Winners and losers
The “weapons race” is not over, but most of the big guns have made their deals and found their homes. • NBA free agency was not as wacky as last season, with fewer of the stunning contracts and nothing to rival the purported DeAndre Jordan kidnapping, tho
How the many dealings during the free-agency period shake out and what they mean.
WINNER: PATIENCE
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge laughed last. He held his fire when Jimmy Butler was available. He held on to his collection of draft picks when Paul George was dealt. He said nothing when Boston broiled over his decision to place his bets on free agency, then cashed in big-time, landing Gordon Hayward while keeping his stockpile of high-lottery prospects and future picks. The Celtics had the best record in the East last season, added a coveted shooter — who has grown into more — and kept the young assets that could grow into something special. George or Butler would have been nice additions, though George would have been in the final season of his contract. But both would have come at a price the Celtics did not have to pay. And when they had to clear room for Hayward, they softened the blow of losing Avery Bradley, in the final year of his deal, by landing Marcus Morris. Most of all, the Celtics added Hayward, an offensive talent, and underrated defender, perfect for Brad Stevens’ offense.
LOSER: IMPATIENCE
The Pacers might like what they see in Domantas Sabonis’ potential and love Victor Oladipo’s athleticism and Hoosierness, but did they really have to be in such a rush to get rid of Paul George? Trading their best player for two that might be nice rotation guys but never reach George’s level will sting through the rebuilding. But if they had to start over, it seemed they could have waited a week for Hayward to land in Boston to try to pry one of those prized draft picks from the Celtics. A cheerful news conference was not worth the rush.
LOSER: GETTING LEFT AT THE ALTAR
The Jazz had done everything right, building slowly and smartly, without overreacting to the difficulty of drawing free agents to Salt Lake City by overpaying with contracts that would have tied their hands. Losing Hayward hurts. The pain will last long after Jazz fans move on from the ‘will he, won’t he’ wait for Hayward’s Players Tribune declaration. The Jazz will still be a strong team and outstanding defensively. If they can stay healthy they might not even fall off from last season, when they were hit hard by injuries. Ricky Rubio should help the shooters left, but without Hayward, they cannot handle those kinds of injury issues and there is a ceiling to what they can be that falls short in the loaded West.
WINNER: BOUNCING BACK
Stealing George gives the Thunder a season to convince him to stick around. Landing Patrick Patterson at a modest price offers an upgrade from Sabonis and a terrific fit with Russell Westbrook. Bringing back Andre Roberson to play behind or with George should keep the defense strong. Raymond Felton is a sold pickup. A year after Kevin Durant bolted, the Thunder might be the equal of the Western Conference finals team he left.
LOSER: HIPPOCRATIC OATH
For a while, the Knicks did better in free agency by adhering to the Hippocratic oath, first do no harm. At the very least, in the first weeks of the post-Phil Jackson era, they had successfully avoided signing an injury-diminished veteran to a large and long-term contract or offending their most important players. That represents improvement, but the low bar does not make anything a success. A bad team with bad contracts and a bad reputation finally made a move by locking up a player Jackson had dumped prematurely, Tim Hardaway Jr., signing him to a gigantic $71 million offer sheet the Hawks easily resisted matching. That’s a huge commitment for a team nearly certain to remain an alsoran, even in the East. Even with Jackson jettisoned, there seems to be little reason to hang on to Carmelo Anthony or for him to hesitate to waive his no-trade clause to go anywhere, especially if he can join one of his banana boat buddies in Houston or Cleveland.
WINNER: PLAYER POWER
James Harden and Chris Paul got together and decided they should get together in the same backcourt. With the Rockets committed to locking up Harden for six more years with the new designated veteran player extension (worth $170 million on top of the $58 million the Rockets already owed him), they eventually told the front offices of the Rockets and Clippers to make it happen or Paul would as a free agent. Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers needed just two days to come up with the massive trade that brought Paul to Houston even before free agency began. That allowed the Rockets to move above the salary cap and work with a full mid-level exception that they used for perfect fit P.J. Tucker. The Clippers happily got Pat Beverley to fill Paul’s spot in the backcourt, can work on developing Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker and brought in Milos Teodosic to keep the Lob City thing with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan going.
LOSER: MOCKING THE KINGS
Dysfunction junction seems a thing of the past. The Kings gave themselves a muchneeded reset by giving up on building around DeMarcus Cousins, but the more important do-over might have been adding Scott Perry as executive vice president to help Vlade Divac. After an outstanding draft haul, the Kings have a nice collection of young talent to develop, then added veterans Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and George Hill in the ongoing and much-needed culture change. A case could be made the Kings should just play the kids and take their lumps, but they owe their 2019 pick to the 76ers (or Celtics) from the Nik Stauskas mistake, offering a reminder of how much things have improved.
LOSER: GRIT ‘N GRINDING
The Kings have become the Grizzlies; the Grizzlies have become the old Kings (minus the mismanagement.) That’s not a good trade for Memphis. Tyreke Evans has his benefits, but letting Zach Randolph and Carter bolt for Sacramento effectively ends the Grit ‘N Grind mindset in Memphis, even with Marc Gasol around. In the loaded West, the Grizzlies might have needed some retooling. David Fizdale will make sure the Grizzlies remain a tough test with the talent on hand, but in the West, if you are not better, you are worse.
LOSER: THIS SEASON’S FREE AGENTS
The more modest cap jump slowed spending, but more than that, teams have been hesitant to overspend just because they can. For every Tim Hardaway Jr. with a $71 million deal worth more in four years than his father, a five-time All Star, made in his career, there have been loads of restricted free agents left waiting by the phone. A week into free agency, few teams had cap room and talented restricted free agents such as Jonathon Simmons, Nerlens Noel and JaMychal Green were still waiting for a deal.
WINNER: LAST SEASON’S FREE AGENTS
NBA teams took the cap spike they had wanted to phase in and went on a spending spree. Every Allen Crabbe, Bismack Biyombo and Timofey Mozgov that had a fortuitously timed free agency broke the bank, but this season’s expected jump in the cap never came. With the quick run through the playoffs and the reduced revenue with so few post-season games, the cap inched up to $99 million. That impacted teams’ planning, but also brought a reminder of last summer’s lottery winners.
LOSER: POINT GUARDS
Even at a time in which point-guard play is more important than ever, there were more on the free-agent market than teams in need. Hill grabbed a deal with the Kings, a significant step down from his time with the Spurs, Pacers and Jazz. Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose and Rodney Stuckey, among others, are still looking.
WINNER: THE CHAMPS
Free agency for the Warriors might not have been a 16-1 roll, but it was close. Kevin Durant gave himself a $9 million paycut from what he could have pulled in and the Warriors spent the savings on bolstering the NBA’s best team. They fended off efforts by the Rockets and Spurs to grab Andre Iguodala, gave Stephen Curry the richest contract in NBA history (since eclipsed by Harden’s extension), locked up Durant, Shaun Livingston, Zaza Pachulia and David West, and added Omri Casspi and Nick Young. The rich got richer, and Durant will too, soon enough.
LOSER: RUNNERS-UP
The Cavs have not only so far failed to make any sort of significant addition to better match up with the Warriors in the final season of LeBron James’ contract, they dumped their general manager to chase the star of the owner’s hometown team and failed to land him. The Cavs made David Griffin the latest in a long line of former GMs shown the door in the Dan Gilbert era. Chauncey Billups took a pass on becoming his successor, reportedly low-balled by Gilbert and perhaps getting the idea that there is a reason Gilbert chews through general managers the way George Steinbrenner once changed managers. This could work out, providing that another once-in-a-generation player happened to be born in the neighborhood.
WINNER: ACTING FAST
The initial wave of agreements — save for Jrue Holiday cashing in on the Pelicans’ ‘by any means necessary’ offer to keep him — were more stunning with their speed than their outcomes, but they were smart assessments of the market. Tony Snell, Ben McLemore, Langston Galloway and Cristiano Felicio grabbed deals quickly while more accomplished players either had to come at a discount or are waiting.
WINNER: GOLDEN NUGGETS
As self-evident as it is that landing one of the most-coveted free agents of the summer, Paul Millsap, is a good thing, it is especially right for the Nuggets. The Nuggets were sensational offensively and made a run at the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, but lacked the toughness and defense Millsap brings without diminishing the offense at all. Trey Lyles could be a nice, under-appreciated pickup in that offense, as well. The Nuggets were going to continue to improve as the young talent, particularly Nikola Jokic, continues to grow into the part. Millsap wisely joined a team on the rise.
WINNER: GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
Had Tom Thibodeau stopped with Jimmy Butler, it would have been a strong offseason for the Timberwolves. Adding Taj Gibson, another of his former Bulls players, fits the Thibodeau way of doing things. The Wolves might miss Ricky Rubio more than many expect, even with the solid addition of Jeff Teague. With shooting guard Jamal Crawford agreeing to a two-year contract Saturday, the Wolves have gone from promising to being a force.
WINNER: ALL-STAR DEBATES
With the West adding Millsap, George and Butler, the collection of potential AllStar “snubs” will put a charge into those annual complaints. For that matter, a team of players left off the Western Conference All-Star team might be a better five than anything the diminished East will put on the floor in Los Angeles. While the Western Conference reloaded in the “weapons race,” as Morey described summer in the West, the Eastern Conference sat around as if waiting for James to get old or move west, too. The Celtics, Pistons, Hornets and Heat improved. Everyone else stood still or got worse, knowing that eight teams will make the playoffs, anyway.
WINNER: THE PROCESS
The Sixers are way too young, with Joel Embiid a veteran of 31 games and Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz rookies. But for whatever it is worth, Fultz looked the part of a No. 1 pick in summer league. The small, short-term additions of Amir Johnson and J.J. Redick should help the kids. And the East is so awful that any lottery team on the rise is worth watching.