The NBA offseason has moved through the summer and now that the calendar is in September, teams are looking at players for the final spots on their rosters and invites to training camp and some free agent options on the market still include names like Richard Hamilton, Sebastian Telfair, Tyrus Thomas and Stephen Jackson as well as Cole Aldrich.
Hamilton and Jackson are getting up there in age and while there are some younger players out there, it is mostly as end of the bench stars for depth and nothing more than that. Some teams that could be interested include the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Knicks and New York previously had some interest in Telfair, but that appears to have waned as time went on during the offseason.
The Knicks already signed a number of players in Metta World Peace, Kenyon Martin, JR Smith and Pablo Prigioni and there is a chance they could invite more to training camp before the preseason starts. Hamilton is a free agent after playing with the Bulls last season and despite being up there in age, he still averaged nearly 10 points for the Bulls when he was on the court and even though he missed time with injuries, he proved to be an effective player still and there's no reason to think he won't make a roster heading into the season.
Telfair is an interesting option as well since he is just 28, but he does not have the cut speed he once had and while he was a playmaker when he was younger, now he is a third backup at best, but that could be important depth that a playoff team like the Heat or Bulls need. Nate Robinson was solid last season for the Bulls while Derrick Rose was out of action and Telfair could take over that role, albeit in a smaller way since Rose and the rest of the roster will be healthy to start the season.
Stephen Jackson had some interest from both the Rockets and the Spurs this offseason, but it appears that his time is done with San Antonio and that could mean he ends up in Houston. Last season the team released him while he was shooting under 40 percent, but Jackson can give a team solid minutes down the stretch in games and he also is a solid defender. Another size option is Marquis Daniels and he would add depth for any team looking for defense.
Jones feels like a fit with the Heat, but if it hasn't happened yet it likely won't. The Rockets have made their moves by adding Dwight Howard as well as Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia and Marcus Camby and they could look for more depth on the bench as well, including with someone like Shavlik Randolph, who shot nearly 60 percent while playing in 16 games for Boston.
Tyrus Thomas has had interest from the Knicks since being released by the Bobcats, but so far no has given the former top five pick a chance and he could end up getting an invite to camp for a number of teams. Aldrich has size for anyone that missed out on the Greg Oden sweepstakes, while Josh Howard is also a free agent, but he comes with some risks obviously after being injured and bit of a head case.
