With almost every major free agent out of the market now, it’s time to take a breath and find out where we are.
The Los Angeles Lakers have improved, Gordon Hayward made money, while the Milwaukee Bucks slipped during their audition with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Here are the winners and losers after a frenzied start to the NBA’s free agency!
WINNER
Gordon Hayward
The market for free agencies in 2020 was a bit thin, at least compared to next year’s harvest.
And Gordon Hayward took advantage.
The teams had money to spend, and the one-time NBA All-Star was willing to take a “risk” to hear how much.
Taking his $ 34.2 million option in Boston, Hayward assumed he was simply looking for long-term security, not the four-year $ 128 million deal he struck with the Celtics three almost reached years earlier.
But when small market teams smell an achievable star, money tends to follow suit. And in Hayward, the Hornets knew that the biggest offer of a piece for the LaMelo Ball revolution would land in Charlotte.
Despite his injury history and overwhelming time in Boston, Hayward landed essentially the same deal he signed in 2017 – a four-year, $ 120 million deal that is probably better for the 30-year-old than Charlotte’s terrible.
Hayward was the fourth option for the Celtics behind Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown. In a role that you can imagine resembling his all-star season in Utah, Hayward still has something to do to live up to his contract.
Golden State Warriors
Ok listen to me
Obviously, the Warriors are the off-season biggest losers. Klay Thompson, injured for another season, is a disaster that no free agency magic can overcome.
But what Bob Myers and Co. have done is commendable.
Drafted by James Wiseman, Golden State has traded for Kelly Oubre Jr., Brad Wanamaker has landed on the guard post and a bargain deal with veteran wing Kent Bazemore.
They are reportedly not finished yet.
Is it a squad good enough to win a title without Thompson? Probably not. But make no mistake: this is a damn good playoff team.
Thompson rips Achilles
0:36
Los Angeles Lakers
Obviously, last season’s title was a big moment for the Lakers front office. But the most exciting part would have been the clear room for improvement across the squad.
When you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, holes and weaknesses look smaller than they really are. But the truth is, the Lakers weren’t a formidable entity on paper. That’s why both the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks were considered favorites, and why what the Lakers did was so impressive.
Go this season? These Lakers look scary.
It was a smart move to trade Danny Green and his $ 15 million salary for Dennis Schroder. Especially when Wesley Matthews arrived for $ 3.4 million.
Schroder is an upgrade for Rajon Rondo who is now in Atlanta, and Matthews is a comparable Green replacement that is paid much less.
The Lakers beat their rivals in Los Angeles and improved their banking unit by signing a $ 19 million two-year deal with sixth man of the year, Montrezl Harrell.
Harrell, who has grown into one of the league’s top batsmen with the Clippers, will be a pick and roll weapon with either Schroder or LeBron James.
And after sending JaVale McGee to Cleveland and landing Marc Gasol, the Lakers have a defensive anchor with a championship pedigree to play alongside Davis in the forecourt.
Walking back to back is difficult. But it’s easier when you get one This much better.
Fred VanVleet
In the off-season feel-good story, Fred VanVleet signed the largest contract in NBA history for an uncovered player when he agreed to stay in Toronto.
VanVleet, who was an integral part of the Raptors’ title-winning team in 2019, benefited from a career high of 17.6 points per game last season.
The long-term contract offers Toronto security that Kyle Lowry will pay $ 30 million this season before the 34-year-old becomes an unconditional free agent.
Portland Trail Blazer
It can be frustrating to see the Portland Trail Blazers consistently create good rosters with obvious blankets.
The Blazers have “fought” for years and by the time they reached the 2019 conference finals they never had the roster to win an NBA title. Sure, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are special. But not special enough to be the top two players on a championship list. That’s the reality.
But in the deal with Robert Covington, the blazers just got a lot better. He’s not a superstar, but he’s exactly the player Portland needs. The Blazers sent Trevor Ariza and two first-round picks to Houston for Covington, one of the league’s top three-and-three strikers. Portland also brought back Rodney Hood, Carmelo Anthony, and Enes Kanter, added the athletic wing Derrick Jones Jr., and picked up a flyer about Harry Giles.
It’s probably not enough, and that’s the eternal fight in Portland. But this squad gives Lillard his best chance of a ring yet.
LOSER
Milwaukee Bucks
In the simplest case, Milwaukee is a loser because Giannis Antetokounmpo has not yet signed the Super Max expansion for which he is entitled.
We talked earlier about how difficult it is for small market teams to attract star talent in the NBA – that’s why Hayward got all the money.
But it can be just as difficult to keep when you have it.
The Milwaukee Bucks are in a rather public audition to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. And even though it all started so well, things got messy.
The good news: Milwaukee landed Jrue Holiday on trading a deal that makes them better.
The bad news: your hopes of signing Bogdan Bogdanovic went out the window when news broke of a planned sign-and-trade before any business could be legally negotiated. And no, the bucks aren’t the only team in the NBA to break the rules. But if it’s so monstrous, the league won’t let it.
With Bogdanovic going elsewhere, Milwaukee still needs some effort to convince Antetokounmpo to sign a contract worth up to $ 247 million ($ A338 million).
Vacation was a good start. Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis and DJ Augustin are also nice additions. But if Antetokounmpo bids his time in hopes of a home run, he’s still waiting.
Los Angeles Clippers
“When you check out the NBA, people expect the Clippers to have something special up their sleeve,” Dan Woike wrote in the LA Times.
You would hope so.
While the Clippers have taken on Serge Ibaka nicely, the remainder of their off-season has been largely overwhelming.
They kept Marcus Morris, but had to pay a lot of money for it; The forward has signed a four-year $ 64 million deal to stay in Los Angeles.
Montrezl Harrell also stayed in Los Angeles. But not with the Clippers – as discussed above – in a move that surprised everyone, including Patrick Beverley. Meanwhile, JaMychal Green walked out the door to join the Denver Nuggets, who came back from 3-1 deficit to beat the Clippers in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.
There are still holes in the forecourt and an obvious need to play for the Clippers, who have a year left to convince Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (if they want him) to re-sign.
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard believed he agreed to stay with the Lakers when he went on Twitter to let his followers know he was “staying right where I belong”.
Not long after that, the tweet was deleted. And not too long after that, Howard was a Philadelphia 76er.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Howard was provided with a “deal concept” by the Lakers. When he orally approved the $ 3 million concept, it was felt that the deal was closed. It was not.
Oh, Dwight.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks entered the free hand with a lot of money and a willingness to spend it.
Your problem? Nobody wanted to take it. Gordon Hayward chose Charlotte, Fred VanVleet stayed in Toronto, and the Knicks, apart from any trades, are likely to stink again.
They needed guardianship after settling on Obi Toppin, a power forward with the number 8 in the draft. Bringing Elfrid Payton back and signing Austin Rivers probably wasn’t what Knicks fans had in mind.
“They wanted to be a major threat to the playoffs in coach Tom Thibodeau’s first season and bring glamor back to the garden,” wrote Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Now the focus will be shifted to the free agency class in 2021.
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