NBA Free Agents: Marc Gasol, Nene Hit The Market

Young improved on his overall efficiency last season thanks in part to his becoming an even better shooter while seeming a bit more interested on the defensive end -- even if the results didn’t exactly lead to any significant changes in the way most watch him play basketball.

His one problem, though, is his offense is pretty limited aside from passing. SB Nation’s Tom Ziller had an interesting note about that in his post on the top NBA free agents.

Where Green may excel, however, is as a perimeter defender -- something ESPN’s John Hollinger looked at in his profile of Green this offseason.

Tom Ziller isn’t quite as sold on Green, however, as was noted in his recent list of the top NBA free agents.

The biggest issue regarding Butler is how his game will be changed after suffering a season-ending knee injury, but as Tom Ziller pointed out in his top NBA free agents post, picking him up is a bit of a crap shoot regardless of the injury.

Butler obviously has suitors as he’s a proven player and should conceivably bring scoring and veteran leadership to his new team. The question at hand, however, is exactly what a 31-year-old streaky small forward is worth on the open market.

Battier announced on Twitter prior to free agency opening that he was going to sign with the Heat, but considering deals can’t officially be signed until Friday afternoon, anything could still technically happen.

Battier hasn’t averaged more than 10 points per game since 2007 and hasn’t made more than 45 percent of his field goal attempts since 2006, but his offense isn’t what gets him noticed. In fact, the majority of the box score statistics aren’t Battier’s forte as he’s been one of the poster children for basketball’s advanced stats movement.

For updates on Prince and his potentially former employer, visit Pistons blog Detroit Bad Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

SB Nation’s NBA editor Tom Ziller put Gasol right at the top of his NBA Free Agent Rankings, and with good reason: Gasol is young, talented on both ends of the court, and, perhaps most importantly in today’s league, a true center. Here’s what Ziller had to say about Pau’s little bro:

At this stage of the game — remember no official deals can be made until Dec. 9 — there doesn’t appear to be any suitors other than the Grizzlies, and the reason for that is fairly simple: the Grizzlies want to keep him, and have stated that they plan to match any offer sheet presented to him. It will be hard for a team to tie up money for three days trying to sign him in the abbreviated offseason, so don’t be surprised if the only tangible offer Gasol receives is from Memphis.

For more on the Suns’ free agent plans, visit Bright Side Of The Sun.

But Davis is hitting unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career now at age 25, and could be looking to spread his wings beyond what Boston is willing to offer.

For more on Boston’s free agency priorities, visit CelticsBlog.

The basketball expert on this great nation of sports blogs, Tom Ziller, isn’t quite as high on the diminutive point guard according to his post on the top NBA free agents last week

It will be interesting to see where Barea ultimately ends up as he could be a key player in the right situation -- he did very well in helping lead his native Puerto Rico to a championship at the Pan-American Games this fall -- but it’s unclear if he’s worth what the market might be in the lockout-shortened offseason.

Richardson might not be the best shooting guard in the NBA, but the Orlando Magic swingman is the best shooting guard that isn’t restricted on the market today. That ranking, by the way, is courtesy of Tom Ziller from his post featuring the top NBA free agents.

The Bulls have indicated that they are interested in signing Richardson, too, but it’s unclear exactly what they’re willing to pay to upgrade their wing positions. If they’re willing to overlook some of Richardson’s deficiencies, he might be the answer to pushing the Bulls over the hump once and for all.

”As far as we’re concerned, Thad is a key player for us. He’s a player that I think really took advantage of the coaching he got from Doug and the other coaches and really came back to where he was two years ago and built on that. We love Thad. All things being [equal] ... let’s say we don’t sign him but somebody else does. As long as it’s reasonable, we’ll definitely match it. He’s a key guy for us. We need him. And we definitely want to have him back.

“Anytime there is money to be spent, you’re worried. And there were so many teams under the cap and a lot of them substantially and particularly when you factor in the ability to amnesty a player -- that brings even more teams into play. I’ve been through this too many times. You like to say that a player is going to get between here and here (salary-wise), but it only takes one team. So you never know. You never say, ‘We’re going to sign this particular guy for this.’ Because you never know.”You can follow the latest news and rumors with our comprehensive NBA Free Agency StoryStream and find unparalleled insight in Tom Ziller’s Best NBA Free Agents 2011 cheat sheet.

Most assumed the Mavericks would make a strong push to keep him after last season, but Chandler said earlier last week that he expects to be with another team when training camp begins. There are concerns about his durability, and the Mavericks also have a lot of committed payroll and several other free agents to address. With a more punitive luxury tax coming in the future, Dallas may be wary of committing too much payroll to someone with an injury history like Chandler’s.

Here’s more on the Mavericks’ free agent: