Well, well, well, free agency is off and running and there have been a bunch of massive moves so let’s dive into what a bunch of teams around the association have done.
76ers
The 76ers wanted Paul George, that was the guy Daryl Morey went after and they landed him, we will get into the Clippers part of this later but George heads to the City of Brotherly Love on a 4yr/$212 million deal. This is a great move for Philadelphia for obvious reasons, George gives them a better chance to compete with the Knicks and Celtics, George gives them another guy who can dribble, pass and shoot on the offensive side of the court and George has been a great defender for most of his career. I do have some concerns, that 3rd and 4th year could be rough, he has had a lot of injury questions since he became a Clipper in 2019 and I am not sold on the defense part of this entering his age 34 season. The team also re-signed Kelly Ouber Jr. to a 2yr/$16 million deal. Are your answers for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown those guys? What about Jalen Brunson and crew with the Knicks? That does not change the fact that this is a home run deal for Philly. They needed another guy to help them keep up with New York and more specifically Boston and George does that. The Sixers have a perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid on their team and they need to surround him with as much talent as possible. How will George respond to the pressure is the next question for him and the Sixers to answer.
Clippers
This was a huge turning point for the Clippers. They had 2 choices, either let Paul George walk and get out of the 2nd apron or sign him and pay a huge tax bill again. The Clippers did not really choose one, they offered George a 3-year deal that was below maximum value, similar to the 3yr/$150 million deal they signed Kawhi Leonard too, so they wanted George back at their price. They had a year to get a deal done, when there was no deal done on Sunday both parties knew it was over, neither side was going to budge on what they wanted. As a result, the Sixers stepped up, offered a 4yr/$212 million deal and stole George from his hometown Clippers. Thus, L.A. had to pivot. Their first move was a 2yr/$70 million dollar deal with a player option after year one for James Harden. This was a good move and good value. Harden was awesome after the trade last season and was awesome in the first round series against the Mavericks, keeping him was a huge win for the Clippers. Now that George is gone the Clippers could sign a player to their mid-level expectation, which can be as high as a 4-year deal starting at $12,822,000 in the first season. They used that to sign Derrick Jones Jr. to a 3yr/$30 million deal. Then they brought Nic Batum back using their bi-annual exception on a 2yr/$9.6 million deal. I like what the Clippers have done, they’ll need Kawhi to be healthy which I do not expect so I don’t think the Clippers will be competing for anything of significance next season but they have done well. However, they should not be done. The team is nearing an agreement with Kris Dunn who remains one of the best point of attack defenders in the NBA so he will help. Norman Powell’s $19.2 million, P.J. Tucker’s $11.5 million and Terrence Mann’s $11.4 million are all chips that the Clippers can also deal to continue to improve the roster. Jeremi Grant is a name to keep an eye on if the Clippers make another move, which I think they will.
Mavericks
As we all know, the Dallas Mavericks went to the NBA Finals last season and got whooped by the Celtics in 5 games. They knew they needed to get better and they did just that. First, they sent Tim Hardaway Jr. and 3 future 2nd round picks to the Pistons for Quentin Grimes. Then, they signed Naji Marshall to a 3yr/$27 million deal after Derrick Jones Jr. skipped town to head to the Clippers. Finally, they sent Josh Green to the Hornets and 2 future 2nd round picks to the Warriors to acquire Klay Thompson while also giving Thompson a new 3yr/$50 million deal. The point of attack defense remains a huge concern for the Mavericks. Jones was their best option at that spot and Green was also solid in that role so losing those guys will be big because Thompson is not the defender he once was. Marshall will be a huge big up for their defense as he instantly becomes Dallas’ best point of attack defender and if Grimes can get back to his 2022-23 form, he too will be a big help for them. However, the Mavericks also needed shooting around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the worst way and Thompson gives them that. Dallas shot just 32% from beyond the arch in the Finals and Thompson was at 39% during the regular season so he will be a big part of the Mavericks pursuit of redemption in 2025.
Warriors
With Thompson headed to Dallas it ends the greatest era in the history of the Golden State Warriors. The trio of Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green won 518 regular season games, 98 playoff games, had 6 trips to the NBA Finals and won 4 championships. They are one of the greatest trio’s the game has ever seen and should be remembered as such, it is sad that they won’t retire together but alas they won’t and it’s time for Golden State to move forward. They signed De’Anthony Melton as a free agent to a 1yr/$12.8 million deal. If healthy, which is a big if, Melton will help the point of attack defense and their shooting. I really like the Kyle Anderson move as well. He is a really good passer and can run inverse pick and pops with the Warriors guards and gives them more size and ball handling which will help them. They need to make another move and to me that should be Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is a legit All-Star level player and can be the 2nd best player on a championship team. The Warriors owe their 2030 pick to the Wizards if it falls between the 21st pick and the 30th pick, if it doesn’t the pick converts to a 2nd round pick. A 3-team trade could look like Markkanen to the Warriors, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, unprotected 1st round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031 and a pick swap in 2030 to the Jazz and 2nd round picks in 2029, 2030 and 2031 (all via the Warriors) to the Wizards. This allows the Dubs to go all-in, Utah to get more draft assets, including some from when Curry will likely be gone and the Wizards to add 3 future 2nds that could have some value. The team could also shift their focus to Brandon Ingram in New Orleans, Bogdan Bogdanovic or De’Andre Hunter in Atlanta or Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic in Brooklyn. No matter who it is, the Warriors need to make another move because they cannot waste away the last few years of Stephen Curry’s career.
Thunder
I don’t think I have talked about the Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey trade yet. Combine that with the Isaiah Hartenstein signing and the new deals for Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, the Thunder have had a really good offseason. A Caruso-Dort duo on defense with Chet Holmgren protecting the rim and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander using his long arms to create turnovers on the wing is going to be a bear to score against. That defense has a chance to be one of the best in the league. Hartenstein will help that area too, he ranked 2nd in defensive EMP (estimated plus-minus) in the NBA last season according to Dunks and Threes and his rebounding will be huge for the Thunder who were awful in that category last season. They need to be better because, as the playoffs showed us, rebounding matters. On offense they will continue to play their 5-out approach and Hartenstien’s screen setting and ability to pass out of the roll will create another huge advantage for Oklahoma City this upcoming season. This is an elite basketball team and as of right now, should be considered the favorites to win the Western Conference.
Pelicans
The Pelicans traded for Dejounte Murray and have not done much else. Out the door went Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance Jr. at the center position so the Pelicans need to do something at that position. Brandon Ingram is also very available for trade, and C.J. McCollum should be as well. The Kings are very interested in Ingram according to multiple reports and Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and draft compensation is the reported return. I would want to keep Huerter if they got him, he can shoot it and can help on a team with Zion. Barnes, I would look to flip. A deal that sends Ingram to Sacramento, Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter and a first round pick to the Pelicans and Barnes and a pick swap to the Bulls could work for all sides involved. This allows the Pelicans to get a center, the Bulls get off Vucevic and the Kings get Ingram. Honestly, if I were a team I don’t think I would want Brandon Ingram knowing that a 4yr/$208 million deal is likely on the way but maybe New Orleans can get a team to bite. I would highly doubt they move McCollum but they should. Their best lineup is going to include Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson and a center. McCollum is a good player but a guy who does not fit New Orleans with the addition of Murray. The Pelicans need to do something else to tinker with this roster and I think it should be big.
Hawks
When you pair up Murray trades, it is a disaster of transactions but you cannot do that when building a team. This Murray trade is not a bad one, Larry Nance Jr. is good and will help them, Dyson Daniels is a beast on defense and those draft picks (the Lakers unprotected next season and the worst of the Bucks/Pelicans pick in 2027) could be decent. However, this cannot be the only deal they make. Clint Capela has to be as good as gone but I feel like we have been saying that for years. There are not a ton of teams who need a center but the Pelicans are one and Golden State is another so those teams could make a deal for Capela. The Hawks also have a bunch of wings that they can trade as well. De’Andre Hunter is probably not a player with a ton of value right now because of the 3-years and $70 million remaining on his contract as he did not play well last season. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a player they could also trade and I do think he has value around the league and they could get something real for him, the scoring punch he provides can help anyone. They also had the first pick in the draft and though I don’t know a ton about Zaccharie Risacher, he is a 6 foot 9 wing so betting on that is never a bad idea. The big question for the Hawks is Trae Young. I think Trae Young is good at basketball, which for some reason has become a semi-bold take. A player who averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists and is a walking top 7 offense, does, in fact, help you win games. Without control of their picks for the next 3 seasons, I don’t think that the Hawks should trade Trae Young, no matter how bad their defense gets with him on the court.
Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have not done anything in free agency. They drafted Bronny James, which has a lot of people upset but I don’t think anyone should be upset. First of all, it is the 55th pick so if he does not work out, the Lakers will be okay and he is the 15th guy on the roster so he will not need to play meaningful minutes. LeBron James has accomplished enough in his NBA career and his Laker career for him to request that they draft a certain player with the 55th pick. James also told the Lakers he would take less for them to improve the roster, which they have not done. They were in on Klay Thompson but once he went to Dallas, LeBron decided he did not want to wait anymore signing a 2yr/$104 million dollar max contract with a player option after year 1 and a no trade clause. Even with players like DeMar DeRozan on the open market, James knew he wanted a deal done by the time Olympic training camp with team USA started this weekend. Now, the Lakers will very likely have to trade D’Angelo Russell’s $18.7 million to make a move. They’ll also need to dump Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes and their minimum contracts because the roster is at 15 players.
Other notes
The window is closing and closing fast for Miami. They need to do something to improve this roster and while DeMar DeRozan has been mentioned as an option, I don’t think he gives them a chance against the Celtics, Knicks or 76ers. The Nuggets losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a disaster and why are people saying they could not sign him due to the apron? That is not true, the Nuggets had Caldwell-Pope’s full bird-rights, meaning they could sign him to as much as the max, and they just let him go. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world and he is on your team so damn the apron and damn the luxury tax, you have to win now and this move does not signal that. Speaking of KCP, this is a home run move for the Magic. This team badly needed shooting and Caldwell-Pope gives them that along with really good defense. They also extended Jonathan Issac who has been awesome since coming back from injury last season. Of course the Pistons signed Tobais Harris, it was so obviously going to happen. I actually liked this move, Harris, like Tim Hardaway Jr., gives the Pistons shooting and a guy who plays every night which is what Detroit needs. It is just funny that this team signed this player. Are the Jazz going to trade Lauri Markkanen? I have been on the ‘they Jazz are not going to trade Markkanen’ train but there has been a lot of smoke around those rumors so I would keep an eye on that one. I think that they should because ending up with the 10th pick every year defeats the purpose of the Gobert and Mitchell trades.
One sentence takes
The Celtics keep paying people and now they are for sale, this should not affect their chances to go back to back because I don’t think the sale of the team will be a distraction. We talked at length about the Knicks in my last blog but losing Hartenstien is tough. The Nets should trade Dorian Finney-Smith as soon as possible but they shouldn’t rush on a Cam Johnson trade, if Johnson bounces back from last season his value will rise. The Raptors have had an interesting offseason, they overpaid on Quickley though he is good and the Bruce Brown thing is interesting. It doesn’t look like the Bulls are going to sign DeMar DeRozan, which is good because then they won’t be stuck in the middle anymore. The Cavs got Donovan Mitchell to sign an extension which is such a monster win for that city and that franchise it cannot be overstated. Honestly, good for Indiana for not rushing things after an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, patience is still key for them. The East is starting to slip past the Bucks and it does not seem like they can do anything about it due to the apron rules. Josh Green is a great pick up for the Hornets. The Wizards signed Jonas Valanciunas and I have nothing to add on to that. The Wolves felt they were not good enough last season so they got creative and traded for Rob Dillingham in the draft, I loved that move. Trading a 2029 pick was not my favorite for a rebuilding team but Deni Avdija is really good and on a really good contract, I liked that move a lot for Portland. Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris are solid pick ups for the Suns, I worry about those guys in a playoff situation but the Suns need to focus on making the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference. I think it would be a mistake for the Kings to trade Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter for Brandon Ingram but what do I know? The Rockets trading for Jimmy Butler would have been a franchise altering mistake so I am glad they did not do that. Zach Edey is a good replacement for Steven Adams, Memphis is going to be awesome next season. Chris Paul to Victor Wembanyama lobs are going to be so much fun. Lastly, shoutout to Kemba Walker on an awesome career, he was such a good player and such a fun player to watch.
Free agency is in full swing and there is still a lot to happen. Movement has not been as fast as previous years (or in the NHL, that was crazy how quickly that moved) but it is always fun this time of year as we see how the rosters shake out for next season.
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