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Finding the perfect role players need to play around NBA superstars can make the difference between winning a title and getting out of the playoffs early. While this year’s free-agent class is lacking in stellar power, a lot of quality starters and spinning players will be available for contenders to sign.
Trying to find the right free agent depends on the position and playing style of the reigning stars, and cost is of course also a problem. Although teams with multiple superstars likely don’t have much space available, the mid-level exception for non-taxpayers should be $ 9.76 million. Free agents who sign the exception can receive up to a four-year $ 41.95 million contract, which should be sufficient to achieve a quality role.
For the following seven teams and their superstar pairings, these players would help a lot in pushing the league while remaining below the pay limit.
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Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown wants to expand Ben Simmons’ role on the team to include him even more. Although it’s absolutely the right strategy, Philly doesn’t exactly have many other point protection options.
Josh Richardson is able to handle the burst ball, but he is by no means a real defender. Raul Neto is an option, but his 19.3 percent assistance is low enough by general floor standards.
Adding a veteran reserve point guard to the free agency should be a priority and Goran Dragic acts as a perfect match.
The 34-year-old has been outstanding off the Miami Heat bench this season, averaging 16.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists as he fired 37.7 percent from three in 28.4 minutes per game. Also, signing it away from Miami would be an added bonus for Philly.
Dragic could be the main ball handler in pick-and-roll with Simmons, allowing the 6’10 “guard to use his size and athleticism to reach the basket and end up on the edge.
Joel Embiid could use another quality guard to bring the ball to his points when Simmons sits. The 26-year-old All-Star is shooting only 27.5 percent of subscriptions delivered by Neto.
In a locker room that could use multiple veterans, Dragic would solve the backup point guard problem by helping unlock Simmon’s full offensive game.
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An initial lineup with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will likely also include Caris LeVert and DeAndre Jordan or Jarrett Allen. Taurean Prince is the fifth starter scheduled for now, although he’s a poor bouncer who is pulling just 37.6 percent off the field this season.
Prince’s best role is likely to be a forward backup combo, meaning that the nets could use a starting advantage that can now defend and bring a good veteran presence to the locker room. Floor spacing is also crucial as neither Jordan nor Allen leaves the paint offended.
Millsap is 35, but is still playing at a high level with the Denver Nuggets this season. The team has beaten 11.4 points for every 100 objects with him on the field, and Millsap is recording a high 44.0 percent career three.
Still a good defender at his age, Millsap will soon make his eleventh career journey to the playoffs in 14 seasons. He has been a respected member of every team he has been to and would give Brooklyn a strong leadership tone.
Millsap is a better rebound than Prince (13.5 percent of total rebound to 10.6 percent) and blocks shots with twice the Prince rate (from 2.4 percent to 1.1 percent).
The Nets could also use Millsap as a small 5 ball in the shots, allowing for maximum floor spacing around the driving lanes of Irving and Durant.
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No team makes or takes all three Houston Rockets’ pointers, but none of their new “centers” is much more than a regular outside shooter.
Going small by launching Clint Capela for Robert Covington, Houston could benefit from adding a small size to Meyers Leonard (7’0 “260 pounds), particularly given its ability to handle the floor and the distance it would provide.
Only four centers (Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kelly Olynyk and Marc Gasol) are shooting 40.0 percent better than three out of 100 attempts or more this season. Of the four, only Olynyk scored higher than Leonard’s 42.9 percent.
Playing with the Miami Heat, Leonard benefited from Jimmy Butler’s ability to drive and kick, timing his cuts on the edge or waving his wings for the three uncovered. He is shooting at 52.2 percent from the outside plan going through Butler, a number that should increase only by sharing a field with James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
The Rockets could go big if a playoff matchup requires it, fielding Westbrook, Harden, Covington, PJ Tucker and Leonard in a formation that would create dream lanes for the star defense zone.
If Houston realizes that he needs a little more size, but doesn’t want to compromise his offensive DNA, Leonard would be an ideal center around which Harden and Westbrook could operate.
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The Los Angeles Clippers are the only teams on this list that should be more focused on maintaining their free agent than on finding one from another organization. Montrezl Harrell has become so critical a part of the rotation.
Unlike other teams who keep their fingers crossed that their purchases of free agents will merge with the superstars already in place, the Clippers know that the formations of Harrell, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are successful.
In 247 minutes together this season, the three-man unit has posted a net rating of plus-10.4. Harrell also anchored a five-man unit of Leonard, George, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley who produced a net score of plus-14.0 with a bad defensive score of 84.4, albeit so far in just 56 minutes together.
If Harrell leaves the agency, the Clippers still won’t have the space to sign a worthy replacement. LA has over $ 115 million in salary committed for the coming season without considering a new deal for Harrell or other free agents Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson.
One of the best sixth men in the NBA this season, Harrell must be the top priority for the Clippers’ free agent.
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The Milwaukee Bucks roster doesn’t have too many holes, but there is a specific training style that the team will probably have to take advantage of more.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo is the NBA’s best forward power, today he is the size of most centers (6’11 “, 242 pounds) with the athleticism of a wing. Use him in the center in the shots with the shooters around him it has been a recipe for success this season, especially with Brook Lopez struggling from the outside (29.6 percent from three).
When the Bucks got small with Antetokounmpo in the center and Khris Middleton and Ersan Ilyasova as attackers, Milwaukee produced a whopping net score of over-36.3, although in just 60 minutes total.
This is where Bertans would help. The 27-year-old striker has averaged 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench for the Washington Wizards this season, hitting over 42.0 percent of his three pointers for the second consecutive year.
It would be a huge update compared to 33-year-old Ilyasova, who hasn’t even touched 40.0 percent since the depth of 2012-13. While Bertans would likely have started the games off the bench, a five-man unit of Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Middleton, Bertans and Antetokounmpo would have destroyed the teams with his outdoor shooting.
Money could be a problem after Washington has chosen to keep Bertans at a commercial deadline in hopes of signing him for a big contract this season. If he is willing to take a little less for the chance to play in a caliber level team, it would be an exceptional weapon from Milwaukee’s bench.
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With a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors will be back in the title hunt next season. With Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins completing the four fifths of the initial lineup, they only need a center that can dominate the glass and provide extra shooting opportunities for the largest three-point shooting range in NBA history.
Howard has been excellent off the bench at the center of the Los Angeles Lakers this season and is second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage, behind only Andre Drummond. His 14.6 percent score is also the second highest in his career, just behind 2016-17 (15.0 percent).
If Howard had had enough goals on the field to qualify, his 73.2 percent shot this season would rank as the second highest score in NBA history.
His role with the Warriors would be similar to what he likes in Los Angeles, allowing him to thrive as a screen-setter who crashes on the boards and finishes the blows around the edge. While the Lakers will definitely want it, the Warriors could offer a starting job and the chance to play with a couple of future Hall of Fame guards.
While signing Howard looked risky a year ago, his successful season with the Lakers has validated his adaptability and even to thrive in a limited role at the end of his career.
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If there is an area of improvement for the Lakers this low season, he is firing.
Despite having kept the seed n. 1 in the West, the Lakers are only 17th in three percentage points (35.5 percent) and 22nd per game (11.2).
Of the 10 most frequent three-point shooters on the Lakers roster, only one is making more than 38.0 percent of his attempts: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at 39.4 percent. For a team with a passerby like LeBron James, there must be multiple quality shots on the perimeter.
Enter Joe Harris, James’ former teammate with Cleveland Cavaliers. The 28-year-old swingman led the NBA in last season’s three-point shootout (47.4 percent) and averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists as he slashed 41.2 percent of his three this year.
The Brooklyn Nets are quickly claiming one of the NBA’s most expensive roster. They already have over $ 141 million in salary committed next season without considering a new contract for Harris. Therefore, they may be forced to let him walk.
Harris would be a great meeting between James at the point guard and Anthony Davis in power forward, moving away from the ball and keeping the floor spaced for both superstars.
Unless otherwise indicated, the statistics were kindly provided by NBA.com or basketball reference.
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