The NBA Free Agency period official kicks off on July 1st when teams are able to start negotiating with available players. A weak class of free agent point guards is led by Mike Conley and Rajon Rondo. From there, the level of talent dips which is why we have already seen guys like Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, and George Hill get dealt prior to the NBA Draft.
Here are eight NBA teams that should actively be seeking a point guard this summer.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Griz are expected to throw a max deal at Mike Conley in hopes of keeping him in Memphis. If Conley decides to head elsewhere, the team needs a Plan B since their first round pick, Wade Baldwin is the only other point guard on the roster.
Brooklyn Nets
The team is reportedly set on parting ways with Jarrett Jack which would leave them without a true point guard on the roster. Not exercising their team option on Jack would open up even more cap space which would allow Brooklyn to make a run at one of the bigger name free agent point guards.
Sacramento Kings
With Rajon Rondo a free agent and Darren Collison dealing with some off-season drama and entering the final year of his contract, the Kings should be searching for a starting point guard this summer. They have a decent amount of cap space available to be aggressive on the free agent market which they need to do in hopes of trying to keep DeMarcus Cousins somewhat sane.
Chicago Bulls
The post-Derrick Rose point guard situation is murky in Chicago. The two current options were acquired in the Rose deal; Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant. Neither guy is fit to be the starting point on a playoff team and while the Bulls did draft Denzel Valentine who is versatile enough to play the one if needed, Gar Forman would be wise to add a more capable option.
Dallas Mavericks
Deron Williams served as a stopgap at the point guard position but hits the free agent market as does Raymond Felton. That leaves Dallas with J.J. Barea and Devin Harris as the team’s point guard options. Both are best served being used in a reserve role, so the Mavericks have to search for an upgrade at the one. Dallas has a bunch of money to spend once NBA free agency tips off this summer and finding a more permanent floor leader who can create offense for his teammates while adding another scoring option would be the ideal find.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers guard play has been a mess for the past couple of seasons and while they added a point forward in Ben Simmons, the team still needs to add a true point guard. Trying to lure one via free agency will be difficult since not many guys will be jumping out of their chairs to join the worst team in the league. Philly may have to overpay to land someone which seems non-productive but could dangle one of their young bigs to acquire a point guard via trade.
Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Carter-Williams was brought in a year and a half ago with hopes that he would be the team’s long-term solution at the point but that hasn’t worked out. Milwaukee’s point guard situation was a bit of a mess last season, to the point that the Bucks began using Giannis Antetokounmpo as their primary ball-handler. There has been talk of The Greek Freak running the point more often next season, but Milwaukee would still be wise to find another point guard besides Carter-Williams or Tyler Ennis especially since Jerryd Bayless and Greivis Vasquez are both free agents.
Houston Rockets
James Harden is a ball dominant off guard but outside of Patrick Beverley, the Rockets don’t really have a true point guard option and quite frankly, could use an upgrade from Beverley. The Ty Lawson experiment was a waste of a first round pick and Jason Terry, who filled in some minutes at the one, is a free agent. Finding a replacement inside for Dwight Howard should be priority number one during the NBA free agency period but landing a more talented point guard is a close second in Houston.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.
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