.png){kind=small}
Every July we get very excited to see the movement of all of the big fish in the pond. However, it is often times the small fish that make all of the difference for teams and whether they succeed or fail. Looking at the free agents hoping to get paid this summer is a who’s who of the NBA. Chris Paul, Paul George, LeBron James, and DeMarcus Cousins will all be available, but there are also some under the radar players that are going to sign smaller deals that will have a big impact on the teams that sign them. This is the first of five bargain free agents this summer.
Seth Curry
In his contract season, Seth Curry did not play one single game for the Mavericks. He is finishing a two year deal with Dallas, where he made 3 million per year. With little cap space available this summer, contending teams might be able to get Curry at a great price. At the age of 28, Curry is also a player that could be part of a young core for teams looking to turn things around.
What Curry can do is shoot the ball. Just like his brother, Seth Curry can fill it up from deep. He is a career 43.5% three point shooter. Spacing the floor has to be number one when it comes to priorities that teams have for their guards and Curry should be at the top of the list for teams in need of shooting. His ability to get his shot off quickly makes him devastating as a floor spacer. Having the ability to run around screens and find openings in the defense is something that Curry can do. Those players can be very effective offensively.
Don’t be fooled in your assessment of Curry as just a shooter. He has also demonstrated an ability to make plays for teammates. Curry was particularly good in the pick and roll. According to Synergy, Curry was in the 88th percentile as a pick and roll ball handler scoring 0.99 points per possession out of the pick and roll. Given the opportunity, any team would upgrade their offense by signing Curry. When Curry is involved in the pick and roll, teams cannot afford to leave him. They have to honor his shooting ability, which gives him the chance to make easy passes to teammates.
Defensively, Curry is not great. However, he has shown an ability to play within his team’s defensive gameplan. Playing for Rick Carlisle is not easy and he is notorious for not giving a great deal of slack to guys that mess with his defensive gameplan, just ask Nerlens Noel. Curry is not going to be on any all-defense teams, but he is not going to do things to hurt your team by being out of position.
Although Seth Curry is coming off a lost season due to injury, he is someone that teams should look to add. His offensive ability and the money that he will command make it worth taking a chance on him. It is reported that Dallas badly wants to re-sign him, I would love to see Curry go to a team where he would get the lion’s share of the minutes. The Indiana Pacers make sense to me. Curry’s ability to play off the ball make him a perfect partner for Victor Oladipo and his pick and roll game would be great with Myles Turner. Curry has been great in pick and rolls with big man shooter, Dirk Nowitzki and Turner would benefit from Curry’s gravity. One thing is for sure, this summer anything can happen.