Where the top 10 NBA free agents of 2018 are headed
If the offseason of 2017 was one of the momentous summers for the NBA in all of its history, the lineup of free agents available this summer makes for a recipe that could possibly trump even last season's mad scramble for players.
A number of players have made significant improvements to their games this season, and are set to be hot property come 1st July. Here, we try to power rank the top players who are available as unrestricted free agents or could opt out of their player option(s) to test the free agency waters.
Before we count down our definitive list of the top 10 free agents this summer, and where they are most likely to end up, here is the list of honorable mentions who failed to crack our top 10.
Avery Bradley
While Bradley is a two-time All-Defensive selection and will be a solid player for whomever he plays, he misses the cut because of his age, and relatively low upside compared to the other players on this list.
He would be a valuable addition to fringe title contenders like the San Antonio Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Washington Wizards - should he choose to chase a ring instead of landing his last big payday
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza is one of those 2nd round steals that every team dreams of drafting. For over 10 years, Ariza has been of the most consistent 3-and-D players in the league. At his peak, he was one of the most athletic players in the league as well - while he's still got the bounce and gets dunks once in a while, Ariza during his Lakers years was one of the most terrifying players in the league on the fast break.
Ariza is now 32, and his best years are not likely to last for more than 2-3 seasons at best. Which is why he checks out on this honorable mentions list instead of the top 10 list that he'd have made 2 years ago.
Jabari Parker
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the #2 pick in the 2014 NBA draft, a couple of ACL injuries have prevented basketball fans from seeing the very best of Jabari Parker - as we should have by his 4th season in the league.
He was putting up 20.1 points per game for the Bucks in a breakout season last year before going down with an ACL tear in February. The lack of a true full season of stardom on his resume prevents us from featuring him in our top 10 - but he has the ability to prove us all woefully wrong.