Ranking the Top 5 Available Players in NBA Free Agency

The Remaining Best Available NBA Free Agent list sucksssss:

1. Isaac Okoro
2. Lonnie Walker IV
3. Cedi Osman
4. Talen Horton Tucker
5. Landry Shamet

*List from Hoops Hype

📲 https://t.co/SY0lViGQPG pic.twitter.com/DQODXqGOBr

— BetUS NBA (@BetUS_NBA) August 13, 2024

Most of the top free agents already made the NBA news with their new contracts in June and July, but here are the top five players still available.

5. Evan Fournier

Fresh off a silver medal win in the Olympics with France, Evan Fournier is still searching for his next NBA team after spending time with the Knicks and Pistons last year. He will be 32 in October.

It was just a few seasons ago in 2020-21 when Fournier was shooting 41.3% from 3-point territory while averaging 17.1 points per game. But his shooting efficiency has dropped in the last few years, going down to 30.7% in 2022-23 and a career low 25.4% last season.

But after a solid performance with the French national team, perhaps a limited roster could add Fournier this fall as a bench player.

Evan Fournier with the half court dagger in the Mambacita Kobe 4’s 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/5zXd1EPA9t

— Sole Retriever (@SoleRetriever) August 6, 2024

4. Marcus Morris

If a team is looking for a veteran presence in the NBA playoffs, then Marcus Morris has plenty of experience. He’ll turn 35 in September, but he has been to the playoffs four times in the 2020s alone with the Clippers and then last year he came off the bench for Cleveland after a brief stop in Philadelphia from the James Harden trade.

The look Kawhi gives Marcus Morris 😂 pic.twitter.com/tCvKmKciqH

— ESPN (@espn) August 2, 2020

The forward can still efficiently shoot the 3 and is a willing defender. His days of making over $15 million per season are likely over, but he is someone you won’t mind playing over 15 minutes per game for your team.

3. Markelle Fultz

It’s hard to believe the “Trust the Process” 76ers missed so badly in the 2017 draft when they took Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall ahead of Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum. That will go down as one of the biggest misses with the top pick in a draft.

Fultz played just 33 games in Philly before he was traded to Orlando in 2019. To his credit, he instantly became a starter there and averaged 12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.

But in the modern NBA, your point guard better be able to shoot the 3, which is a weakness for Fultz, a career 27.4% shooter. He also has never averaged 6.0 assists per game for a season, and his shooting woes also show up at the free throw line where he shoots 73.1% for his career.

You’re not going to bring in Fultz to lead your team to the NBA playoffs, but if he’s willing to take a backup role on a solid team with a good coach like perhaps the Clippers, then that’s a possibility for his next chapter.

MARKELLE FULTZ DOWN THE LANE 💥https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0 pic.twitter.com/QRiZI5xO4D

— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2023

He is only 26 years old, and teams are usually willing to give No. 1 overall picks multiple opportunities.

2. Lonnie Walker

Shooting guard Lonnie Walker will only turn 26 this December, but he finds himself looking for a fourth team in the last four seasons after burning out in San Antonio under the great Gregg Popovich.

He showed some improvement in his lone season with the Lakers in 2022-23 when he made 32 starts. But he was stuck on the bench with Brooklyn last year. He still averaged 9.7 points and made 38.4% of his 3-point shots.

“It’s the Lonnie Walker game!” pic.twitter.com/F76bfRMoCg

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 9, 2023

For just a few million dollars, Walker could be worth a look for a team like the Denver Nuggets, who lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer. Nikola Jokic is a player who can make all of his teammates look better.

1. Isaac Okoro

We can certainly say that small forward Isaac Okoro has been a disappointment in his four seasons with the Cavaliers. A No. 5 overall pick, Okoro hasn’t lived up to that status at all. Granted, that was not a strong draft class for the NBA, but you’d still like to see him break 10.0 points per game in a season, which he has yet to do.

NBA rumors believe Okoro has a chance to sign an extension with Cleveland, but he remains a free agent at just 23 years old.

ISAAC OKORO FOR THE WIN 😱

WHAT A FINISH. pic.twitter.com/21XgHBFyRB

— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2023

On the bright side, he has improved his 3P% each year and was up to a solid 39.1% last season. Throw in his defensive ability and you have a low-end starter with the potential to still become something greater in this league.

Expect Okoro to have a new deal somewhere in the NBA very soon.