The LA Lakers are waiting on a decision from Carmelo Anthony and the team could look at a trade for Klay Thompson again, while names like Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas, Greg Monroe and Luol Deng are potential free agent targets if Steve Nash is traded to give Kobe Bryant some support.
Thomas is a player to watch, as he had a great season in Sacramento and could be on his way to LA, as he was a Laker fan as a kid. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Thomas is looking at the Lakers, while the Miami Heat and Pistons are also interested. Last season Thomas averaged 20 points and six assists and was very good on a bad Kings team. Greg Monroe and Luol Deng are also options on the market and the team likely will wait until Carmelo Anthony signs to make another major move.
According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, the Warriors were talking the Kevin Love trade around the draft and that is how the Klay Thompson to Lakers rumors started. The team could try and get back in on those and a trade for Steve Nash could open up more room to make moves.
Gordon Hayward and Stephenson are two of the best shooting guards on the market and they will command some attention as well. The Jazz want to keep Hayward, but they may not be able to afford it, while Stephenson is likely done in Indy, as he will command a high salary and they will not be able to fit him into the cap with Paul George, David West and Roy Hibbert. This past season he has developed into a great talent and he will have plenty of suitors, while Hayward comes in after averaging 16 points and five assists for a terrible Jazz team that's in the lottery.
The NBA free agent period in 2014 had a number of big names that have signed and some other names still on the market and those players include, signed and unsigned: LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Gordon Hayward, Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, Lance Stephenson, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley and Mario Chalmers.
Teams like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are looking to be active this offseason and some of those names are right in the mix for those teams. While it's unlikely, if Miami loses James, they will have to target another star and there are names like Luol Deng and Chandler Parsons that could be in the mix and while they will not replace James, the team has to try something. The Knicks think they are a premier destination, but if Carmelo leaves they could be in big trouble and they may try to target Deng, who used to play there, or Stephenson, who is from there.
Nowitzki is staying Dallas, band now there is a chance that Anthony or Chris Bosh is convinced to sign there. Dirk is getting up there in age and while he still can ball and last season Dirk averaged just over 20 points and shot nearly 50 percent from the field and has played his entire career with the Mavericks.
