The NBA free agency period for 2014 is coming this summer and names like Kevin Love, Chandler Parsons, Carmelo Anthony, Greg Monroe, Tim Duncan, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Jimmer Fredette, Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade as well as Chris Bosh all could be on the market and teams like the Chicago Bulls, NY Knicks, LA Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Houston Rockets could be interested in making moves.
Players like Anthony, Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo will get the most attention on the free agent and trade markets, but past those names there is a deep class that is available this year. Kyle Lowry could be one of the prizes of the free agent class, while Greg Monroe and Chandler Parsons are going to be restricted free agents -if the Rockets decline his deal which is likely-and those are two players that could be very valuable for teams.
The Boston Celtics could go after Gordon Hayward, as that would reunite him with his old Butler coach in Brad Stevens, while the Kings are trying to get Gay to stay one more year despite his high salary. What happens with Kevin Love likely will dictate what happens with some of these players and depending on what teams miss out, they could go after Zach Randolph of Pau Gasol on the market. Dirk Nowitzki will be on the market, as will Bosh and Wade along with King James, but all those players probably are staying with their teams this summer.
Dirk is likely staying in Dallas and he has said that, basically putting out there that he wants to stay another two or three years. While he could get swayed, it is very unlikely. Lowry has turned himself into a quality point guard and he will be in the mix for teams as well, including the Knicks, who tried very hard to trade for him this season. If the salary cap rises like it's expected to, that will help teams sign players and it could sway James or Anthony to take a little less money. The Knicks are the favorites to keep him, as they can offer more years and money than anyone else.
If Anthony leaves, expect the Knicks to chase at least one of LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Luol Deng, Pau Gasol, Greg Monroe or Kyle Lowry, as those are some of the top names on the market. Deng comes on after spending the first years of his career with the Bulls, but they were forced to trade him after the two sides could not work out a contract extension. Now he could sign back in Chicago, but a team like the Lakers or Knicks could swoop in with a deal to get him as well and that would be huge for those franchises.
Pau Gasol was long expected to leave the Lakers after this season, but now that Mike D'Antoni is gone and the team is looking for a new head coach, he easily could be in the mix to stay. Gasol is a great player and while he is older now, he has some skills left in the tank and everyone knows that Kobe Bryant loves him and that could lead to the team re-signing him. Gasol and D'Antoni never got along and now that he is gone, Gasol could remain. The Lakers reportedly are looking at Kevin Ollie, John Calipari and Tom Thibodeau as options among other names and all those coaches seem favorable to Gasol.
Avery Bradley and Eric Bledsoe will be prime options on the market past the huge names like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and for the teams that miss on those guys, they could be consolation options. This past season Bradley played in 60 games and averaged 14.9 points and less than two assists and while those are not eye popping stats, he also averaged over a steal per game and was efficient from the floor shooting the ball.
The Houston Rockets could be a player for Kevin Love if they can't convince Carmelo Anthony to sign, as they see this summer as a chance to build up a big 3 for Dwight Howard and James Harden. The team reportedly is one of the clubs looking to target Anthony this summer along with the Chicago Bulls and if that doesn't work out, GM Daryl Morey could turn his attention to Love and the Timberwolves. The Rockets may not necessarily need Love alongside Howard and Harden, but that doesn't mean Morey won't go after him anyway and he has shown in the past that he is not afraid to pull off big moves or think outside the box when it comes to trades.
