You all know the names of Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, and Klay Thompson as Sunday’s NBA free agency period is set to begin.
But they’re far from the only players available. There are a whole bunch of lesser-known players — at least to fans — who could exceed the worth of the contracts they’re about to sign, so we’ve picked out nine of those guys and listed them here.
It includes a former All-Star, a few stretch forwards, a guy known for doing the dirty work and a hidden gem of a center who could be important to a contender:
1. Dewayne Dedmon
These days, centers are most valuable if they’re defensive stoppers in the paint or if they stretch the floor from distance. Dedmon hit 38.2 percent of his threes and blocked a shot per game last season for the Hawks. Wouldn’t a contender want that kind of player in its rotation?
2. Jeremy Lamb
Here’s a wing player who just came off of a career-high 15.3 ppg, 5.5 ppg and 1.5 threes per contest who won’t break the bank. VALUE!
3. Seth Curry
Did anyone watch Game 2 of the Western Finals, when he scored 16 points while facing his more famous brother? Someone needs to take a flier and invest in him in the hopes that he’s the same player two years removed from hitting two threes a game for the Mavs.
4. Isaiah Thomas
He’s probably not the player he was in Boston anymore. But if he turns back into a sparkplug scorer off the bench, isn’t that worth a one-year “prove it” deal?
5. Ed Davis
Scan the names on the offensive rebounds per game list and it’s filled with notable big men … and then up pops Davis. Hoops die-hards love his screens and hustle, too.
6. Kevon Looney
It speaks volumes that he played 20.6 minutes per game this postseason for the Warriors even when they were healthy. I bet someone who isn’t Golden State takes a chance on the center.
7. Noah Vonleh
The former lottery pick had a career renaissance with the Knicks, hitting from deep occasionally and rebounding a bunch. A reminder: He’ll turn just 24 in August.
8. JaMychal Green
In 24 games with the Clippers after they acquired him in the Avery Bradley trade, he 41.3 percent from deep and 52.2 percent (!) in six playoff games. Stretch four GOLD!
9. Reggie Bullock
Do you see a pattern emerging? Teams love to shoot threes these days and having a player who’s 6-foot-7 doing so helps. Ignore his struggles with the Lakers, that was just a small sample size of 19 games. He’s a career 39.2 percent from distance.
