Notice who most of the analysts have last or unlisted
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27056694/nba-free-agency-5-5-big-questions-bold-predictionsRank your top five free-agent targets based on value.
Bontemps: Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Khris Middleton, Kyrie Irving
The first three names on this list are easy. Even with injuries, Durant and Thompson are clear max players to me, while Leonard is arguably the best player in the world. After that, the list gets more subjective. I put Middleton fourth because of the value of wing play in today's league, his reliability in the playoffs and his age (27) relative to some of the other options. Irving is fifth over Butler, Tobias Harris and others because of his scoring ability and age (27), despite the issues he had in Boston last season.
Sedano: Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, Bojan Bogdanovic, Seth Curry
Leonard is a no-brainer for the top spot. I prefer building my teams with an emphasis on defense, and Butler is the next-best two-way player available. I know that plenty of people will scream about "THIBS MINUTES!" However, I feel that's overstated. Butler has had only two seasons in which he averaged more than 38 MPG. Middleton, an excellent shooter, was essential to the Bucks' success. Bogdanovic is a great offensive wing who shot 50% from the field and 42.5% from 3, and he's also a much better defender than he gets credit for. Curry is arguably the best pure shooter available, plus he has youth on his side.
Goldsberry: Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Tobias Harris, Kyrie Irving
Like it or not, this is a superstar-driven league, and the most valuable contracts generally belong to either max guys or rookie-scale players outperforming the dollar values of their deals. These five stars have all blended volume and efficiency at very high levels, and with the exception of Harris, they've all done so in huge moments. If a single team can land two of these guys, look out.
Pelton: Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Tyus Jones, Nikola Mirotic, Maxi Kleber
Leonard is the max free agent most likely to be a bargain on his next contract, while Green still appears somewhat undervalued as a star in his role. Jones is an RPM standout who's just 23 and could develop into a starter over the next four years. Mirotic seems underrated because of an ill-timed shooting slump in the conference finals while playing out of position. Kleber's strong 2018-19 season got little attention, but he's a legit 3-point threat who's also an outstanding shot-blocker -- sort of a lesser Brook Lopez who's younger and (likely) cheaper.
Herring: Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving
You could easily mix and match a few of these, depending on who you think will have the greatest impact over the next few seasons -- in terms of not only health but also two-way contributions and specific roles within their teams. With Durant fully healthy or not, Kawhi would arguably deserve top billing at this point because he's younger.
Williams weighs pros and cons of KD to the KnicksJay Williams breaks down the good and the bad of Kevin Durant potentially signing with the Knicks after declining his player option with Golden State.
3. Besides that top five, wh
Topic: Espn ranks top 5 free agents (Read 2361 times)