Again, if you see a dude here that you label a shooting guard, then whatever. Think of this more as “Swingmen II.” If your favorite swingman wasn’t mentioned on either, then perhaps they’ll make the sleepers for Saturday, Saturday Sleepers, whatever the editors call ‘em. If he is a part of none of the above, then sign them in 2K and get them to the All-Star Game or some shit. Whatever makes you happy. We begin with the Tsunami Papi.
2 / 8
Kelly Oubre wants to prove he’s better than we all think he is. Unfortunately, he may need to take the Jerami Grant route to do that by putting up numbers on a bad team. Barring injury or unforeseen circumstances, a good team might not come with the bag for Oubre outside of a sign-and-trade, which we’re expecting to see a lot of this summer, so hopefully, Oubre ends up in the playoffs for his sake. That said, Oubre is obviously skilled and has had his best career stretch going back to the 2018-19 season. Through stints with the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors, Oubre’s posted 16.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 45 / 33 / 76 shooting through 180 games (124 starts). The six-year pro is still only 25 until December as well.
Who should try their hardest: The Thunder. Look, Oubre wants to show his best, and not everyone could go to winning teams and do so because there just aren’t enough spots. The Thunder are banking on hoarding draft capital to rebuild their roster, and they’ll need to use some cap to fill out space. Oubre would have a high usage opportunity in OKC, which will also have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kemba Walker. He shouldn’t be OKC’s first option necessarily, but a good one to have until at least February. But, if he isn’t blindly going to the highest-bidder and also wants to win, that change things, and we’re speculating here, as is 99.9 percent of everyone else.
Who probably will call, but shouldn’t: The Warriors: They reportedly hope to re-sign him, but with Klay Thompson coming back, Oubre becomes a little redundant with Andrew Wiggins there, too. Draymond Green and Steph Curry are also clearly not going anywhere. Golden State has a quick pathway to returning to contendership, and they know it, which is why we’re hearing them surrounding big fish this summer. Oubre doesn’t make a ton of sense barring a sign-and-trade or a Wiggins trade.
3 / 8
Since becoming a legitimate NBA starter outta nowhere, the former Division III swingman turned Michigan role player has averaged 13.3 points while shooting 45 / 43 / 88 over the last two seasons in Miami. Robinson made 140 starts in just 145 games during that time and has become one of the NBA’s best developmental stories as a result. That said, he’s 27, and how much better will he actually get? 5 Reasons Sports reports that the Heat want to keep him, but continually indicate that it’s to a point. As one of the best three-point shooters in the universe, he’ll be sought after, and likely handsomely paid as one of this summer’s key restricted free agents.
Who should try their hardest: The Pelicans. 5 Reasons Sports also reports that New Orleans is interested in Duncan Robinson, and the Heat have also inquired about Brandon Ingram. A sign-and-trade focused on those two swapping places could work, and it would obviously require more from Miami, but it additionally provides the Pels the shooter needed next to Zion Williamson. They’ll have lots of cap space, though, Robinson isn’t an option above keeping Lonzo Ball or signing Kyle Lowry, one would think.
Who probably will call, but shouldn’t: Is there really a team who shouldn’t try to obtain one of the best shooters in the world? Perhaps it depends on the money he’ll command. In this case, if you’re a bad team, it might be a why bother? And if you’re a good team? Proceed with caution. Though they’re among the best at player development, developmental stories out of Miami normally don’t flourish in the same way elsewhere. See Josh Richardson, Hassan Whiteside, Rodney McGruder, and Tyler Johnson as recent examples.
4 / 8
Will Barton is one of the most versatile and underrated players scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer. Over the last six seasons in Denver, Barton’s been good for 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 44 / 36 / 79 while serving as an ideal complementary fit to project turned MVP Nikola Jokić in that time. At 30 years old, the nine-year veteran has a chance for the most meaningful deal of his career after declining $14.6 million for next season to put himself here. A betting man would put his chips on Barton staying in Denver, but you never know in this league.
Who should try their hardest: The Nuggets. Why not keep him if you’re Denver? Especially as Jamal Murray nurses a torn ACL for the next several months. He’s been a core guy; he’s a star in his role and is perfect for what the Nuggets have built around The Joker and Murray. Ain’t too many guys who can’t play beside him either.
Who probably will call, but shouldn’t: Similar to Robinson, no one should really not want Barton outside of bad teams, because for who and for what? Not that they are, but don’t get any ideas, Detroit. Jerami Grant was enough for you guys to take from Denver.
5 / 8
You could play the DeMar DeRozan is underrated, overrated or properly rated at any point and be able to justify any answer if you’d like. Bottom line is DeRozan is one of the better swingmen in the league who has been highly productive wherever he’s gone, even if you hold playoff failures against him, and even if you wish he’d shoot another couple threes per game. DeRozan’s a walking near 23-5-5 who hasn’t made an All-Star Game since 2018 but is still playing like one numerically. Going back eight seasons, he’s posted 22.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on 46 / 29 / 84 shooting for what we’ll call his peak years. He’s turning just 32 on August 7, so he might still be on the back portion of them. Additionally, his interest is league-wide, with ESPN’s Marc Stein reporting the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Bulls are all linked.
Who should try their hardest: The Clippers, via sign-and-trade. DeRozan, like Kawhi Leonard, would love to play at home in Los Angeles. DeRozan, like Leonard, doesn’t need home to be the Clippers; people just keep asking about the Lakers. The better fit is with the Clippers because DeRozan will have the ball in his hands more in Leonard’s absence as he nurses a partially torn ACL. Chances are, Leonard is also going to be limited upon return, which will likely include missing back-to-backs again. Even on a short-term deal, it makes sense to pair DeRozan and Paul George for now.
Who probably will call, but shouldn’t: The Bulls. Why would you play Zach LaVine and DeRozan together? Both are All-Star caliber, but both are somewhat redundant, though LaVine is actually a much more willing (and better) shooter from deep. The Bulls are better off spending elsewhere on a different player stylistically to better complement LaVine.
6 / 8
Seven All-Defenses, Five All-Stars, Five All-NBA’s, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Championships, two Defensive Player of the Year’s, and the baddest motherfucker on the planet who is still rockin’ cornrows in 2021.
Admittedly, this would be more interesting if Kawhi Leonard were healthy. If so, we might’ve been talking about him coming off an NBA Finals berth or even a third title with a third team. We also might’ve been talking about him possibly going elsewhere and playing right away. Alas, the aforementioned partially torn ACL will keep him out for a good deal of the upcoming 2021-22 season, but a ruptured Achilles didn’t stop the Brooklyn Nets from offering Kevin Durant a max contract two summers ago.
Who should try their hardest: The Clippers. Though Leonard has been linked to teams like the Heat and Knicks, the expectation, unsurprisingly, is that he’ll be back with the Clippers.
Who probably will call, but shouldn’t: Hmm … probably the Heat? The Heat are in a delicate situation. Jimmy Butler is 31 and will be 32 in September. Bam Adebayo, who is just 24, will begin his max contract extension this coming season. Pat Riley is 76 years old and clearly wants one more shot at a championship, especially after nearly tasting it this last October. The Heat had a tremendous 2019-20, but were saddled with COVID and injuries more than most other teams this past year, eventually falling to the Milwaukee Bucks following a quick season-to-season turnaround. Leonard reportedly recruited Butler before teaming with George in Los Angeles, as Butler was set on Miami. Could the Heat, under pressure to win now, afford to wait for Leonard to recover? If he wants to come, his health makes it a difficult call, and it would be damn near impossible to say no if Butler wants it as well.
7 / 8
Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers: Reinvented himself with the Clippers after a lackluster tenure with the Charlotte Hornets. Chances are he won’t be expensive, and will likely be added to a good team’s rotation after averaging 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds while hitting 40 percent from three in 2020-21. He could stay with the Clippers, but teams like Utah, Miami, Dallas, and the Lakers should also be interested in the versatile swingman.
Doug McDermott, Indiana Pacers: The best time to have a career year is always when your contract is up. Dougie McBuckets (do people still call him that?) averaged 13.6 points and 3.3 rebounds on 53 / 39 / 82 shooting. McDermott had a personal-best 29 starts of the 66 games he played in last season, and he’s turning 30 in January, making this an immensely important summer for him. The Pacers have his Bird Rights, but they’re not exactly the 2000’s Yankees when it comes to spending, and keeping McDermott could put them in luxury tax territory depending on what else they do.