NBA Free Agency: 5 Best Shooting Guards Available

The NBA's official free agency window is set to open on the 1st of July. We've previously covered the best point guards and power forwards available as free agents this summer, and now we move on to the off guard position.

Do-it-all shooting guards have come at an absolute premium through the history of the league - the job description by itself is probably the most daunting of all 5 positions on the court. Shooting guards are regularly required to slide over to either the point guard or the small forward postion in the modern NBA - sometimes they are required to fill in as power forwards as well.

Nevertheless, we have quite a few mid-tier players who can be difference-makers to any of the 30 teams in the league available as free agents this summer. The following is a ranking of the best shooting guards on the market:

#5 JJ Redick

Philadelphia 76ers v Detroit Pistons

JJ Redick signed a one-year, $23 million contract with the Sixers for the 2017-18 season. While not the most economical deal in the league, Redick played perhaps the best basketball of his career in Philly. His 11th professional season saw him put up the best scoring average of his career at 17.1 points per game, while his assists average of 3.0 per game is the second-best figure of his game.

Redick is adequate on the defensive end, and was an irreplaceable member of the Sixers setup, what with his next-level off-ball movement and ability to make plays off the dribble. They would do well to re-sign him this summer, perhaps to a more team-friendly contract. On his podcast, Redick has stated his willingness to do so, which would allow them to pursue a big-name free agent this summer or next.

#4 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Washington Wizards v Los Angeles Lakers

KCP was on a deal similar to Redick's with the Lakers last season. While the Lakers are on a different timeline to the Sixers, mainly because of the front-office mishaps that occurred in the summer of 2016 under Jim Buss, the situations for both teams with regard to their shooting guard rotation were pretty similar.

Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18-million deal with the Lakers, which looks somewhat justifiable given his production since January. From 1st January onwards, KCP averaged a spectacular 3-point percentage of 42.3% and a credible field goal percentage of 44.9% on a per-game statline of 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.

He's one of the better two-way players at his position right now, and could help a lot of teams' 3-and-D depth in free agency. If the Lakers fail to land any marquee free agents or pull off a trade for a superstar, they would be adequately served by KCP as a role player for another season.

#3 Avery Bradley

Los Angeles Clippers v Boston Celtics

Avery Bradley was coming off a career season at the age of 26 for the Celtics in 7th year in the league before getting traded to the Pistons in exchange for Marcus Morris. A two-time All-Defensive team selection, Bradley has carved a niche for himself in the league with his tough-nosed defense and a 3-point shot that has become more and more reliable in line with his career progression.

The combo guard spent much of last season on the treatment table after being sent to the Clippers in the Blake Griffin trade that took place before the All-Star break. Bradley was averaging numbers pretty close to his career best with the Pistons before the trade, and did not have an opportunity to gel with the Clippers' setup before going down to adductor injuries.

#2 Tyreke Evans

Los Angeles Lakers v Memphis Grizzlies

Just when we thought that we'd seen the best of Tyreke Evans in the NBA during his rookie season, the 9th-year veteran put in probably the best season of his career. While much of his excellent play came in a lost cause for the Memphis Grizzlies, who tanked heavily this season and allowed him to take an extended leave to recover from a midseason injury, he has proved his value in the league in the season past.

Through 52 games played for the Grizzlies this season, the 2009-10 Rookie of the Year averaged an impressive 19.4 points, 5.1 points and 5.2 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. These figures are matched only by 5 other players in the Association - Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, James Harden, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin.

The biggest concern about Evans' game over the years has been his jumpshooting, which wasn't very good at the start of his career. But for each of the past 3 seasons, Evans has shot above 35% from 3-point territory, including a career-high 39.9% this go-around. The Grizzlies would do well to re-sign him a new, improved contract this summer, so they can field a starting lineup which has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.

#1 Zach LaVine

LaVine did an East Bay Funk dunk from the free throw line to win the Slam Dunk Contest in 2016

If LaVine's final season with the Timberwolves was anything to go by, he is undoubtedly the best long-term prospect at the shooting guard position this summer. The two-time Slam Dunk contest champion was the victim of a nasty ACL injury which put him out for much of the 2016-17 season and the better part of last season. But before that, the high-flying guard averaged 18.9 points per game while shooting 6.6 3-pointers per game in the '16-17 season - his 3-pointer volume shot up by nearly 70%, but he was still able to maintain his efficiency at 38.7% in contrast to the 38.9% he shot in 2015-16.

It is understandably a risk for any franchise to tie him down to a max contract, but a LaVine no longer at his explosive best is still a better athlete than 90% of the league. If he is able to play defense at a high level, given that he has all the physical tools to do it and possesses an exemplary work ethic, LaVine could turn out as a perennial All-Star for years to come - especially in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are currently in a rebuilding phase, and they can afford to experiment on him.