Top 5 under the radar NBA free agents

The NBA is a star-driven league. Stars get the biggest contracts, the most lucrative endorsements, and the most adulation. However, stars can’t win championships all on their own. If that were the case, Charles Barkley would have a dozen Larry O’Brien Trophies on his mantle.

Stars need role players to set screens to get them open and to feed them the ball in their favorite spots. When free agency begins on Oct. 18, NBA general managers would do well to consider these under-the-radar players to fill out their rosters and give their stars the support they need.

Aron Baynes (Phoenix Suns)

Few players in NBA history have undergone a more drastic makeover than Aron Baynes. The 6-foot-10, 260 lb Kiwi came into the league in 2012 as a big-bodied banger with a knack for tossing opponents around like ragdolls. His hyper aggressive, back-to-the-basket approach served him well during his first few seasons, but he became something of a dinosaur by 2015 as teams around the NBA began eschewing traditional centers in favor of stretch fives.

Just when it seemed like Baynes may be out of a job, he started launching threes. A lot of them. The Gisborne native went from attempting just seven threes over his first five seasons to taking 168 this year alone with the Phoenix Suns. Baynes hit an impressive 35% of his treys in 2019-20 and should be in line for a sizable raise when he hits free agency this summer.

Derrick Favors (New Orleans Pelicans)

Let’s get one thing perfectly straight: Derrick Favors is not a sexy player. He doesn’t average 20 points per game and he rarely, if ever, posterizes opponents despite being one of the most powerful pivots in the league. What he does do is win. The rugged Georgia Tech alum helped lead the Jazz to the playoffs in four of his seasons in Utah, and has the Pelicans within striking distance of the postseason during his first year in the Big Easy.

Favors won’t take – or make – many threes, but he will clean the glass, set bone-rattling screens, and make opponents rue the day they were born if they try to take him to the rim. Players like that are in short supply and can make all the difference between a first round exit and a championship parade.

Christian Wood (Detroit Pistons)

We won’t be surprised if Christian Wood hasn’t popped up on your radar yet. The painfully skinny "power" forward went undrafted out of UNLV and played a total of 51 games with four different teams before joining the Detroit Pistons in 2019.

He may have languished again in the Motor City, were it not for Detroit’s curious decision to trade two-time All-Star Andre Drummond in February. Wood immediately took over starting duties and responded by averaging 22.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest over the Pistons’ final 13 games. Not bad for a player earning just $1.5 million per year.

Wood will be an unrestricted free agent In October, and there are a lot of teams that could use a versatile player with his motor and ability to stretch the floor.

Glenn Robinson III (Philadelphia 76ers)

Glenn Robinson III had one foot out of the NBA in 2019 when the Warriors, desperate for more depth, signed him to a one-year, $1.8 million deal. It proved to be worth every penny as the journeyman forward averaged a career-high 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 48 starts with Golden State.

The Warriors later dealt him to Philadelphia, where he has become an important reserve for one of the league’s most talented teams. Robinson will be unrestricted free agent and, at just 26, is an attractive option for teams looking for a low usage shooter who thrives in an up-temp style.

Alec Burks (Philadelphia 76ers)

Like Robinson, Burks also flourished during his half season in the Bay Area. The former Colorado standout posted career highs in points (16.1), assists (3.1), and steals (1.1) and scored 20 points or more 13 times.

Burks hasn’t been quite as prolific in the City of Brotherly Love, but the 28-year-old gunner is still a dependable double-digit scorer who can get hot at any moment.  Contending teams would be well served with a marksman of his caliber coming off their bench.

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