The 5 Best Value Signings of 2023 NBA Free Agency So Far
Bargain contracts are an NBA front office's best friend. And there have already been a smattering of team-friendly deals handed out during the 2023 free-agency process.
This exercise seeks to identify the absolute friendliest: The agreements that stand to provide the biggest bang for their buck or delivered the most powerful reverse sticker shock for their absurd affordability.
Minimum contracts will be excluded from consideration. (The Phoenix Suns have my apologies.) Deals must also be for at least two years in length, since additional seasons theoretically add value to the table.
There is still time for other notable bargains to emerge from the free-agency fracas. Entering Thursday, though, these deals are the biggest steals relative to what we thought their market might be.
Jevon Carter, Chicago Bulls
1 of 5
Contract: 3 years, $20 million
Anyone surprised or offended by the amount of money Jevon Carter received from the Chicago Bulls must not have seen much of him over the years.
Most point guards are craftier with the ball in their hands, and the 27-year-old isn't the creator you lean on to run pick-and-rolls or attack set defenses. But what he lacks in conventional orchestration he makes up for with infinite scalability.
Carter drilled almost 44 percent of his spot-up triples last year, which accounted for more than one-third of his shots, while also converting over 39 percent of his pull-up treys. His offensive armory instantly meshes with more ball-dominant running mates.
And then there's the defense—oh, the defense. He will wear opposing ball-handlers like a second skin for a full 94 feet. And though he stands just 6'1", his speed, strength and relentless screen navigation allow him to defend either guard spot.
Pairing Carter with Alex Caruso is horrific news—for opposing offenses.
Tre Jones, San Antonio Spurs
2 of 5
Contract: 2 years, $10 million
Tre Jones started 65 games last season for a rotation terribly light on game-managers. And while he didn't captain the San Antonio Spurs offense to brain-bending peaks, he proved to be an excellent game-manager.
Few floor generals are as deft at protecting the ball. He may not be the flashiest passer, but he knows how to maintain his dribble and capitalize on slivers of space in the pocket. Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Damian Lillard were the only other players to post an assist rate above 30 with a turnover rate below 12 last season.
True, Jones has his functional limitations. He's not especially big at 6'1", and his career 27.1 percent clip from downtown can shrink the floor depending on the lineups in which he plays.
However, he has an operable mid-range game and fights on defense. And at 23, he's far from the finished product.
Even could-be starting point guards are supposed to cost more than this. And this might just be the best bargain of free agency, period.
Jalen McDaniels, Toronto Raptors
3 of 5
Contract: 2 years, $9.3 million
Twenty-five-year-old wings standing 6'9" who can reasonably guard three positions and knock down open treys shouldn't fetch noticeably less than the mini mid-level exception.
And yet, the Toronto Raptors stumbled into Jalen McDaniels.
Rocky shooting likely repressed his market. He hit just 36.6 percent of his wide-open triples last season. But that's good enough to stretch the floor, and it was certainly good enough to warrant more playing time than he received during the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff push.
He has also shown hints of doing more when maneuvering in space. His handles aren't pristine and his attacks aren't overtly explosive, but he canned 42.5 percent of his floaters and 46.9 percent of his fadeaway jumpers.
Toronto's clumpy half-court spacing may nuke some of McDaniels' offensive appeal. The fact that he was available for this price at all, though, is staggering—and perhaps an indictment of Philly's offseason.
Shake Milton, Minnesota Timberwolves
4 of 5
Contract: 2 years, $10 million (2024-25 team option)
Shake Milton ranked among the best backup guards on the open market, and the Minnesota Timberwolves bagged him for less than mini-MLE money while also maintaining full control over what happens to him in Year 2.
Seventh- or eighth-man reserves do not typically require massive paydays. And his utility will be capped so long as maestros Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson are all healthy.
However, Milton's role may also end up greater than expected, in large part because he can play beside any other guard or primary playmaker with whom Minnesota cares to pair him.
At 6'5", the 26-year-old's size lets him defend up while arming him with leverage when attacking the basket at the other end. He has shot at least 62 percent around the hoop in four of his first five seasons.
There is also a variable cadence to how he plays. He can keep defenses on tilt with dribble hesitations and changes in direction but operate more suddenly in catch-and-go situations.
The 40 percent clip Milton just posted on zero-dribble threes, meanwhile, is yet further evidence he can contribute to a more crowded offensive ecosystem.
Gabe Vincent, Los Angles Lakers
5 of 5
Contract: 3 years, $33 million
Gabe Vincent leaving the Miami Heat for less than the full non-taxpayer's mid-level is something—something great for the Los Angeles Lakers and, depending on the outcome of the Damian Lillard trade request, something not-so-great for the Heat.
Skeptics will gravitate toward Vincent's spotty three-point clip. He drilled just 33.4 percent of his triples during the regular season and is a career 33.9 percent marksman from deep. But he has the capacity for better accuracy, and the level of difficult on some of his looks must be taken into account.
The 27-year-old connected on 44.6 percent of his spot-up treys during the playoffs, and while his off-the-dribble confidence can culminate in misadventures, he nailed 48 percent of his step-back threes (12-of-25) in the regular season.
Getting someone who can toggle between off- and on-ball responsibilities while juicing beyond-the-arc volume is huge for the Lakers offense. That it comes from someone who can defend at the point of attack, as a starter or bench headliner, is even bigger.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
