In our first installment assessing the free agent market, we took a long look at players who can fill a role or a roster spot for not much more than the league minimum.

Now we are looking at players at the next level -- those who may warrant a portion of the mid-level exception, which gets a little trickier.

The biggest issue with players in this category is that many of them enter free agency believing they will receive the entire mid-level exception from a team. To snag one of them more cheaply, you have to be patient, which can mean you miss out on a similar player.

It is also difficult to land a restricted free agent with just a portion of the mid-level exception. If his team really wants him back, it will pony up the $2-3 million unless it is totally leveraged by the luxury tax.

For example, Pacers guard Jarrett Jack made $2.8 million last season and has been a starter for two teams. A team needing a 25-minute point guard could offer him $16 million over four years. But the Pacers did not pick up the $7.2 million option on Marquis Daniels and would have the flexibility to re-sign Jack if they renounced Daniels.

And some of these guys will get the full mid-level exception. The Oklahoma City Thunder need a legitimate center and could offer the mid-level for five years to restricted free agent Marcin Gortat -- who made just $711,000 last season -- and give the Orlando Magic serious cause for pause without disrupting their own considerable salary cap room.

In some cases, the player will sacrifice money for more years because he never has had the security of a long-term deal. Those are addressed here, as well as some veterans who can fill out a contender's rotation for the right price.

10. Eddie House. Will it be a ninth team for the undersized gunner? House has had his best seasons -- last year with Boston, 2005-06 with Phoenix -- when he is on good teams that have the surrounding personnel to utilize him properly. He cannot be trusted as a point guard and his defense is shaky at times, but $10.5 million over three years could scare off the Celtics, who paid House $2.65 million last season.

9. Dahntay Jones. After finally finding a home in Denver, Jones could be on the move again if a team looking for defense and athleticism at guard offers him $9 million over three years. The Nuggets had to pay Jones just $926,000 last season and have to address the free agency of Chris Andersen and possibly Linas Kleiza, which threatens their standing under the luxury tax. Jones could start for a team that has a scoring point guard or a fleet of scorers -- like, say, San Antonio.

8. Glen Davis. Another Celtic, although Davis may be easier to keep than House because he is a restricted free agent. "Big Baby" made just $711,000 last season and averaged 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in the pressure-packed postseason as he picked up the slack for the injured Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe. Boston will have a tough decision to make if Davis is offered the full mid-level exception. He certainly warrants a deal of three or four years at $12-14 million.

7. Linas Kleiza. Another Nugget, although Kleiza may be easier to keep than Jones because he is a restricted free agent. Kleiza is not a starter, which will keep his cost around $3 million annually. That would represent a $1.2 million raise for Kleiza, who once scored 40-plus points off the bench and is an underrated rebounder. The Nuggets care less about contract length than most teams because they have not cleared their cap for next summer. But that doesn't mean they will match any offer.

6. Matt Barnes. There should be a lot of interest in the small forward, whose recent numbers have been helped by playing for run-and-gun outfits in Golden State and Phoenix but has established himself as a rotation guy who can shoot and rebound a little bit. After making just $1.2 million last season, Barnes should command a deal somewhere around $7.5 million for three years. Orlando, which may have to replace Hedo Turkoglu, would be an ideal landing spot

5. Drew Gooden. It would be hard to imagine Gooden making the $5.6 million he made last season. But at just 27 years old with career numbers of 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds, he is not a veteran's minimum guy, either. Gooden should command a four-year, $16 million deal and could be a starter for the right team. Given the trade of Ben Wallace, Anderson Varejao's free agency and the age of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Joe Smith, another stop in Cleveland wouldn't be a bad thing.

4. Flip Murray. Have you noticed that Murray often is on good teams? He was part of the 2005 SuperSonics, the 2006 Cavaliers, the 2007 Pistons and the 2009 Hawks -- and was a contributor for all of them. He averaged 12.2 points last season, when he made just $1.5 million. He can play both guard spots and has a dribble-drive game. Murray turns 30 in July and may be looking for a multi-year deal worth $3 million annually. Plenty of teams pay more for their third guard.

3. Antonio McDyess. The second pick in the 1995 draft is getting on in years but hasn't had the wear and tear of most 15-year veterans because he hasn't averaged more than 30 minutes per game since suffering his knee injury in Denver. He is still a monster rebounder (9.8 last season) and can score a little bit, too. He also is due $3 million next season as part of his buyout from the Nuggets, a figure that can mitigate the amount a team may have to pay for his services. It would be a stunner if he received more than a one-year deal, though.

2. Brandon Bass. It is time for Bass to get a multi-year deal, and the full mid-level exception is not out of the realm of possibility for a team that desperately needs size. Bass made just $826,000 last season in Dallas, when he averaged 8.5 points and 4.5 boards in 19 minutes spelling Dirk Nowitzki at power forward and Erick Dampier at center. He hits the offensive glass, makes his free throws and is just 24 years old. A team offering $16 million over four years would make Bass happy and have a steal on their hands.

1. Grant Hill. Why is a 37-year-old who plays only one position at the top of the list? Because Hill is a consummate pro who ca still score, rebound and match up with younger small forwards. Hill is a young 37; for the first time in his career, he played in all 82 games last season, averaging 12.0 points and 4.9 rebounds while making just $1.97 million. Hill obviously is only interested in playing for a contender, and it may take $2.5 million or $3 million to secure him. But teams like Orlando, San Antonio, Cleveland, Boston, Denver and Dallas should all have their antennae up.

Next: Mid-level and more with Tony Mejia.

Chris Bernucca has covered the NBA since 1996 and is a regular contributor to Pro Basketball News. You can disagree with him at cbernucca@comcast.net.

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