Notable Free Agent Guards Still Available

We’re nearing the four-week mark of the NBA’s new league year, and most of this year’s best free agents have found new teams — or new deals with their old teams. Only four players from our list of the top 50 free agents of 2018 remain unsigned.

Still, a perusal of our list of 2018’s remaining free agents reveals several noteworthy names. Roster spots around the NBA are becoming scarce, but a number of unsigned players could help out contending teams. Some of these players could sign in the coming days or weeks, while others may have to wait for injuries to open up opportunities.

In a series of posts, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the most notable free agents still on the board, breaking them down by position. That series starts today with a list of some of the most intriguing veteran guards on the open market.

Let’s dive in…

• Dwyane Wade (UFA): Wade is reportedly drawing interest from teams in China, with one club said to have made him a three-year offer worth $25MM. It’s not clear whether the future Hall-of-Famer is legitimately considering a move overseas — at least one report suggesting the rumblings linking Wade to China “aren’t as serious as advertised.” Assuming he stays stateside, he’s expected to decide between a return to the Heat and retirement.
• Jamal Crawford (UFA): The veteran scorer was one of a small handful of veterans to turn down a player option this offseason, passing on a $4.54MM salary with the Timberwolves. Now, he seems unlikely to top that figure, but there should be playoff teams out there willing to give him the veteran’s minimum for a scoring punch off the bench.
• Patrick McCaw (RFA): One of three restricted free agents still available, McCaw probably won’t sign a lucrative offer sheet at this point, so it may simply be a matter of working out a new deal with the Warriors. Golden State is keeping a roster spot open for him.
• Jarrett Jack (UFA): Jack enjoyed a nice bounceback season in 2017/18 as the Knicks’ primary starting point guard. It’s possible that was the last starting job of the 34-year-old’s career, but after posting 7.5 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.1 RPG in 62 games for New York, he has certainly earned a shot as a backup or a third-stringer somewhere.
• Ty Lawson (UFA): After spending last season in China, Lawson returned to the NBA just in time for the playoffs and actually looked pretty good for the Wizards in their first-round loss to Toronto. He averaged 19.2 MPG for the club, averaging 5.8 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.6 RPG while going 5-of-8 from three-point range. So far, that hasn’t been enough to entice a team to roll the dice on him, despite some early interest from the Wizards.
• Mario Chalmers (UFA): Although Chalmers remains confident that he’ll land an NBA job at some point, there haven’t been any real reports linking him to suitors so far this month. He served as Memphis’ backup point guard for most of last season, averaging 21.5 MPG in 66 contests, but struggled with his shot (.379 FG%, .277 3PT%).
• Jason Terry (UFA): Terry spoke repeatedly throughout the 2017/18 season about wanting to play 20 NBA seasons before he retires. He’s at the 19-year mark now, which means he’s probably not ready to call it a career quite yet. Terry has made 39.5% of his three-pointers over the last two seasons with the Bucks, so he can be counted on for a little more than just his solid locker-room presence. Last year, he signed in mid-September — it’s possible that will happen again this time around.
• Jameer Nelson (UFA): Nelson was having a solid season (5.1 PPG, 3.6 APG, .410/.364/.765 shooting) for the Pelicans last season before a pair of trade-deadline deals landed him in Detroit. He only played in seven games the rest of the way and struggled in his limited minutes, but he may still have something left in the tank for a club seeking a reliable veteran to fill out its point guard depth chart.
• Tyrone Wallace (two-way RFA): Few players on two-way contracts were more effective last season than Wallace, who averaged 9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 30 games for the Clippers. The two sides couldn’t agree to a standard NBA deal at the end of the season and haven’t been able to do so this summer either. Given how many guards L.A. on its roster, the team may consider withdrawing Wallace’s two-way qualifying offer at some point to allow him to sign outright with a new club.

Some other free agent guards of note:

• Tony Allen
• Aaron Brooks
• Isaiah Canaan
• Jordan Crawford
• Malcolm Delaney
• Tim Frazier
• Shelvin Mack
  • Note: Mack is believed to be close to a deal with the Grizzlies.
• Ramon Sessions
• Tyler Ulis

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.