Checking In On Notable Remaining Free Agents

Nearly two-and-a-half months after the 2024 free agent period opened, 48 of the 50 players who showed up on our list of this summer’s top 50 FAs have signed new contracts.

Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro, the only restricted free agent remaining on the market, is easily the top player left from our top-50 list, having come in at No. 20. As we wrote at the time, Okoro’s age (23) and defensive ability make him an intriguing option, but he certainly doesn’t come without risk:

“Okoro has flashed real three-and-D upside but has never contributed enough offensively to become an above-average starter. This past season was his best, as he bumped his 3PT% up to 39.1%, but he’s still not shooting all that much (3.1 three-point attempts per game) and his dud of a postseason (5.5 PPG on .357/.257/.778 shooting) did nothing to boost his stock heading into the offseason.”

When we asked over the weekend how Okoro’s free agency will resolve, approximately 60% of our poll respondents predicted that he’d eventually accept his $11.8MM qualifying offer, which would line him up to return to the market as an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

The only other unsigned player on our top-50 list is former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, who ranked 43rd. When I first previewed the point guard free agent class in a Front Office article last May, I said that Fultz’s value was difficult to pin down and that I wouldn’t be surprised if he returned to the Magic on a deal in the $10-15MM range or if he ended up settling for the veteran’s minimum. Clearly, the latter scenario is the more likely outcome at this point.

Here’s part of what we wrote about Fultz in our top-50 breakdown:

“Injuries have limited him to 234 total regular season games since he was drafted in 2017, but his performance in 2022/23 as Orlando’s starting point guard was legitimately impressive (14.0 PPG, 5.7 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, .514 FG%). Unfortunately, he took a step back this past season in terms of both availability and production, and between his injury history and his shortcomings as a shooter, it’s unclear how popular he’ll be on the open market.”

I’d still be surprised if Fultz doesn’t end up on an NBA roster in 2024/25. If you don’t need to rely him to stay healthy and play a major role, he’s a nice option to have off the bench as a change of pace. But it doesn’t bode well for him that he has yet to find a new home.

Here are some other free agents who didn’t make our top 50 but who could receive consideration from NBA teams before the season begins:

Guards

Outside of Fultz, the point guard market looks pretty bare, but Dennis Smith Jr. is a player with a similar skill set (strong defense; not much of a shooter) who is still seeking a home.

Jacob Gilyard would make sense for a team looking to sign a point guard to a two-way deal. Javon Freeman-Liberty and Lester Quinones are among the other youngsters who could warrant a look. Veterans like Isaiah Thomas, Ish Smith, and Ryan Arcidiacono are also available but don’t have the appeal they once did.

A team seeking shooting help should take a long look at Landry Shamet, who is coming off a down year but made 38.8% of 5.2 three-point attempts per game across five seasons from 2018-23.

Other intriguing names still on the market include Victor Oladipo, James Bouknight, and Joshua Primo. A two-time All-Star, Oladipo hasn’t been able to get healthy enough to contribute positive minutes in recent years. Bouknight and Primo are former lottery picks, but Bouknight didn’t establish himself as a reliable rotation player during his three years in Charlotte and Primo has had trouble finding consistent work since being accused of exposing himself to women in San Antonio.

Wings

Jae Crowder, Robert Covington, and Wesley Matthews were once highly coveted three-and-D wings, but they’ve lost a step since their prime years. That’s probably true of Justin Holiday and Reggie Bullock too. All five of those guys are at least 33 years old.

Doug McDermott, who will turn 33 during the 2024/25 season, has long been one of the NBA’s best outside shooters (career .410 3PT%), but his defensive shortcomings have made him a little-used specialist — his 14.1 minutes per game last season represented his lowest mark since his rookie year in ’14/15. Danuel House and Troy Brown are among the other unsigned wings who saw their playing time dip last season.

I thought Oshae Brissett would have an easier time finding work after he declined his player option with the Celtics. He wasn’t great in a limited role last season, but he’s still just 26 years old and has shown promise in the past. Nassir Little is another player coming off a down year who is still young (24) and flashed upside in previous seasons.

Eugene Omoruyi, Lamar Stevens, Kevin Knox, and T.J. Warren are a few more of the wings still seeking contracts.

Bigs

A team in the market for a backup center still has a few veterans to choose from, including JaVale McGee, Bismack Biyombo, Robin Lopez, and Boban Marjanovic.

Those are the safe options. A club looking for more upside might want to take a shot on Montrezl Harrell, who is now over a year removed from a torn ACL, or Moses Brown, an athletic big man who has played for six different teams before his 25th birthday.

Veteran power forwards like Thaddeus Young and Danilo Gallinari may be nearing the end of the road. Gallinari, at least, has expressed interest in playing one more season.

The best power forward still on the market is probably Marcus Morris, who played a major role (65 starts, 28.1 MPG) for the Clippers just two seasons ago and made 40.3% of his three-pointers for Philadelphia and Cleveland in 2023/24.