March. The 25-year-old averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes over 63 games last season, but saw his 3-point efficiency dip to a career-low 31.6%.
Dinwiddie, 31, joined the Lakers midseason in 2023-24 after being traded from Brooklyn to Toronto and subsequently bought out. In 28 games with the Lakers, he averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists in 24.2 minutes, shooting 39.7% from the field and 38.9% from deep.
While Fultz isn’t a threat from deep, the former No. 1 overall pick has proven he can still be a contributor with his defense and creation skills. The 26-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 21.2 minutes across 43 games last season. His shooting efficiency did, however, dip across the board with splits of 47.2/22.2/69.7 after showing improvement in that department the prior season.
The 27-year-old Highsmith is a G League success story. After logging 100-plus G League appearances, Highsmith established himself as a rotation player on the Heat over the past couple of seasons. He made 26 starts across 66 games last season, averaging 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 20.7 minutes while shooting 39.6% from 3 and 46.5% overall.
Jones was a full-time starter for the first time in his career in 2023-24 following an offseason trade from Memphis to Washington. The 28-year-old averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists in 66 games on strong 48.9/41.3/80.0 shooting splits.
The Grizzlies declined Kennard‘s $14.8 million team option, allowing the sharpshooter to hit free agency. Kennard, 28, was limited to just 39 games last season, but continued to light it up from deep. The career 43.9% 3-point shooter made 45% of his attempts from long range while posting 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per game.
Lowry‘s disappointing tenure with the Heat ended with him being traded to the Hornets midseason and subsequently bought out. But the Philadelphia native enjoyed a strong finish to the 2023-24 season after joining his hometown Sixers, averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 assists in 28.4 minutes over 23 games. The 38-year-old shot 40.4% from 3 and 44.4% overall.
Okoro, a restricted free agent, is coming off the best 3-point shooting season of his career at 39.1%. The defense-first former No. 5 overall pick averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 27.3 minutes over 69 games.
Trent Jr. is another sharpshooter who’s still available. The 25-year-old shot 39.3% from deep last season while averaging 13.7 points in 28.1 minutes over 71 games.
Walker IV can be a bucket-getter off the bench. The 25-year-old posted 9.7 points in 17.4 minutes over 58 games last season. He shot 42.3% overall and improved his 3-point percentage for a second straight year at 38.4%.
