When will the next domino fall? That's the question everybody is asking with so many fantastic players remaining unsigned. Any of these names could have a new deal at any moment.
LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Paul George -- have made their decisions, while dozens of other players have also agreed to deals. And with few teams possessing much cap space, it could be a long, drawn out process for the rest of the free agents to make decisions. Simply put, there aren't a lot of places for them to go and get paid.
Still, there are some pretty good players left on the market, including Clint Capela and Marcus Smart. In no order, here is a look at the top free agents who are still available:
The Rockets might be lucky enough to avoid paying Capela the max simply because the market is so barren, but it's hard to imagine him getting much less than that. His development in Houston has been exceptional, and at 24 his combination of rim protection, switchability, screening and vertical spacing make him one of the league's better centers already.
The Celtics' chances of keeping Smart without overpaying look pretty good now, with the Indiana Pacers adding Doug McDermott and the Dallas Mavericks spending their money on Jordan. Would the Magic go after him? How about the Bulls? At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if Smart accepted his qualifying offer and tried free agency again a year from now. Restricted free agency can be brutal.
Another restricted-free agent conundrum. Maybe you think he's the next Victor Oladipo, destined to break out and make good on all his potential a little later than experts expected. Maybe you think he's not a winning player because he doesn't rebound or defend like you want from your power forward and he stops the ball on offense. Parker is not a clean fit in Mike Budenholzer's system and the Bucks just added veteran stretch 4 Ersan Ilyasova, but is the front office OK with being made to look stupid if he shines elsewhere? Maybe a sign-and-trade is a possibility here.
Every hipster's favorite under-the-radar restricted free agent, Harrell had a fantastic year for the Clippers last season. I'd love to see him return and compete with Marcin Gortat for the starting spot, and I wonder if any of the teams with the full $8.6 million midlevel exception are considering offering it to him.
The rebuilding Cavaliers should probably keep him, and his mostly poor play for them after the trade deadline might be a blessing in disguise from a financial perspective. No restricted free agent hurt his value as much as Hood did last season, but he remains a skilled playmaker and a 37-percent career 3-point shooter.
Everybody expects Wade to finish his career in Miami because that's what he said would happen. I can't help but wonder, though, if he'd consider giving it another try with LeBron in Los Angeles.
