Gotchya.

You were looking ahead, weren't you?

	Sonics forward Rashard Lewis is the premier free agent of this year's class.

Anticipating the next great NBA free-agent class, which will land on these shores this same time next year. The blue-chippers: Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Gary Payton. The solid vets: P.J. Brown, Juwan Howard, Sam Cassell, Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson, Darrell Armstrong, Antonio Daniels, Jon Barry and Lucious Harris. The older warriors: Alonzo Mourning, Reggie Miller, Steve Smith, Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen. The players with opt-out options: Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Theo Ratliff and Vlade Divac.

Not to mention, potentially, the members of the 1998 draft class who haven't signed long-term extensions by then: Michael Olowokandi, Mike Bibby, Raef LaFrentz and Bonzi Wells, to name four.

But that's 12 months away. Your team needs help now. Your team is Sacramento, which could stand pat with a powerhouse team ... or do some tweaking. Your team is Detroit, which needs a point guard ... or Phoenix, which doesn't. Your team is way under the salary cap (that would be the Clippers, for the uninformed) or way, way over (that would be Portland and New York).

Your team is young (Indiana, Denver).

Your team is old (Miami, Utah).

Everybody outside of El Segundo, Calif., needs something -- and even the Lakers could stand another body or two coming off the bench.

So pay attention. There are good, if not breathtaking, free agents available this year. Most of them will have to settle for some portion of the $4.7 million mid-level exception, so they'll come relatively cheap and not kill your cap room for next season when you'll need it. I know that just about everyone is over the cap and fearing the luxury tax -- only the Clippers have significant cap room, and we know they'll never use it. But there are creative ways to make deals, if you want to be creative. And there are teams with huge trade exceptions: Milwaukee has the biggest, a $4.6 million slot from the Greg Foster-Lindsey Hunter deal last year. Miami has a $3.3 million slot from the Tim Hardaway deal. And New Orleans has a $1.9 million slot from the Derrick Coleman deal.

Since most restricted free agents -- such as Bibby, Olowokandi and the like -- will either get multi-year extensions this summer, have any offers from other teams matched or sign their one-year tenders and be totally free next season, I'm not wasting time on them now.

So these are the real top 10, two per position. Some are young, some old. Some are tall, some shorter. But all of them will help you win next season.

Point guard
1. Jeff McInnis, Clippers. The Angelenos don't seem very interested in signing him (squabbles with teammates and coach Alvin Gentry are to blame), but the 27-year-old had a career year in L.A. If anybody hit more big shots for his team last season, point him out to me. If I'm Detroit, I'm thinking this guy is perfect for my blue-collar bunch.

1a. Travis Best, Bulls. He played very often and very well in big postseason games for the Pacers over the years. His reward for that was getting shuttled off to Chicago in the Jalen Rose deal. All he wants is certainty about his minutes. Any reason Seattle can't give him some cash ... and some run behind the Glove?

Shooting guard
1. Larry Hughes, Warriors. Golden State did not tender the 23-year-old; he's unrestricted and free to go anyplace that will have him. Forget last year's disastrous attempt to make him a point. He's a two and a good one. He needs to play somewhere where he'll get shots. With Terrell Brandon's future anything but secure, is anybody more in need of backcourt scoring than Minnesota?

1a. Bruce Bowen, Spurs. We told you last summer that Gregg Popovich should pick up the phone and get Bowen, and he did. Bowen is still one of the better on-the-ball defenders around. He defended Kobe Bryant as well as anyone could in the Western semis, and there's only one Kobe. Fits all the criteria for Larry Brown in Philly: He can't shoot, he loves to defend and Brown has coached him before -- but gotten rid of him.

Small forward
1. Rashard Lewis, Sonics. He cried on draft night in 1998 when he fell into the second round, but Lewis is having the last laugh after a career year in Seattle that made him the premier free agent this summer. At 6-foot-10, he has the size to score inside, but has the shot to kill from the perimeter. The Sonics insist they'll do whatever it takes to keep him, but the Rockets would love to bring Lewis back to his hometown -- and the Wizards are right behind them.

1a. Lee Nailon, Hornets. He's restricted, but if anyone is worth gambling a full mid-level on, it may be the 6-9 Nailon. He started half of the season for the Hornets for the injured Jamal Mashburn and put up solid numbers. He's a tough left-hander who's getting better and better from the perimeter. If the Raptors lose Keon Clark, Nailon would be a perfect replacement.

Power forward
1. Malik Rose, Spurs. A hard worker, he's a better teammate you will not find anywhere. He guards anybody put in front of him and has killed himself to add a jumper to his offensive game. Mark Cuban is a smart guy; is there a sign-and-trade or three-way that could add Rose's toughness and defense to his locker room?

1a. Popeye Jones, Wizards. Finally healthy after a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Jones' smarts saved the Wizards on several occasions. Not only does he know how to play, but he's a tremendous teacher to young players. Several teams would love to add him, but San Antonio should be at the top of the list. He's the perfect backup for Duncan, and his personality would fit right in with the low-key, professional Spurs.

Center
1. Wang Zhi-Zhi, Mavericks. Laugh if you want, but Wang could help a bunch of teams next season. He can shoot it deep, and if he learns to deal with the physical nature of the game, he'll be able to handle himself inside. There are obvious concerns about his relationship with Chinese officials after his did-he-defect-or-not play of recent weeks, but he's still worth a gamble. If the Magic can't get Jerome James from Seattle, they may want to think about a mobile five who'd knock down open looks created by Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill.

1a. Scott Williams, Nuggets. He missed a lot of time with injuries last season, but there is still some tread left on his tires. Williams is a high-energy guy who will get rebounds, take charges and score without plays being called for him. He was huge for Milwaukee in the 2001 playoffs, and if the Bucks are smart, they'll repatriate him in Cheese City.

The best of the rest
(Or, the solid if unspectacular guys who are going to get pinched in a system with no real movement, and who may have no choice but to settle for the $1.4 million exception if you have it.)

	Medvedenko

I agree with Tom Heinsohn on one thing: I love Walter McCarty, too. Riles should be making a call to Beantown about an athletic big who plays terrific defense. ... Eduardo Najera is the kind of high-energy, annoying pest that Isiah Thomas would love to sic on unsuspecting threes. ... Walt Williams is still a streak shooter, but the Wizard can still fill it up. He's probably best coming off the bench at this point of his career, and the Nets could sure use a veteran who can score in reserve. ... Every time Slava Medvedenko comes into the game for the Lakers, some people snicker. Smart people don't. He throws his body around effectively and he doesn't embarrass himself out there. Ask the folks in LaLa who their most important free agent retention is. It's not Devean George. Even if the Jazz get Greg Ostertag back, they should check Slava out. ... Jimmy Jackson languished without a job the first month of last season, then signed with Miami and had a terrific season. He's still a tough check down the stretch in the post. The Cavs have tried for years to bring him back home; he'd be a good mentor for Dajuan Wagner. ... I'm still a big Sam Mitchell fan, for the credibility he brings without having a big paycheck or a big scoring average. Ask KG what he'd do without him. He'd be the perfect pickup for a Clippers team in desperate need of some old heads.

	James

Troy Hudson played outstanding ball for the Magic last season, showing explosiveness and an ability to score down the stretch of games. He played two seasons in Los Angeles, so he should be familiar to the Lakers, who should give him a call to be Derek Fisher's backup. ... Chris Dudley collected dust in Portland last season, but he'll still know how to play in 10 years. The Kings need as many fouls as possible against Shaq. Dudley's got six. ... Jerome James lost a ton of weight last summer to prove to the Sonics that he was more than a Globetrotter, and he was starting for Seattle in the playoffs. With Calvin Booth coming back next season with five years left on his $33 million deal, chances are the Sonics won't be able to keep James around. The Knicks need a five who can rebound and block shots in the worst way. ... The Raptors probably won't be able to re-sign Chris Childs, who started part of the season when Alvin Williams was injured. CC would fit right in with Portland's wild bunch. ... By all accounts, Dell Curry is between 71 and 84 years old. But he still has one of the sweetest strokes in the league. The Suns need proven scoring behind Penny Hardaway. ... Donyell Marshall resurrected his career in Utah the last couple of years, learning how to play through injuries and get himself in shape. He probably wouldn't respond as well next season if he returned to a losing team, as he had to endure in Golden State and Minnesota early in his career. So if the Celtics could bring the ex-Connecticut star home at a price that wouldn't give Paul Gaston night sweats, it would be a happy ending for everyone.

David Aldridge is an NBA reporter for ESPN.