Free Agents: A Compilation of Culture-Fitting Candidates

I thoroughly enjoyed CoRupt's fanpost on free agents, and I thought it'd be interesting to look at some of the guys who are in our age bracket that might fit on our team. So here's a look at the 2004 and 2005 draft class (obviously not available really until next year). I'm not sure at this point who fits our team best out of these guys (if any), but it's something to look at as we await summer league.

2004 DRAFTEES

Emeka Okafor, FC, Charlotte Bobcats
Age: 25
PER: 17.46
Comparables: Rasheed Wallace ($13.7 M), Zach Randolph ($16.0 M), Rashard Lewis ($20.5 M), Chris Wilcox ($6.8 M), Lamar Odom ($14.6 M), Chris Kaman ($10.9 M), Tyson Chandler ($11.4 M)
Okafor’s value is hard to gauge. He likes power forward, but he ends up playing center on a Bobcats team lacking height. Okafor is a double-double guy with decent (but not great) offensive skills. Okafor turned down a five-year, $60 million contract last summer, but that’s right in line with his value. I actually think he deserves slightly less. As an aside, my friend Matt deemed Okafor the "Bill Russell of the future," while I deemed Dwight Howard the "Patrick Ewing of the future." This is the same friend of mine who likes the Lions (poor guy), and Mike VIck fan who bought a Vick jersey just weeks before Vick was busted for dog fighting. He's the guy you feel sorry for at night. And day. And all the time.
Value: $10 M - $12 M per year

Ben Gordon, SG, Chicago Bulls
Age: 25
PER: 16.52
Comparables: Richard Hamilton ($11.0 M), Mike Dunleavy ($9.8 M), Joe Johnson ($14.6 M), Mike Miller ($9.4 M), Jamal Crawford ($9.4 M), Leandro Barbosa ($6.6 M)
Last summer, Gordon turned down an extension worth $50 million over five years, which was fairly fair in my opinion. Gordon is what we hope Bayless doesn't become--a 6'3 shooting guard who can't really play point. He has trouble covering bigger off guards on the defensive end. He’s a solid scorer, but that's about it. Obviously, he's not as good as some of guys on the above list, like Hamilton. I think if Rip is pulling in 11.0 M, then you gotta' put Gordon at a few mil less than that for sure.
Value: $8.0 - $9.0 M per year

Josh Childress, SF, Atlanta Hawks
Age: 25
PER: 17.84
Comparables: Josh Howard ($10.9 M), Ron Artest ($8.5 M), Hedo Turkoglu ($6.9 M), Gerald Wallace ($9.5 M)
Childress continues to fly under the radar for three main reasons: 1) he plays with Josh Smith, 2) he comes off the bench and 3) he’s a jack of all trades and a master of none. He's kind of like Travis--comes off the bench, doesn't play a full 38, 40 minutes, but is solid while he's in (By the way, I'd take Travis>Josh any day).
Value: $7.5 M - $8.5 M per year

Luol Deng, SF, Chicago Bulls
Age: 23
PER: 17.07
Comparables: Josh Howard ($10.9 M), Ron Artest ($8.5 M), Hedo Turkoglu ($6.9 M), Gerald Wallace ($9.5 M), Richard Jefferson ($14.1 M)
Like Gordon, Deng turned down a five-year extension worth $50 million, which I think turned out to be a mistake. He didn't have a career year last year or anything, and you really gotta' wonder what his future with the team is. With his name coming up in all the Kobe trade talk and whatnot, I don't see him sticking around. What is working for him is that at 23, he’s younger than most of the guys on this list, so there is still a lot of upside in his game.
Value: $10.0 M - $11.0 M per year

Andre Iguodala, SF, Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 24
PER: 19.05
Comparables: Paul Pierce ($19.8 M), Josh Howard ($10.9 M), Ron Artest ($8.5 M), Hedo Turkoglu ($6.9 M), Gerald Wallace ($9.5 M), Richard Jefferson ($14.1 M)
Iggy gets jiggy every once in a while and stuffs the stat sheet for a mediocre teambut still, the dude is the Al Jefferson of the Sixers, in my opinion. He gets his stats, but he's a number 2 guy. He just wasn't born to lead, although he did have a sweet dunk in the dunk contest one year. With that said, I was impressed with their push late last season. Cheeks is doin' a good job over there, and it'll be interesting to see what Brand does.
Value: $13.0 M - $14.0 M per year

Andris Biedrins, C, Golden State Warriors
Age: 22
PER: 19.18
Comparables: Chris Kaman ($10.9 M), Tyson Chandler ($11.4 M)
Biedrins’ value is hard to gauge. The Warriors play at a very high pace so his numbers (about 10 and 10) are a little higher than they would be on most teams. He’s not a guy you can give the ball to on the block and expect him to score. He’s more like Chandler in that he’s going to get his points off put backs, which is why his FG% is so high. He’s young, like Deng, which gives him a little leeway, but you have to wonder if the guy is ever going to beef up and have a bankable move (I think bankable moves, plural, would be a pipedream for this guy).
Value: $6.5 M - $7 M per yea

Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks
Age: 22
PER: 19.08
Comparables: David West ($9.1 M), Antwan Jamison ($12.5 M), Travis Outlaw ($4.0 M)
Teams luuuvvv Joshy. He’s just 22 and is already a solid forward in the league. The Hawks have said they will match any offer... Is he worth it? Barring a max contract, I would say he is. His FG% (about 46%) isn’t great for a guy who gets a lot of dunks, but you still can't argue with his production. Speaking of dunks, from the Dunk Contest archive. The Hawks lowballed him last summer and he said, "Nah--I want to earn it." (Kidding). He turned it down and will likely make quite a bit more when he finally does sign.
Value: $14.0 M - $16.0 M per year

2005 Draftees

Alright, let's check out some of the 2005 dudes and see how they check out.

UPDATE via SpyderRyder: Bogut is gone! Five years @ 72 million. A little high in my opinion (I thought 9 mil per year was his ceiling), but that shows you what I know. Mortimer has a good comment on why he thinks Bogut is worth the 12+ M a year. But then again, Mortimer and good comments are nothing new.

Andrew Bogut, C, Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 23
PER: 17.55
Comparables: Chris Kaman ($10.9 M), Tyson Chandler ($11.4 M), Brad Miller ($11.8 M)

The market for skilled seven-footers is always strong, but ehh...calling this guy skilled would be a stretch. He was starting to do better late in the season last year....but I honestly can't see the Australian bust doing much for anyone. Click here to check out all of Boguts sick highlights. Ok, that was on purpose--the dude has no highlights. But seriously, if there is one highlight of Bogut's career, it's this free throw.
Value: $7.0 M - $9.0 M per year

Marvin Williams, F, Atlanta Hawks
Age: 22
PER: 14.53
Comparables: Tayshaun Prince ($10.3 M), Andres Nocioni ($7.6 M), Al Harrington ($9.6 M), Nick Collison ($6.4 M), Drew Gooden ($7.1 M)
Williams was the #2 pick in the ’05 draft and at 22, he still has a lot of upside. He really wouldn't fit our team, as he has a horrible outside shot, something that we need to alleviate the double teams that might come Greg, LMA's, or Brandon's way.
Value: $6.5 M - $7.5 M per year

Raymond Felton, PG, Charlotte Bobcats
Age: 24
PER: 13.85
Comparables: Derek Fisher ($4.9 M), Jameer Nelson ($6.7 M), Beno Udrih ($6.0 M)
Given the Bobcats’ decision to draft D.J. Augustin, Felton’s future is unsure. I think it was Mike Barrett who was very complimentary of Felton earlier this year, but ehh, after Bayless, Felton probably isn't needed.
Value: $5.0 M - $5.5 M per year

Andrew Bynum, C, Los Angeles Lakers
Age: 20
PER: 22.60
Comparables: Al Jefferson ($13.0 M), Dwight Howard ($15.8 M), Chris Kaman ($10.9 M), Yao Ming ($16.4 M)
What’s Bynum worth? It’s tough to figure considering he’s recovering from a knee injury. The Lakers made it to the Finals without him...how much are they willing to shell out for him, knowing they're a championship caliber team without him?
Value: $12.0 M - $13.0 M per year

Danny Granger, SF, Indiana Pacers
Age: 25
PER: 16.76
Comparables: Josh Howard ($10.9 M), Ron Artest ($8.5 M), Hedo Turkoglu ($6.9 M), Gerald Wallace ($9.5 M), Richard Jefferson ($14.1 M)
Granger is old for his class, so it is more likely that he’s closer to "topping out" than some of the other guys on this list. Bear in mind he's playing for the Pacers, so he's a lot higher on the priority list for them scoring wise than he would be on a real team.
Value: $11.0 M - $12.0 M per year

Hakim Warrick, F, Memphis Grizzlies
Age: 25
PER: 16.28
Comparables: Chris Wilcox ($6.8 M), Lamar Odom ($14.6 M), Nick Collison ($6.4 M), Al Harrington ($9.6 M)
Warrick is also old for his class so he has less upside than some other players on this list. He also played limited minutes this season, so there’s no guarantee that his production would continue with more playing time. As an aside, I think I've played Xbox with this guy before, along with Mike Conley, aka MikeMoney21.
Value: $7.0 M - $7.5 M per year

Nate Robinson, G, New York Knicks
Age: 24
PER: 15.38
Comparables: Jameer Nelson ($6.7 M), Beno Udrih ($6.0 M)
Robinson is a point guard that doesn’t pass the ball very well, so is unclear if he’s going to fit in Mike D’Antoni’s system. It’ll be interesting to see what the Knicks do, as he's one of their better players (ehh..guess that's not saying much though). He sure did have a sweet game against us this season though. Man! That dude was lights out! If you've got the time, watch Robinson introduce himself to Yao Ming. This could only have been better with a Mutumbo finger wag.
Value: $6.5 M - $7.0 M per year

David Lee, F, New York Knicks
Age: 25
PER: 18.01
Comparables: Shane Battier ($6.9 M), Chris Wilcox ($6.8 M), Lamar Odom ($14.6 M)
Lee is a double-double guy that gets most of his numbers by doing the little things. He is highly coveted around the league and his name comes up all the time in trade rumors involving the Knicks. Since he’s a “glue-guy,” I think his best comparable is Battier, and Lee’s value is in that range (though he is more productive).
Value: $8.5 M - $9.5 M per year

Monta Ellis, G, Golden State Warriors
Age: 22
PER: 19.01
Comparables: Kevin Martin ($11.1 M), Michael Redd ($17.1 M), Jason Richardson ($13.3 M)
Since he was a second round pick, he’s a 2005 draftee who is a restricted free agent this summer. Like Josh Smith, Ellis is a young player who has already performing extremely well. He's short, which is usually bad for SG, but in Nellieball it isn't such a hinderance to him. He has the potential to play some point guard, but thus far he’s been more of a finisher than a distributor.
Value: $11.5 M - $12.5 M per year

Alright, that's it. Like I said, who knows which of these guys, if any, are right for us. Our roster is so stacked right now, it's scary. Very scary.