WalterFootball.com - Detailed NFL Mock Drafts, Player Prospect Rankings, and One of the Largest Mock Draft Databases on the Web

2012 NBA Draft and Offseason Blog

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com

2013 Restricted NBA Free Agents - July 29

We have already gone over our list of the top-10 Unrestricted 2013 NBA Free Agents. Here are the best restricted free agents who are scheduled to hit the market next summer. Don't forget: A team has the right to match any offer sheet a restricted free agent signs, so it is difficult to sign away a player.

James Harden, Thunder.
Oklahoma City enters next offseason as one of the more intriguing teams to watch. The Thunder has already given well-deserved monster extensions to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but the team still has both Harden and Serge Ibaka coming up as restricted free agents.

It will be interesting to see if Harden chooses to stay with in Oklahoma City - assuming it is willing to pay him in the ballpark of $13 million per year (the max contract for a restricted free agent), or if he desires to go elsewhere. Perhaps somewhere where he can maybe be the go-to option. My guess is the Thunder extend his deal during the season.
Serge Ibaka, Thunder.
Ibaka has developed into a well-rounded player as his offensive game gets more polished. He can be a force on the glass and as a shot-blocker, and at 22 years old, will only get better with time.

Ibaka will cost at least $10 million per year, which would certainly put Oklahoma Curt in a tough salary-cap situation moving forward. I would not at all be surprised to see the Thunder get rid of Kendrick Perkins and try to keep both Harden and Ibaka.

Stephen Curry, Warriors.
Injuries really held Curry back last season and as a result, Golden State has been in no hurry to extend his deal. We all know Curry can stroke it from deep, but he still has not fully grasped what it takes to be a true NBA point guard. This upcoming season will be a huge measuring stick to see what types of offers Curry might generate next summer.
Tyreke Evans, Kings.
After an insane rookie campaign, Evans' production has dipped in each of the past two seasons. He still doesn't have a true NBA position, but his versatility and size does allow him to play the one, the two, or even the three.

Still, there are question marks about Evans' ability to be a teammate, which might turn teams off from throwing a monster deal his way. He will need to have a solid bounce-back season to get his market value higher.
Brandon Jennings, Bucks.
There were already rumblings last season that Jennings wanted to test the market once his rookie contract expired. He certainly runs the show and it would be a huge loss for Milwaukee to just let him walk without getting anything in return.

However, I am not sure the Bucks would be willing to cough up anywhere near max money to extend Jennings. I would not at all be shocked if he accepted his qualifying offer, played out his contract, and became an unrestricted free agent in 2014. It also wouldn't surprise me if Milwaukee dealt him at some point during the season.

Ty Lawson, Nuggets.
The former Tar Heel is the sparkplug of Denver's offensive attack and has consistently improved every season. He is massively underpaid as he is only slated to make $2.5 million in 2012-13, so look for the Nuggets to extend him sooner rather than later.
DeMar DeRozan, Raptors.
Having just signed Landry Fields and drafted Terrence Ross eighth overall, DeRozan might actually become expendable in Toronto. For the right price, I think some team could actually pry him away from the Raptors. I can't see any team overpaying for a shooting guard who is a career 21% three-point shooter though.

Taj Gibson, Bulls.
Seeing that Omer Asik just received a 3-year, $25 million contract from the Rockets, Gibson could follow suit next summer. He has become extremely valuable off the Bulls' bench and was one of the steals of the 2009 NBA Draft as the 26th overall pick.

Asik's contract was too rich for Chicago to match, and a similar type offer sheet could yield the same result for Gibson. Another possibility that wouldn't shock me is if the Bulls amnestied Carlos Boozer in an attempt to keep Gibson and maybe add another piece.
Jrue Holiday, 76ers.
I am nowhere close to being sold on Holiday as a franchise NBA point guard. He is just 22 years old, but this upcoming season will be a huge determining factor into what his worth will be next summer. As you can see, there are several point guards ahead of him on this list, so Holiday might not be too highly coveted unless he has a breakout fourth season.
Darren Collison, Mavericks.
More than likely, Collison will not be extended a qualifying offer from Dallas as the team looks to clear as much cap space as possible for next offseason in hopes of making a run at Dwight Howard or Chris Paul. Unless Collison really shines with the Mavericks, he could be available for a very affordable price next summer to a team looking for a cheap starting point guard or a very talented young reserve.

Mile High 06-25-2011 11:20 am xxx.xxx.xxx.153 (total posts: 1)

the reason the Nuggets dealt Felton was because he wants to be a starter, which he will never be in Denver. Ty Lawson is the Franchise guard, and keeping Felton impedes his progress. Therefore, they traded Felton, a rising star with high value, for Miller, who will accept coming off the bench, plus they picked up Hamilton who they were targeting.

Captain Obvious 06-24-2011 10:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx2.25 (total posts: 1)

You said:
"After Thursday evening, it will mark three years in a row that a point guard went first overall..."
WTF happened to Blake Griffin??? LOL.

waltair 06-21-2011 09:41 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.199 (total posts: 3)

waltare you need a cheif editor this is bad

Walter 06-21-2011 01:43 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10)

Thanks, Fitz. Fixed.

Austin 06-19-2011 01:18 am xxx.xxx.xxx8.49 (total posts: 1)

If Leonard can prove he is capable of knocking down shots, the raptors might reach for him at five, he can provide the rebounding that their bigs, not pointing fingers but a seven foot i-tie, don't. It's a reach for sure, but it might be a good fit. He will also improve their abominable defense.

Fitz 06-18-2011 01:51 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3)

Well the Tristan Thompson article is good.

The Hamilton Article has one mistake.In the 1st paragraph it says, "there are concerns about him about him being dialed in..." You put "about him" twice.

Walter 06-17-2011 01:52 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10)

Haha thanks for that. I definitely won't hate you for it. It's hard to proofread at 2 am.

Fitz 06-16-2011 03:46 am xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3)

Yea i understand. Gotta make that paper ha.

Btw, in the last paragraph of the Singleton article it needs to say, "never will BE a star". Right now its says, "never will a star".

I decided I'm gonna keep gonna keep correcting your articles until you start hating me

Walter 06-14-2011 01:28 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10)

Haha definitely not my morals. It's what the advertisers and Google want, and since this is my main source of income, I have to do as they say.

Fitz 06-13-2011 02:17 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.52 (total posts: 3)

Yea I figured it was probably just bad grammar on Liggins' part but I figured I would correct it just in case.

You cant say anything with a** in it or sh*t and a few others such as d*ck and so on and so forth. I understand if you have to do it because of advertisers and things like that, but I hope it's not because of your morals haha

Walter 06-13-2011 01:42 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10)

Thanks, Fitz. I made some of the corrections.

Two of them were wrong though because that's how the quote was said. You should never fix the grammar in the quote if that's how the player said it.

What specific filter are you talking about?

Fitz 06-11-2011 11:55 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3)

*Hands instead of hand.

Haha i f'ed up while correcting your f ups. And you need to get rid of the bad language filter on here imo. It's annoying

Fitz 06-11-2011 11:52 pm xxx.xxx.xxx3.79 (total posts: 3)

Walt- Well the first sentence did say Every year i scratch at instead of scratch my head at, but i guess u just fixed that recently.

In the 3rd paragraph you say "the extremely talent bunch of recruits coming to Kentucky...". It should be TALENTED bunch

5th paragraph- "We had other guys who more highly recruited than me..." Should be "other guys who WERE more highly recruited than me"

7th paragraph- "but he never showed a consistency in attacking the basket." you need to take out the A.

8th paragraph- Hands instead of hands in " I didn't have the ball in my hand a lot"

I'm not trying to be a grammar nazi btw. Just trying to help out.

JimB 06-11-2011 09:13 am xxx.xxx.xxx1.14 (total posts: 1)

I believe he'll get drafted. His offense has improved year after year, he keeps improving his all around game and is reasonably athletic. I watched him play a lot at KY and his D is top notch. What team wouldn't want a wing player to come in off the bench and defend tirelessly and well, rebound, scrap for loose balls, and score if left open. He's the perfect player for that role, and a team first player as well. 2nd round to the Knicks or Celtics....

Walter 06-11-2011 01:15 am xxx.xxx.xxx4.88 (total posts: 10)

Where are the errors?

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 67

2013 NBA Mock Draft - June 12

2014 NBA Mock Draft - April 25

2013 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings: C | PF | COMBO-F | SF | COMBO-G | SG | PG

2011 NBA Mock Draft - June 23

2011 NBA Mock Draft - Walt's (June 21)

2011 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2010 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2009 NBA Mock Re-Draft

2011 NBA Draft Scouting Reports

2010-11 NBA Season Previews

2009 NBA Draft Grades

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - June 19

2014 NFL Mock Draft - June 18

Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - June 17

2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 22

NFL Picks - Feb. 3

2012 NBA Draft and Offseason Blog

Leave a comment