Everything You Need to Know from Day 5 of 2015 NBA Free Agency
The NBA free-agency wave crested early, as $1.4 billion in contracts were issued on the very first day of the July negotiating period, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Now, four days later, teams across the league are picking through the remainder of what washed up on shore.
That's not to say we're dealing exclusively with free-agency flotsam at this stage; there are still useful players out there. As much as anything, it's about finding good fits and values at this stage—which, in its own way, is sometimes harder than floating five-year, $100 million offers at big, obvious targets.
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This is the calm after the storm, and what teams do in this post-tidal lull matters.
Lou Williams Took the Lakers' Money
Somebody had to do it, as the Lakers hadn't inked a single free agent until Lou Williams, last season's Sixth Man of the Year, agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.
This is a complicated signing—one that highlights how a great value acquisition can sometimes still be a questionable one.
Williams' off-the-bench scoring is almost certainly worth more than $7 million per season, and for a team that needed a shot-creating guard, he'd be an ideal addition. If that team could live with some me-first basketball, contested jumpers and not much defense, all the better.
The Lakers already had the market cornered on low-efficiency offense last year, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com:
Nick Young and Kobe Bryant do a lot of what Williams does, but those three don't defend at all. Nor do backcourt weapons Jordan Clarkson and rookie D'Angelo Russell.
It's hard to be too critical, though, because there is real value in Williams' contract if the Lakers ever want to move it. Plus, everybody else passed on Los Angeles' money. It's not like the Lakers picked Williams over a bigger name.
Though the Lakers have now used up most of their cap room, they're remaining active. Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports reports Brandon Bass has agreed to join up, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports hears Young could be on the move—which would make the Williams signing more sensible.
Signing Williams means free agency is mostly over for the Los Angeles, which is now limited to the $2.8 million room exception, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders:
Stuckey Sticks with Pacers
The Indiana Pacers agreed to a three-year, $21 million pact with Rodney Stuckey, as reported by Charania.
That's not a bad bump in pay for Stuckey, who made the minimum last season with the Pacers.
At first blush, Stuckey's contract feels like an overpay, but the truth is that his numbers stack up nicely against Williams'. In some areas—shooting efficiency, in particular—Stuckey's 2014-15 campaign was markedly better than Williams' award-winning one.
| Williams | 80/0 | 15.5 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 40.4 | 34.0 |
| Stuckey | 71/36 | 12.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 44.0 | 39.0 |
Pacers president Larry Bird saw something he liked in the aggressive, hard-driving guard last year, according to the Pacers' official Twitter account:
And now it appears Indy's three-guard rotation is mostly set: Monta Ellis and George Hill will start, while Stuckey can play either backcourt spot off the bench.
Miami Heat Housekeeping
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports the Miami Heat's five-year agreement with Goran Dragic will be worth about $5 million less than originally reported:
Now you know.
The Manu Waiting Game Continues
Bringing back Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and Danny Green assured everyone that the San Antonio Spurs had at least one more run at a title in them. Adding LaMarcus Aldridge on a four-year, $80 million contract showed how deadly serious they were about making the most of it.
The cap mechanics of those deals cost San Antonio Tiago Splitter, and that wasn't the end of the potential cuts into the team's legendary depth, per Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express News:
That makes Manu Ginobili's return all the more important.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, nothing's certain yet, but the Spurs have their hopes up.
"Ginobili has long planned to reveal his decision about continuing his career in the newspaper La Nacion in his native Argentina," Stein wrote. "Sources say the Spurs remain quietly optimistic that Ginobili will ultimately opt for one more season."
Ginobili's skills have slipped, which tends to happen at the age of 37. But he's still a valuable vet who can contribute on the floor and lead in the locker room.
And on a personal note, I'm not ready to live in a world without Manu's slick passing and pioneering Eurosteps. I'm just not.
Here's hoping the Spurs' optimism is well-founded.
The Cavs Are Getting Greedy
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports the Cleveland Cavaliers, which have spent nearly a quarter-billion dollars on player contracts this summer (assuming Tristan Thompson's $80 million deal works itself out, as reported by Stein and Windhorst), are interested in adding Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson—and the $24.9 million he'll collect next season.
To pull it off, the Cavs would have to involve a package of Brendan Haywood (whose $10.5 million salary next year can be erased if he's waived before August 1) and Anderson Varejao. Such a deal would work under the collective bargaining agreement, and it could save the Nets a huge amount of money.
For the Cavs, it'd be the latest reminder that owner Dan Gilbert is prepared to pay whatever it takes to surround LeBron James with as much talent as possible.
This feels like a long shot, but it's worth monitoring.
Reggie Jackson Re-Signs with Pistons
Restricted free agent Reggie Jackson has agreed to terms to re-sign with the Detroit Pistons on a five-year deal worth $80 million, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
In 27 games with the Pistons after getting traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jackson averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor.
The 25-year-old looks like a smart man after he turned down a four-year offer from the Oklahoma City Thunder before last season that would've paid him roughly $48 million.
Pistons teammate Brandon Jennings took to Twitter to express his feelings on the news:
"Congrats to my teammate @Reggie_Jackson well deserved!!!! Now let's make these Playoffs!!!
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) July 6, 2015"
Rumors, Signings and Miscellany
- Jeremy Evans, dunk-contest winner and accomplished artist, signed a two-year minimum contract with the Dallas Mavericks, according to Stein. Evans is a rangy athlete who could—if groomed specifically—develop into a defensive replacement for Al-Farouq Aminu, whom the Mavs lost to the Portland Trail Blazers at the start of free agency, according to Wojnarowski.
- Guard Cory Joseph has agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.
- The Nets would like to retain free-agent wing Alan Anderson, though he's coveted by other teams as a bench option, per Wojnarowski.
- Jeremy Lin could be headed to the Mavericks as part of a sign-and-trade exchange with the Lakers, according to Wojnarowski.
- Dallas thinks it can re-sign J.J. Barea, per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Talks are ongoing between the Sacramento Kings and Josh Smith, though nothing is imminent, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated said.
Player moves courtesy of ESPN.com's tracker unless otherwise noted.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @gt_hughes.
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