Make no mistake, Ohio State isn't exactly an NBA factory. However, that doesn't mean the handful of Buckeyes in the Association should be ignored as free agency ramps up.
D'Angelo Russell
From year one to year two in the league, Russell improved in points, steals and assists per game while also upping his free throw attempts and percentage. It still didn't seem to be enough for the Lakers to keep him around when the draft came around. One of the bigger moves of the offseason came when Russell was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, the team known as NBA bottom feeders by even casual basketball fans.
While getting traded to the Nets might be rough news for any NBA player to receive, it might not be all bad. In the coming season, Russell will likely reach a career high for usage rate which will allow his counting stats like points, assists and rebounds to balloon. For reference, Russell's usage rate in 2016-2017 was 26.5. Reigning MVP Russell Westbrook's was 42.5. While a meteoric rise to that level would be insane, it just goes to show that Russell can be used a lot more if he is the primary playmaker on a roster, which it seems he will be for Brooklyn.
Aside from Jeremy Lin, Russell seems to be the most proven NBA player on the Nets' current roster. However, that could change as the Nets have shown a willingness to make moves for top-tier free agents when they offered Washington's Otto Porter a max contract (the Wizards are currently expected to match the offer to keep Porter in D.C., though). If the Nets miss out on Porter, they've got lots of cap space to work with to fill out the roster next to D'Angelo Russell, and they need help just about anywhere they can get it.
Mike Conley
Another prominent Buckeye in the league, Mike Conley has had a much smoother career arc but his team is in a purgatory of not being good enough to make a deep playoff run while simultaneously being too good to get a high draft pick. Free agency presents a potential gold mine for the Memphis Grizzlies, but they'll have to do some financial acrobatics to dance around the salary cap and luxury tax space.
As it stands, the Grizzlies have filled up their cap space but have some luxury tax room to play with if the owner and brass decide to do so, but the team has been making small ("small" meaning moves that aren't going to be in the news cycle for weeks or bordering max contract level) moves through free agency thus far bringing in Ben McLemore on a two-year $24 million deal and re-signing their own 22-year-old guard Wayne Seldon.
However, the Grizzlies could open up a big amount of cap space if some rumors regarding Marc Gasol being traded are true. The Grizzlies currently have Conley, Gasol and Chandler Parsons occupying roughly three-fourths of their available cap space, so trading Gasol would open a lot of opportunities for the Grizz. However, it's hard to think a player of his caliber would come back in return, so the Conley led squad might be on the decline for the 2017-2018 season.
Also worth noting: Conley was the highest-paid player in the NBA until only recently when Stephen Curry (~$201 million) and Blake Griffin (~$172 million) eclipsed him (~$152 million) in re-signing with the Warriors and Clippers, respectively. So while free agency hasn't affected Conley's team much, it has changed his status in the pecking order among the NBA's richest.
Kosta Koufos
Koufos isn't going to get the same attention as Russell or Conley, but that isn't his game. Since entering the NBA, Koufos hasn't been in the running for any MVP award or at the center of any off-court controversy, but he has found his role and he plays it well with the Sacramento Kings. Even as the team has been a punchline in the Association for some time, Koufos continues to produce solid numbers, and, with what appears to be a stronger core coming through, the Kings could be looking to leave the bottom of the West next season.
In fact, the 2008 first-round selection actually played above his career averages for the lackluster Kings last season, averaging almost six rebounds and seven points off the bench for Sacramento. This might be from the Kings' trading of DeMarcus Cousins during the season, who plays the same position as the OG Greek Freak (OK, that's an exaggeration, but you know what I meant.)
Back to the Kings: the Sacramento squad has certainly had active hands in this year's crop of free agents, as they've already agreed to deals with George Hill — who can be one of the better point guards in the league when he puts it all together — and Zach Randolph — who should be your NBA hero if you yearn for the elbow-throwing, bang-in-the-post NBA of the '90s and early 2000s. The addition of Randolph, however, could spell trouble for Koufos' minutes for the Kings.
Evan Turner
Another player who won't be looking to make a max contract in the NBA but has found his place and knows what he can do, The Villain E.T. serves as an important component behind one of the most-talented backcourts in the West for the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, the Blazers appear to be keeping it quiet in free agency, as the only notable offseason additions came through the draft in Gonzaga's Zach Collins and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan. Ohio State basketball fans might be familiar with Swanigan's work on the court, as he averaged a double-double for the Boilermakers over the last two seasons.
However, both those players figure to take up minutes on the frontcourt, so Turner will figure to continue to be an important bench player for Portland for 2017-2018.
Jared Sullinger
The only player on this list not currently on an NBA roster, Sullinger is occupying the open realm of NBA free agency, waiting on a team to give him another shot. And, if you trust the Miami Herald, a contract with the Heat seems like it could be in the works as long as Sullinger gets into shape.
I'm not sure how many of you are still harboring bad feelings toward the Heat for poaching LeBron away from Ohio, but if you get beyond that, the Heat have been able to bring back guys from the brink of the league and turn them into really productive players. In the past few seasons, they've seemingly transformed Hassan Whiteside (who had been bouncing around the NBA and leagues in other countries, now a max-contract player), Dion Waiters (who seemed to be near his last shot and really took blossomed last season in Miami), James Johnson and Willie Reed. Seriously, just look at what the Heat did with that bunch in the second half of last season. If Sullinger is able to get a contract with the Heat, he might be on the radar for a resurgence as a productive player.
This list isn't as extensive as one might be detailing former Kentucky Wildcats or Duke Blue Devils, but these Buckeyes will still be active in NBA free agency, be it in getting to know new teammates or in finding new NBA homes.
