Players who served even as part-time starters in one season usually have no trouble landing NBA jobs for the next year, but that’s not always the case. A dozen NBA free agents who made at least 15 starts this past season are without deals for the coming year. Naturally, restricted free agent Greg Monroe heads the list as he and the Pistons engage in protracted negotiations, and Eric Bledsoe, in the same standoff with the Suns, isn’t far behind. Still, there are some intriguing names that remain on the market as unrestricted free agents.
Jordan Crawford shined as a fill-in for Rajon Rondo in 35 starts for the Celtics last season, but he couldn’t duplicate the success in a backup role after a trade sent him to Golden State, and it seems executives around the league are chiefly concerned with his most recent performance. The opposite appears true for Ramon Sessions, who averaged 15.8 points after a trade deadline deal sent him to the Bucks. He still hasn’t signed with less than a month to go before training camp.
A couple of players on this list have found NBA alternatives in the form of overseas deals, while Shane Battier walked away from the game even though he still had enough left to start the majority of the season for the Eastern Conference champs.
The 2013/14 starters without deals for this coming season are listed below, along with the number of starts they made and the team or teams they made them for. The only teams listed are those for which each player made at least one start, so that’s why the Warriors aren’t listed for Crawford.
- Greg Monroe — 82 (Pistons)
- James Anderson — 62 (Sixers) — signed with Lithuanian team
- Shane Battier — 56 (Heat) — retired
- Eric Bledsoe — 40 (Suns)
- Jordan Crawford — 35 (Celtics)
- Greg Stiemsma — 20 (Pelicans)
- Andrew Bynum — 19 (Cavaliers)
- Ramon Sessions — 19 (Hornets/Bucks)
- Earl Clark — 17 (Cavaliers)
- Toney Douglas — 17 (Heat) — signed with Chinese team
- Elton Brand — 15 (Hawks)
- Kenyon Martin — 15 (Knicks)