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NBA: 5 Best Remaining Free Agents

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (23) defends a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (23) defends a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 9, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Lance Stephenson (1) looks for a foul during the final seconds of the game against the Golden State Warriors at FedExForum. The Warriors won 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Lance Stephenson

The perennial fixer-upper, this notorious bad boy is veering further away from “I think I can change him!” into “This is just an abusive emotional roller coaster and I need to get out now” territory. That being said, the fact that he hasn’t been scooped up yet means he might not be a costly acquisition for the right team.

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After the Memphis Grizzlies declined his $9.4 million team option, it felt like a sad moment for the Born Ready era. He had somewhat rebuilt his reputation in the muck of grit-n-grind, averaging 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on .474/.355/.815 shooting splits with the Grizz.

Okay, so maybe that 26-game sample size is small, and maybe it ignores how he quickly flamed out with the Los Angeles Clippers in his 43-game stint there, but at 25 years old, Stephenson still has a lot of basketball left to play in his career.

After matching on Tyler Johnson, the Miami Heat may no longer be a great fit for Born Ready, but teams like the Brooklyn Nets or even his old Indiana Pacers would be wise to at least consider trying to scrape together a manageable deal.

Next: No. 4