20 potential NBA free-agent bargains

Contenders such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors will need to be financially creative looking for off-the-bench contributors. Assuming the Houston Rockets decide Austin Rivers is too pricey, the 26-year-old two-way guard could be a fit for any of those would-be champions. Rivers averaged 8.7 PPG after joining the Rockets last December, and he's shown he can consistently guard the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as Bleacher Report's Paul Kasabian wrote. Additionally, a team could get him without breaking the bank or being tied to him on a long-term basis. 

After word went public that the Utah Jazz intend to acquire Mike Conley, point guard Ricky Rubio took to media to say farewell to fans of the organization, all but confirming his inevitable exit. General managers and head coaches shouldn't hold their breaths hoping the 28-year-old will shoot even 40 percent from the floor, but his ball movement, vision and defense could make him an ideal stopgap for a mid-level side in need of a starter. Recently The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported the Indiana Pacers "will be a top target of the Pacers." 

Sam Amico of Amico Hoops reported recently that the Milwaukee Bucks will waive guard George Hill rather than pick up his salary worth $18 million, per Spotrac. The 33-year-old absolutely isn't worth that kind of cash, but he's a veteran with postseason experience who doesn't mind coming off the bench and who averaged over 14 PPG and shot 46.7 percent from distance during Milwaukee's playoff series vs. the Boston Celtics. His reliability on offense and defensive work rate should make him a target for playoff teams with limited cap space.

Guard Terrence Ross won't win Sixth Man of the Year honors as long as Lou Williams keeps doing his thing, but the 28-year-old is hitting free agency at a perfect time, when top-tier teams desire such scorers. Last season with the Orlando Magic, Ross averaged a career-high 15.1 PPG, he shot over 38 percent from beyond the arc and, as the Orlando Sentinel's Chris Hays wrote, he became the first player to accumulate at least 200 threes without earning a single start during that same season. Michael Kaskey-Blomain of ESPN South Jersey reported the Philadelphia 76ers "are expected to target" Ross if the team doesn't keep the trio of Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick together.

The Golden State Warriors face all kinds of uncertainty before June 30, but 23-year-old Kevon Looney may not want to let personal feelings affect his free agency approach. His numbers from 2018-19 — 6.3 PPG and 5.2 REB — don't leap off a stat sheet, but head coach Steve Kerr spoke of Looney's importance in May when, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, he called the big man "one of our foundational pieces." As Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area explained, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Looney, who still has plenty of upside, could be targeted by the Houston Rockets. The next player spotlighted in this piece is evidence the grass can be greener away from the Bay Area. 

JaVale McGee earned a pair of championship rings with the Golden State Warriors before enjoying arguably his best season as a pro, numbers-wise, with the Los Angeles Lakers. After averaging a career-best 12.0 PPG, 7.5 REB and 2.0 BLK across 75 appearances and 62 starts, the two-time champion rim protector could be a missing piece for a team in need of a reserve big. The 31-year-old isn't a punchline these days. 

After three seasons in the basketball purgatory known as the Chicago Bulls, it's time for 31-year-old center Robin Lopez to escape to his next destination. Lopez's rebounding stats have gone down in each of the last three years, but he still managed to average 1.1 BLK in 2018-19. According to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald , Chicago vice president of basketball operations John Paxson would like to bring Lopez back. Why would Lopez agree to stay knowing a better organization that will play meaningful April basketball and that needs a backup will eventually reach out? 

Rodney Hood survived a disappointing couple of months with the Portland Trail Blazers after being sent out west by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he then became an important figure for the team's playoff series vs. the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 14.7 PPG, scored 25 points in a must-win Game 6 and drained 50 percent of his three-point attempts across those seven contests. The 26-year-old gets buckets against second units. He's a cheap option for a plethora of teams.

With other (i.e better) proven guards available, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be a steal, let alone a bargain, at the right price and with the right roster. After a down year with the Los Angeles Lakers during a season when little went right for the club and Caldwell-Pope's three-point shooting percentage dipped from 38.3 in the prior campaign to 34.7, his price tag could tempt the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets unless the Rockets acquire Jimmy Butler on a sign-and-trade. 

As Nicole Yang of Boston.com wrote in May 2018, 32-year-old forward Jeff Green has been through plenty of ups and downs throughout his lengthy pro career. Over the past 14 months, Green scored 19 points in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in place of the injured Kevin Love, and he averaged 12.3 PPG while shooting over 34 percent from distance with the awful Washington Wizards during the 2018-19 season. He's worth the veteran minimum for a third consecutive year. 

Imagine telling a version of yourself monitoring Joakim Noah's career in October 2018 that he'd be seen as a potential bargain this summer. After his tumultuous time with the New York Knicks mercifully came to an end, the 34-year-old signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he made impacts off the bench and averaged 7.1 PPG and 5.7 REB in under 17 minutes a night. Keeping Noah motivated and happy could be an ask if he accepted a gig with a lousy team. Would the veteran on his last legs remain happy with the Philadelphia 76ers or a similar team wanting a cheap backup?

As long as a team needing to save money on a big is willing to accept that Enes Kanter can't defend or shoot from deep, he's worth a look, especially if that side can lure him away from the Portland Trail Blazers. The 27-year-old put up good numbers — 13.1 PPG and 8.6 REB — in 23 appearances after joining Portland in February, but he was downright heroic in replacing Jusuf Nurkic after Nurkic suffered a gruesome leg injury in March. Recently  Jakob Ashlin of Rip City Project wrote how Kanter "saved" Portland's season. 

Admittedly, anybody comparing forward Thaddeus Young to four of the greatest players to ever step foot on a court should pump the brakes. But the fact that Young ended 2018 one of eight active players with at least 11,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 1,000 assists and 1,000 steals, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, speaks to his longevity and durability. The 31-year-old gives teams over 70 games per season, double-digit scoring and over 6.0 REB in his sleep, and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports (h/t Yahoo Sports) named Young as someone who just missed an All-Defensive nod. Forbes' Andy Bailey and Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune have linked the bargain stretch four with the Utah Jazz. 

So what if he isn't Steph? Only one guy is. Across Seth Curry's last 144 regular-season appearances, he buried over 43.7 percent of his three-point attempts, and he gave the Portland Trail Blazers 5.6 PPG off the bench during the postseason. The Association is filled with teams ready to sign potent perimeter weapons the second they hit free agency. Anthony Irwin of Silver Screen & Roll named Seth as an option for the Los Angeles Lakers, which would be entertaining for the obvious reasons. 

Jeremy Lin could've stayed with the Atlanta Hawks and continued averaging over 10 PPG for the eighth straight season, but he decided joining the Toronto Raptors and winning a championship as a locker-room presence and background figure was more important. The heights of Linsanity are but a memory, but the 30-year-old could, depending on what he's looking for, start for a transitional team or sign at a discounted rate with a contender. 

Guard Jeremy Lamb finished the season second on the Charlotte Hornets in scoring (15.3 PPG) behind Kemba Walker (25.6 PPG). Walker is an All-Star who could become the final piece of a championship big three (looking at you Los Angeles Lakers), but Lamb falls to a lower tier when free agency opens. In the event Walker remains with Charlotte on a max deal, Lamb could go to the Cleveland Cavaliers or Minnesota Timberwolves on a team-friendly contract that offers him adequate playing time. 

Yes, we have eyes, and we understand injuries robbed Isaiah Thomas of what could have been a special run as a superstar. Thomas was All-NBA in the spring of 2017, which isn't all that long ago, so a team looking for a veteran point guard and temporary fill in, at best, could and maybe even should take a flier on him. Hey, doing so somewhat worked when the Minnesota Timberwolves presented Derrick Rose a chance to extend his career. Perhaps Thomas will follow in Rose's footsteps. 

As much as one may want to giggle at the thought of the New York Knicks pursuing past-their-primes Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony, as suggested by SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks could do worse than bringing the 42-year-old all-time-great dunker off the bench. Carter averaged 7.4 PPG with the Atlanta Hawks last season, and his 38.9 three-point percentage was his best in five years. Along with offensive contributions, Carter possesses invaluable knowledge he'll pass down to younger members of the roster. His salary will also be but a blip on the radar. 

One-time MVP Derrick Rose could have been in for a solid payday had his season not ended in mid-March due to a bad elbow. In 58 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 30-year-old shot a career-high 37 percent from three-point range, and his 18.0 PPG was his best average since the 2016-17 campaign. Injuries will always be a worry with Rose, but that's one reason he may be well worth the risk even if he's only able to give a team such as the Chicago Bulls fewer than 60 meaningful games. 

The last time DeMarcus Cousins was a healthy All-Star , it was January 2018 and before he suffered a torn Achilles while with the New Orleans Pelicans. He signed a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors the subsequent summer, suffered a torn quad during the playoffs and is once again damaged goods. If history repeats itself and teams shy away from Cousins early in free agency, a franchise may land the 28-year-old on another "prove it" deal.