It seems like the NBA Finals just ended and it was yesterday that the Golden State Warriors celebrated and rode their well-deserved parade float. Hard to believe that the NBA offseason is now in full swing.
It kicked in full gear last week with the draft and now this week with free agency. With so much hype around big name NBA free agents such as LaMarcus Aldridge, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Marc Gasol, there are a slew of little-known players who can surely help teams as well. And as a bonus a lot of the lower tier free-agents have a history with the league in some way.
There have always been players with interesting pasts that join new teams. Those are the guys who bounce around from team to team just getting by, often times providing a spark to their new organizations. This year's crop of free-agents can offer that same type of spark. Here are five of the best lower-level NBA free-agents who have had a very interesting NBA journey--to say the least.
Jimmer Fredette
Let's take a quick ride in the time machine back to 2011. Everyone wondered if the boy from BYU would be a lottery draft pick. His sharp shooting skills and deep range in college grabbed attention from scouts all over. The 2011 National Player of the Year would eventually be drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and traded to the Sacramento Kings on draft night. Fredette enjoyed brief success early in his career scoring a high of 24 points and his jersey even sold out. Since then he has been on two other teams and hasn't been the player he was hyped up to be.
Danny Green
Green was a shooter in his UNC days and even played with LeBron in Cleveland before he left. Green’s claim to fame came about in the 2013 NBA Finals as he was known for being that lights out shooter. He even broke then Ray Allen’s record of most threes in an NBA Finals series. When a player has a breakout performance like that he gets on everyone’s radar, and he’s been shooting well over the past season. Green will definitely draw some looks from teams who need a three ball threat.
Gerald Green
Now here’s a guy with a back story. This Green has played in the D-League where he was an all-star and all-star MVP in 2012, played overseas in China; and Russia and won the 2007 slam dunk title. On top of all of that he was a McDonalds All-American in 2005 and was the No.1 recruit in high school the same year so, it’s been an interesting 10 year journey for Gerald. He’s bounced around as much as he does on the court over his NBA career. Known for his jumping ability this Green will look to jump head first into a new contract.
Austin Rivers
The coach’s son. That’s always the awkward position to be in with a team sport. Teammates may think he’s getting special treatment or extra playing time. For Austin Rivers he earned his way on the floor with the Clippers. Before joining the team this year Rivers was a one and done player at Duke and was selected 10th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. He has the potential to be a good guard in the league and with Doc Rivers potentially playing dad and coach the sky is the limit.
J.R. Smith
Of all the players listed perhaps Smith’s name is the most recognizable one. He’s had his fair share of trouble with the recent Caitlyn Jenner comments, untying other player’s shoes and his role in the Nuggets vs. Knicks fight. But Smith can play some ball. The year he played in China he only lead the league in scoring and was named an all-star. The following year in the association he was the sixth man of the year.
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