2018 NBA free-agent wing rankings: Ariza, Redick lead top available shooters, 3-and-D players

You won't find LeBron or P.G. in here as this list highlights the top wings available

By James Herbert

Jul 2, 2018 at 11:50 am ET • 6 min read

NBA free agency is well underway, and some of the biggest names are off the market. However, there are still some premium players available at the wing, one of the most valuable positions in today's NBA.

We are looking at the top players on the market before 2018 free agency begins. We started with a loosely ranked accounting of point guards and combo guards, and now we're moving on. Here, we mean shooters and 3-and-D guys, not the bigger forwards who spend significant time playing 4 -- LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Paul George will headline that list, obviously.

The interesting thing here is, despite every team wanting as many good wings as possible, there aren't many teams with significant cap space or the ability to use the full midlevel exception. It will be fascinating to see how the top names on this list of 15 players navigate this strange, team-friendly market.

Below are the top wings available in free agency this summer:

Top 15 free-agent wings

1	JJ Redick Philadelphia 76ers SG
Redick is one of the best shooters of all-time and was a crucial part of the Philadelphia 76ers' rise last season. Despite being a perfect fit next to the Sixers' stars, there is no guarantee he will return because the front office is chasing superstars. Redick just turned 34, but he's Ray Allen-like in terms of the way he takes care of his body and his ability to run for days. His year in Philadelphia showed that he can do some playmaking when needed but will be targeted defensively in the playoffs.
2	Trevor Ariza Houston Rockets SG
Ariza might not have gotten tons of recognition for his role in the Houston Rockets' fantastic season (aside from a Zach Lowe profile in the playoffs, that is), but everyone around the team appreciates his versatility and team-first approach. Houston would be wise to re-sign him, even if it is trying to trade for LeBron, even if it's worried about his athleticism declining at some point. Did you realize he has been in the league for 14 years now?
3	Will Barton Denver Nuggets SF
The 27-year-old Barton does a bit of everything and is an exciting player, but there are some concerns about how his style would fit on an elite team. He has mostly been used as a sparkplug scorer, but he can create for others and isn't a bad defender, especially compared to other microwave guys. He averaged a career-high 33 minutes and started 40 games last season. It is unclear if Denver will be willing to be a big luxury taxpayer in order to keep him.
4	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Los Angeles Lakers SG
Normally you'd think a player like this -- a 25-year-old 3-and-D guy with athleticism -- would be in for a huge payday. He made a career-high 38.3 percent of his 3s with the Lakers last season, and he has shown an ability to lock down opposing point guards. In this market, though, I wonder if Caldwell-Pope might end up considering the possibility of another one-year deal.
5	Rodney Hood Cleveland Cavaliers SG
What are we supposed to make of Hood? The shifty playmaker averaged 16.8 points for the Utah Jazz before the trade deadline, but struggled to get comfortable with the Cleveland Cavaliers, completely fell out of the rotation in the playoffs and then bounced back with a couple of strong games in the NBA Finals. How much do those Finals games matter? Can teams trust him defensively? His value certainly isn't what it was this time last year, but he's still an intriguing player.
6	Wayne Ellington Miami Heat SG
Ellington is a one-dimensional player, but what a dimension! Few players in the league can play the role he has played for the Miami Heat, making contested 3s and drawing a ton of defensive attention. The Heat would absolutely feel his absence if he left, but it's tricky to determine how much any organization should pay a wing player who doesn't defend well in today's NBA.
7	Joe Harris Brooklyn Nets SF
The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter earned a major role with the Brooklyn Nets because he's not just a sharpshooter anymore. Harris has learned how to survive defensively, and he has gotten better in terms of attacking close-outs. This is a success story for Brooklyn's player development program, but there will be competition for his services now.
8	Doug McDermott Dallas Mavericks SF
McDermott is another shooter with size, and the best part of his game is that he never, ever stops moving. He shot a ridiculous 49.4 percent from deep in 26 games with the Dallas Mavericks, but his career average is closer to the 38.7 percent he shot in 55 games with the New York Knicks last season. There is obviously a place for him in the league, but, like a number of other guys on this list, he will be targeted defensively when it matters.
9	Marco Belinelli Philadelphia 76ers SG
Belinelli helped Philadelphia go on a massive run at the end of the regular season, and the 32-year-old shooter with no conscience is a good fit in any system with a movement-oriented offense. He is an awful defender, though, and that's basically why he has bounced around to five different teams in the past four seasons.
10	Gerald Green Houston Rockets SG
Like Belinelli, Green proved to be a nice pickup based on his ability to fire away and keep defenses honest. With the Rockets, 72 percent of his shot attempts were from 3-point range, by far the biggest mark of his career. He's not much of a defender, but he still played meaningful minutes against the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. Not bad for a guy who was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks before the regular season started.
11	David Nwaba Chicago Bulls SF
The Chicago Bulls' diamond in the rough is the inverse of guys like Belinelli and Green. Nwaba is reluctant to even attempt shots from the perimeter, but he is an intense, versatile defender and a good rebounder for a 6-foot-4 guard.
12	Lance Stephenson Indiana Pacers SG
The Indiana Pacers declined to pick up his option, somewhat controversially -- Stephenson is a fan favorite and the only remaining link to the team's relatively recent runs to the conference finals. Indiana was much better with him on the bench last season, though, and the effect of his solid pick-and-roll playmaking can be diminished by his inability to space the floor. Stephenson is still a versatile defender, but he can be overeager on both ends.
13	Patrick McCaw Golden State Warriors SG
The sophomore jump just didn't happen, and then McCaw suffered a terrifying back injury on the last day of March. He got healthy for the playoffs, but barely saw the court. At this point, his value is more based on the potential he showed as a rookie -- this is a long wing with 3-and-D and secondary playmaking potential, but he can be passive and shot just 29.6 percent from deep in his first two seasons.
14	Nick Young Golden State Warriors SG
This year definitely didn't go the way the Warriors hoped for Young, but he's still a champion. The playoffs were a mixed bag -- he made only 29.8 percent of his 3s in the postseason, but his effort on defense was better than it was in the regular season.
15	Glenn Robinson III Indiana Pacers SG
The good news is that he shot 41.2 percent from 3-point range this past season. The bad news is that it came on a small sample and he didn't have much gravity. Four years into his career, the athletic Robinson is still appealing more because of his potential than his production. Ankle surgery in October derailed his season, and he wasn't a part of the Pacers' playoff rotation.