Every Single 2018 NBA Free Agent

June 27th, 2018 | by Dan Clayton

Welcome to the definitive guide on 2018 NBA free agents.

This is the only place you’ll find a sentence or two on every single 2018 free agent (or potential free agent) who played in the NBA last season. That’s some bite-sized analysis, sometimes Jazz-focused and sometimes more general, on more than 250 NBA players.

Players are listed in order of their 2017-28 Wins Above Replacement1 (WAR). Utah’s own guys are highlighted in Jazz yellow.

We’ve separated the players into four groups:

  • Free agents
  • Players with non-guaranteed contracts
  • Players coming off two-way contracts
  • Players who didn’t end the season on a roster

Key: UFA: Unrestricted free agent, RFA: Restricted free agent, PO: Player option, TO: Team option. Non-gtd: All of part of salary is not guaranteed. ($): previous salary.

Current as of 11:10 a.m. EDT on 7/26.

 


Main Section: Free Agents

The biggest domino to fall in 2018 free agency is this fella. (Melissa Majchrzak via cavs.com)

LeBron James: 24.0 WAR, UFA ($33.3M). The King opted out! He isn’t likely to consider the Jazz (even though he probably should), and they would have a hard time creating a $35M salary slot anyway. 4/$153M LAL.

Nikola Jokic: 15.1 WAR, RFA (previous salary $1.5M). Denver declined their option on the Joker so they can sign him to an already-agreed-upon $147 million contract. So he’s technically an RFA for a hot minute, but he’s not available. 5/$147M Denver.

Kevin Durant: 12.1 WAR, UFA ($25M). KD declined his $26.3M PO, but reports say he has no intention of leaving the Bay Area. 2/$62M GSW.

Chris Paul: 11.6 WAR, UFA ($24.6M). Houston is where he wants to be, and now he gets to reap the benefit of signing a long-term deal after negotiating to get rid of the Over-36 rule. 4/$160M Houston.

DeMarcus Cousins: 8.9 WAR, UFA ($18.0M). The polarizing big man is unquestionably talented, but doesn’t seem to fit the Jazz’s vibe. 1/$5.3M GSW.

Paul George: 8.9 WAR, UFA ($19.5M). PG will get himself up to a $10M raise by opting out, though it would be difficult for the Jazz to give him that payday. 4/$137M OKC.

Kyle Anderson: 8.1 WAR, RFA ($2.1M). The unconventional-but-gifted Anderson started to put it together this past season, with career bests across counting stats and advanced metrics — but can the Jazz have two players nicknamed “Slow-Mo?” 4/$38M from Memphis (SA can match).

Clint Capela: 7.0 WAR, RFA ($2.3M). Houston will make sure they keep Capela, one of the best centers in the league in terms being able to protect the paint AND guard out in space on switches.

DeAndre Jordan: 6.8 WAR, UFA ($22.6M). Sounds like DJ might be ready to move on from the Clippers, and word is he might have opted out so he could sign in Dallas. 1/$24M Dallas.

Derrick Favors: 6.8 WAR, UFA ($12M). Utah’s own top free agent is one of the most valuable UFAs overall in this entire group. Stays with the Jazz! 2/$36M.

Tyreke Evans: 6.2 WAR, UFA ($3.3M). ‘Reke has converted nearly 39 percent of his threes in the past three seasons, but he has also played for three teams in the last two years and was sent away by the Grizzlies. 1/$12M Indiana.

Kyle O’Quinn: 6.2 WAR, UFA ($4.1M). O’Quinn doesn’t really protect the rim or make outside shots — and most modern bigs do one of those at least — but he just had his most efficient season yet by cutting long twos and getting to the line more. 1/$4.4M Indiana.

Will Barton: 5.4 WAR, UFA ($3.5M). Will the Thrill is basically instant buckets off the bench — not entirely different from what Alec Burks is, although he’s a better (more consistent) version of it. 4/$54M Denver.

Trevor Ariza: 5.4 WAR, UFA ($7.4M). His style of play and strengths actually suit the Jazz pretty well, although high timeline perhaps less so: he’ll be 33 before free agency hits. 1/$15M Phoenix.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 5.1 WAR, UFA ($17.7M). KCP just had his best year from deep (38%) and on the glass (8.4% rebound rate), but otherwise looked roughly the same as the Pistons version. 1/$12M LAL.

Julius Randle: 4.3 WAR, UFA ($4.4M). The skilled-and-smart former No. 7 pick has gotten continually better, but he still doesn’t space the floor *or* protect the rim. The Lakers rescinded him on 7/2. 2/$18M New Orleans.

Anthony Tolliver: 4.1 WAR, UFA ($3.5M). The 33-year-old stretch big had a great year from three, leaves a little to be desired on defense and rebounding. 1/$5.5M, Minnesota.

Montrezl Harrell: 4.1 WAR, RFA ($1.5M). The energy guy finally got a chance to show he belongs in the league, averaged 14 & 5 after January 6. 2/$12M LA Clippers.

Amir Johnson: 4.1 WAR, UFA ($12M). One wonders if the 34-percent career three-point shooter could be a more consistent outside threat if he averaged more than one attempt every third game. 1/Min Philadelphia.

Fred VanVleet: 4.1 WAR, RFA ($1.3M). VanVleet became the key guy on one of the best benches in the league, so expect Toronto to match anything reasonable, especially if they’re shopping Kyle Lowry. 2/$18M Toronto.

David West: 3.5 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Does the 15-year vet want to do anything other than defend his back-to-back titles with GSW?

Greg Monroe: 3.2 WAR, UFA ($5M). His game might feel like a relic (which helps explain why three teams have employed him in the last year), but he did just have his most efficient season ever.

Jusuf Nurkic: 3.2 WAR, RFA ($2.9M). Nurk’s first full season in Portland also happened to be his best season as a pro so far. 4/$48-53M with Portland. 

Dirk Nowitzki: 3.0 WAR, UFA ($5M). Dallas declined the team option so they can use their cap space, but there’s no way Dirk will play anywhere but there next season. They’ll sign him, probably with the $4.3M room exception, when they’re done spending. 1/$5M Dallas.

Joe Harris: 3.0 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). In his two seasons in Brooklyn, Harris has really established himself as a shooter and rotational piece, and will be a value pick-up for somebody this summer. 2/$16M Brooklyn.

Brook Lopez: 3.0 WAR, UFA ($22.6M). Lopez had a considerably smaller role in his first non-Net season, and is starting to move his game outside (35% on over 700 three-point attempts the past two season). 1/$3.3M Milwaukee.

JJ Redick: 3.0 WAR, UFA ($23M). A year ago, Redick gambled that he could increase his value if he took a one-year deal, then put up a career-high 17.1 ppg for Philadelphia. Does he gamble again or go for security? He’s 34, after all. Philadelphia 1/$12-13M.

Dwight Howard: 3.0 WAR, UFA (buyout from Bkn). Well that was fun: I added Dwight after his buyout from the Nets, only to immediately grey him out as he joins Washington: 1/$5.3M Washington.

Wayne Ellington: 2.7 WAR, UFA ($6.3M). The journeyman (seven teams in nine years) is a bit of a specialist, but just had another good year shooting the ball: 39% from three, .588 TS. 1/$6.2M Miami.

Aaron Gordon: 2.7 WAR, RFA ($5.5M). The Magic don’t have much else to show for their five (soon to be six) straight seasons of picking in the lottery, so they almost have to keep Gordon for optics reasons. 4/$82M Orlando.

Elfrid Payton: 2.7 WAR, RFA ($3.3M). Payton isn’t a Jazz fit and won’t be a Jazz target, despite being the owner of the most newsworthy haircut of 2018 so far. 1/$?? New Orleans.

Alex Len: 2.7 WAR, UFA ($4.1M). Len took the qualifying offer last year so that he could become an unrestricted free agent, but has more or less plateaued in terms of growth over the past three seasons. 2/$8.5M Atlanta.

Salah Mejri: 2.4 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Mejri could be a nice complement to Rudy Gobert as a low-minute center with defensive chops, if the team decides to walk away from Udoh. 1/Min Dallas.

Nemanja Bjelica: 2.4 WAR, UFA ($3.9M). Jazz fans know this name by now; as a shooting big (42% from three), he’s someone who has been mentioned as a possible fit in Utah, and his QO was withdrawn so he’s unrestricted. Backed out of a 1/$4.4M agreement with Philadelphia to sign 3/$20.5M with Sacramento.

Ersan Ilyasolva: 2.4 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Turkish Thunder has bounced around a lot recently (five teams in three years), but has stayed pretty consistent as a low double-digit scorer who makes threes in the mid-30s range. 3/$21M Milwaukee.

Eric Moreland: 2.4 WAR, UFA ($1.7M). The Oregon State product came into the season having played just 50 NBA minutes, and then spent the season going in and out of Detroit’s rotation.

Luc Mbah a Moute: 2.2 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). After seeing him battle Utah in two straight postseasons, Jazz fans know what Luc offers: elite wing defense, solid spot shooting. 1/$4.3M LAC.

Shabazz Napier: 2.2 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). After a shaky start, Bazz has found himself in a reserve role in Portland, but the Blazers opted not to give him a QO. 2/$?? Brooklyn.

Davis Bertans: 2.2 WAR, RFA ($1.7M). Bertans does one thing really well, and that’s perform a modern-day impression of bygone Spur Matt Bonner. 2/$14.5M San Antonio.

Lucas Nogueira: 2.2 WAR, UFA ($2.9M). Four years in and Bebe still hasn’t really cracked the rotation. He was not given a QO ($4.7M). 

Zaza Pachulia: 1.9 WAR, UFA ($3.5M). He’s a nominal starter and helps set the physical tone for the Warriors to start each half, but his skills are limited, which is why he rarely returns for a second stint. 1/Min Detroit.

Javale McGee: 1.9 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). He has had some important moments for the Warriors, whose system has helped the star of Shaqtin’ segments look more mature and score more judiciously. 1/Min LA Lakers.

Kevon Looney: 1.9 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). The Dubs didn’t pick up his fourth-year option, which means he’s available and unrestricted, even after playing a pretty big role in their championship run (18 mpg in the playoffs). 1/Min GSW.

Ed Davis: 1.9 WAR, UFA ($6.4M). He’s too good to be Gobert’s backup, and doesn’t shoot well enough to play with him. 1/$4.4M Brooklyn.

Rudy Gay: 1.9 WAR, UFA ($8.4M). For the second straight year, Gay opted out of good money to find a better situation; he’s not exactly a “stretch” four in a strictest sense, but could still fill the Joe Johnson-esque, go-get-buckets type role off the bench. 1/$10M San Antonio.

Marcus Smart: 1.6 WAR, RFA ($4.5M). Smart isn’t really a shooter, but he’s nails tough and does a ton of the little things that lead to wins. Boston probably matches. 4/$53M Boston.

Yogi Ferrell: 1.6 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). Cool story: the undrafted guard was cut by Brooklyn and then found a situation in Dallas where he could play and get better. 2/$6.2M Sacramento (after initially agreeing with Dallas).

Jerami Grant: 1.6 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Grant showed some value against the Jazz in the first round — OKC honestly should have given more of Melo’s minutes to him — but it’s a hard time to be 6’8″ without a jumper. 3/$27M OKC.

Mario Hezonja: 1.4 WAR, UFA ($4.1M). Orlando declined his fourth-year option and then Hez had his best year yet (10 & 4 on league-average TS), reviving hope that he might be worth a flier. 1/$6.5M New York.

Nerlens Noel: 1.1 WAR, UFA ($4.1M). Weird year for Noel after taking the QO last summer; Dallas clearly knew he wasn’t in the long-term plan, and perhaps because of that, he had a relative dud of a year. 2/Min OKC.

James Ennis: 1.1 WAR, UFA ($3.0M). Ennis is an on-again, off-again shooter who has only really been part of a good team’s rotation one time (Memphis in 2016-17). 2/$4M Houston.

Trevor Booker: 1.1 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Despite being a Jazz fan favorite, Book doesn’t really have the skills Quin Snyder prefers at the PF spot.

Rajon Rondo: 1.1 WAR, UFA ($3.3M). Rondo had a nice late-season stretch and a good first round series. Doesn’t fit what the Jazz are doing, but he probably stoked some interest elsewhere. 1/$9M LAL.

Corey Brewer: 1.1 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). He’s a better shooter than Andre Roberson, but OKC couldn’t quite replace the latter’s elite defensive value when they signed Brewer for the stretch run.

Jonas Jerebko: 1.1 WAR, UFA ($4M). Jae Crowder’s arrival in Utah complicated Jerebko’s role to some degree, which is probably why Utah let the Swedish Swish go before his guarantee date. 1/Min Golden State.

Treveon Graham: 0.8 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). The Jazz had Graham in their 2015-16 training camp, but ultimately let him go on final cuts. 2/min Brooklyn.

Michael Carter-Williams: 0.8 WAR, UFA ($2.7M). Man, how weird is that 2013 draft in retrospect? The Jazz won’t likely be looking for point guards, especially ones who can’t shoot. 1/Min Houston.

Marco Belinelli: 0.8 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). If you’re keeping score at home, that’s nine teams in 11 years, but he had a solid partial season and Philly and helped them win a couple of playoff games. 2/$12M San Antonio.

Pat Connaughton: 0.8 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). (No QO given.) In his first season with a regular role, Connaughton gave Portland league-average TS and 35% on threes.

Dante Cunningham: 0.5 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Still playing decent role-player minute nine years in, and in the past three seasons he has started to introduce an outside shot to his game. 1/$?? San Antonio.

Michael Beasley: 0.5 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Beas keeps hanging around; had another double-digit scoring year (13.2) for New York. 1/$?? LA Lakers.

Vince Carter: 0.5 WAR, UFA ($8M). Will the 20-year vet ever retire? 1/min Atlanta.

Al Jefferson: 0.5 WAR, UFA ($9.8M). Big Al was waived on July 2 and becomes an unrestricted free agent, but don’t expect a Jazz-Jefferson reunion.

Troy Williams: 0.5 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The shaky-shooting wing has still never appeared in more than 30 games in a season, and was let go by the Knicks in mid July. 1/min New Orleans.

Aron Baynes: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($4.3M). The Kiwi basically matched his career norms in his first Beantown season. 2/$11M Boston.

David Nwaba: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). He looked better in his second season, but Chicago pulled their QO so they could make an offer to Jabari Parker.

Jeff Green: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). His playoffs were mostly a mess, but he had some nice moments while filling in for Kevin Love. 1/Min Washington.

Channing Frye: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($7.4M). Frye was trade twice during his last contract, including during Cleveland’s midseason attempt to put a deeper unit around James. 1/Min Cleveland.

Tarik Black: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($3.3M). The undrafted forward has been a low-minute reserve for four seasons with the Rockets and Lakers.

Andre Ingram: 0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Signed with just days left in the Lakers’ regular season after a nice showing with their G League squad.

Joffrey Lauvergne: 0.3 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Reports indicate that the French big man’s decision to opt out was tied to an overseas offer from Fenerbahce, a Euro power. Signed overseas.

Tyler Cavanaugh: 0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Signed a rest-of-season contract after starting the year as Atlanta’s two-way player, but was waived in May.

Shane Larkin: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Saw some limited minutes in Boston due to the Celtics’ injury woes.

Jonathan Gibson: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The guard signed with Boston just days before the end of the regular season.

Rodney Hood: 0.0 WAR, RFA ($2.3M). Weird year for Hood, but his play toward the end of the Finals might have helped him restore some faith around the league.

Kendrick Perkins: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Cleveland signed him to preside over the bench during the playoffs.

Jose Calderon: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). The veteran shooter and facilitator gradually fell from Cleveland’s rotation in his 13th NBA year. 1/Min Detroit.

Okaro White: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). After two 10-days, signed on at the end of the regular season.

Devin Harris: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($4.4M). The veteran guard, former All-Star and erstwhile Jazz starter is still contributing, and reports say he could return to Dallas after the Mavs dealt him to Denver midseason. 1/min Dallas.

Gerald Green: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Joined the Houston bench part-way through the year and proved he can still score in bursts. 1/Min Houston.

Lance Stephenson: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($4.4M). Indy passed on his team option, even though Lance played big minutes for them. They’ll still have Early Bird rights (unless/until they rescind his free agent hold). 1/$4.5M LA Lakers.

Glenn Robinson: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Struggled to stay healthy this season, but he shot well when he played. 2/$8.3M Detroit.

Omari Johnson: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Signed a non-guaranteed multi-year deal late in the year with Memphis, then was waived on 6/24.

Dwayne Wade: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). The 15-year vet showed signs of life after his Miami reunion. 

Jabari Parker: 0.0 WAR, RFA ($6.7M). His injuries have made him a bit of an enigma, but the former No. 2 overall pick still has potential to be an elite scoring threat. 2/$40M Chicago.

Jason Terry: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Nineteen years in, JET is still jetting, one of just three players left who played in the ’90s NBA.

Jordan Crawford: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Joined the Pels at the end of the year.

Lorenzo Brown: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Toronto converted his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal on the last day of the regular season. 1/min Toronto.

Dante Exum: 0.0 WAR, RFA ($5.0M). Made his way back to the court with 14 games left; had a promising spring, although the time lost to injury has left some questions unanswered. Exum stays in Utah! 3/$33M.

David Stockton: 0.0 WAR, RFA (prorated minimum). A few outlets have different reports on whether he has a non-guaranteed second year or just matching rights, but either way, the Jazz get to control the decision here.

Tim Frazier: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($2M). The point guard earned rotation minutes behind John Wall and Tomas Satoransky.

Thomas Bryant: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($800K). The Lakers’ quest for cap space made Bryant an early casualty. Claimed off waivers by Washington.

Alan Williams: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($6M). “Big Sauce” cleared waivers on Independence Day, so the 6-foot-8 center is now to free to sign with anyone.

Julyan Stone: 0.0 WAR, $1.7M Non-gtd. Will likely stay under contract for now, but could become available later when his contract becomes guaranteed in August. (Was traded and then waived in July).

Kyle Collinsworth: 0.0 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The BYU grad had some nice moments late in the season with Dallas. The Mavs cut his $1.4M non-guaranteed contract to be able to maneuver under the cap, but kept him on their Summer League team, a possible sign that he could be back.

Alfonzo McKinnie: 0.0 WAR, UFA ($816K). McKinnie’s guarantee date was later (7/20), so Toronto read the free agent landscape before deciding to let go of the 1-year vet.

Quincy Acy: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Acy has been trying to rebrand himself as an outside-shooting big, with mixed results: 41% two seasons ago, 35% last season.

Zach LaVine: -0.3 WAR, RFA ($3.2M). The freak athlete will have suitors even thought injuries have interrupted his growth curve. 4/$78M matched by Chicago.

Alex Poythress: -0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The Kentucky product did play off and on for Indy, but usually in short spurts. Two-way deal with Atlanta.

Udonis Haslem: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). I think it’s in the NBA bylaws somewhere that Haslem can’t play for a team other than the Heat.

Marcus Georges-Hunt: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). Got an opportunity because of injuries, but his 27 percent three-point shooting might not have converted a lot of believers.

Aaron Brooks: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). The veteran guard keeps hanging around despite not being a great shooter.

Nick Collison: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). The only player to be a Thunder for every second of the team’s OKC era — but it looks like he’s about to hang ’em up.

Shelvin Mack: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($6M). Orlando waived him before his 6/29 guarantee deadline, so the former Jazz starter is back on the market. He’s coming off a career year in assists (3.9) and assist per 36 (6.2).

Marreese Speights: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). After years of relevance with the Clips and Warriors, Speights played a smaller role with the rebuilding Magic last season.

Bruno Caboclo: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.5M). The Brazilian didn’t see much court time in the final year of his rookie scale contract, either before or after Toronto dealt him to Sacramento, and didn’t get issued a $3.5M QO.

Raul Neto: -0.3 WAR, RFA ($1.5M). Neto is close with Utah star Rudy Gobert, but might be a casualty of the Jazz having several guards who need minutes. Neto stays with the Jazz! 2/$4.4M.

Chris McCullough: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). His fourth year option wasn’t picked up, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Mike Scott: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). World’s Best Boss just had his best year from three-point land and tied a career high for minutes per game. 1/Min LA Clippers.

Tyler Ennis: -0.3 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). His salary would have become guaranteed on July 5, so instead he was waived, a casualty of the Lakers’ free agency ambitions.

Aaron Jackson: -0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Houston awarded him with a deal at the very end of the regular season, then picked up the option on his second year (non-gtd).

Nigel Hayes: -0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). After being under contract with the Kings for 12 days of last season, Hayes and his $1.3M non-guaranteed salary were waived by Sacramento.

Georgios Papagiannis: -0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The Blazers scooped him up after the Kings decided to move on from the Greek Not-So-Freak, but he didn’t get much of a shot in Portland.

Jaylen Morris: -0.3 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Earned a rest-of-season from Atlanta after his two 10-day deals ran out, but then they waived his 2018-19 salary (non-gtd) to make room for the Melo trade.

Jahlil Okafor: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($5M). Just three years after being a No. 3 overall pick, Okafor is an unrestricted free agent.

Noah Vonleh: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($3.5M). Vonleh got more opportunities (and consequently counting stats) after his trade to Chicago, but he’s still figuring out the game in some ways, which is probably why no $4.2M QO. 1/min New York.

Doug McDermott: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($3.3M). The shooting specialist has already played for four teams in the NBA since being a late lottery pick in the 2014 Draft, and it could be five soon: Dallas won’t be issuing a QO. 3/$22M Indiana.

Richard Jefferson: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). By the looks of it, Jefferson might finally be done after 17 NBA seasons.

Dwight Buycks: -0.5 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). The point guard made it back for 29 games after two years on the fringe, but an off shooting year (.498 TS) won’t help his stock.

Travis Wear, -0.5 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). His shooting earned him some minutes with the Lakers down the stretch of their season. Two-way deal, LA Lakers.

Luke Babbitt: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($2.1M). Babbitt couldn’t find his shot after the February trade to Miami, but when he’s clicking he’s a stretchy combo forward who shots over 40% from three.

Jordan Mickey: -0.5 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Didn’t play much after helping Miami weather some December injury woes; his QO would be more than the team option they declined, so he’ll probably end up an unrestricted FA.

Nik Stauskas: -0.8 WAR, UFA ($3.8M). It’s official: Brooklyn did not issue a QO to the former No. 8 pick. In fact, they will likely have to rescind his rights altogether in order to complete the Dwight Howard trade. 1/Min Brooklyn.

Patrick McCaw: -0.8 WAR, RFA ($1.3M). Injuries messed with McCaw’s progress a little bit, but he was a rotation player for the eventual champs, which has some amount of cachet.

Mario Chalmers: -0.8 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Hard to judge anybody too harshly based on all the nonsense in Memphis last season, but Rio’s return to the NBA wasn’t his best statistical year.

Raymond Felton: -0.8 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Raise your hand if you had Felton lasting longer in the NBA than 2005 draft peer Deron Williams. 1/Min OKC. 

Ramon Sessions: -0.8 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Sessions got the call to finish the season out with Washington.

Joe Young: -1.1 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). The Pacers declined his $1.6M team option, so don’t expect them to tender the required $1.7M QO. Finally got regular minutes last season & improved to 38% shooting from three.

Malcolm Delaney: -1.1 WAR, UFA ($2.5M). Delaney helped his value out by making 37% of his threes last year. Turkey – but with NBA outs?

Shabazz Muhammad: -1.1 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). He took the buyout from Minny, where he was playing just 9.4 minutes per game, so he could go to Milwaukee and play 10.6.

Bryn Forbes: -1.1 WAR, RFA ($1.3M). Forbes became a steady rotation guy and rewarded San Antonio with 39 percent from deep. 2yrs $? San Antonio.

Jameer Nelson: -1.4 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Age might be catching up to the 14-year vet, who just had his worst statistical year yet.

Joe Johnson: -1.4 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Johnson was unplayably bad for Utah and then saw spot duty for Houston. The tank might be getting low.

Josh Huestis: -1.4 WAR, UFA ($1.5M). Huestis regressed pretty significantly in his first year as a rotation regular: .417 TS really hurts a team’s efficiency.

Nick Young: -1.6 WAR, UFA ($5.2M). That’s NBA champion Nick Young to you. 

Derrick Rose: -1.6 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). It was his worst regular season by far, but coach Tom Thibodeau told Minny-area radio he’s “hopeful” his former star will stay put. 1/Min Minnesota.

Jarrett Jack: -1.6 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Jack has started 57 percent of his games in the last five seasons despite being a replacement-level player during that span. Never underestimate coaches’ love for veteran moxie. 

Tony Parker: -1.6 WAR, UFA ($15.4M). It’s hard to imagine the Spurs without Parker, but both sides have some decisions to make this summer. 2/$10M Charlotte.

Ian Clark: -1.9 WAR, UFA ($1.6M). Leaving the Warriors’ halo seemed to impact his shooting some, but Clark still had a good playoffs for the Pelicans. 1/Min New Orleans.

Isaiah Thomas: -1.9 WAR, UFA ($6.3M). It wasn’t that long ago that Thomas was getting some love in the MVP race. Now, it’s unclear  where he fits and who will make him a free agent priority. 1/Min Denver.

Sean Kilpatrick: -1.9 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Four NBA teams employed Kilpatrick this season alone! Bounding around didn’t seem to help him, as he regressed after two solid seasons as a rotation guy in Brooklyn.

Arron Afflalo: -1.9 WAR, UFA ($2.3M). Career lows across the board for AA. Is he washed, or is that just Orlando prioritizing the young guys’ opportunities?

Avery Bradley: -2.2 WAR, UFA ($8.8M). Bradley is better than this, but this is still a rough time to enter the free agent market after an up-and-down season. 2/$25M LAC.

Jamal Crawford: -2.2 WAR, UFA ($4.3M). Crawford is an explosive bench scorer, but has serious limitations on defense.

Paul Zipser: -2.2 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). The Bulls cut his non-guaranteed salary to accommodate the Jabari Parker signing.

Isaiah Taylor: -2.7 WAR, UFA (prorated minimum). Atlanta decided to spend the season seeing if they could convert Taylor from combo guard to pure point. His assists went way up, but shooting is still a challenge for him.

Tyler Ulis: -3.5 WAR, UFA ($1.3M). Ulis had some good games for Phoenix, though his size is going to be an issue in today’s switch-happy NBA. He was cut on 6/30 before his contract became guaranteed.

Note: Seth Curry was not on this list since he didn’t play in the NBA in 2017-18 but he has agreed to a 2/$5.6M deal with Portland.


Non-guaranteed contracts 

Thabo Sefolosha had his non-guaranteed salary picked up on July 2.

Spencer Dinwiddie: 3.5 WAR, $1.7M Non-gtd. Dinwiddie was a revelation last season, dropping 16 20-point games while Brooklyn patched together a guard rotation despite injuries to Jeremy Lin & others.

Trey Burke: 1.6 WAR, $1.8M Non-gtd. I’m glad Trey found some life in the Big Apple, but the Jazz are probably not interested in revisiting that relationship.

Royce O’Neale: 1.1 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. Royce is so valuable defensively that his minimum-salary deal is an absolute steal, and Utah will have matching rights after his third year if they want them.

Khem Birch: 0.8 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. Birch is guaranteed $25K whether the Magic cut him today or right before next season, so they’ll probably keep him on the roster for training camp.

Patrick Beverley: 0.5 WAR, $5.0M Non-gtd. Pat is better than a 0.5 WAR player when healthy, but it probably won’t matter; he’s fully non-guaranteed, so there’s no reason for LAC not to keep him.

Shaquille Harrison: 0.5 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. Another guy who earned himself a non-guaranteed deal after playing hard on 10-days; he’ll likely attend camp with Phoenix.

CJ Williams: 0.3 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. It looks like the deal is fully non-guaranteed, which means LAC will likely keep him at least into the fall.

Tyler Zeller: 0.3 WAR, $1.9M Non-gtd. It doesn’t cost Milwaukee anything to keep the rotational center into training camp.

Emeka Okafor: 0.3 WAR, $2.4M Non-gtd. $100K of his salary will become guaranteed in mid July, and another $100K when the season starts.

DeAndre Liggins: 0.0 WAR, $1.8M Non-gtd. Whirlwind year: was traded twice, waived twice, and signed two 10-days before finally inking a non-guaranteed multi-year deal with the Pels.

Wade Baldwin: 0.0 WAR, $1.5M Non-gtd. It’s rare for a team to waive their first-rounder after a single season, but after the Grizz cut him loose, Portland gave him a shot.

Dorian Finney-Smith: -0.3 WAR, $1.5M Non-gtd. $100K of his salary is guaranteed, which additional guarantee triggers in the fall for small amounts.

Brandon Jennings: -0.3 WAR, $2.2M Non-gtd. Once a solid and conscience-less scorer, Jennings is clinging to NBA life; he appeared in just 14 games for the Bucks.

Cole Aldrich: -0.3 WAR, $7M Non-gtd. His contract becomes fully guaranteed after June 30, so expect him to be waived before then — which will cost the Wolves his $2M guarantee.

Brandon Paul: -0.3 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. Paul’s contract will guarantee on August 1, well after the Spurs will have a sense for their basic roster construction.

Antonius Cleveland:  -0.3 WAR, $1.3M Non-gtd. Chicago claimed him off waivers, but he still has a fully non-guaranteed deal.

Isaiah Whitehead: -0.5 WAR, $1.5M Non-gtd. The Coney Island native saw a lot less court time in year two with Brooklyn, but his non-guaranteed salary means it’s likely he’ll stick around.

Zhou Qi: -0.5 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. The enormous Chinese center shot 19 percent from the field, including 11 percent from three. 

Andrew Harrison: -0.5 WAR, $1.5M Non-gtd. Becomes guaranteed if not waived by July 1.

Rodney Purvis: -1.1 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. Another young shooting guard who hasn’t shot the ball well.

Abdel Nader: -1.4 WAR, $1.4M Non-gtd. It was reported that the Celtics were waiving the wing, but then they traded him to OKC instead. The Thunder can still cut him; only $450K of his salary is guaranteed.

Note: Technically, the players who signed two-way contracts for two seasons are also non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed for the upcoming season: Mangok Mathiang, Reggie Hearn, R.J. Hunter, Edmond Sumner, Devon Robinson (0.0), John Holland, Jalen Jones (-0.5) and Kobi Simmons (-1.6). 


Players Coming Off Two-Way Contracts

Georges Niang (via SLC Stars)

Two-way players who spent at least 15 days “up” with the NBA club can be made restricted free agents if their teams tender them a qualifying offer of a standard two-way contract with $50K guaranteed.

Luke Kornet: 0.5 WAR, RFA (two-way contract). The Knicks’ two-way guy saw 20 games’ worth of NBA action, and they’ve tendered a QO to make him restricted.

Jakarr Sampson: 0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Finished the season as a two-way player for the Kings.

Myke Henry (0.3 WAR), UFA (two-way). Waived off the second year of his two-way contract with Memphis.

Jabari Bird: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). No, not that Jabari. This one was a two-way player for the Cs.

Marcus Paige: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). The former Jazz second-round pick just wrapped the season as a two-way player for Charlotte.

Chris Boucher: 0.0 WAR, UFA (two-way). Golden State had originally signed him for a two-year stint on a two-way contract, but waived him after the 2018 draft.

Ben Moore: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Saw very little NBA action as Indiana’s two-way big.

Tyrone Wallace: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). The former Jazz pick earned a rotation spot with the Clippers during their playoff push.

Derrick Jones: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Miami has the inside lane on keeping him if they want. 2/(Min?) Miami.

Marshall Plumlee: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Milwaukee can secure matching rights by offering him another two-way deal with $50K guaranteed.

Anthony Brown: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Saw 20 minutes of combined action for the Magic and Wolves.

Daniel Hamilton: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Played mostly garbage time in six appearances for OKC.

PJ Dozier: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Saw the court twice for the Thunder.

Jack Cooley: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Jazz fans still love him after his stint on the Wasatch Front, and he earned some love from Sacto, too.

Matt Costello: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Saw limited action with the Spurs in four games.

Malcolm Miller: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). Had a stretch of games in March where he regularly played for the Raps.

Georges Niang: 0.0 WAR, RFA (two-way). The skilled forward was credited with helping Exum get ready to return. 3/Min Utah.

Erik McCree: 0.0 WAR, UFA (two-way). Still looking for his first NBA points after appearing in four Jazz games.

James Webb: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Got 10 NBA games as a two-way guy in Brooklyn, but couldn’t really make a shot: 25 percent shooting overall.

Milton Doyle: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Like Webb, he got a shot, but couldn’t shoot: 28 percent shooting in 10 games.

Kadeem Allen: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Boston’s second-round pick from last summer appeared in 18 games as a two-way player.

Torrey Craig: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Denver likes Craig, but they’ll have some competition after he looked the part of a rotational wing.

London Perrantes: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Spent training camp with the Spurs, then appeared in 14 games with the Cavs, and now is headed to Summer League with the Spurs. 

Markel Brown: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). The Rockets added him as a two-way player in mid January but didn’t play him much.

Alex Caruso: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). The two-way guard cracked the Lakers’ rotation by season’s end.

Gary Payton: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). After the Bucks waived him, Payton saw limited action with his dad’s last team.

Xavier Munford: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Couldn’t crack the rotation in Memphis, then barely saw the court in Milwaukee this year.

Demetrius Jackson: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). The Sixers swooped in with a two-way contract after after Jackson completed his first 10-day with Phoenix.

Alec Peters: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). Signing a two-way deal with the youth-movement Suns afforded him 20 games’ worth of opportunities.

Danuel House: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). House earned steady minutes for a while, but needs to get consistency on his outside shot if he’s going to play the off-guard spot in the modern NBA.

Darrun Hillard: -0.3 WAR, RFA (two-way). His minutes, points and shooting all trended the wrong direction in his few appearances for San Antonio this season.

Josh Magette: -0.5 WAR, UFA (two-way). Atlanta opted not to issue a QO to the expiring two-way player, so he’ll be unrestricted.

Ryan Arcidiacono: -0.5 WAR, RFA (two-way). Arch got a borderline rotation spot when Chicago picked him up on a two-way, but the results weren’t exactly overwhelming.

Isaiah Hicks: -0.5 WAR, RFA (two-way). His counting stats and advanced metrics alike looked pretty underwhelming after 18 games with the Knicks.

Andrew White: -0.8 WAR, RFA (two-way). White made 37% of his threes and 29% of his twos in 15 games for Atlanta.

Jamel Artis: -0.8 WAR, UFA (two-way). Averaged 7 points & 3 rebounds in 22 minutes over his last 10 games, but Orlando didn’t extend the QO (which in his case would have been a two-way deal with $50K guaranteed) to make him restricted. 

Kay Felder: -1.1 WAR, RFA (two-way). Spent three months on a two-way contract with the Pistons, but only played for the parent club twice in that span.


Players Who Played in 2017-18, But Didn’t End the Season on a Roster

Brandan Wright: 0.8 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Wright only played one game in the month and a half he was on Houston’s roster, before they cut him to free up a roster space for a 10-day guy.

Willie Reed: 0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Was playing a decent low-minute role for the Clippers before being tacked onto the Blake deal and later cut by Chicago.

Omri Casspi: 0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). An injury ended his season prematurely, but Casspi is a combo forward with a decent shot and veteran know-how. 1/(Min?) Memphis.

Jamil Wilson: 0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Saw a few days’ worth of NBA action as a two-way player before he was waived.

Andrew Bogut: 0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). The former Utah Ute says he’s done in the NBA, plans to play for the Sydney Kings.

Briante Weber: 0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Has gotten run with six different NBA teams since going undrafted in 2015.

Damion Lee: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Landed just one 10-day contract. 2-way with Golden State.

Jeremy Evans: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). The bouncy forward, a former fan favorite in Utah, played just five NBA minutes last season.

Nicolas Brussino: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Atlanta waived the wing in December.

Jarell Eddie: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Made brief cameos (nine minutes total) for the Bulls and Celtics.

Derrick Williams: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Williams’ return to the NBA (via a 10-day with LA) was fairly uneventful: just nine minutes in two games.

Scotty Hopson: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Didn’t make it to a second 10-day contract.

Josh McRoberts: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). A starter just four years ago, McBob has all but disappeared from the NBA consciousness: he played just two games before being waived in February.

Luis Montero: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Logged just eight minutes before Detroit waived him in January.

Tim Quarterman: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Was under contract for 12 days before Houston needed that roster spot to do some late-season refining.

Trey McKinney-Jones: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Another guy who lasted just one 10-day.

Brice Johnson: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Made his way to Memphis after being included in the Griffin trade.

Vince Hunter: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Was let go by the Grizz after appearing in four games.

Matt Williams: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Waived after a few weeks as Miami’s two-way player.

Josh Smith: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). The 13-year vet was waived early in the season by the Pels.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Let go midseason by the Knicks.

Adreian Payne: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Once a first-round pick, Payne can’t seem to stick.

Jacob Pullen: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Converted to a two-way contract, then later waived.

James Michael McAdoo: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Got a brief shot with Philly before being waived.

Isaiah Canaan: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Waived in February after a couple of months in Phoenix.

Nate Wolters: 0.0 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Utah gave him a look on a two-way before moving onto bigger guards.

Aaron Harrison: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Got two 10-days, but then didn’t stick.

Jameel Warney: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Dallas let him walk after a single 10-day deal.

Jeff Withey: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Dallas cut him in-season so they could experiment with guys in 10-day slots.

Vander Blue: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). The former Jazz summer leaguer was waived off a two-way contract with the Lakers.

Marquis Teague: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). After a three-year absence from the NBA, Jeff’s little brother made it back and played big minutes for Memphis in three April games.

Walt Lemon Jr.: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Lemon played on a 10-day contract for New Orleans. Two-way deal, Boston.

Joel Bolomboy: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). The Bucks didn’t wind up keeping the former Jazz second rounder.

Mike James: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t end season under contract). He started a bunch of games for Phoenix before they waived him, which seemed odd… but then the Pels signed and waived him too. 

Charles Cooke: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). A true shooting figure of .202 isn’t a great way to extend your NBA opportunity.

Rashad Vaughn: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Got a 10-day opportunity in February, but didn’t stick with Orlando.

James Young: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Despite having the distinction of having eaten at a downtown Shake Shack with me, Young didn’t last as Philly’s two-way player.

Josh Gray: -0.3 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Phoenix gave him two 10-days and then parted company.

Tony Allen: -0.5 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). That a reigning six-time All-Defensive player finished the year unemployed should tell you just how much of a liability he is on offense.

Quincy Pondexter: -0.5 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). After two years without seeing the court, QPon made it back for 23 games before the Bulls waived him.

Bobby Brown: -0.5 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Another casualty of Houston’s late-season roster gymnastics, Brown was signed and then waived.

Damien Wilkins: -0.5 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Indy let him go right before his contract would have become guaranteed in January.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes: -0.8 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). At the moment, XRM looks like a shooting guard who can’t shoot, but it’s tough to know if some of that is the spotty role.

Johnny O’Bryant: -0.8 WAR, UFA (didn’t finish season under contract). Had a steady role for a while in December and January, then was waived.

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