NBA Free Agents 2015: Grading Early Signings and Latest Day 2 Rumors
The NBA's free-agency period got off to a busy start Wednesday as 25 players agreed to contracts and two others agreed to contract extensions starting in the 2016-17 season.
After a busy first day, many of the top free agents are off the market. Many of the contracts agreed to Wednesday may have seemed too expensive, but they won't seem as excessive in a few years after the salary cap's steep increase.
So let's look at every free-agent transaction that happened between 12:01 a.m. ET July 1 and 12:00 a.m. ET July 2 and hand out some grades based on contract value and the player's fit with the team. Following that, we'll look at some prominent rumors heading into the second day of free agency.
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| Alexis Ajinca | 4 years, $20 million | New Orleans Pelicans | A |
| Al-Farouq Aminu | 4 years, $30 million | Portland Trail Blazers | B |
| Omer Asik | 5 years, $60 million | New Orleans Pelicans | C+ |
| Jimmy Butler | 5 years, $90 million | Chicago Bulls | A |
| DeMarre Carroll | 4 years, $60 million | Toronto Raptors | C+ |
| Tyson Chandler | 4 years, $52 million | Phoenix Suns | B- |
| Jae Crowder | 5 years, $35 million | Boston Celtics | B |
| Anthony Davis | 5 years, $145 million (ext.) | New Orleans Pelicans | A |
| Goran Dragic | 5 years, $90 million | Miami Heat | B- |
| Mike Dunleavy Jr. | 3 years, $14.4 million | Chicago Bulls | A |
| Danny Green | 4 years, $45.5 million | San Antonio Spurs | A |
| Draymond Green | 5 years, $82 million | Golden State Warriors | A- |
| Jonas Jerebko | 2 years, $10 million | Boston Celtics | A- |
| Amir Johnson | 2 years, $24 million | Boston Celtics | B+ |
| Brandon Knight | 5 years, $70 million | Phoenix Suns | B+ |
| Kawhi Leonard | 5 years, $90 million | San Antonio Spurs | A |
| Damian Lillard | 5 years, $120 million (ext.) | Portland Trail Blazers | B- |
| Brook Lopez | 3 years, $60 million | Brooklyn Nets | B |
| Kevin Love | 5 years, $110 million | Cleveland Cavaliers | A- |
| Khris Middleton | 5 years, $70 million | Milwaukee Bucks | B+ |
| Paul Millsap | 3 years, $58 million | Atlanta Hawks | A- |
| Paul Pierce | 3 years, $10 million | Los Angeles Clippers | A |
| Kyle Singler | 5 years, $25 million | Oklahoma City Thunder | B- |
| Iman Shumpert | 4 years, $40 million | Cleveland Cavaliers | B |
| Tristan Thompson | 5 years, $80 million | Cleveland Cavaliers | C |
| Brandan Wright | 3 years, $18 million | Memphis Grizzlies | A |
| Thaddeus Young | 4 years, $50 million | Brooklyn Nets | B |
Day 2 Rumors
Is LaMarcus Aldridge Considering Phoenix?
The Portland Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the few big names remaining on the market after most of the others signed Wednesday.
And where will he sign?
Aldridge has been linked to a handful of teams in the past few days, and the San Antonio Spurs looked like the heavy favorite after the team's meeting with the All-Star power forward Wednesday, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. San Antonio also re-signed Danny Green at a discounted deal and traded Tiago Splitter to the Atlanta Hawks to clear cap space Wednesday, two moves that certainly improved the team's financial standing.
However, the Phoenix Suns reportedly made a strong pitch to Aldridge Wednesday afternoon.
The Suns have some decent pieces on the roster, and Aldridge could probably take the squad to the postseason, but title contention in the rugged Western Conference would be almost completely out of the question.
Look for the All-Star to make his decision after meeting with the New York Knicks Thursday, per USA Today's Sam Amick.
A New Backcourt in Sacramento?
The Sacramento Kings are apparently looking for a new starting backcourt, and they have two main targets for those guard spots.
Per Wojnarowski, Sacramento completed a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night to clear cap room, getting rid of shooting guard Nik Stauskas and big men Carl Landry and Jason Thompson in exchange for unnamed international prospects.
On paper, a Rondo-Matthews backcourt is a huge upgrade over the Darren Collison-Ben McLemore combo Sacramento employed most of the 2014-15 season, but that's assuming Rondo regains his form from a year or two ago. Also, McLemore has improved significantly during his two years in the NBA, and bringing the athletic swingman off the bench may not be the best way to utilize his talents.
Can the Kings make the right pitch to one or both of Rondo or Matthews? We shall see.
But, if not, Sacramento has also been pursuing Monta Ellis, according to Wojnarowski.
Can the Clippers Retain DeAndre Jordan?
It's time to worry, Los Angeles Clippers fans—DeAndre Jordan may be slipping away from your team's grasp.
The Dallas Mavericks had a four-and-a-half-hour meeting with Jordan Wednesday, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix also reported DJ thought the Los Angeles Lakers' presentation to the star center was "very professional," and that he's considering several options.
Boy, will the Clippers have a hole at center if Jordan leaves.
First off, he's the only player listed at the 5 on Los Angeles' roster. Plus, the team's interior depth is already very poor. Without DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers would have just three players (Blake Griffin, Ekpe Udoh and Glen Davis) classified at power forward or center.
If the athletic big man leaves the Clippers, they would undoubtedly grab some post players in free agency. However, the squad will be hard-pressed to make up for Jordan's excellent pick-and-roll finishing and rim protecting.
Note: All signings and contract details are courtesy of NBA reporters on Seth Partnow's Breaking NBA list on Twitter. The list consists of 12 reporters with inside knowledge on free agency, such as Wojnarowski, ESPN's David Aldridge and ESPN's Marc Stein.
