What a crazy couple of days free agency has been. A lot of players are staying put with their teams while others are moving around and the crazy thing is that its only a few days in. The other day I did my list of my top 15 free agent point guards and now I will do my top 15 shooting guards. Players are not allowed to sign their deals until July 8th. Players who “agreed” to deals will be on this list and I will do a summary on how they will impact their new or current squad, barring any last minute change (looking at you DeAndre Jordan)
Without further ado here is my top 15 free agent shooting guards.
15. Gerald Henderson
- Team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Years in the league: Seven
- 2015-2016 stats: 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds 1.0 assists in 72 games (started none)
Henderson had a couple of nice years in Charolette before struggling this year with the Blazers. With Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum starting for the team’s backcourt and Allen Crabbe’s big improvements it was hard for Gerald Henderson to find playing time. If he leaves Portland, look for him to land a bigger role with another team. At 28, the market will be nice for him.
14. Arron Afflalo
- 2015-2016 team: New York Knicks
- Expected to sign with: Sacramento Kings
- Years in the league: Nine
- 2015-2016: 12.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 71 games (started 57)
Afflalo was a solid starter with New York in the beginning the year until he was relegated to the reserve role by then interm-head coach Kurt Rambis. I still believe that he can be a solid starter for any team. The Kings have been in need of a scoring guard and Arron Afflalo will fit right in the starting shooting guard spot. The question into play now is will the Sacramento Kings trade Ben McLemore or put him in a bench role. McLemore has struggled since being drafted so the Afflalo signing was needed.
13. Eric Gordon
- 2015-2016 team: New Orleans Pelicans
- Expected in sign with: Houston Rockets
- Years in the league: Eight
- 2015-2016 stats: 15.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 45 games (started 44)
While Eric Gordon has showed signs of being a great scorer he has failed to stay healthy for an entire year and this past season was no different. New Orleans drafted Buddy Hield in this past draft and that was a sign they were done with the Gordon experiment. You hate to see guys with so much potential go down with an injury and maybe a fresh start on a new team is what he needs. With James Harden at the two guard it’ll most likely mean that he’ll come off the bench the majority of the time. That might be good for him and the pressure will not be on him as much. This does not help all of the Rockets problems, but it does help out with their bench scoring.
12. Dion Waiters
- Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Years in the league: Four
- 2015-2016 stats: 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 78 games (started 15)
At times, Waiters looked great and other times not so much. This past season was his lowest scoring output in his young four year career. He has the talent to score as we have seen in the past, he’ll definitely being getting a lot of good looks. There was reports that the Sacramento Kings were interested in him but now that they have Afflalo he might be heading somewhere else. There has also been talks of him with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are lacking any sort of guard talent. The Philly native can definitely help out with their scoring needs.
11. Lance Stephenson
- Team: Los Angeles Clippers/Memphis Grizzlies
- Years in the league: Six
- 2015-2016 stats: 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in in 69 games (started 13) between both teams
It was not long ago that Lance Stephenson was considered an All-Star snub with the Indiana Pacers. Things flopped for him in Charlotte last season and with the Clippers for the first half of this year. Things did however turn around him as he averaged 14.2 points once he traded to the Grizzlies. Based on what he has shown at times in Indiana and Memphis as a good overall player on both sides of the ball, teams will be interested in him.
10. Allen Crabbe
- Team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Years in the league: Three
- 2015-2016 stats: 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 81 games (started 8)
After the first two years of struggling to find time Allen Crabbe improved tremendously. Last year Portland lost a lot of talent and Crabbe was one of the guys that stepped up to make Portland a playoff team. No matter what team he goes on to play for it’ll be for a longer contract because of how well he played for the Blazers. He is a restricted free agent so Portland can match any offer sheet Crabbe signs and that will probably be the case for them. They like the idea of Lillard, McCollum and Crabbe as a three headed guard rotation.
9. Evan Fournier
- 2015-2016 team: Orlando Magic
- Expected to sign with: Orlando Magic
- Years in the league: Four
- 2015-2016 stats: 15.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 79 games (started 71)
Once the Magic traded away Victor Oladipo it was clear that the team was focusing on signing back Fournier. The 23 year-old French native has improved his scoring every year in the league. He has agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract as he is now the clear starting shooting guard for the Orlando Magic.
8. Courtney Lee
- 2015-2016 teams: Memphis Grizzlies/Charlotte Hornets
- Expected to sign with: New York Knicks
- Years in the league: Eight
- 2015-2016 stats: 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 79 games (started 65) between both teams
Lee has been a journeyman since he was drafted in 2008 and has made an impact wherever he goes. He agreed to a 4-year, $48 million contract with the New York Knicks. New York was looking for a shooting guard once Arron Afflalo declined his player option. Courtney Lee is a good all-around player that can shoot the three and defend, something New York lacked at times. In my opinion, he is a better upgrade that Afflalo.
7. Jamal Crawford
- 2015-2016 team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Expected to sign with: Los Angeles Clippers
- Years in the league: 16
- 2015-2016 stats: 14.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 79 games (started 5)
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year award winner is showing us that age is just a number. At 36 years old, Crawford is still playing at a high level. There was reports that Jamal Crawford was not happy with the Clippers offer and was looking elsewhere but it looks like things have worked out he has agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract to stay in LA. He could start for other teams, but it is clear that he enjoys his role as a spark plug for the LA Clippers. The 16-year veteran can still score in bunches today.
6. J.R. Smith
- Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Years in the league: 12
- 2015-2016 stats: 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 77 games (started all 77)
J.R. Smith had a nice season with the Cavaliers that ended with a championship win. At 30, he still has a good amount of years left. His main problem is his shooting consistency. You’ll love him one quarter and hate him by the next. Regardless, after his performance in the playoffs he will get interest once other shooting guard find homes.
5. Kent Bazemore
- 2015-2016 team: Atlanta Hawks
- Expected to sign with: Atlanta Hawks
- Years in the league: Four
- 2015-2016 stats: 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 75 games (started 68)
What a great story for Bazemore. He went from undrafted player, to bench warmer in Golden State to now a regular starter in Atlanta. The market for the guard was pretty active but ultimately chose to stay with the Hawks as he agreed to a 4-year, $70 million contract. Bazemore is a defensive specialist who will look to continue his starting role in Atlanta for the next couple of years.
4. Jordan Clarkson
- 2015-2016 team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Expected to sign with: Los Angeles Lakers
- Years in the league: Two
- 2015-2016 stats: 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 79 games (started all 79)
Since being selected in the second round, Jordan Clarkson has carved out a nice role with the LA Lakers. The Lakers were not great the past two seasons, but Clarkson was one of the few bright spots they have. He has reportedly agreed to a 4-year, $50 million contract and will continue to serve as the starting shooting guard and occasional point guard spot if D’Angelo Russell is down. Clarkson will grow into something special for LA and fans should be excited for him now in the post-Kobe era.
3. Bradley Beal
- 2015-2016 team: Washington Wizards
- Expected to sign with: Washington Wizards
- Years in the league: Four
- 2015-2016 stats: 17. points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 55 games (started 35)
There was never any question about his talent because he does have it, we’ve seen it. The problem with Beal is that he is always hurt. He was limited to a career low of 55 games this season. That did not stop the Wizards as he agreed to a five year deal worth around $128 million. To me, that is too much for a guy that has never been reliable health wise. Maybe the injuries will finally be a thing of the past as he’ll be looking to help the Wizards take the next step alongside backcourt teammate John Wall.
2. Dwyane Wade
- Team: Miami Heat
- Years in the league: 13
- 2015-2016 stats: 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 74 games (started 73)
This is not the first time Dwyane Wade has hit free agency. This is however the first time he is hitting free agency like this. There has been rift between Heat management and Wade as both sides cannot reach an agreement on a contract and he might be looking elsewhere. That is odd for me to say as he has been with the Miami Heat for the past 13 years. Wade last season was great as he stayed healthy and led the Heat back to the playoffs. He has stated that he wants his money and in the end I think Miami will give it to him, but we will see how long this holdout will last. Keep an eye on this.
1. DeMar DeRozan
- 2015-2016 team: Toronto Raptors
- Expected to sign with: Toronto Raptors
- Years in the league: Seven
- 2015-2016 stats: 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 78 games (started all 78)
It looks like DeRozan is staying put. After reports of him potentially leaving and going somewhere else, like the Lakers for example, DeRozan is staying in the city of Toronto, with the deal worth $139 million over five years.. The Raptors number 1 goal this offseason was to bring back their All-Star and they did just that. Look for DeRozan to continue being there franchise corner stone and player they build around (including Kyle Lowry). They have now solidified their backcourt for a number of seasons now.
While a lot of the the shooting guards on my top 15 list have agreed to deals, there is still a good amount of talent here, but hey things can change from now until July 8th. Stay tuned as I go over the small forwards next.
