Paul and Howard headline NBA free agency

The 2012-13 season is finally over. The Miami Heat are now back-to-back  NBA Champions. This means that the league’s off-season has officially begun. The 2013 NBA draft is slated to take place on June 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. While many experts have already labeled this year’s crop as a “weak draft,” there is a multitude of talented veterans that are hitting the free agency market. Free agency officially begins on July 1. At the top of the list of the much-coveted players are Chris Paul (183 cm, Wake Forest’05) of the Los Angeles Clippers and Dwight Howard (211 cm) of the Los Angeles Lakers, both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Both Paul and Howard are being eyed by teams that are looking for a top-tier player with whom they can build their franchise’s future around.

Howard is on the radar of the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and also his current team the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul, on the other hand, might just be off the market now that the Clippers have landed his supposedly preferred coach, Doc Rivers, via a trade with the Boston Celtics. Paul reportedly lobbied hard for Rivers’ acquisition, and once the league officially approves the deal Chris is expected to “live up to his end of the bargain” and sign a long-term contract with the Clippers.

Some of the top unrestricted free agents include:

Chris Paul (LAC)

Dwight Howard (LAL)

Josh Smith (ATL)

Monta Ellis (MIL)

David West (IND)

Al Jefferson (UTA)

Manu Ginobili (SAS)

Andre Iguodala (DEN)

Paul Millsap (UTA)

Andrew Bynum (PHI)

J.R. Smith (NYK)

Other notable free agents are:

Brandon Jennings (R), J.J. Hickson, Kevin Martin, Jeff Teague (R), J.J. Redick, Jose Calderon, Devin Harris, Mo Williams, Tony Allen, Tiago Splitter, OJ Mayo, Marco Bellinelli, Jarrett Jack

(R) = Restricted Free Agent