Welcome to the NBA Off-Season
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Welcome to the NBA Off-Season

Where the NBA's top free agents should sign and where they will actually end up

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Welcome to the NBA Off-Season
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Now that the NBA regular season and playoffs are over, the next important thing is the NBA Off-season. This is where teams across the NBA can sign or trade for free agents. Teams can start to negotiate with free agents starting July first, but those free agents can't sign those contracts until July 8th. This is known as the “July Moratorium” and is when the league reviews the revenue from the previous season and officially sets the salary cap. In free agency, there are two types of free agents. There are restricted free agents and regular free agents. Restricted free agents are players who can negotiate with other teams but the team they are with currently has a chance to match the offer and retain the players. If the team the player is currently with decides not to match the offer, the player can sign with the other team. An unrestricted free agent is a player who can negotiate with any team and sign with any team without anything holding them back. No matching offers, just a player picking any team he wants to play with, negotiate a contract with them, and then play for that team. This year's class of free agents have a lot of great players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, DeMar Derozan, and many more players. LeBron James says he will stay with the Cavaliers and Dirk Nowiztki says he will stay with Dallas, so they won't be in this list. Dwayne Wade is expected to stay with the Heat so he won't be on this list either.

The first and the best free agent in this class is one of the best scorers in the league, Kevin Durant. He is an unrestricted free agent from the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is a 6'11" small forward that averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game last year. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant led the Thunder to a three to one series lead over the Golden State Warriors but lost the series leaving fans to question if KD will stay or not. KD is currently in his prime which makes him the best player available in free agency. So many teams want him, like the Celtics, Warriors, Spurs, Knicks, Heat, Rockets, Lakers, and Wizards. In recent news, Kevin Durant says that if he leaves OKC, that the top option is Golden State. Basically, it is a two team race for Kevin Durant and it is between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors. I believe if Kevin Durant leaves to go Golden State, he won't be the same player that he is in OKC. In OKC, Kevin and Russell were the scoring options. In Golden State, he would not only have to share scoring with Steph Curry but also Klay Thompson. There would be a decrease in scoring for all three of them. Also people will question KD's legacy if he goes to Golden State. Kevin Durant wants to win a ring so bad he is willing to join an already stacked Warriors team. Since KD cares about winning and doesn't care what anyone else thinks of him, I believe that if he wants to win a ring that he should go to the Warriors. In all reality, he will probably listen to all the offers that teams give him and choose to stay with the Thunder because this is the team that drafted him and he already has established chemistry with this team. Also, the Thunder's were one win away from going to the NBA Finals.

The next player is restricted free agent, Andre Drummond. He is a 6'10" center for the Detroit Pistons who averaged 16.2 points and 14.8 rebounds per game last year. Andre is becoming one of the centers in the NBA today. This year, Andre Drummond was chosen to be an all-star for the season. He is a top three center in the NBA, no doubt about it. His amazing post play, rebounding, scoring, defense, and incredible hands got him that all-star selection. There will be a lot of teams offering the type of contract that he wants but since he is a restricted free agent the Pistons can match any offer to keep him. They will have to match any offer because Andre is their best player. I believe that the Pistons will offer him a max contract as soon as free agency starts. Andre Drummond will stay in Detroit to help this up and coming young team get better. He loves Detroit and doesn't want to leave and they are ready to give him the contract that he wants.

Hassan Whiteside is the next free agent of this great class. He is an unrestricted free agent from the Miami Heat. He is a seven foot center who averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game last season. Whiteside was drafted by the Kings 33rd overall in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played two seasons with the Kings and then played basketball overseas in China. In 2014, the Heat signed him out of the D-League where he played for the Iowa Energy. Ever since 2014, he has played amazingly for the Heat. He has become a great double-double machine and is an amazing shot-blocker. He is a great dunker who can also defend. He is sure to get paid well with the season he had. He has teams like the Celtics, Lakers, Mavericks, Heat, and Rockets. I believe the Celtics offer Whiteside the best combination of money, role and playing for a winner. Boston finished in a four-way tie for third place in the Eastern Conference last season. The Celtics need a big man who can rebound and defend and Whiteside would be a perfect fit. He will most likely stay with the Heat or sign with the Mavericks or Celtics.

The next free agent is DeMar DeRozan. He is an unrestricted free agent from the Toronto Raptors. He is a 6'7" shooting guard who just played the best season of his career. He averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game last season. He helped lead the Raptors alongside Kyle Lowry to the Eastern Conference Finals but ended up losing to the Cavaliers in six games. DeMar is one of the best shooting guards in the league, so the price to get him will be very high. He is likely to get a max contract wherever he signs. He began his career in Toronto, but the question is will he stay in Toronto? Teams such as the Celtics, Lakers, Nets, and Magic will try to sign DeRozan this off-season. I believe that the Celtics likely offer DeRozan the best chance to win a championship and to play for a storied NBA franchise at the same time. I see DeRozan staying in Toronto; after all they did make the Eastern Conference final, so why mess that up? Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are one of the best duos in the NBA and just led Toronto to their best season of all time. DeMar should build on that great season to help his Raptors have an even better season.

The next player is unrestricted free agent Mike Conley. He is a 6'1" point guard from the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game last year. He has the ability to be an all-star, but since the West is loaded with so many talented point guards like Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul, he hasn't got a chance to be selected as one. He has played the most games for the Grizzlies than anyone else in their history. He is a reliable point guard to have on your team. He can score and assist while being a facilitator for your team. Teams like the Spurs, Mavericks, Knicks, Nets, and Pistons will be fighting against the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley. Mike should sign with the Spurs because that would be his best chance to win a championship. He should start for them too. It's time for Tony Parker to transition to the bench. Mike Conley will be better use for the Spurs if he starts. Tony Parker will still be effective as a bench player. Mike Conley will most likely sign with the Spurs, Mavericks, or stay with the Grizzlies.

Al Horford is the next player in this free agent class. He is a 6'10" center that is an unrestricted free agent from the Atlanta Hawks. He averaged 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year. He might not be the best center in the NBA, but he is one of the most reliable and most efficient big men in the league. This man can rebound, score inside and outside the paint including the three-point line. He has a reliable jump shot and a reliable inside game. Al Horford is a proven all-star and is playoff tested so any team will have a reliable veteran if they sign Al Horford. There are a lot of teams interested in Horford like the Pistons, Lakers, Magic,Warriors, and Celtics. Also, the Hawks want him back. I believe the Celtics offer Horford the best combination of money, role and playing for a winner. Brad Stevens believes that Al Horford would be a good fit with the Celtics. He will most likely sign with a proven winner, like Boston or Golden State. Horford wants to win now and he is willing to move out of Atlanta for it.

Dwight Howard is the next player in this free agent class. He is a 6'11" center that is an unrestricted free agent from the Houston Rockets. He averaged 13.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last year. He has caused a lot of drama in Houston which may lead to his exit. People point to Dwight for having Kevin McHale being fired. Also drama with general manager Daryl Morey has had some drama with Dwight. He may not be the player he used to be in Orlando, but he can still be a productive player on a playoff team. Some teams that are interested are the Magic, Bucks, Knicks, Trailblazers, and Hornets. Dwight should go to the Portland Trailblazers to help out Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. They need a center and Dwight would be a good fit. He will most likely sign with the Knicks, Trailblazers, or return to the Magic.

6'5" shooting guard, Bradley Beal, is the last person on this list. He is a restricted free agent from the Washington Wizards, who averaged 17.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Everyone thought he was going to have a good season, but injuries prevented him from accomplishing this. He is Washington's best shooter and Washington hopes to keep him with John Wall as one of the best duos in the NBA. Beal is looking for a good contract, so the Wizards would have to match any offer given to him but they might just give it to him right off the bat. The Wizards expect to offer Beal a max contract, so he should stay and I expect him to stay with Washington.

Teams have time to prepare for offers and presentations to give to players to convince them to join their team. They will prepare and do research on the players they want and when July 1st comes around. It will be an all-out war for the best players available, but exciting nonetheless. Players will be flying to different cities to be listening to different pitches from the best teams. Everyone will be waiting for that one move in the NBA this off-season that will shake the entire league up. Whether it happens on the first day of free agency or the last, people will be watching to see who ends up where.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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