With the Summer League all wrapped up, it’s that time of the year in the NBA where things seem to quiet down. Despite this, plenty of names are left in free agency that undoubtedly deserve to be on a team next season.
Here are three players who are still free agents and what teams are interested in signing them.
Interested Teams- Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls
Wood is an interesting case. Despite coming off the bench for the majority of the season, Wood put up great numbers and has the talent to start on multiple NBA teams.
This past season for the Mavericks, Wood put up 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in about 26 minutes of play. If you adjust his minutes to 32 minutes, the amount of time he played for the Rockets in the 2020-21 NBA season, Wood would have averaged 19.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
The first team rumored to sign Wood is the Los Angeles Lakers. However, between all the players the Lakers resigned this offseason already, they would only be able to offer Wood the veteran minimum of $2.7 million.
It’s worth noting in the scenario that Wood accepts a veteran minimum from the Lakers; Wood would essentially sabotage his value in the market. Teams would be reluctant to offer Wood larger contracts in the future if they knew they could hold out and offer Wood the minimum.
Additionally, the Lakers already acquired big man Jaxson Hayes in free agency. Since Hayes already plays the same position Wood does, bringing Wood in would be somewhat redundant; however, the interest in Wood remains.
“We don’t want to sign someone who replicates the skills that Jaxson Hayes has,” Rob Pelinka said at the NBA’s Summer League this month. “So if we can diversify the big position and have different looks, that would be good.”
Luckily for Wood, the Chicago Bulls remain interested in his services.
At this stage in free agency, all the teams have spent their money, meaning Wood could only sign on for the veteran’s minimum for every team except the Bulls. Due to the injury exception, the Bulls received because of Lonzo Ball’s knee injury, Chicago has a $10.2-million player exception to utilize.
Although it’s unclear what kind of role would be in store for Wood on the Bulls, this is likely the option he’ll take as it wouldn’t harm his market value as a deal from the Lakers would.
Interested Teams- Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls
Like Wood, Oubre Jr. is an interesting case. Oubre Jr. deserves to be on an NBA team, yet here he is in the late free agency without a team or a contract.
Oubre Jr. appeared in 48 games for the Charlotte Hornets this past season and averaged 20.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals. It’s worth noting Oubre Jr. started in 40 of the 48 games he appeared in due to various injuries the Hornets dealt with.
The primary team that is interested in Oubre Jr. is the Dallas Mavericks. After the Portland Trail Blazers matched the Maverick’s offer for forward Matisse Thybulle, Oubre Jr. emerged as a target for the Mavericks.
However, after trading for Grant Williams, it’s clear the Mavericks would have to work a sign-and-trade with the Hornets to acquire Oubre Jr. Unless he signs for the minimum.
The Bulls are the other team that remains interested in Oubre Jr. As mentioned above, the Bulls have a $10.2 million player exception to use on available free agents, and Oubre Jr. remains one of the best available players.
Still, if the Bulls had to pick between Wood and Oubre Jr. to add to the team, they’d likely go after Wood.
To start, the Bulls roster is full of wings. Between Zach Lavine, Demar DeRozan and Patrick Williams, if the Bulls were to sign Oubre Jr., he would see minimal playing time and would likely be underutilized on the offensive side of the ball.
Additionally, Wood provides more offensive upside compared to Oubre Jr. Wood shot better from the field and three compared to Oubre Jr. Wood also provides a more considerable defensive upside, something the Bulls have missed in Ball’s absence, compared to Oubre Jr.
For Oubre Jr., it’s hard to predict what team he’ll be suiting up for come the start of the season. Nonetheless, the Mavericks are the most likely team to land Oubre Jr.
Interested Teams- Charlotte Hornets
The last person to make this list is Washington, yet another player who suited up for the Hornets this past season. Last year, Washington averaged a career-high 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks.
Like the players above on this list, Washington deserves to be on a team next season, without a doubt. However, Washington is likely still a free agent because of the contract he sought at the start of free agency.
Reportedly, Washington was seeking out a deal worth at least $18 million annually, a deal not only the Hornets were not interested in giving, but a deal the entire NBA was not interested in giving.
Regardless, as the dust cleared, the Hornets still have interest in bringing back Washington on his qualifying offer worth $8.5 million. Notably, the Hornets offered Washington a four-year, $54 million deal in the prior off-season. Still, Washington declined in an attempt to gauge his value higher in free agency.
Currently, the Hornets remain the only team interested in Washington. Washington will likely return on the qualifying offer, considering all other teams have spent their money in free agency.
Ultimately, the future of these three players remains uncertain. Despite teams emerging as favorites to sign these three players, anything is possible in free agency.
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