ESPN ranks top 20 free agents this offseason, bizarrely snubs key Nuggets starter

As the NBA Finals are almost upon us and the offseason rapidly approaches for all 30 teams, the trade, draft, and free agency articles, lists, rumors, and reports are coming out left and right. A lot has been made about the stars who may be on the move this offseason like Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Trae Young, heck - maybe even LeBron James.

But these days, most marquee players end up signing for the most money and figuring out the rest later. Superstars changing teams as true free agents have become increasingly rare. Should those types of players want to move, they are more likely to just sign a maximum extension with their current team and demand a trade.

But there are still plenty of lower-tier stars, good role players, and solid rotation players who hit the open market each offseason, and those can be players who make major impacts across the league. On Monday, ESPN senior writer Kevin Pelton ranked the top 20 free agents this offseason for ESPN.com.

Peloton ranked the players using a combination of the past three years' performance, comparison to similar players, and adjusted plus-minus. The obvious names top the list, although they may not be likely to hit the open market; LeBron James, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. But the list drops off pretty quickly and spots 10-20 are littered with role players

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope snubbed from top 20 free agent list

But one excellent role player was notably omitted from the ranks, two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP has been a stellar contributor for the Nuggets and a key part of their starting lineup. He’s one of the best wing defenders in the league, constantly doing the heavy lifting by guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter players.

Caldwell-Pope doesn’t fill up the box score offensively, but he’s a capable ballhandler and a reliable shooter with plenty of big-game experience that he’s never shied away from. Needless to say, I disagree with the rankings and the metrics Pelton used; Kentavious is clearly one of the best 20 free agents available this offseason, probably by a fair amount.

To be fair, Pelton did name KCP as his first honorable mention after the top 20 list, explaining that he didn’t score well due to his lack of conventional stats. Hopefully for Nuggets fans, other GMs around the league are using this list as a guide and Denver will be able to retain KCP for a reasonable value.