The Opening Night Of NBA Free Agency Did Not Disappoint
I have to say, it was well worth the wait. Since the final buzzer sounded in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the basketball world immediately turned their collective attention to 12:01am on July 1st. With each and every summer becoming more and more entertaining, last night was poised to be one of the more thrilling nights of the NBA calendar. It started with the internet tracking LeBron’s private jet back to LA, included an OKC barber telling the world Paul George was staying hours before it became official, and then once the floodgates finally opened, boy was it something. There were a ton, I mean A TON of agreements last night and maybe you were out at the bar or asleep and didn’t catch everything. That’s why we’re going to go through each and every one to make sure you are officially brought up to speed. Like I said it was a crazy night, so let’s not waste any time.
Paul George agrees to a 4/$137M deal / Jerami Grant agrees to a 3/$27M deal with the Thunder
The first surprise was that George actually committed to staying in OKC. When the news first broke, I think we all thought at most this would have been a 2+1 deal, if only because that’s what the superstars in this league tend to go with. It would have allowed George to re-enter the market after 10 years of service and get an even bigger deal, plus it gives them flexibility. But then we saw the years and I have to admit it even shocked me. The four years are really three with a player option, but even still this is a gigantic win for the Thunder. For a small market to not have to worry about Westbrook or George for the foreseeable future is huge for them. This now kills the dream of George playing for his hometown Lakers, but you know what I don’t hate on the guy for going with the security. Who knew if his injury had anything to do with this decision, but it just goes to show you how strong the bond with him and Westbrook was.
With Jerami Grant, this is a great number for him as well. Considering his last deal was 4/$4M this is a considerable raise. Grant was a key reserve for OKC last year, playing in 81 games at around 20 minutes a night, and he is coming off a career year in terms of his Ortg. At 6-8 he gives them that versatile wing that you can play at the 3 or 4 in certain lineups, and he’s a player that knows his role, knows how to defend, and seems to have found a fit in OKC after being traded there back in 2016.
What these two signings now mean is that OKC is now the owner of the largest tax bill in the league at $150M. Combined with their $156M salary this is one expensive basketball team. I hate to say it, but this whole thing screams that they are about to stretch Melo to help save around $76M.
Chris Paul agrees to a 4/$160M deal with the Rockets
As I put in the blog when this first broke, this is a shit ton of money to give to a 33 year old point guard, but it’s not as if the Rockets have a choice. It was never up for debate in my mind that Paul was going to come back, but the question was more around at what price. The fact that he was able to secure one last fat bag is a testament to him and a testament to Morey not giving a fuck about his cap situation. With the Rockets being in win now mode this isn’t all that shocking, and who knows maybe by the last half of this deal if he sucks they can always trade him to the Knicks.
As good as Paul is, $40M is still a ton of money to invest in one player, but the message is clear that the Rockets are not fucking around.
Kevin Durant agrees to a 2/$61.5M deal with the Warriors
If I remember correctly this was the first if not one of the first few that came out well before the official start time. Of course, Durant did the Warriors another favor going for the 1+1 rather than the 2+1 because it saved them about $5M in salary. The Warriors can now use that money to sign a better player for more money using the tax payer mid level exception which is over $5M. This Durant deal also saved the Warriors about $20M in luxury tax penalties, and say what you want but Durant has given up something like $15M during his time in GS.
If anything we’ll be doing the same dance next summer when the cap goes up and Durant opts out again, only to re-up with what I’m sure will be another 1+1
Nikola Jokic agrees to a 5/$148M deal / Will Barton agrees to a 4/$54M deal with the Nuggets
Another one that wasn’t the least bit surprising once they declined his team option. The Nuggets made it very clear that they were going to break the bank for their 23 year old Sebian center. One of the best big men in the entire league the Nuggets were smart to lock Jokic up long term. Granted they were able to get by on his unreal rookie deal and now have to pay the price, but Jokic is more than worth it. Especially for a team like DEN that has such an exciting young core. Any time you can secure your franchise player for 5 years you do it. The next step for Jokic is to show any sort of improvement on the defensive end, and once he does that the Nuggets will have themselves a monster.
The Will Barton deal came well before 12:01, and you know what I kinda like it. The Nuggets realized they were most likely not going to find a replacement better than Barton, so ownership stepped up and paid the price to keep everyone together. I would say $13.5M is a fair price for what Barton gives you as that slashing scoring wing player. Considering he played last year for $3.5M I bet Barton would agree. The thing is the Nuggets really value Barton, and he showed to be a player that embraced DEN and really wanted to be there. What’s big is the fourth year here is a player option which is important for Barton, and even though it may seem like DEN’s cap situation is a bit sticky at the moment, they have expiring contracts of Faried/Arthur/Chandler that they should be able to move. As of now they sit $23M over the tax line, but the salaries of those three add up to $33M so the Nuggets have options.
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Doug McDermott agrees to a 3/$22M deal with the Pacers
Get you some Dougie McBuckets! Personally I love this deal for both the player and team. For McDermott, he gets to join a Pacers team that is making moves in the East, gets some security and a nice raise ($3.4M last year) to go along with an opportunity to play. At 26 I feel like McDermott is a little underrated and I think part of that is because he’s bounced around so much. For the Pacers you’re adding yet another shooter around Oladipo which is important for that offense. When your best player is a slasher like that, you need all the spacing you can get, which is why you want shooters all around the perimeter. Kevin Pritchard has had a really good past two summers, and while this deal essentially took them out of the running for someone like Marcus Smart, they did get a player that immediately fits a need. The Pacers ranked 25th in 3PM last season, so Dougie should definitely help improve that area.
Joe Harris agrees to a 2/$16M deal / Ed Davis agrees to a 1/$4.4M deal with the Nets
Joe Harris was another bargain shooter that was hitting the open market this summer, and it looks like the Nets knew what they had in the player. That’s good money for Harris, and the fact that both he and McDermott got paid so quickly just goes to show you how valuable shooting really is in this league. Harris finished last season with 49/41% splits while making 1.9 3PM a night in his 25 minutes. He has good size at 6’6 to play the two, and if he can improve even the slightest on the defensive end this could end up being a really great contract for the Nets moving forward. The Nets are trying to build themselves back up from the dead, and smart contracts like this are how you do it.
The Ed Davis signing may have seen like a bit of a surprise, but remember once the Nets got rid of Dwight, they’re looking pretty thin in the front court other than Jarrett Allen. They literally didn’t have another center on the roster, so to get Davis for just $4.4M is a decent get. He’s what I would say is a decent rim protector at best, but he is a good defender and he did have a 21.3 REB% last year which is more than respectable for a reserve center. The key here is that he was cheap and he did not require multiple years, which are the exact requirements the Nets should be looking for right now.
Aron Baynes agrees to a 2/$11M deal with the Celtics
BIG FUCKING MOOD. YEAR 2 IS A PLAYER OPTION TOO LET’S GO
Ersan Ilyasova agrees to a 3/$21M deal with the Bucks
Please join me in traveling back in time to 2009-2015 because apparently the Bucks think that’s a good idea. In my opinion, this was the first “oh no” deal of the night. I mean MIL what are you doing? This signing now brings their salary to around $110M with the hard cap being $129M. Because Ilyasova was signed using the MLE that exceeds $5.3M that means they have to stay under the tax. You may remember they also have to resign Jabari Parker. Some might say this is an overpayment for a player that’s already 34 and shot 36% from deep last year. The Bucks need shooting I suppose, but there has to be better ways to spend this money.
If I had to guess Bucks fans are mixed about this, as I’m sure he’s a beloved Buck, but this deal is tough to swallow.
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Trevor Ariza agrees to a 1/$15M deal with the Suns
Here is where the night started to get interesting. Remember at the beginning of free agency when there were rumors that Ariza was looking for like 50-60M? Well I don’t know what happened but this is a gigantic loss for the Rockets. I would best describe this deal as stunning, only because everything from the money to the years to the team was a complete shock. You almost wonder what his thinking was behind this move, because surely there were better teams interested in him, even the one he currently played on. For the Suns you have to love it though. You get a veteran wing to help mentor Josh Jackson, you’re not locked up for anything crazy, and to his credut this summer their GM talked about how he wanted to bring in veterans to fill out his roster. If anything the Suns will at least be fun to watch on League Pass, and who knows if Ariza just went to the highest bidder and did a JJ Redick type deal, and if so then I hope he has a great year and gets another bag when the cap goes up next year.
Another theory is maybe this move makes Jackson more expendable, maybe for someone like…I dunno…Kawhi.
Marco Belinelli agrees to a 2/$12M deal / Rudy Gay agrees to a 1/$10M deal with the Spurs
Well, all the shooting has left Philly, and Belinelli returns for his second stint as a Spur. He last played there in 2014, and with Green opting into his contract a few days earlier, the Spurs are trying to do their best to prepare for a post Kawhi world. Now Belinelli is not a major piece, but he proved to be a capable shooter during this time in PHI, and at this point you just have to trust Pop here. He’s a career 37% three point shooter, and made a career high 2.0 a night as a Sixer while also averaging a career high in points (13.6). The Spurs can definitely find some sets to run him off screens and get him open looks.
The Rudy Gay signing is surprising only because you would have thought when he opted out that he was either gone or they were going to sign him to a multi year deal. Well, it’s the same one year, he just got about a $2M raise. Gay was somewhat effective in his first year in SA, averaging 11.5 points on 47% shooting in his 21 minutes a night. Granted he played only 57 games and is 31 but don’t focus on that. I’m choosing to look at this deal as Pop giving a nice middle finger to Kawhi basically saying “go ahead, sit out all year again if you want, you’ll die on this bench before I ever trade you to the Lakers”.
DeAndre Jordan agrees to a 1/$24M deal with the Mavericks
This was a foregone conclusion the second Jordan informed the Clippers he was opting out. The entire world knew Cuban was going to get his man, and after some rumblings that the Warriors were going to try and get him there for $5M, Jordan instead made the wise decision and took the money. Now I want to warn Mavs fans to be careful here, we’ve been in this position before where Jordan verbally agrees and then July 6th comes around and he changes his mind. So while I want to congratulate you on finally getting your white whale, I think it’s best if for this particular situation we wait until the pen actually hits the paper.
Good get though.
Gerald Green agrees to a 1/$2.4M deal with the Rockets
LOVE it!! Love that not only is Gerald staying in the league, but he gets to stay on a team in which he has the ultimate green light. I’m not so sure Gerald doesn’t think he actually won the MVP this past season and was a huge part of the Rockets success. The best part of this deal is that even though it’s a league minimum deal, because of the one year Bird restriction Green now has a no trade clause in his contract. Basically it’s like Lebron/Dirk/Melo/Gerald Green as the only guys with a no trade clause in the entire league. If you can’t find the humor in that I don’t know what to tell you.
You have to think the loss of Ariza played a role in bringing Green back, and he’ll for sure get a larger opportunity to show the world his talents. The Rockets were already a fun team to watch, but you throw some more Gerald into the action and you can sign me the hell up.
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Omar Casspi agrees to a 1/?? deal with the Grizzlies
As of writing this blog we haven’t heard the number on this deal, but I can’t imagine it’s anything more than the vet minimum. Casspi played 53 games last year for the Warriors and shot 58/45% in his 14 minutes. Not terrible! The Grizzlies ranked 24th in 3PM last season, so it certainly can’t hurt to add another low cost shooter who does have good size. Casspi is nothing flashy, just your casual Israeli sharp shooter, so shout out to him for getting back into the league. He’s only 29 so it’s not like he’s washed up or anything, and who knows if he has another solid year maybe someone gives him a multi year deal next summer.
Derrick Rose agrees to a 1/2.1M deal with the Timberwolves
Jesus Christ Thibs cannot quit Derrick Rose. Poor Tyus Jones, he wanted a trade, they told him he’d have a bigger role, and then they go and resign Rose. I know Jones may get the majority of Crawford’s minutes but even still that has to be pretty damn frustrating. Also you have to feel for KAT as there’s no way Rose considers letting him shoot instead. Rose played in a total of 9 games for MIN last year and averaged 5.8 points on 42/16% splits. I can understand still thinking there may be something left in the tank, but for the sake of this team it’s time to move on. You don’t need Teague/Rose/Jones, so unless you plan on moving one of those three, the signing doesn’t make much sense to me other than Thibs can’t quit his first love.
Pretty wild that Rose is playing for the minimum when you consider where he once was. I hope for his sake that he actually plays and has a fully healthy year, I do miss healthy awesome Derrick Rose that’s for sure.
Nik Stauskas agrees to a 1/?? deal with the Blazers
Same as Casspi, as of writing this we don’t know the official number, we just know that it was a minimum deal. How about that trade for BKN eh? They really wanted Okafor and Stauskas wouldn’t you say? With the Blazers, Stauskas will now play for his fourth team in five years. I suppose POR could use his shooting skillset, as he did shoot 40% from deep last year and they were about league average in terms on 3PM. It’s no secret that the Blazers need wing help, I’m just not so sure that he’s the type of wing help everyone had in mind. Is he that much different from Pat Connaughton? I feel like I’d rather have Connaughton right? Either way, I hope it works out for him but I cannot say this moved the needle.
EXHALE. That covers all the official signings/agreements that we got last night, so as you can see it was busy. As you may have noticed we did not get anything involving Lebron, Boogie, or really any of the big restricted free agents. Here’s what we know that also came out late last night that should only further develop today. We know that Lebron did talk to the Cavs at 12:01, we just don’t know what they said. We also know that HOU is meeting with Clint Capela today in LA, most likely to tell him they are going to match whatever he gets. I’m not even sure what his market is now that Jordan went to DAL. In terms of who’s left out there, obviously we just said the big names like LeBron and Boogie, but there’s also guys like JJ Redick, Derrick Favors, Avery Bradley, Jabari Parker, Isaiah Thomas, Wayne Ellington, Aaron Gordon, Dante Exum, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Tyreke Evans (NO is rumored to want him back), Rondo, Elfrid Payton, Zach Lavine (Hawks are interested), Nurkic etc. Tons of big names are still out there in both unrestricted and restricted free agency and I can only imagine that as the day goes on we’ll be getting some more Woj/Shams bombs. In other words I don’t know what you had planned for today, but it’s time to head back and refresh Twitter.
All in all Opening Night was about as fun as you could want, and in my opinion has set the stage for the coming weeks. Bring on the first full day and let the chaos continue.