WINNERS & LOSERS
Lakers top free-agent frenzy as usual teams failed to improve.
After perhaps the wildest eight-day period in NBA history, with the predraft flurry of deals, the draft and the customary opening weekend of free agency whirlwind crammed into a mad rush, the moves that were made and those that were rumored were nothing if not entertaining.
Even without a sure thing No. 1 pick and with the only franchise player in free agency, Anthony Davis, certain to stay with the Lakers whenever he gets around to it, the league provided non-stop compelling news.
There was not the sort of free agent move that changes the league; no LeBron James to the Heat, Cavs or Lakers type move. Many of the moves made were to keep cap space flexibility for next summer when those sorts of stars could be available, especially if the Bucks don’t get Giannis Antetokounmpo to take the supermax.
A few of the familiar winners won, with unusual company among the teams with the best offseason hauls.
1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
So long: Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook.
Welcome: Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schröder, Wesley Matthews, Alfonzo McKinnie.
The rich do often get richer in free agency, among other things. But usually, the champs find a player or two who want to hop on. The Lakers went well beyond that, dramatically improving their depth with a series of upgrades.
Gasol will take his career full circle, back to the team that traded him for his brother Pau. He’s not the offensive player he had been for the Grizzlies or even the Raptors, but with the Lakers, he does not have to be. His heady game and sharp passing will fit in and he offers a good defender, especially should the Lakers run into Nikola Jokic in the postseason.
Harrell brings a much better offensive threat than Howard or McGee and could be a nice matchup with his runner up for Sixth Man of the Year, Schröder. Schröder and Matthews are a nice upgrade from Rondo and Green. On top of all that, the Lakers kept Markieff Morris at a bargain price and made sure to keep Kentavious Caldwell-Pope firing away outside, as important as any of their more celebrated signings.
2. ATLANTA HAWKS
So long: Dewayne Dedmon, Damian Jones, Jeff Teague, DeAndre' Bembry, Charles Brown Jr., Treveon Graham, Damian Jones, Skal Labissiere, Khyri Thomas, Vince Carter. Welcome: Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, Tony Snell, Solomon Hill, Onyeka Okungwu.
The Hawks could probably be on top if the Lakers were not already adding to the NBA’s best team, giving them the nod.
The Hawks added two of the most coveted shooters in free agency, Gallinari and Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic is much more than a standstill shooter and can be a clever ballhandler working pick-and-roll with Clint Capela. Rondo is perfect as a backup for Trae Young or to run the offense a bit with him and all those shooters. Dunn brings his suffocating defense to a team that does not need him to shoot.
Even the draft pick of Okungwu should help. And though Capela is not close to an offseason acquisition, he has yet played for the Hawks making him seem like an addition that will rim-run enough to keep defenses away from at least one of those shooters. The question is whether there is too much with the off-season additions and the young players growing into roles suddenly diminished.
3. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
So long: Hassan Whiteside, Trevor Ariza, Mario Hezonja, Moses Brown, Jalen Adams, Caleb Swanigan.
Welcome: Robert Covington, Harry Giles III, Enes Kanter, Derrick Jones Jr.
The Blazers needed defense and got it, sending a couple first-round picks to the Rockets to get Covington, just the right kind of versatile addition Portland has needed for years. They needed reliability at center off the bench and got it, bringing back Enes Kanter and adding Giles, who could blossom in that setting and in a role in which the Blazers can control his matchups. They needed to bolster the bench and while keeping Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood, added Derrick Jones Jr.
The Blazers finally acted like a team with a window with a superstar, Damian Lillard, and smartly added to a strong core with Lillard, C. J.McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Trent Jr. The only downside is that the Blazers have traditionally exceeded off-season expectations. That will be tough to do now because they did so well, expectations should climb.
4. PHOENIX SUNS
So long: Ricky Rubio, Aron Baynes, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Frank Kaminsky, Jalen Lecque, Cheick Diallo, Elie Okobo. Welcome: Chris Paul, Damian Jones, E’Twaun Moore, Jae Crowder, Langston Galloway, Abdel Nader, Jalen Smith.
Trading for Paul should be enough to elevate them into the playoff chase. The Suns were already on the rise and Paul is an ideal point guard to play next to Devin Booker. But the addition of Jae Crowder is one of the more underrated moves of the off-season.
Crowder is not the sort of star addition that draws attention, but just right for the Suns. Cam Johnson in the bubble showed the value of that lineup with a shooting four, but the Suns will be better off trusting that job to Crowder and letting Johnson continue to grow. Moore and Galloway add scoring punch. Keeping Dario Saric and Jevon Carter was key.
5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
So long: Eric Bledsoe, Robin Lopez, George Hill, Ersan Ilyasova, Marvin Williams, Sterling Brown, Donte DiVincenzo, Frank Mason, Wesley Matthews.
Welcome: Jrue Holiday, D. J. Augustin, Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes, Torey Craig.
The Bucks don’t often get mentioned among the offseason winners because of a comparison of what their deal-making was compared to what it could have been had they not gotten over-eager in the sign-andtrade talks to get Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Bucks did not do as well as they would have had they made that deal work. But they added Holliday, who is everything the Bucks had hoped Bledsoe would be on both ends of the floor.
The Bucks are sure to pile up regularseason wins. Holiday greatly improves their potential in the postseason. There could be value in adding Craig’s defense for a potential playoff matchup with the Celtics, Heat or Sixers. Most of all, the Bucks are better positioned to get Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign his supermax contract.
It cost three first-round picks and two pick swaps to get Holiday. But nothing else matters as much as signing the big guy. If a few weeks in camp with the retooled roster convince him to sign on the bottom line, the moves made to build around him are a win.
6. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
So long: Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Zhaire Smith, Alec Burks, Kyle O’Quinn.
Welcome: Dwight Howard, Danny Green, Tony Bradley, Terrance Ferguson, Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe, Daryl Morey, Doc Rivers.
Morey took over and nearly immediately dealt two of the Sixers’ oversized contracts in moves so good, few blamed Tilman Fertitta for making him do it. The Sixers’ roster was out of whack, paying way too much for a backup to Joel Embiid’s backup. Instead, Morey signed Howard as a free agent to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal dramatically different from when Howard was his prized addition with the Rockets.
The Sixers brought in shooting with
Green, Curry and Ferguson to work around Ben Simmons and make it more difficult to help on Embiid. The Sixers lost some perimeter defense while moving Richardson, but still have plenty with Simmons, Matisse Thybulle and Green.
7. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
So long: Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, Rodney McGruder, JaMychal Green, Reggie Jackson.
Welcome: Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard.
The Clippers are often placed in the offseason loser category. That is understandable at first glance. They lost the Sixth Man of the Year, Harrell, to the Lakers. Green was a useful rotation piece. They fell well short of the offseason haul pulled in down the hall by the Lakers.
Contenders, however, can move up with just one significant upgrade. The Clippers replaced Harrell with Ibaka. As much as Harrell’s value as a reliable offensive force had become overshadowed by his poor play in the bubble, Ibaka is still an upgrade. He is a far better defensive option and brings range shooting that could be valuable late in games with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers made sure to keep Marcus Morris Sr., which helps soften the damage of Green’s departure. Kennard also has potential to be an underrated addition. The Clippers also might not be done, as a team to watch when veterans chasing a ring look for a minimum deal.
8. BOSTON CELTICS
So long: Gordon Hayward, Brad Wannamaker, Enes Kanter, Vincent Poirier.
Welcome: Tristan Thompson, Jeff Teague, Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard.
Like the Clippers, the Celtics could be elevated by just one key addition. Like the Bucks, their offseason maneuvers seem disappointing in a comparison to what could have been. But the Celtics did what had to be done.
They locked up Jayson Tatum with a rookie contract extension. And they added the sort of center they have been lacking, getting Thompson to hit the boards, pick-and-roll and defend. It did look as if the Celtics could have and maybe should have done better by getting something for Hayward. A deal with the Pacers for Myles Turner would have helped. But with Thompson and Teague the Celtics got better, which is a win.
9. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
So long: Chris Paul, Steven Adams, Terrance Ferguson, Dennis Schröder, Nerlens Noel, Danilo Gallinari, Abdel Nader, Deonte Burton, Justin Patton. Welcome: Al Horford, Trevor Ariza, George Hill, Vincent Poirier, Justin Jackson, Darius Miller, Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Admiral Schofield, Kenrich Williams, Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray, T. J. Leaf.
The Thunder can’t possibly be as good as last season. They held off the losing part of their version of the process admirably but have to be considered lottery-bound now, even if they could be a team that will be tougher than many expect to have to face.
The point, however, was to rebuild. While other general managers got their haul of talent, Sam Presti hungrily collected first-round picks. Though he could add to the pile by the end of the sentence, he has 18 firstround picks through 2017. It could be a long wait for the next Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook nucleus, but OKC has the assets to make it happen.
10. ROCKETS
So long: Robert Covington, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, Tyson Chandler, Luc Mbah a Moute, Thabo Sefolosha, Michael Frazier.
Welcome: Christian Wood, DeMarcus Cousins, Sterling Brown, Kenny Wooten, Kenyon Martin Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, Mason Jones, Trevelin Queen.
The Rockets achieved their apparent goal of being the NBA’s most consistently interesting team.
What comes next will determine if their offseason moves work on the court.
With the Rockets hoping James Harden and Russell Westbrook will want to stick around, they added Wood as a rim-runner for Harden and a floor spacer for Westbrook. Cousins is a low-risk (minimum contract), high-reward (four-time All-Star) pickup that the Rockets need to move up, or possibly even to stay where they were, in the loaded Western Conference.
The Rockets collected athletic 3-and-D wings with David Nwaba and Brown bringing potential to be nice rotation pieces.
As offseasons go, that might not be flashy, depending on how well Wood, after one breakthrough season, and Cousins after two seasons mostly lost to major injuries, pan out. But if nothing else, the Rockets make it hard to look away.