2005 Free Agents

[George O'Brien]

The Suns primary interest in the free agent market is keeping JJ. Therre is always a chance he will get a mega offer, but there are some other fairly attractive players available.

I don't expect a lot of high end movement this summer because most of the teams with cap space have key players they need to re-sign. I think we'll see some $40 to $55 million over six year type deals (depends on the new contract), but big deals will only happen for teams that are giving up on some of their own players. Here is a list of some of the guys who going to be available.

Real GM 2005 Free Agents

Player Team Type
Kenny Anderson Atlanta Unrestricted Free Agent
Chris Crawford Atlanta Unrestricted Free Agent
Tyronn Lue Atlanta Unrestricted Free Agent
Antoine Walker Atlanta Unrestricted Free Agent
Kevin Willis Atlanta Unrestricted Free Agent
Tom Gugliotta Boston Unrestricted Free Agent
Gary Payton Boston Unrestricted Free Agent
Michael Stewart Boston Unrestricted Free Agent
Keith Bogans Charlotte Restricted Free Agent
Jason Kapono Charlotte Restricted Free Agent
Brevin Knight Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent
Kareem Rush Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent
Jamal Sampson Charlotte Restricted Free Agent
Steve Smith Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent
Theron Smith Charlotte Restricted Free Agent
Gerald Wallace Charlotte Restricted Free Agent
Jahidi White Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent
Tyson Chandler Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Eddy Curry Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Chris Duhon Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Adrian Griffin Chicago Unrestricted Free Agent
Othella Harrington Chicago Unrestricted Free Agent
Jannero Pargo Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Jared Reiner Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Tommy Smith Chicago Restricted Free Agent
Frank Williams Chicago Unrestricted Free Agent
DeSagana Diop Cleveland Restricted Free Agent
Zydrunas Ilgauskas Cleveland Unrestricted Free Agent
Jeff McInnis Cleveland Unrestricted Free Agent
Dajuan Wagner Cleveland Unrestricted Free Agent
Scott Williams Cleveland Unrestricted Free Agent
Darrell Armstrong Dallas Unrestricted Free Agent
Alan Henderson Dallas Unrestricted Free Agent
Arthur Johnson Denver Restricted Free Agent
DerMarr Johnson Denver Unrestricted Free Agent
Mark Pope Denver Unrestricted Free Agent
Bryon Russell Denver Unrestricted Free Agent
Nikoloz Tskitishvili Denver Unrestricted Free Agent
Elden Campbell Detroit Unrestricted Free Agent
Darvin Ham Detroit Unrestricted Free Agent
Horace Jenkins Detroit Restricted Free Agent
Smush Parker Detroit Restricted Free Agent
Geno Carlisle Free Agent Restricted Free Agent
Roger Mason Free Agent Restricted Free Agent
Dale Davis Golden State Unrestricted Free Agent
Ansu Sesay Golden State Unrestricted Free Agent
Jon Barry Houston Unrestricted Free Agent
Ryan Bowen Houston Unrestricted Free Agent
Dikembe Mutombo Houston Unrestricted Free Agent
Michael Curry Indiana Unrestricted Free Agent
John Edwards Indiana Restricted Free Agent
James Jones Indiana Restricted Free Agent
Rick Brunson L.A. Clippers Unrestricted Free Agent
Marko Jaric L.A. Clippers Restricted Free Agent
Kerry Kittles L.A. Clippers Unrestricted Free Agent
Mikki Moore L.A. Clippers Unrestricted Free Agent
Kirk Penney L.A. Clippers Restricted Free Agent
Zeljko Rebracca L.A. Clippers Unrestricted Free Agent
Bobby Simmons L.A. Clippers Unrestricted Free Agent
Tony Bobbitt L.A. Lakers Restricted Free Agent
Tierre Brown L.A. Lakers Unrestricted Free Agent
Luke Walton L.A. Lakers Restricted Free Agent
Ryan Humphrey Memphis Unrestricted Free Agent
Stromile Swift Memphis Unrestricted Free Agent
Earl Watson Memphis Unrestricted Free Agent
Malik Allen Miami Unrestricted Free Agent
Shandon Anderson Miami Unrestricted Free Agent
Jerome Beasley Miami Restricted Free Agent
Udonis Haslem Miami Restricted Free Agent
Christian Laettner Miami Unrestricted Free Agent
Wang Zhizhi Miami Unrestricted Free Agent
Marcus Fizer Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Dan Gadzuric Milwaukee Restricted Free Agent
Kendall Gill Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Eddie House Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Toni Kukoc Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Zaza Pachulia Milwaukee Restricted Free Agent
Daniel Santiago Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Erick Strickland Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent
Anthony Carter Minnesota Unrestricted Free Agent
Eddie Griffin Minnesota Restricted Free Agent
Ervin Johnson Minnesota Unrestricted Free Agent
Mark Madsen Minnesota Unrestricted Free Agent
Latrell Sprewell Minnesota Unrestricted Free Agent
Travis Best New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent
Rodney Buford New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent
Kaniel Dickens New Jersey Restricted Free Agent
Jerome Moiso New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent
Brian Scalabrine New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent
Jabari Smith New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent
Dan Dickau New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent
Corsley Edwards New Orleans Restricted Free Agent
Matt Freije New Orleans Restricted Free Agent
Junior Harrington New Orleans Restricted Free Agent
Bostjan Nachbar New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent
Lee Nailon New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent
Rodney Rogers New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent
Jamison Brewer New York Unrestricted Free Agent
Bruno Sundov New York Unrestricted Free Agent
Andrew DeClercq Orlando Unrestricted Free Agent
Brandon Hunter Orlando Restricted Free Agent
Kedrick Brown Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent
Samuel Dalembert Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent
Josh Davis Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent
Willie Green Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent
Kyle Korver Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent
Glenn Robinson Philadelphia Unrestricted Free Agent
Casey Jacobsen Phoenix Unrestricted Free Agent
Joe Johnson Phoenix Restricted Free Agent
Bo Outlaw Phoenix Unrestricted Free Agent
Shareef Abdur-Rahim Portland Unrestricted Free Agent
Richie Frahm Portland Restricted Free Agent
Ha Seung-Jin Portland Restricted Free Agent
Damon Stoudamire Portland Unrestricted Free Agent
Qyntel Woods Portland Unrestricted Free Agent
Matt Barnes Sacramento Restricted Free Agent
Erik Daniels Sacramento Restricted Free Agent
Maurice Evans Sacramento Restricted Free Agent
Bobby Jackson Sacramento Unrestricted Free Agent
Devin Brown San Antonio Restricted Free Agent
Linton Johnson San Antonio Restricted Free Agent
Sean Marks San Antonio Unrestricted Free Agent
Tony Massenburg San Antonio Unrestricted Free Agent
Mike Wilks San Antonio Unrestricted Free Agent
Ray Allen Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent
Mateen Cleaves Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent
Reggie Evans Seattle Restricted Free Agent
Jerome James Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent
Ronald Murray Seattle Restricted Free Agent
Vitaly Potapenko Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent
Vladimir Radmanovic Seattle Restricted Free Agent
Damien Wilkins Seattle Restricted Free Agent
Matt Bonner Toronto Restricted Free Agent
Donyell Marshall Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent
Milt Palacio Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent
Raja Bell Utah Unrestricted Free Agent
Howard Eisley Utah Unrestricted Free Agent
Keith McLeod Utah Restricted Free Agent
Alek Radojevic Utah Restricted Free Agent
Steve Blake Washington Restricted Free Agent
Kwame Brown Washington Restricted Free Agent
Juan Dixon Washington Unrestricted Free Agent
Larry Hughes Washington Unrestricted Free Agent
Anthony Peeler Washington Unrestricted Free Agent
Laron Profit Washington Unrestricted Free Agent
Michael Ruffin Washington Unrestricted Free Agent
Samaki Walker Washington Unrestricted Free Agent

 

[hcsilla]

Wouldn't be Devin Brown a nice FA addition?

I still like Gadzuric he would be a good fit to the Suns.

Luke Walton is an average athlete at the best but I like his basketball IQ plus he is a local guy.

 

[Errntknght]

Devin would be okay but he's an RFA and the Spurs wouldn't be likely to let him come to us.

My first choice would be Bobby Simmons, UFA, from the Clippers. I'm not sure how fast he is but he looks rather athletic in build - he's the dirt worker type who digs out tough rebounds. He's scoring pretty well the last couple of years as well. He's not a direct replacement for JJ but slide Q over to SG and he'd be the SF or maybe even share the load with Shawn at PF. I like Reggie Evans, too, but he's another RFA and Seattle would match. Udonis Haslem looked great for the Heat but he's an RFA as well.

As long as we're raiding the Clippers, we should take a look at Mikki Moore. He's actually about a sixth year player and I rather hoped we'd get him back when he was playing for Detroit and was raw, raw, raw. He's stepped it big time this year - he's a lean 7' who runs the floor and likes to play defense. He's showing a reasonably good jumper all of sudden. I haven't seen enough of him to prefer him to Hunter but I don't think we have any way to lock Steven in after next year so Mikki would be a form of insurance, if nothing else.

I liked DerMarr Johnson when he visited here before and I still like him. He's doing pretty well for Denver since he's gotten some starts - he's unrestricted. He had a reputation of being a solid defender coming out of college and we should have some chances to check that out this season. He should fit pretty well in the running game... 't'would be nice to have him right now, in fact.

If we don't bring Vujanic over, and maybe even if we do, we need a true PG to backup Nash. Brevin Knight (UFA, Charlotte) isn't that speedy up the floor but he's a penetrator of the caliber or Nash and like Steve, is having a great time without all the handchecking on the perimeter. There's also Earl Watson (UFA, Memphis) who is the man in the fourth quarter even though Williams starts. Bobby Jackson (UFA, Kings) would be a great fit but, of course, he's injured a lot. Rick Brunson (UFA, Clippers) is a hard nosed PG who might be relatively inexpensive. Jeff McInnes (UFA, Cavs) wouldn't be a bad guy if all else fails. Heck there's Milt Palacio, too. (UFA, Toronto) (Note that I didn't suggest Howard Eisley.)

Others. Tiere Brown (G, UFA, Lakers) looked good in the open floor for the Lakers in one of the games this year. Kareem Rush (SG, UFA, Bobcats) has some talent and may prove to be a good sub for the Suns game. Erick Strickland (UFA, Milwaukee) a forward, if he's the guy I'm thinking of. Is there an Erich Stickland?

 

[hcsilla]

I missed that Brown is RFA, I agree that SAS will keep him.

Simmons would be a very good pick but he will be a very popular FA target maybe even above the MLE.

Knight would be a nice backup but wouldn't his signing destroy Barbosa's PT and confidence?

Reportedly ATL is very high on Watson.

I don't think that McInnis a is good backup-type of player.

Erick Strickland is big, defensive-minded PG you probably mixed him with the former Hawks F Mark Strickland.

 

[Errntknght]

hcsilla, I think I had my Stricklands crossed as you suggested. But a big, defensive minded PG doesn't sound all that bad either. Might be worth checking out.

I agree that Simmons won't come cheap and maybe we wouldn't be able to get him for cap reasons even if JJ flew the coop. JJ's flight is the case that I was thinking might move us to pursue Simmons. I don't think he'll sign for more than JJ but, of course, we can sign JJ without worrying about the cap.

I don't see Knight hurting Barbosa's developement that much as I don't think he's progressing to speak of as a PG - I think his future is as a SG or combo with good defense. He's making some progress on defense and Knight will be another good learning experience for him in practice. Next year CJ will probably be gone and Barbosa could snag some of his minutes or maybe coach Mikey will use Leandro to cut down on JJ & Q's minutes a bit. The main thing is to have a real PG backing up Nash... if JJ flees we would be in world of hurt at PG. We're skating on thin ice even with him.

 

[panfolk]

Luke Walton would be a good pickup as a 'tweener to cover both Marion's and Amare's off time. His bball IQ is through the roof.
I hope we get Bo and JJ back. Bo's value will show itself by year's end I bet. Besides he should come cheap. I think that is one of the great things about this team. Players will probably come back cheap (except for Amare). I sincerely believe JJ will be back unless some good team is willing to pay absurd ammounts of money for him.

Nash Vujanic
JJ Q Barbosa
Marion Walton
Amare Bo Vroman
Hunter Voskuhl Lampe

As much as I like Vroman's upside I'd like to see us carry him on the injured list.

That would be an even better team than we have now

 

[Wally]

hcsilla, I think I had my Stricklands crossed as you suggested. But a big, defensive minded PG doesn't sound all that bad either. Might be worth checking out.

I agree that Simmons won't come cheap and maybe we wouldn't be able to get him for cap reasons even if JJ flew the coop. JJ's flight is the case that I was thinking might move us to pursue Simmons. I don't think he'll sign for more than JJ but, of course, we can sign JJ without worrying about the cap.

I don't see Knight hurting Barbosa's developement that much as I don't think he's progressing to speak of as a PG - I think his future is as a SG or combo with good defense. He's making some progress on defense and Knight will be another good learning experience for him in practice. Next year CJ will probably be gone and Barbosa could snag some of his minutes or maybe coach Mikey will use Leandro to cut down on JJ & Q's minutes a bit. The main thing is to have a real PG backing up Nash... if JJ flees we would be in world of hurt at PG. We're skating on thin ice even with him.

Don't forget, we still have the rights to Milos Vujanic. I really believe he will be with the Suns next year, if not sooner. The Europe season ends Feb / March(?).

 

[Kolo]

Donyell Marshall's game would fit well w/ this team and would be a perfect backup 4 in my opinion. I doubt he'll get a full MLE offer from anybody.

 

[panfolk]

Man! I mentioned Donyell Marshall awhile back and got laughed off the board practically. I still think he'd be good though.

 

[George O'Brien]

Man! I mentioned Donyell Marshall awhile back and got laughed off the board practically. I still think he'd be good though.

Marshall makes too much for a trade. He is probably not going to be interested in being a backup on the Suns, but he would be very helpful if affordable.