Marreese Speights remains on the free agency market. The veteran power forward chose to opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the season. He likely expected to have a lot of suitors - and maybe behind the scenes, he does. As far as the rumor mill goes, however, Speights is a man without an NBA team in the near future. Let's change that by projecting four teams the big man would fit with going forward.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
Just like with other big men available, the Sixers should be in pursuit. They have depth concerns in the frontcourt and could use some tutoring for Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor.
Speights has something other candidates don't have, though: history. Speights began his career as a first-round pick of the Sixers back in 2008. He spent two and a half years with the team before coach Doug Collins helped to orchestrate a trade to get the offensive-minded player out of Philadelphia. Now seems like the right time for him to come back.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder's biggest flaw last season - outside of their necessary over-reliance on Russell Westbrook - was their three-point shooting, which ranked at the bottom of the NBA. Speights is not an elite three-point shooter, but he is serviceable, especially for a big man. He has made 34.9% of his attempts from distance over the course of his career.
Last year alone, he made 37.2% of his three-point shots.
2. Brooklyn Nets
When the team traded away Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Lakers, they lost the ability to stretch the floor effectively. Timofey Mozgov can't do that, after all. Speights would bring that ability back, which could be useful due to the questionable shooting of some of their starters.
At the end of the day, Speights will just be a rental for the Nets as they try to avoid a historic losing season.
1. Houston Rockets
First off, the Rockets need depth after trading approximately 47 players in the Chris Paul trade. One of those players was big man Montrezl Harrell, who hasn't really been replaced. The team also appears poised to trade power forward Ryan Anderson, who is generally a better long-range shooter but is a defensive albatross.
Speights would at least be a slight improvement in that realm. Houston is going all-in next season, which means prioritizing veterans over young players. There's no harm in signing Speights in free agency to reinforce a potential weakness for next season.
