Teams signing bargain players
Even after roughly $1.5 billion in new contracts were hammered out in the first two weeks of free agency, there still is plenty of shopping for NBA teams to do over the coming weeks.
The biggest deals of the NBA summer — such as Chris Paul, Paul George and LeBron James getting contracts that will pay them a combined $450 million over the next four years — are almost certainly all done.
A blockbuster trade involving San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard still can happen, and at some point Carmelo Anthony’s exit from Oklahoma City to a new home, mostly likely Houston, will get done.
But most teams have exhausted their salary cap space for next season, so the annual shift into fill-out-theroster mode has arrived for the majority of clubs.
Nuggets
It seems so long ago that Isaiah Thomas was averaging 30 points and talking about a max contract. Except it wasn’t a long time ago — it was at the 2017 All-Star Game. So much has happened in the past 17 months, and Thomas playing through a hip injury clearly has cost him tens of millions, at least temporarily. Now he’s starting anew in Denver on a one-year $2 million deal.
Lakers
Rajon Rondo and LeBron James have had many battles over the years. Don’t think for one second that James wasn’t happy with Los Angeles signing the former Celtics guard to a oneyear, $9 million deal. On the day before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the day before James’ final game as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he told a story about facing Boston many years earlier and being impressed with the way “Rondo was calling out sets every time” down the floor. James values smarts in teammates and Rondo has plenty of smarts.
Heat
All Wayne Ellington did last season was make more 3-pointers than any Miami player had in any season. And he didn’t even get a raise. Instead, Ellington signed a one-year $6.3 million deal. It’s not that Miami doesn’t value Ellington but he got caught in a numbers crunch. The Heat have tax concerns that kept them from offering him more.
Warriors
Demarco Cousins signed a one-year $5.3 million contract with Golden State. This could go down as the bargain of the summer, if Cousins returns to previous form and fits his enormous game — and enormous personality — into the Golden State system. When he comes back from his Achilles’ tendon injury, the Warriors could have five players from the 2018 AllStar Game in their starting lineup.
Trail Blazers
Jusuf Nurkic signed for $48 million over four years with Portland. Nurkic is durable, and he’s one of 13 players who averaged 14.3 points and 9 rebounds last season. But there are at least 24 centers who will be paid more next season than Nurkic.