With limited cap space available, teams need to be careful with their cap space. Which 2018 NBA free agents should teams stay away from?
At the stroke of midnight Saturday night, 2018 NBA free agency will officially begin, and well over 100 players will be on the open market. Teams will have to make decisions on who to re-sign, who to pursue and who to avoid as they seek to use their cap space wisely.
The cap boom of 2016 is long gone, and the amount of space league-wide is very limited. That may mean there are bargains to be found, talented players available at prices lower than they deserve. It also means that to waste space on a player not deserving could be catastrophic.
There are obvious candidates out there, players not worth more than the minimum who will be searching for more. Teams should already know to not throw money at players like Jahlil Okafor, Shabazz Muhammad or Michael Carter-Williams.
Yet there are other players teams need to be wary of as well. These players are more talented and worth a contract, but to overspend due to name value or mystery upside or a recent hot streak would be a mistake. Here are five players NBA teams should stay away from if they are seeking bargains and not overpays in 2018 free agency.