Free agency began at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, and players and their agents started looking for big paydays, while teams hoped to spend less. That tug-of-war will dominate discussions in the coming weeks.
New York Knicks sign Tim Hardaway, Jr. to a four-year, $71 million contract
Grade: F
For the second straight summer, the Knicks signed the worst contract on the market. Unlike last year, when Joakim Noah signed for an insane dollar figure in a market full of insane deals, the reason this deal stands out is less about Hardaway himself and more about how the Knicks went about it. Hardaway is a serviceable rotation guard in the NBA, one spot behind Bojan Bogdanovic in my rankings. Bogdanovic got a two-year, $21 million deal from the Indiana Pacers after being made an unrestricted free agent, with the second year only being partially guaranteed. Hardaway got $50 million more from the Knicks — and all of it was guaranteed. Add in the fact the Knicks now have no money to sign a veteran point guard and it’s hard not to look at the deal and wonder how this happened.
Indiana Pacers sign C.J. Miles to a three-year, $25 million contract and trade him to the Toronto Raptors for Cory Joseph
Grades:
Toronto: A
Indiana: B
Once Toronto moved on from Carroll, it was clear to see why. The Raptors quickly locked up Miles, one of the best two-way wing players left on the market, signing him to a three-year deal for the full mid-level exception. The fact they already had two young point guards (Fred Van Vleet and Delon Wright) made Cory Joseph expendable, and it was good work to turn Miles into the two-way wing they needed.
Indiana, on the other hand, adds another young player to the mix, and Joseph could potentially earn the starting job over recently signed Darren Collison. Either way, it’s a good move for the Pacers to get something out of nothing after it became clear Miles wasn’t in their plans following a hard push to go young by trading Paul George, not re-signing Jeff Teague and waiving Monta Ellis.
Toronto Raptors trade DeMarre Carroll and 2018 first and second round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Justin Hamilton
Grades:
Toronto: B
Brooklyn: A
Toronto needed to shed some salary, and managed to get rid of Carroll, who has struggled from the moment he signed a four-year, $60 million deal two years ago. Giving up the first round pick, which should be in the low 20s, is a fine price; giving up what should be a high second round pick seems like a little much, as is taking on Hamilton’s $3 million for 2017-18.
That’s why this is such a great trade for Brooklyn. The Nets not only moved on from losing Otto Porter to gain assets with their cap space, but managed to shave off some of the money they were already committed to in doing so. It’s the latest example of General Manager Sean Marks finding ways to accumulate assets in creative ways, which is already paying dividends for Brooklyn.
Washington Wizards sign Otto Porter, Jr. to a four-year, $106.5 million contract
Grade: B
The Wizards entered the summer hoping to get Porter on a bit of a discount from a max deal, but once the Brooklyn Nets offered him one, Washington made it clear it would match. Porter is now a little overpaid, but the emphasis needs to be on little. He isn’t a superstar, but there aren’t nearly enough two-way wings in the NBA, and he got paid for being one of them. The Wizards had no choice but to bring him back, and were wise to do so.
Indiana Pacers sign Bojan Bogdanovic to a two-year, $21 million contract
Grade: B-
Bogdanovic is a solid player who will give Myles Turner some additional spacing on offense. But he also is a finished product at this point, and given where Indiana is, it would’ve made a little more sense to get a younger player who could potentially grow into something more over time. But, at the same time, Bogdanovic is basically on a one-year deal, with the second only partially guaranteed. This could turn him into a possible trade chip.
Miami Heat sign James Johnson to a four-year, $60 million contract
Grade: C-
Johnson had a terrific year for the Heat last season, cutting 30 pounds and turning into the player everyone always thought he could be. Miami rewarded that work by giving Johnson a massive contract, part of a move to lock in the core of the team that finished 41-41 last season after going 30-11 in the second half.
This deal will carry Johnson into his mid-30s, and will be potentially dangerous if Johnson can’t keep up this level of play moving forward. It’s never smart to bet against the Heat, but with Johnson, Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk, they’ve made some long-term signings that carry some legitimate risk this summer.
Boston Celtics trade Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris
Grades:
Celtics: C+
Pistons: C+
The Celtics had to move on from one of their rotation players to clear cap space to sign Gordon Hayward, who agreed to come to Boston for a max contract earlier this week. But in moving Bradley to the Pistons to do so – even with getting Morris in return – created more problems for Boston. The Celtics must now replace their best perimeter defender and an excellent shooter. Boston will count on big improvement from Marcus Smart, a logical fill-in at shooting guard.
Detroit, meanwhile, gets an upgrade at shooting guard by adding Bradley, and has plenty of combo forwards to make up for the loss of Morris. But this guaranteed that the Pistons would be moving on from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom they made an unrestricted free agent a short time after this deal was agreed to by renouncing his qualifying offer. Bradley is better than Caldwell-Pope, but that isn’t good asset management.
Sacramento Kings sign Vince Carter to a one-year, $8 million contract
Grade: B
The Kings made it a clear objective to go out and get some veterans to help their kids along for this coming season, which got another strong boost with the addition of Carter Thursday. Carter, Zach Randolph and George Hill gives Sacramento’s kids some quality vets on which to lean.
San Antonio Spurs sign Rudy Gay to a two-year, $17 million contract
Grade: B+
This wasn’t a move people saw coming after Gay opted out of $14 million from the Sacramento Kings. But he will be in a great situation in San Antonio to prove his value on a deal with a player option for the second year for the full mid-level exception, and where he will probably start at power forward.
Miami Heat sign Kelly Olynyk to a four-year, $50 million contract
Grade: B-
Once Olynyk hit unrestricted free agency, he had plenty of suitors as a big man who can stretch the floor from three-point range. But he wound up choosing a deal with the Heat with a player option after the third season, giving Miami another big to play with James Johnson, who is expected to be retained, and Hassan Whiteside.
Dallas Mavericks sign Dirk Nowitzki to a two-year, $10 million contract
Grade: A
This was always going to be the outcome in Dallas — it was simply a matter of how much money the German legend would take from the Mavericks to come back for another season. Now it will be interesting to see what the Mavericks do with the rest of their cap space to try to put as competitive a team as possible around him.
Oklahoma City Thunder sign Andre Roberson to a three-year, $30 million contract
Grade: A
Another terrific move for General Manager Sam Presti, as he gets Roberson — a shoddy shooter but brilliant defender — locked up to a long-term deal at a good number. Now the Thunder can pair him with Paul George to form a terrifying defensive tandem on the wings — arguably the best one in the NBA.
Miami Heat sign Dion Waiters to a four-year, $52 million contract
Grade: B-
This is a bet on Waiters continuing his development in Miami last season. If he does, it could look like a brilliant move. If he doesn’t, it could look like a big waste of money. But it’s a risk worth taking at this number — if for no other reason than Waiters’ outstanding post for The Players Tribune earlier this year.
Golden State Warriors sign Nick Young to a one-year, $5.2 million contract
Grade: B
Swaggy P is headed to the Bay. The remarkable career renaissance of Nick Young continues, as the former Wizard went from being headed to the scrap heap a year ago at this time to, after a strong season with the Los Angeles Lakers, opting out of the final year of his deal and going to the defending champs on a one-year pact this summer. Young’s signing is a bit superfluous for the Warriors, but it is one the team’s stars championed (and Kevin Durant, in part, took a pay cut to make happen), so credit to ownership for spending the money to get this done.
Boston Celtics sign Gordon Hayward to a four-year, $128 million contract
Grade: A
What else could this be? The Celtics had targeted Hayward for more than a year, and Tuesday they landed their man. Boston still has some work to do to make his max salary fit beneath the cap, but that will be taken care of. In the meantime, they can celebrate landing a star after watching a couple – Paul George and Jimmy Butler – go elsewhere in trades.
Los Angeles Clippers sign Danilo Gallinari to a three-year, $65 million contract; Denver Nuggets acquire Washington’s 2019 second-round pick; Atlanta Hawks acquire Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone and Houston’s 2018 first round pick.
Grades:
Los Angeles: D
Denver: C
Atlanta: A
Gallinari is a very good player. But he is a terrible fit with the Clippers. He should be playing power forward full-time, and instead is now playing small forward next to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Yes, he will provide much-needed spacing and scoring, but at the expense of mediocre defense. Plus, Gallinari missed all of one season and part of another because of a botched surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and hasn’t played more than 63 games in a season since 2013. Also, this used up a lot of the asset capital the Clippers had to go get help – and they used it on an awkward fit and a player with an injury history.
Atlanta, meanwhile, came out looking the best in this three-team deal. The Hawks aren’t going to be competitive in 2018, but new General Manager Travis Schlenk did well to use his cap space to gain an extra first round pick in next year’s draft, plus a young center prospect in Diamond Stone that the Hawks can now try to develop into a long-term solution at the position. Denver gets a second-round pick instead of letting a free agent walk for nothing, but it also got minimal return for helping a fellow contender for one of the final playoff spots in the West obtain a significant asset.
Oklahoma City Thunder sign Patrick Patterson to a three-year, $16.1 million contract
Grade: A
Patterson will step into Oklahoma City’s starting lineup as its power forward, and will do so for $9 million less per year than the man he’s replacing, Taj Gibson. It’s hard to look at that as anything but a huge win for the Thunder, who now have essentially added Paul George and Patterson for the same money for the two players — Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis — that Oklahoma City moved along for George in a trade last week.
Sacramento Kings sign George Hill to a three-year, $57 million contract
Grade: B
The Kings paid market rate for Hill, the lone starting quality point guard remaining, and it came as a bit of a surprise after they drafted Kentucky star De’Aaron Fox with the fifth overall pick in the draft last month. But Hill is big enough to play both guard spots, is a good defender and will be a solid locker room presence for a team with a million rookies. That the last year of the deal is partially guaranteed doesn’t hurt, either — and could make him more palatable as a trade piece later.
Sacramento Kings sign Zach Randolph to a two-year, $24 million contract
Grade: C
Randolph, like Hill, is a wonderful locker room presence for a team with so many young pups. And, like Hill’s, the deal is relatively short. But it’s also spending $12 million per season on another center on a roster that’s already got several, and — unlike Hill, who at 31 is in the tail-end of his prime — Randolph is in his late 30s and on his way out of the league as a major contributor. The initial positives, however, make this a respectable deal, if not an optimal one.
Golden State Warriors sign Kevin Durant to a two-year, $53 million contract
Grade: A+
If there was any doubt about how much Kevin Durant loved playing with Golden State last year, it ended with him agreeing to take close to a $10 million haircut to re-sign with the Warriors. Not only did it save the Warriors significant money, but it also puts pressure on ownership down the road to keep the gang together as it begins to get massively expensive in future seasons.
Denver Nuggets sign Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million contract
Grade: B+
This contract has some risks — Millsap will be 35 when it’s up and is undersized for his position. But he’s also still an excellent player and on paper seems to be a perfect match with center Nikola Jokic. His defensive presence will be welcomed by Coach Michael Malone, as well. For a Denver team trying to make the playoffs, this was a necessary move in the Western Conference arms race.
Toronto Raptors sign Kyle Lowry to a three-year, $100 million contract
Grade: B-
The Raptors find themselves in a fascinating situation. They have a team in the middle of its best stretch in franchise history, but one seemingly not good enough to truly contend for a title. Still, by keeping Lowry and Serge Ibaka on three-year deals, the Raptors can maintain being competitive and then have the opportunity to do a full reset in 2020. Lowry is 31, and the deal could be ugly by the end, but a shorter-term deal is a win for Toronto. Now it remains to be seen whether Toronto can shed salary (Jonas Valanciunas?) to save on luxury tax payments.
Cleveland Cavaliers sign Kyle Korver to a three-year, $22 million contract
Grade: C
This is only spending Dan Gilbert’s money, so it’s good to see the Cavaliers retaining Korver. However, Cleveland should only be making moves with Golden State in mind, and while Korver is one of the league’s best shooters, he cannot play against the Warriors. The Cavaliers need more defensive options that can play against Golden State, and Korver is not that.
Toronto Raptors sign Serge Ibaka to a three-year, $65 million contract
Grade: B-
Toronto chose to keep Ibaka in the fold after acquiring him from the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline, and did so on a deal for maybe slightly more money than the shrinking market rate, but the fact the deal is only three years long makes it a palatable one for Toronto. The big questions moving forward for the Raptors: will they also keep Kyle Lowry (who is represented by the same agent, Andy Miller), and will they be able to move on from Jonas Valanciunas and his big-money deal?
Minnesota Timberwolves sign Taj Gibson to a two-year, $28 million contract
Grade: B
This is a fair-market contract for Gibson, a rugged power forward who doesn’t stretch the floor past the midrange, but who is a good defender and rebounder and is quite familiar with Timberwolves Coach Tom Thibodeau, who he previously played under in Chicago. Minnesota won’t have as much shooting as one would like, but they will be one difficult team to play against — which is exactly what Thibodeau wants his teams to be like.
Washington Wizards sign Jodie Meeks to a two-year, $7 million contract
Grade: B-
A solid signing for the Wizards, as Meeks gives them a cheap shooting wing who will love playing next to John Wall — presuming he is completely over the health issues that kept him off the court for much of the last two seasons. The curious thing about this move is it currently is slotted to use Washington’s biannual exception — which, if it does get used, would leave the Wizards hard-capped. That could make keeping Otto Porter difficult — and keeping him and Bojan Bogdanovic impossible. It should be noted, though, the Wizards can convert it into part of their taxpayer mid-level, removing them from being hard capped.
Houston Rockets sign P.J. Tucker to a four-year, $32 million deal
Grade: C+
Look, if Chris Paul wants a player and you just traded for Chris Paul — you go get that player. And there’s little doubt that Tucker, a rugged forward who can play either spot, is an excellent fit as a defender next to Paul and James Harden, and should be able to make enough threes to be viable in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Paying Tucker from age 32-34, however, with a partial guarantee on the fourth year, could wind up being a rough contract down the road. But the Rockets are going for it this summer — kudos to them for doing so — and this clearly fits into that mind-set.
Golden State Warriors sign Andre Iguodala to a three-year, $48 million contract
Grade: C
During the first 24 hours of free agency, Iguodala went out and did everything he could to get Golden State to up its offer and give him a fully guaranteed third year. The Warriors were loathe to do so, given the combination of Iguodala’s age (he’ll turn 34 next season) and the looming decision on how much to pay Klay Thompson when he becomes a free agent in 2019 (and then Draymond Green the following year). In the end, though, keeping Iguodala — a hugely important piece in the locker room, and one of the four players, along with Thompson, Green and Stephen Curry, who went to woo Kevin Durant in the Hamptons last summer — made it necessary to find a way to get this done and keep Iguodala comfortable and happy. This is a deal that could be rough in a year or two, however, just considering how Iguodala may perform on the court. If it impacts the team’s decision-making on Thompson and Green, however, that would be a far more painful ramification than anything to do with his performance level.
Utah Jazz sign Joe Ingles to a four-year, $52 million contract
Grade: B-
Ingles, who will be 30 next season, likely will slightly age out of his contract over its final couple of years. But if that proves to be the difference in keeping Gordon Hayward, who is close friends with Ingles, then it will be worth every penny. Either way, Ingles is a wing player who is capable of both defending multiple positions and knocking down open threes, which makes him a valuable commodity in today’s NBA. And with Utah trying to lock in Hayward’s services, getting a commitment before his meeting Monday made plenty of sense.
Philadelphia 76ers sign J.J. Redick to a one-year, $23 million contract
Grade: A
This is a perfect deal for Philadelphia. With $50 million or so in cap space to spend, the Sixers had to do something. And by getting Redick, they acquire a veteran presence for the locker room and add another shooter to put around Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Redick was never going back to the Los Angeles Clippers, and while he had interest from several teams, Philadelphia was always seen as a front-runner. Now Philadelphia can use a chunk of its remaining space to potentially give Robert Covington a raise as part of a renegotiation and extension of his contract.
New Orleans Pelicans sign Jrue Holiday to a five-year, $126 million contract
Grade: A-
This is a big win for the Pelicans, who had no choice but to retain Holiday. The 27-year-old was not only one of the best free agents on the market, but he also was a player New Orleans had no realistic way of replacing if he chose to go elsewhere in free agency. That’s why, instead of letting him hold a meeting with someone, the Pelicans hammered out an agreement with him right away in the early morning hours of July 1. Holiday, meanwhile, has grown close with the organization after the way it handled his wife’s illness last season, allowing him to take as much time as he needed to be with her. That all added up to a deal being struck quickly, and at a good number for both sides.
Golden State Warriors sign Stephen Curry to a five-year, $201 million contract
Grade: A
This one is easy. When the NBA created the Designated Player Veteran Exception in the latest collective bargaining, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, Curry was the obvious candidate to sign it. And, not surprisingly, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA champion agreed to a deal shortly after free agency began. The most surprising thing? That Curry didn’t get a no-trade clause from the Warriors — though it is exceedingly unlikely he would ever get traded from the team he’s become synonymous with.
Los Angeles Clippers sign Blake Griffin to a five-year, $173 million contract
Grade: B-
The Clippers weren’t able to keep Chris Paul, but they did manage to keep Griffin, getting him to agree to cancel his meetings with the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns to come back to Los Angeles on a five-year deal. For all of Griffin’s talent, this deal comes with risks — specifically his injury history. But he still is a supreme talent, and perhaps with Paul out of the picture, the increased ballhandling responsibilities that will come with it will allow Griffin to take yet another step forward as a player.
Minnesota Timberwolves sign Jeff Teague to a three-year, $57 million contract
Grade: B
When the Timberwolves dealt Ricky Rubio in the hours leading up to the trade deadline, the expectation was that Teague would be his replacement — a deal that was agreed to minutes after free agency began. While the deal is a fairly high-dollar number per year for the Wolves — averaging $19 million per — the fact it’s only two years guaranteed, with a player option for the third Teague could exercise, limits the potential downside risk for Minnesota. Now the Timberwolves are expected to chase one more significant signing, with J.J. Redick thought to be at the top of their shopping list.
San Antonio Spurs sign Patty Mills to a four-year, $50 million contract
Grade: B+
Hard to argue with this deal for the Spurs, who managed to convince their latest hometown player to take a discount to remain in San Antonio. Mills has developed into one of the best bench players in the NBA, and will potentially be San Antonio’s starter this year — or, at worst, co-starter alongside second-year guard Dejounte Murray — while Tony Parker recovers from a severe leg injury suffered during the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks sign Tony Snell to a four-year, $46 million contract
Grade: B+
This was another deal done quickly after the start of free agency, and was another good deal for the incumbent team. Snell developed nicely with Milwaukee this past season after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls, giving the Bucks the kind of quality “3-and-D” option on the wing that every team is looking for. Now they’ve locked him in for the next three years (he has a player option on the fourth year) as part of their burgeoning young core.
Golden State Warriors sign Shaun Livingston to a three-year, $24 million contract
Grade: B+
Livingston told friends that he was willing to stay as part of Golden State’s juggernaut for less than he’d get on the open market, and that proved to be the case. The conventional wisdom was that Livingston could get an eight-figure contract, but instead he got $8 million each of the next two seasons and then only $2 million guaranteed in the final year of the deal.
Chicago Bulls sign Cristiano Felicio to a four-year, $32 million contract
Grade: B
Felicio is an interesting test case, as the Bulls essentially bet on his long-term upside by giving him a contract that, if he grows into it the way Chicago hopes, will wind up being a bargain. He’s only 24, and has shown flashes in his two seasons, but he’s still played in a combined 103 games in his pro career, and now has been handed $32 million. But given where Chicago is at, as a rebuilding team after trading Jimmy Butler, it’s a more than understandable — and fairly cheap — risk for them to take.
Oklahoma City Thunder get: Paul George
Indiana Pacers get: Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis
Grades: Oklahoma City: A+, Indiana: C-
This is a grand slam for Oklahoma City. No, it does not mean Russell Westbrook is going to sign an extension with the Thunder in a few hours, or even at all. But what it does mean is that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti traded for one of the top 15 players in the league to pair with the reigning Most Valuable Player, and did so for about 25 cents on the dollar. Both Westbrook and George can be free agents a year from now, meaning both could commit to re-sign … or both could leave for nothing. Perhaps they’ll even choose to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers, George’s known preferred destination, together. But this is a risk the Thunder had to take — and one they should take every time.
The Pacers, meanwhile, found themselves in a jam, with virtually no leverage to move George anywhere and teams using that to their advantage. They did acquire a decent prospect in Sabonis and a youngish player in Oladipo, but both of them for George isn’t a great return. Also seems confusing that Indiana chose to make this deal when they did — it’s not as if Oklahoma City was going to pull its offer anytime between now and when Indiana moved on from George.
Utah Jazz get: Ricky Rubio
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Oklahoma City’s lottery-protected 2018 first round pick.
Grades: Utah: B+, Minnesota: B-
Utah was unlikely to re-sign George Hill, and it also seems the Jazz will miss out on bringing back Gordon Hayward (and potentially Joe Ingles, as well). So getting Rubio, a solid starter who is also on a solid contract that pays him a combined $29 million over this year and next, is a good move for them to make. The hope now will be that Rubio can be a stopgap at the position until either Dante Exum or Donovan Mitchell is ready to become a full-time starter.
Minnesota’s grade here really should be an incomplete. The final mark for making this move will be influenced by what the team does with the $14 million in cap space for next season it just created. There are strong indications that the Timberwolves will end up with Jeff Teague, the Indiana Pacers free agent. If they do, how much they pay Teague — and what they do with the rest of their cap space — will determine how smart this move was in the long-term.
There’s also the uncertain future of Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City to consider. If the league MVP leaves the Thunder, this pick is likely to never convey to the Timberwolves as a first rounder (it’s lottery protected through 2020, then becomes a pair of seconds).
Houston Rockets get: Chris Paul
Los Angeles Clippers get: Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, several non-guaranteed contracts and a protected 2018 first-round pick.
Grades: Houston: A, Los Angeles: A
This is a rare win-win for both teams. The Rockets obviously are the headliners here, as General Manager Daryl Morey gets one of the NBA’s best players in Chris Paul, but also maintains enough flexibility to acquire another star — maybe Paul George? — in a subsequent trade. There will be some questions about fit in Houston alongside James Harden, and playing in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. But Paul also could be devastatingly effective with all the spacing D’Antoni’s system provides, and he gives Houston a much-needed Plan B, as a ballhandler alongside Harden and for another offensive option when Harden goes to the bench.
The Clippers, on the other hand, maximized every ounce of value they could get out of Paul once he informed them he wanted to play for the Rockets. Beverley and Williams are on excellent contracts, Dekker and Harrell are cheap young players (the kinds Doc Rivers, the Clippers’ coach and team president, could never find to put around Paul) and they get a first-round pick out of the deal, as well. Whether the Clippers keep Blake Griffin, they will have ample cap room in 2018 and intriguing pieces to potentially offer to teams in other trades now — for someone like George, should Indiana choose to move him.
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So who should teams sign, and how much should they pay? Here, using The Washington Post’s free agent rankings, are the top 10 players remaining on the market in this summer’s free agent class. For the full list of the top 50 free agents, click here.
12. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, restricted
Detroit Pistons
Once the Pistons traded for Avery Bradley, they made Caldwell-Pope the best unrestricted free agent on the market by pulling his qualifying offer. But the dwindling pool of free cap space could lead to him making far less than he anticipated before free agency began.
18. Nerlens Noel, C, restricted
Dallas Mavericks
After trading for him at the deadline, Dallas is motivated to keep Noel. This negotiation will come down to how hard both sides dig in, and how unrealistic the Noel camp will be about a lack of center interest on the market.
19. JaMychal Green, PF, restricted
Memphis Grizzlies
A late-bloomer, Green is hitting restricted free agency at 27. Still, as a power forward capable of hitting threes, he should draw interest.
20. Nikola Mirotic, PF, restricted
Chicago Bulls
The market for Mirotic, 26, will likely be similar to Green’s. A potential return to Chicago may be impacted by the drafting of Lauri Markkanen.
22. Pau Gasol, C, unrestricted
San Antonio Spurs
When Gasol opted out of his contract for next season, the assumption was that the Spurs had something up their sleeve. We’ll find out soon enough.
28. Ersan Ilyasova, PF, unrestricted
Atlanta Hawks
After being traded multiple times over the past couple years, Ilyasova is an underrated free agent. He could be a cheap stretch-four option.
35. Mason Plumlee, C, restricted
Denver Nuggets
Plumlee was acquired at the trade deadline for Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick, making it seem as though Denver needs to pay up to keep him. A flooded center market, however, could make negotiations difficult.
38. Tony Allen, SG, unrestricted
Memphis Grizzlies
The “Grindfather” may wind up elsewhere, but it would be fun to see him find a way to stay in Memphis.
40. Manu Ginobili, SG, unrestricted
San Antonio Spurs
If Ginobili comes back, he’ll stay put. The only question will be how much money he takes to do so.
43. Shabazz Muhammad, SF, unrestricted
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves renounced Muhammad to allow them to sign Teague and Gibson, making him an unrestricted free agent and clearing him to sign wherever he can.
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News and analysis from around the NBA
July 7:
Knicks sign Tim Hardaway Jr. to $71 million offer sheet, and everyone has jokes
Late Thursday evening, reports emerged that New York had signed Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr., a restricted free agent, to a four-year, $71 million offer sheet. Atlanta has the right to match within 48 hours, and to hear more than a few Knicks fans tell it on Twitter, New Yorkers can only hope that they should get so lucky.
The Knicks may never get their money’s worth out of Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway had a career year last season, averaging 14.5 points and 2.3 assists while playing 27.3 minutes per game as a part-time starter (30 of 79 games).
But to get value from his massive new contract, New York will need him to improve more season over season than any guard has in the past decade.
June 30:
NBA stars are choosing the best situation over the highest offer. Is that a problem?
You’re used to athletes competing, getting their money, enjoying their fame, trying to win their championships and leaving everything else to function mostly without their input. Historically, the lanes have been defined, and the roles have been honored. As long as the collective bargaining agreement guaranteed them fair compensation, the players played, the owners owned and the general managers managed.
But now, 29 years since Tom Chambers pioneered NBA unrestricted free agency, Jerry Brewer writes that the NBA superstar has figured out how to run the show. The league sways on the whims of its greatest players, who currently believe in partnership over parity.
From the penthouse to the outhouse: A guide to the tiers of free agency
Scan the NBA landscape and you’ll find distinct tiers delineating cities where free agents want to go, and those they fear to tread. Warm weather, market size and tax rates all play a role in what tier your favorite team occupies, hence the presence of Los Angeles, Miami and, until recently, New York, in the top tier.
Even in the current era of the superteam, there are free agent destination cities and there are free agent non-destination cities. It’s really been this way for years and last summer’s massive salary cap spike didn’t do much to change it. If you love the Lakers or the Heat or whatever team LeBron James or Kevin Durant play for, get ready to get psyched. If you’re almost anywhere else, the odds of your team landing the free agent you crave falls somewhere between a best-case scenario of 50/50 and Pepto-Bismol.
Podcast: Nate Duncan of the Dunc’d On podcast on how the money will be spread around in free agency
What if, before NBA free agency began at midnight Saturday, you could know exactly how the money was going to be spread around by the league’s 30 teams? Well, that’s exactly what Nate Duncan tries to figure out.
Five ring-chasing veterans any NBA title contender should want
Here are the veterans over the age of 30 with more than a decade of experience in the NBA and enough salaries accumulated to land them in the league’s top 100 career earners — but all of them lack a ring. They will also offer a potential title contender more than just cost savings — they should actually contribute.
June 29:
Podcast: Salt Lake Tribune’s Tony Jones on what Gordon Hayward will do in free agency
The Utah Jazz did everything they were supposed to do. They built a good young team through the draft, smartly acquiring players to fill in around Gordon Hayward, hired a good coach in Quin Snyder and have a strong front office. And all of it might not be enough to keep Hayward, coming off his first all-star appearance, in Utah.
These are the perils of NBA free agency, and there is plenty of unrest in Salt Lake City and the surrounding environs right now Hayward could bolt when free agency begins Saturday, with Boston and Miami his likely top choices if he doesn’t remain with the Jazz.
Despite the NBA’s best intentions, three small-market stars could soon be on the move
The upcoming free agency period could kill any hope of parity for years to come. Three of the top 20 talents in the league — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward — could go elsewhere in the coming weeks.
And that’s after star guard Chris Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, pairing him with James Harden — the runner-up to Westbrook in the MVP race — in Houston’s backcourt.
Six LeBron-busting defensive specialists the Cavs’ foes should target in NBA free agency
The NBA has become a two-team league with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers rotating championship seasons over the past three years. Perhaps it will now become a three-team league with the Houston Rockets’ acquisition of Chris Paul. But for any team hoping to challenge for the crown, they’re going to need to add key free agents, beginning on July 1, to help change the balance of power.
Dethroning the reigning champions won’t be easy — the Warriors have two MVPs in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant plus an all-star supporting cast — but the path through the Eastern Conference could be made a bit simpler by adding a player or two who can provide offensive contributions in addition to the defensive tenacity needed to slow down the human juggernaut that is LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
June 28:
Podcast: Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach on the Celtics’ many paths forward
The Celtics can go in any direction. With a plethora of young talent and plenty of future draft picks at their disposal, the Celtics could choose to rebuild through the draft.
With a roster that won 53 games, had the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, they could go after big name trade and free agent targets and be competitive right now. Or they can continue to try to do both at once.
The Rockets likely aren’t done
Houston has James Harden, got Chris Paul and you can bet General Manager Daryl Morey wants more.
The two superstars may appear to be an awkward fit, but it fits within the vision of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey: collect talent, and then figure it out.
If the Warriors learned how to share the ball, so can Chris Paul and James Harden
Harden and Paul like to control the action, but Houston can take a page out of Golden State’s playbook on how to divvy up the ball.
Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson each touched the ball less than they did the season before — and netted the Warriors one of the best offensive ratings in league history.
Phil Jackson is out, but how James Dolan replaces him is what matters to the Knicks
Getting rid of the Zen Master was necessary after the Knicks went 80-166 in Jackson’s three full seasons running the team.
But to pull New York out of its years-long spiral, the team’s owner must hire a seasoned basketball executive as his replacement.
Knicks reportedly eyeing Raptors’ Masai Ujiri to replace Phil Jackson
If you can’t beat ’em …
After years of being fleeced by Toronto on the trade market, the New York owner may look to the Raptors executive to turn around the woeful Knicks.
