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- The NBA off-season began with a flurry of trades and free agency signings.
- Our winners of the off-season so far include the Celtics, Nuggets, and extension-eligible stars.
- Our losers include the Nets, Lakers, and one notable free agent.
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Why they're winners: The Celtics were the best team in the NBA over the final two months of the regular season and came two wins away from a championship. They've done nothing but bolster their chances for next season.
The Celtics pulled off a trade for point guard Malcolm Brogdon — a big guard who can defend the perimeter, knock down threes, and organize the offense — without giving up any of their top seven rotation players to land him. They are also expected to sign veteran forward Danilo Gallinari, a stretch four who should provide a scoring boost off the bench. They've got a rock-solid rotation, and as it stands right now, they'll be favorites to win the championship next year.
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Why they're losers: It's hard to label the Nets anything else, given that their franchise player asked for a trade with four years remaining on his deal and the team's star point guard clearly would rather be elsewhere, too. The Nets don't have to trade Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, and their surrounding free-agency moves have been solid, but it's nonetheless stunning how quickly things have gone south in Brooklyn. The Nets entered last season as heavy championship favorites with Durant, Irving, and James Harden. All three may be gone by the time next season begins.
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Why they're winners: Heading into free agency, there was a lot of discussion about how much the Warriors would need to pay to re-sign free agents like Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, and Otto Porter Jr., and how much it would cost them on taxes.
The Warriors ultimately let Payton and Porter walk while re-signing Looney to a team-friendly, three-year, $25 million contract — less than many experts pegged his value. They also landed Donte DiVincenzo on a two-year, $9 million contract, securing a young, promising, two-way wing at a below-market rate. In the process, the Warriors opened up more playing time for their three recent lottery picks: James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. The Warriors will likely be right back in the championship mix, and though their roster will remain historically expensive, they didn't need to spend absurd sums to remain there.
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Why they're losers: Fresh off a Western Conference Finals appearance, the Mavericks let their second-leading scorer, Jalen Brunson, leave in free agency and have few avenues to replace him. Once again, Dallas has a top-heavy roster surrounding Luka Doncic. The Mavericks did make a solid move in trading for Christian Wood, a center who can block shots and hit threes, but they then made the confounding decision to sign 37-year-old center JaVale McGee to a three-year, $20 contract, despite having two other centers on the roster.
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Why they're winners: Nobody can say the Hawks aren't trying. They paid the surprising price of sending four first-round picks to the Spurs in exchange for dynamic guard Dejounte Murray, whose defense and rim attacks should be a welcomed asset next to Trae Young. They also beefed up on the perimeter, adding Justin Holiday and Moe Harkless in a trade for Kevin Huerter, giving a team that ranked 26th in defensive rating last year more size and length.
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Why he's a loser: Free agency isn't over, but Deandre Ayton's options are dwindling. Only two teams have the outright cap space to sign him to the max contract he's looking for and neither are bound for the playoffs. He and the Phoenix Suns no longer seem interested in staying together, though he might need them for sign-and-trade options. Ayton has developed from a hyped No. 1 pick into a solid, two-way center who does what his team needs. How come more teams aren't scrambling to sign this 23-year-old?
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Why they're winners: Here are a few extensions NBA players signed this off-season:
- Nikola Jokic: 5 years, $264 million
- Devin Booker: 4 years, $224 million
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 4 years, $224 million
- Zion Williamson: 5 years, up to $231 million
- Darius Garland: 5 years, $192 million
- Ja Morant: 5 years, $193 million
In the coming weeks, players like RJ Barrett and Tyler Herro could sign extensions worth over $100 million while Damian Lillard may sign a two-year, $100 million extension. Players are taking the money now instead of hitting free agency.
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Why they're losers: The Knicks have been active this off-season, signing Jalen Brunson to a $104 million contract and re-signing center Mitchell Robinson to a $60 million deal. These moves should help New York be competitive, but they might make things a bit awkward on offense. The Knicks have a glut of ball-handlers, in Brunson, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Derrick Rose, who like to drive into the paint. That's a nice component to have on offense, but only if the other players can space the floor. The Knicks do not have many shooters who terrify defenses. Re-signing Robinson and adding center Isaiah Hartenstein almost assures the Knicks will not play small often, thus making the paint even more crowded, especially for the likes of Brunson and Barrett. This might be a clunky offense.
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Why they're winners: Last year was essentially a lost season for the Nuggets, as they played nearly the entire season without star point guard Jamal Murray and rising forward Michael Porter Jr. Those two will be back in the fold this year. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have made moves to beef up their size and physicality, adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a rugged 3-and-D wing, and Bruce Brown, a do-it-all player who just seems to make good things happen when he's on the court. All of it looks like some much-needed support for reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and a possible shot at title contention next season.
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Why they're losers: The Blazers don't have much to show from their drastic rebuild attempt. After trading away CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., Norman Powell, and Robert Covington at last year's trade deadline, the Blazers have effectively brought in Jerian Grant, Josh Hart, and rookie Shaedon Sharpe in their places. Is this roster much better than the one they blew up? Likely not. We'll see how much Damian Lillard likes these moves in the coming months.
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Why they're winners: After flailing out of the playoffs in the second round last season, the Sixers have added size and versatility to their perimeter by signing PJ Tucker and trading for DeAnthony Melton, a versatile forward. They're expected to re-sign James Harden to a below-max contract in the coming days, too — a big win, considering Harden looked like he had lost a step or two last season. If Harden can get back to the level he was playing during the first half of last season with Brooklyn, the Sixers should be considered contenders again.
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Why they're losers: The Lakers are stuck in a bed they made: capped out, unable to make big additions because of a lack of assets, and seemingly unable to move Russell Westbrook's gargantuan $47 million salary. Their top free agent, Malik Monk, one of the few bright spots of last year's team, left for more money — to the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers have had to make small, minimum-salary signings to fill out the roster, but it remains unclear if they can field a deep rotation. Luckily, they do still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is a decent starting point.
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Why he's a winner: A special shoutout to Luguentz Dort, who signed a five-year, $87 million extension with the Thunder this year. Dort went undrafted in 2019 and has developed from a minor role player to a rugged defender and 17-points-per-game scorer (albeit on a bad Thunder team). He made $3.45 million combined over his previous three seasons. He's a true success story!
The biggest winners and losers of the crazy NBA off-season so far
Source: Kalayaan News
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