Day one of the 2019 NBA Free Agency is in the books. With nearly $3 billion dollars spent on 60 different players, it might be a bit challenging to know where everyone is going with all the different breaking news stories and occasional Woj Bomb. So that's why I'm here. I'll go through what each team gained and what they lost, and what I think of all the moves.
Atlanta Hawks
Following last year's official start of their rebuild, the Hawks still had a bad season going 29-53 on the year. However, they do have a talented young core to build around in Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter. Along with adding DeAndre Hunter and Cam Reddish through the draft, a solid free agent signing could be just what the team needed to make a potential push for a playoff spot. That was not the case. The Hawks failed to sign anyone and in the process lost Dewayne Dedmon to the Sacramento Kings. Luckily, Dedmon was the only important free agent they had, so the damage isn't too bad. But still, no moves during the first day of free agency have to be considered a let down for the team.
Boston Celtics
When one star point-guard leaves, another enters. Once it came out that Kyrie Irving had practical ghosted his own team during contract negotiations, it became clear that the chances of Irving staying in Boston were about as high as Ben Simmons hitting a contested three-pointer. And the first day of free agency made the obvious a reality, as Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets. But fear not, a replacement was quickly found; Kemba Walker. After carrying one of the most inept franchises in the league for the last seven years, Walker is finally on a good team for once. Whether or not he is better than Irving is up for debate, but Walker is still about as good a replacement that you could have. That being said, the Celtics still took some pretty big hits one day one. Al Horford dipped to go to the 76ers and Terry Rozier is taking over Walker's spot with the Hornets. Both of them were key players for the team, and their absences will likely be felt this season. As for who's left for them, both Marcus Morris and Daniel Theis are still unsigned, so I'd expect at least one of them to stick around. Getting Walker was great for the Celtics, but losing multiple core players could potentially make this free agency an overall loss for the team.
And as I was writing this, they just signed Enes Kanter. That's a good signing overall, but I still think he doesn't make up for what they lost overall.
Brooklyn Nets
The basketball gods have finally shown mercy on the Brooklyn Nets. After nearly a decade of seasons ranging from average to bottom of the barrel bad, the Nets have what is potentially the best line-up they've ever had. They managed to grab two of the top free agents on the market this season in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Even though Durant will likely miss the majority of the upcoming year after his right Achilles rupture, that still gives the Nets two all-star players, one of whom is both an MVP and Finals MVP, and two former NBA champions. Of course, the loss of D'Angelo Russell is big, but the addition of Irving and the fact that the team didn't want him if they got Irving, makes the blow much smaller. Additionally, the Nets also added DeAndre Jordan, a former all-star who is still very reliable on the defensive end, and Garrett Temple, a solid veteran role player. The additions more than makeup for the losses of DeMarre Carroll to the Spurs and Ed Davis to the Jazz and the potential loss of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Even if this season doesn't produce instant success, the 2020-21 season could be a huge year for the Brooklyn Nets.
Charlotte Hornets
I could probably leave it at that, but alas, I'll elaborate. The obvious big loss was Kemba Walker. Turns out that not surrounding your one star with other great...or even good players leads to your star player taking his talents elsewhere. What they're now left with now is a consolation prize in Terry Rozier. Don't get me wrong, I like Terry Rozier (he's out there representing Northeast Ohio, after all) but he's nowhere near the talent of Walker and is a big downgrade at point guard. Additionally, they lost out on Jeremy Lamb, the only other person on that team who could score, to the Pacers. The bleeding seems to stop there for the Hornets, as they have no real important players to lose at this point, but that isn't saying much considering who they had in the first place. I know I'm being pretty harsh on Charlotte right now...but can you blame me? I wouldn't expect anything less than a top 5 pick from this team in the 2020 draft.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had a horrible year this past season, complete with an early head coach firing and a near mutiny against the new coach almost immediately that landed them a horrible 22-60 record. They do have talented young players in Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr, and Otto Porter Jr. But that's the keyword...young. All but one player on that team was under 30 years old. Maybe veteran leadership is something they desperately needed, and that's what they got in free agency. While they weren't able to land any big free agents, they managed to grab Thaddeus Young, a 12-year veteran forward who's consistently been a reliable player for the majority of his career. They also added a solid role player in Tomas Satoransky early in day two, and while they did lose Robin Lopez to the Bucks, I'd still say they made out better than they started. I don't think the Bulls will even sniff a playoff spot this year, but I think they got out of day one as good as they could've.
Cleveland Cavaliers
As a Cavaliers fan, I wasn't expecting much from this team. I knew we weren't getting any big free agents. However, I at least expected...something. The Cavaliers did nothing on the first day of free agency, signing no one and re-signing no one. Whether or not they re-sign Marquese Chriss or Nik Stauskas probably won't make to much of an impact anyway, but you'd hope a team that went 19-63 last season would at least go after someone in free agency.
Dallas Mavericks
Much like the Cavaliers, the Mavericks were also noticeably quiet for the first day of free agency. They managed to lock down Kristaps Porzingis for the next five years and re-signed both JJ Barea and Maxi Kleber as I was writing, while also adding Seth Curry from the Trail Blazers as I was writing this. As for their expired contracts, Trey Burke and Dorian Finney-Smith were both solid rotation pieces, so I wouldn't be surprised if they stuck around. Dallas seems to be going with a familiar core heading into next season, and honestly, I don't think that'll be enough to push them into the playoffs.
Denver Nuggets
Yet another team that made no moves on day one, this one is the most understandable. After all, they finished with one of the best records in the league and have one of the league's brightest young stars in Nikola Jokic. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That being said, no signings or re-signings for the Nuggets. The only real free agent they have on an expiring deal is Trey Lyles, but with Michael Porter Jr. set to debut next season, I wouldn't be shocked if they let Lyles go. Nothing coming out of the Nuggets yesterday, but again, there wasn't really a need to.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons barely squeaked into the playoffs this year and were treated as such when they got swept by the Bucks in the first round. While making the playoffs was a bright spot for the team, they clearly need more if they want to make a serious playoff run. So far, I'd say they made a big improvement in signing Derrick Rose. While he's not the MVP he once was, Rose is still a more than reliable player when healthy, and showed signs of the great player he used to be. Losing a decent role player in Ish Smith could've hurt, but adding Rose to replace him is more than satisfactory. As for their expiring contracts...meh. The played very little compared to everyone else, so losing the likes of Glenn Robinson III or Zaza Pachulia aren't the end of the world. They may not have got a huge free agent signing, but I'd say the Pistons scored at least a minor win early in free agency.
Golden State Warriors
Really? The empire couldn't even stay down for a day before they already rebuilt it. Seriously? In all seriousness, I know D'Angelo Russell is not as good a player as Kevin Durant, but Durant was going to miss most of next season anyway. The Warriors couldn't even go a day without having at least four former all-stars on their roster. They did lock down Klay Thompson on a five-year deal, but his ACL tear will likely leave him out for the majority of next season as well. So I guess the poor Golden State Warriors will have to settle for only three former all-stars. As for who's left of their expiring contracts, the obvious one is DeMarcus Cousins, but I wouldn't expect him to stay at this point. Outside of Cousins, both Quinn Cook and Jordan Bell are restricted free agents, but neither played extensively during the season, so they're both a toss up. Kevon Looney is one I'd completely expect to stick with the team, especially if Cousins signs elsewhere. The Warriors might have lost one of the best players in the league, but they still did a solid job in replacing him, meaning they are still serious contenders for another NBA Championship.
Houston Rockets
Now that they're out of the running to land Jimmy Butler the Rockets must look elsewhere in free agency following their disappointing season. So far, they've not signed anyone and re-signed just Danuel House, who I'm not familiar with but based on his stats he seems like a regular member of the rotation, and Austin Rivers just as I was writing this. Outside of House though, they have multiple other rotation players whose deals are up, including Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert. Whether or not they keep them is yet to be seen, but it looks like the chances of the Rockets getting any better this offseason are slim.
Indiana Pacers
Considering how they posted the same record as the year before and their season ended the exact same way, the Pacers were likely hoping to make some big moves this offseason. While they made some solid additions, their departures might just outway them. The Pacers managed to sign Malcolm Brogdon from the Bucks and Jeremy Lamb from the Titanic Hornets. Brogdon is one of the more underrated players in the league and is coming off a season where he joined the 50-40-90 club, which includes the likes of Steve Nash, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Lamb is a strong enough scorer that he could be valuable coming off the bench or at small forward. They also locked down Edmond Sumner...so there's that. Despite those additions, they did lose core players Bojan Bogdanovic to the Jazz and Thaddeus Young to the Bulls, both of whom were key players over the last few seasons. Add on the loss of a solid role player in Cory Joesph to the Kings and it looks not as great for Indiana. As for who's left for them, there's no one really worth keeping. Darren Collison announced his retirement, Tyreke Evans can't play for the next few seasons for...obvious reasons (not that he was any good when he played with the Pacers), and Kyle O'Quinn was a non-factor and hardly played. The Pacers were a hard team to gauge after yesterday, but for now, I'd say they got a little worse.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers might've lost out on most of the big stars this free agency (keyword: most), but I wouldn't be too worried about them. Their solid core is all still on the team, so I'd expect them to make another run at the playoffs this season. That core was kept even more together when Patrick Beverly decided to stay put on a three-year deal and while they did lose Garrett Temple to Brooklyn, the team should still be competitive enough to make the playoffs again. Where the worry might come in is there expired contracts. Ivica Zubac is restricted so he should be safe, but both JaMychal Green and Wilson Chandler are up for grabs this summer. If it were me, I'd keep Green and let Chandler walk, as Chandler has underperformed the last few years. If the Clippers keep Zubac and Green, I think they should be safe for next season.
Los Angeles Lakers
Unsurprisingly, the Lakers have not made any big moves on day one of free agency. So far, they've seen Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala go to the Knicks and the Thunder, respectively, and signed Troy Daniels from Suns, who is a decent role player but nothing to write home about. Meanwhile, they still have multiple core rotation players sitting on expired contracts, including Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and JaVale McGee. Keeping them to round out a core around LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be a good idea, but it's obvious what the Lakers are going for. The big fish; Kawhi Leonard. Adding Leonard to this would make them an instant favorite for the NBA Championship, and with Leonard the best player still available, he's the best option to add another star to an already stacked starting five. If Leonard doesn't sign, then keeping the likes of Rondo and McGee would be beneficial. Still, after the Anthony Davis trade, even losing out on Leonard would still see the Lakers more than happy with the outcome of this summer.
Memphis Grizzlies
After missing the playoffs for the second straight year, the Grizzlies have decided to take the team in a different direction this summer. Having already shipped Marc Gasol to the Raptors, they shipped Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz to make way for the new focal point of the franchise, Ja Morant. However, outside of that, they made no real moves to help strengthen their roster. Locking down Jonas Valanciunas for three-years was a must after how well he played for them, but that's it so far. As for who contract's expired for them. Delon Wright would be a solid role player to keep around and Joakim Noah played decently enough. Adding Morant to the core of Valanicunas, Jaren Jackson Jr, and a returning Dillion Brooks could be enough to push them into the playoffs, but I'm not counting on that.
Miami Heat
Well, they did it. Five years after the Big 3 split up and three years after their franchise-star Dwyane Wade left the team, the Miami Heat have their new star...Jimmy Butler...maybe...possibly. As of right now, the Heat's sign-and-trade deal with the 76ers to get Butler has hit a snag and there haven't been many updates. So Butler isn't official yet, so what else do they have...nothing. Their expiring contracts are Dwyane Wade, who's retired, Udonis Haslem, who's sleepwalking into double-doubles, apparently, and Duncan Robinson, who barely played last season. Even if Haslem and Robinson re-signed, the impact would be insubstantial to the whole team. If the Butler trade goes through, then that's great for the Heat. If it doesn't, they've got a whole lot of nothing, especially after trading Hassan Whiteside today.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks had a great year this past season, as they posted the best record in the league behind MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the season ended with a Conference Finals loss to the eventual champion Raptors, the Bucks needed to the keep their core together to make another run at the championship. For the most part, they did. While the losses of Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers and Nikola Mirotic to Europe were quite the blows, they managed to lock down the most important non-Giannis player on the team in all-star Khris Middleton for 5 years. Additionally, they re-signed Brook Lopez and George Hill, both of whom were valuable to the league's best team during the season, and added Brook's brother Robin and Wesley Matthews to strengthen the bench. Their remaining expired contracts aren't too vital to the team. Tim Frazier played decent enough, but it wouldn't be terrible to lose. The Bucks might be weaker than they were last year, they're still one of the best teams in the league and should not be taken off of anyone's radar anytime soon.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oh, the Timberwolves. Just two years ago, you were supposed to be one of the future's top teams in the league behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, and Andrew Wiggins, all coached by Tom Thibodeau. Now Thibs is gone after trying to turn the team into the Chicago Bulls 2.0, Butler destroyed the chemistry before leaving, and Wiggins is playing below expectations. This free agency period has not been kind to the team either. Derrick Rose is off to the Pistons and Taj Gibson decided to go from one dumpster fire to the another in New York, and no one has signed with the team. As for their expiring contracts, I guess Tyus Jones is still young and developing, but at this point, he doesn't look like anything more than a back-up at best. So far, this summer has been a bust for the Timberwolves outside of landing Jarrett Culver in the draft.
New Orleans Pelicans
I'll give the Pelicans a pass for letting Julius Randle leave. Even though he just had a breakout season and they just lost their top star in Anthony Davis, it was pretty obvious he was gone after they landed the #1 pick. Zion Williamson is obviously going to be the focal point of this team for many years to come, and that plan didn't include basically a less athletic version of Williamson in Randle. Add that to the additions of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart through the trade along with a boatload of picks, the Pelicans have a bright future ahead of them. The Pelicans also added a great veteran presence in JJ Redick, who is still shooting great and putting up strong numbers at 35 years old. As for their expired contracts, I could see Darius Miller sticking around with the team, even if he's not that good. The loss of Randle on paper seems bad, but looking at the big picture shows just how much potential the Pelicans have for years to come.
New York Knicks
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, I had to. After pulling off a tank job so blatant the only way that it could have made it worse was to sign Curtis Painter, the Knicks were all prepared to create the next big three. Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. Instead, they ended up RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Elfrid Payton. Karma's a bitch, ain't it New York? OK, I can be serious about this. I know I've made fun of Randle a lot in this, but I don't think he's a bad player. In fact, I think he's pretty great. This past season was a huge breakout year and the Knicks made a great choice by striking while the iron was hot. I also like the addition the Elfrid Payton, who I think will be good enough player to hold down the starting point guard job for the Knicks, which is something they've struggled with for a long time now. They also made several other great moves, picking up the likes of Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, and Reggie Bullock, all of whom are solid role players and good additions to the team. The losses of DeAndre Jordan to the Nets and Mario Hezonja to the Trail Blazers are somewhat impactful, but I think the Knicks were able to fill those losses pretty well. As for expired contracts, Emmanuel Mudiay is one they should keep, as he's found his stride in New York over the last few years. Others I think they should keep are Noah Vonleh, Kadeem Allen, and possibly Luke Kornet. The Knicks didn't have a bad start to free agency or summer in general. But based on what they thought they were getting, it has to be a disappointment.
Oklahoma City Thunder
With both of their stars locked down, the Thunder did not have much to lose this offseason. After the first day of free agency, they haven't lost anything yet. Their two moves so far were re-signing Nerlens Noel (the details aren't official yet) and adding Mike Muscala from the Lakers. As for their expired contracts, there isn't much to talk about anyway. Raymond Felton played very few minutes in the grand scheme of things and Markieff Morris was underwhelming for them. Letting either go wouldn't impact the team too much. The Thunder had nothing to really lose and the improvement they made through Muscala was not groundbreaking.
Orlando Magic
Unlike the Thunder, the Magic had a lot to lose this offseason. With their franchise star's contract up, they needed to lock him down if they wanted to even think about repeating their playoff run this year. Luckily for them, they did just that. Nikola Vucevic is their's for the next four years, and they were even able to keep Terrence Ross, who was coming off a career-best year for the team. Additionally, the Magic were able to add Al-Farouq Aminu to the team, adding strength to their bench and the team's overall defense. And they re-signed Michael-Carter Williams...for some reason. And with none of their expired contracts to beneficial to the team, I think it's safe to say that the Magic survived the first day of free agency with their team intact.
Philadelphia 76ers
Everyone knew that the chances of the 76ers keeping both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler this summer were slim. Unsurprisingly, the team went with just one them, and it ended up being Tobias Harris. Instead, they're sending Butler to the Miami Heat in a sign and trade that gets them Josh Richardson. Outside of those two, the Sixers were able to land Al Horford from the Celtics, which does a good job of strengthening the team's core rotation and re-signing Mike Scott, who proved to be a valuable role player off the bench towards the end of the season. The loss of JJ Redick to the Pelicans does hurt though, especially after trading away Landry Shamet midway through the season. Also, they have a lot of expiring contracts. Out of them, I'd expect TJ McConnell and maybe Furkan Korkmaz to re-sign. I would say Boban Marjanovic (cause who doesn't love Boban) but the fact that he can only play about 14 minutes per game makes it hard to justify keeping him. Long story short, the 76ers were going to come out of free agency a worse team, but I think they softened the damage as much as possible.
Phoenix Suns
Once I saw them trade away the 6th pick and pass on Coby White (a point guard they desperately needed) so they could trade down for Cam Johnson, I thought the Suns were going to absolutely bomb this free agency. That being said, they landed a solid point guard in Ricky Rubio, who I think could be one of the best low-key signings of this offseason and a decent big man in Frank Kaminsky. They did lose Troy Daniels, who was a decent enough role player, but not too substantial to the team. They do have quite a few expiring contracts, of those I think they should definitely keep Kelly Oubre Jr, who put up some strong numbers during his time with the team. Jamal Crawford might just be nice to have around, but other than them, I don't think they should worry about anyone else. The Suns started the summer off bad, but that Rubio signing was able to somewhat salvage it.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers weren't in danger of losing any of there top guys this year, but their core has definitely suffered early in free agency. While they held onto Rodney Hood, the Trail Blazers saw key rotation players leave in Seth Curry to Dallas, Al-Farouq Aminu to Orlando, and Enes Kanter to Boston. Granted the Kanter loss is made up for thanks to the Hassan Whiteside trade, but the losses of Curry and Aminu were key role players. Adding Mario Hezonja is fine, but I don't think he makes up for the losses. The only expiring contract they have left is Jake Layman who is...alright, but keeping him or losing him likely won't affect the team that much. After a disappointing end to their best season in five years, the Trail Blazers look to have taken a step in terms of their team as a whole.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings nearly made the playoffs this past season. That might now sound good, but "nearly making the playoffs" to the Kings is basically their version of winning the NBA Championship. But in all seriousness, the Kings made big improvements this past season, and they look set to make more improvements based on their first day of free agency. First things first, they locked down Harrison Barnes for the next four years. On top of that, they strengthened their core by adding the likes Dewayne Dedmon, Cory Joseph, Trevor Ariza, and Richaun Holmes, giving them a roster with a lot of depth. Their biggest name with an expired contract is Willie Cauley-Stein, who could be a big loss if they don't get him re-signed. Outside of Cauley-Stein, everyone else is more or less expendable. They already had somewhat of a strong roster going into the offseason, and all the additions make them better. If they lock down Cauley-Stein, they have a chance to make the playoffs next season.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs did not have an eventful first day of free agency. The biggest thing they did was re-sign Rudy Gay for two years. Other than that, they signed a solid role player in DeMarre Carroll, and that's it. None of their expired contracts are really worth re-signing, so...yeah, there's not too much to talk about. Since Dejounte Murray is coming back next season, I'd expect the Spurs to improve next season despite no big moves so far this summer.
Toronto Raptors
Despite making no signings or re-signings after the first day (outside of Marc Gasol exercising his option), the Raptors have kept people's interest as we still have yet to see where Kawhi Leonard is heading next season. Despite winning it all this season, Leonard is still up for grabs. If they lose him this summer, that would be a huge blow. If they keep him, they have to remain heavy favorites to repeat as champions. Outside of Leonard, they have six other players who are open to the market right now. Out of them, Danny Green is an easy one to keep around, and I'd expect Jeremy Lin to stick around. As I said, having Kawhi Leonard on the roster is the difference between the team winning another championship and potentially being a lottery team.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz have the potential to make some noise this season. Already equipped with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz added Mike Conley through a trade. Three borderline all-stars. While they did lose Ricky Rubio, having Conley over him could easily be seen as an improvement for the team. Along with that, the Jazz added a starting-caliber small forward in Bojan Bogdanovic and a decent big man in Ed Davis. When it comes to expired contracts though, I can't really see any of the Jazz's (Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh) being necessary to the team. The Jazz may not have added the biggest names to their team, but they added what they needed, and I think they have the potential to make a serious run in the playoffs.
Washington Wizards
After a dud of a season for the Wizards, a solid free agent signing could've been what they needed to make a push back into the playoffs. They didn't do that. What they did do was lock down a solid young player in Thomas Bryant for three years and signed Ish Smith away from the Pistons. Those are decent moves, but they lost several key role players that might just outweigh the gains. They lost Bobby Portis to the Knicks, Tomas Satoransky to the Bulls, and Trevor Ariza to the Kings. Those three were all frequent members of the rotation, and their absence could easily be felt next season. If I were them, I'd try to re-sign Jabari Parker. Even if he's not going to develop into an all-star like everyone thought he would one day, he's still a talented player to keep around. Additionally, they should look to re-sign Jeff Green and potentially Sam Dekker to keep their bench somewhat strong. If John Wall is unable to play next season, we could see an even worse outcome for the team based on their losses in free agency.
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