Peachtree Hoops: Top 8 Best Free Agents Left Available

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More photos » Isaac Brekken - AP

Shaq wants you to know that he's still available. For real.

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Look, we can get testy about Josh Childress' latest Atlanta Hawk indicting comments, or rail about the long term negatives of a Jamal Crawford extension, but we want to be positive today.

Therefore, despite the naysayers who might think that such an exercise is moot, we look at who the best of the remaining free agents are who might be signed by our beloved Hawks.  

So here are the best of the rest, as listed in our Peachtree Hoops Free Agent Scoreboard:

 

Shaquille O'Neal: 

Much has been written about Shaq, who is likely suffering from attention withdrawal as he is still unemployed and with little interest at the salary and commitment level he reportedly desires.

The Hawks have reported to have lost interest in Shaq, likely not because of fit or ability, but due to those desired thresholds of salary and multi-year deal.

Still, Shaq was productive last year, especially on the glass and in the offensive post, two areas the Hawks could use help in....off the bench. His overall production has been accurately equated, overall, to current Hawks backup big man Zaza Pachulia, but offering a different skill set could help the team, even in its limited scope and playing time.

The Hawks are wise not to commit too much to Shaq, but he is potentially the free agent remaining on the board who could move the needle even a little in the win column with the skills he still provides.

 

Rasho Nesterovic:

Rasho is the anti-Shaq in that he rebounds less than average on the defensive end, doesn't have a good block rate (though significantly better than recently signed Brad Miller), and is more comfortable knocking down shots than getting to the line inside.

Nesterovic's bump in PER on our big board comes from the limited usage from last season, and his career 13.3 is more in line in what to expect from the 34 year old center.

 

Tim Thomas:

Thomas' value has been linked to how successful he is knocking down jump shots, which is what comprises 67% of his total shot selection. 

His availability is probably limited, in that he and the Mavericks want each other, and the uber-niche roles that the Mavs employ do likely fit a player like Thomas best.

 

Louis Amundson:

Amundson is 6'9, entering his Age 28 season, and has improved since getting a regular role with the Suns. He is a surprising rebounder and was expected to head back to Phoenix, but apparently is letting folks know he now does not expect to be back. Now he believes that Toronto, Golden State, and Charlotte are more likely destination for his services.

 

Will Bynum:

Bynum is valued by the Pistons, who have been monitoring the backup shooting guard market and found it to be around 4M per season. There have been some outliers, and that has slowed down the process of re-signing. 

 

Josh Boone:

I thought Josh Boone was better than he actually statistically appears. His length gives a shot-blocker vibe, but the numbers aren't there. His rebounding is solid, however, and could provide good value as a 26 year old backup big.

 

Anthony Tolliver:

Golden State didn't qualify the 6'8 Tolliver, but had as recently as this past week been discussing going back to Oakland. The Warriors, according the Fanhouse report, didn't qualify him due to roster inflexibility, a problem solved by the trade for David Lee and the Anthony Morrow sign and trade with New Jersey which brought back zero players, now giving the Warriors room to bring back Tolliver. Statistically, he is an average backup big man, who has youth (Age 25 season upcoming) on his side.

 

Jason Williams:

Surprisingly, Jason Williams had a very efficient passing season last year as the primary backup for the Magic. He even turned in a top 10 finish in Assist to Turnovers for all point guards with more than 20MPG. It wasn't enough, however, to stop Orlando from committing to Chris Duhon in case Jameer Nelson gets hurt again. He may still land in Orlando as their third guard, which would be a nice pick-up for them, as if they need it.

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