Free NBA Agency: Five Restricted Free Agents That Could Miss A Lot Of Money This Summer

It's just three players who bet on themselves and can not get the deal that they wanted. There have been others, like Bazz Muhammad and Nikola Mirotic, who have proven to be examples of how the restricted free agency can be dangerous. All the more as the summer continues and as teams fill up more ceiling space.

With a free agency starting on July 1st and a decent market of restricted players, who could lose money this summer?

Julius Randle

The Lakers and Julius Randle had a very complicated relationship. Randle has turned out to be a strong offensive player in Los Angeles with a defense from top to bottom. He was more than able to start for the Lakers, but he struggled to crack Luke Walton's training. Coaches choose to pick the players that they do, which only the coach knows, but the assumption is that Randle's defensive efforts have something to do with his irregular starting role.

Randle will test the market of autonomous players. The Lakers could have ranked No. 7 overall in 2014, but their interests lie in players such as Paul George, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Maybe if they take turns and miss all three, then Randle could have some weight in the contract negotiations.

However, the Lakers do not seem to consider it a priority and this could be detrimental to its overall value. other teams making offers. They know that Los Angeles does not worry about pairing and this could lead to smaller deals for Randle that he is willing to pass on. Over time, however, teams fill up the squares and may end up without a team or contract.

One of the teams Randle was associated with earlier is the Mavericks, but they were also strongly linked to DeAndre Jordan. Maybe Randle has more contenders, but he's in a difficult position regarding how he sees his own value and how the rest of the NBA could see him.

Marcus Smart

Marcus Smart has been a great advocate for the Celtics and has turned out to be one of those hard drives who love fans. He does his best and his ability to keep any backcourt player has made it extremely valuable for Boston having one of the best defenses in the NBA.

That said, Smart is a successful player through the system in which he evolves. t discredit his talent. Smart is phenomenal on the defensive side and finds ways to hide his shooting fights in attack. He also plays for a Brad Stevens coach who is known for bringing out the best of a player's abilities. The organization for which he plays is led by one of the most ferocious executives of the NBA in Danny Ainge.

If the Celtics can get smart at a reduced price, they'll do it. It would not be surprising that Smart was forced by Boston to sign a qualifying offer before the Celtics wanted to work with him. That's where the value of Smart for Boston becomes a problem for him. What it brings to the Celtics is much more valuable to them than to the rest of the NBA.

Smart is excellent at what he does, but his weakness as a shooter is not something that teams want to pay a lot of money. for the NBA today. He is a 36 percent career shooter on the field. He draws 9.5 times per game. Where, outside of Boston, will anyone find value?

Jusuf Nurkic

When the Trail Blazers traded for Jusuf Nurkic, it was hoped that he would be the big bottom man who compliments Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In flashes, that's exactly what it was. There were times in Portland, especially when he arrived, where this triple threat seemed as lethal as everyone else in Portland wanted.

The problem comes with all the times when it did not work. Nurkic is a slower classic. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective in attack and it is not great for a Portland team that needs the ball in the hands of Lillard or McCollum almost all the time. To his credit, he became a better defender last season than he has ever been in his career, but his weaknesses to this end have been widely exposed against Anthony Davis and the pelicans during the playoffs .

Nurkic now enters the restricted free agency with one of the strangest trips to get to this point. It flamed out of Denver after it became apparent that it was no longer part of the future of the Nuggets. He arrives in Portland and immediately makes an impact only to get injured before the playoffs. The Blazers are entering a season with winning expectations, and a list of players to prove it, only to flare into the playoffs again. Nurkic was not found for this entire series of playoffs.

Portland needs to desperately clear the hat space. Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu occupy 40% of the space of the Blazers' caps. There is no flexibility for them to make movements. If they let Nurkic walk, it's just a free chance to save money.

Nurkic's situation is not like the others. He will probably get a decent deal everywhere he signs, but he's going to be a lot less than he should win. He missed a potential in a contract. If Nurkic was still the player the Blazers wanted him to be then he would be a maximum contract player. He is not a maximum contract player and will not get this kind of contract

Rodney Hood

When Gordon Hayward left the Jazz, it was supposed to be a great opportunity for Rodney Hood. Someone in Utah had to score and he was going to be the guy to do it. Instead, the Jazz quickly put it on the trading block and eventually moved to Cleveland in a day-long business to acquire Jae Crowder.

That should have been a better opportunity for Hood. The Cavaliers needed players who could play defense and shoot 3 points. Hood responded by shooting 35 percent of the 3-point range in the regular season and falling into the mud that was the horrible defense of the Cavs. Worse still, he's completely out of the Riders' rotation in the playoffs and made an appearance in the NBA Finals that in desperation

It would be surprising to see Hood getting a good case at this stage. He managed to get out of two situations where he could have proven that he was worthy of a big salary. With teams that are already down the salary ladder, it would not be surprising that he would have to take the Cavaliers' qualification bid to prove himself next season. If he does not, the unrestricted agency market already limited could leave him on a very small business.

Showl Harrell

It is unfair that someone who broke out last season is probably not going to be paid what he should. Showzl Harrell was a diamond in the rough for a team of injured Clippers last season. He is a big undersized man who has shown a solid touch around the rim with even better racing skills. The problem is that it's just not good enough.

Very few NBA teams need a backup center. Even fewer of them will pay a lot of money for them. In a regular market, Harrell could probably order a decent deal, maybe $ 10 million a year if someone really liked him. In a small market, with a lot of teams trying to take shortcuts on transactions, it is probably closer to $ 5 or $ 7 million.

It's a pity. Harrell was a legitimately good player last season and someone is probably going to make him a good deal. It's just the way the restricted market works sometimes.