End-of-summer NBA free-agency signings typically aren't world-beating difference-makers. But that doesn't mean there aren't a few names left on the board capable of helping teams this season. More than a few unsigned free agents are at the very least worth a shot—particularly if they end up with the right squad.
And that's why we're here today: to identify those potential fits. Prospective destinations will be determined by looking almost exclusively at roster needs and how a player's skill set aligns with what's already in place. Spending potential is secondary.
With the exception of one name, everyone else should be gettable for the minimum. Available roster spots will not be a deal-breaker. Most squads already have at least 14 guaranteed contracts on the books.
Though teams can carry more players during the offseason, our goal is to find landing spots where these free agents can stick. So if a suggested destination must create room to make way for one of these players, we will note as much. Markelle Fultz saw his role with the Orlando Magic and overall efficiency dip last season following and amid left knee issues.
At just 26, though, it's fairly surprising to see him still floating around the open market. The concerns about his jump shot persist. He put together pockets of success from mid-range and at the foul line during his time with Orlando, but his clips from both areas fell by the wayside last year, and he remains a total non-threat from beyond the arc.
Still, Fultz has improved his on-ball floor navigation. He plays with a varying cadence that can function as both a steadying steward and semi-sudden attacker. And at 6'4", he can be fairly pesky when defending either guard spot and has even scaled up to tussle with some (non-star) wings.
Landing with the Oklahoma City Thunder would be a borderline ideal outcome for him. They have the spacing inside their rotation to open up lanes for his dribble drives, pull-ups and overall playmaking. Granted, Fultz's minutes would likely be sparse with Alex Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe in the rotation.
This also doubles as the best argument against the Thunder burning a 15th roster spot on him. But the departure of Josh Giddey leaves Oklahoma City without a more methodical on-ball setup man (aside from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams). Neither Caruso nor Wiggins plays that type of style.
Wallace could one day get there but is more of a stage-left complement for now. Viewed through the break-in-case-of-emergency lens, Fultz feels like a worthwhile gambit—particularly when the Thunder always seem to find (regular-season) minutes for pretty much everyone. Justin Holiday isn't going to be a savior for anyone entering his age-35 season.
But we're in the "DNP - Coach's Decision" phase of free agency anyway. Bagging someone who can theoretically hit threes and hold up on defense is a tall task this time of year. In drips and drabs, Holiday is someone who can be more of an actuality than concept.
His defensive utility is most appealing. He's listed at 6'6" and 180 pounds, but he's shown over the years he will at least try, and sometimes actually hang, with wings and forwards who are bigger and stronger than him. Just ask Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone if you don't believe me.
He turned to Holiday over Peyton Watson during the second round of the playoffs. And while the Nuggets lost, Holiday's minutes were by and large a pleasant surprise. The Sacramento Kings should be very interested in using a 15th roster spot on him.
Even with the emergence of Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis, as well as improvement from De'Aaron Fox, they have room for another perimeter defender. And if Holiday can sustain or rival his three-point efficiency in Denver (40.4 percent), he could feasibly become more useful to them than Jalen McDaniels.
Enough teams still have their non-taxpayer mid-level exception available that we don't have to keep Isaac Okoro with the Cleveland Cavaliers. (The Detroit Pistons also have cap space, for what it's worth.) But the fit between these two parties continues to make sense.
This fit isn't as right-on come playoff time. Okoro has shown he can drill wide-open threes in the regular season ( 38.8 percent last year; 39.
7 percent after Jan. 1). But defenses still treat him as a non-threat, his efficiency has yet to translate into best-of-seven settings, and Cleveland doesn't have the pecking-order flexibility to increase his on-ball possessions.
That renders Okoro less valuable to the Cavs. It doesn't make him entirely dispensable. Eating up significant regular-season minutes matters.
More than that, Cleveland doesn't have someone who can readily replace what Okoro does on defense against rival 1s and 2s—unless it's that confident in rookie Jaylon Tyson. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently reported that sign-and-trade possibilities will remain on the table into training camp. Okoro could also sign his $11.
8 million qualifying offer and roll the dice in unrestricted free agency next summer. It behooves the Cavs to get a deal done independent of the latter route, if only to increase the chances his annual salary doesn't vault them into the luxury tax next season. (Cleveland has almost $10 million of breathing room to spare.
) If Okoro does wind up elsewhere, a team like Utah or Brooklyn makes a ton of sense. Charlotte looms as an interesting fit, too. Cedi Osman has more layers to his offensive game than you might think.
Knocking down open threes provides value in itself. But Osman can also use a couple of dribbles to get to and finish around the basket, even through traffic—especially when catching the ball in stride. Over the past three seasons, the 29-year-old is downing more than 57 percent of his twos and 37 percent of his threes.
Just seven other players have hit those marks while also draining as many treys as Osman (330): Duncan Robinson, Corey Kispert, Trey Murphy, Sam Hauser, Al Horford, Michael Porter Jr. and Kevin Durant. Remove the marquee names from that list, and you're still looking at a couple of useful NBA players.
Osman is worth a roster spot for rotations in need of shot-making from the wing positions. Enter the Los Angeles Lakers. Exactly none of their wings or combo forwards are considered knockdown shooters.
Osman would upgrade their spacing at minimum, and his willingness to move without the ball should fit cleanly within head coach JJ Redick's (presumed) offensive tenets. Los Angeles already has 15 guaranteed contracts on the books (and is a heartbeat away from the second apron). It'll have to grease the wheels of a Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood or Cam Reddish trade to make room for Osman—a minor nuisance that, as of now, is absolutely worth doing.
Dennis Smith Jr. has parlayed his athleticism into exhaustive defense at the point of attack. Relative to what he was always going to cost, in fact, he's the player on this list whose continued availability is most surprising.
The Utah Jazz already have plenty of guards on the roster. That shouldn't matter. Nobody in their backcourt defends straight up, going around screens or when generally navigating the floor like Smith.
Sending Kris Dunn to the Los Angeles Clippers actually opens a spot for DSJ's archetype. He can't guard up the same way, but he's someone who can be thrown on the opposition's best backcourt player while also providing rim pressure at the other end. Asking Smith to do typical floor-general stuff—and consistently knock down threes—probably goes a few bridges too far.
That's fine. Utah has Keyonte George to develop as well as Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson to fill their offensive quota. And if the Jazz are serious about not being totally invested in winning next season, at least one of the latter two will finish the year on a new team, thereby opening up even more of an opportunity for the soon-to-be 27-year-old DSJ.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter ( @danfavale ), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes . Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.
com , Basketball Reference , Stathead or Cleaning the Glass . Salary information via Spotrac . Draft-pick obligations via RealGM .
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