That's basically Batum in a nutshell—smart enough to see all on the basketball court, skilled enough to capitalize on what he sees. He has 17 seasons under his belt, and his teams have been at least 2.1 points better per 100 possessions with him than without in all but five of them.

Which deals will impact the title race? Which will leave teams in regret by Christmas? Our NBA insiders make their picks.

There aren’t many sports where signing a single player has the potential to dramatically improve a team’s fortunes quite like basketball, and there are a ton of instances where NBA franchises have turned things after landing a big name in free agency.

Point guard Chris Paul is one of the most intriguing NBA free agents this cycle. While he's now 40 years old, he's a future Hall of Famer that played all 82 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs and can clearly still contribute for a contender.

Paul is still available in NBA free agency. He has been linked to a few different teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks. There is