10 Teams That Totally Nailed NBA Free Agency
After a crazy week or so of big names signing even bigger deals, the dust is finally beginning to settle in the dog-eat-dog world of NBA free agency.
Some teams reaped the benefits of available players, while others managed to reel back in some of their more vital assets and potential franchise players. Other teams weren't so lucky and might find themselves playing for the draft lottery instead of a playoff spot.
Several teams stand out as clear winners to this point. The San Antonio Spurs have the pieces to make one final run to end a two-decade-old dynasty. The Cleveland Cavaliers will boast an even better lineup than the one that got them to the NBA Finals, and the Los Angeles Clippers used a slumber party to make sure their "Big Three" stayed intact.
The teams featured in the following list retained their most influential players or brought in some new faces who will have a significant impact.
The bottom line for these teams will be to match or exceed last year's accomplishments, as almost all listed made the postseason. This list is a comprehensive look at which teams have the best shot at making it to the playoffs with a chance to bring home an NBA championship based on their free agency moves.
Good Job, Good Effort
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Though many NBA teams were able to set themselves up for success, several tried and failed to land the big-name players or came up just short in becoming a contender.
The big-name market teams, namely the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, threw their hats in the free-agency ring, only to walk away disappointed.
Some teams made smaller moves to help lure a superstar, such as the Phoenix Suns bringing in Tyson Chandler with the hopes of also acquiring LaMarcus Aldridge or DeAndre Jordan. (It didn't work.)
The Raptors signed former Hawk DeMarre Carroll, Luis Scola and Cory Joseph, who aren't huge names but fill more holes for Toronto's squad and could help lead the team back to the postseason. Toronto just missed by cut in this list.
Other teams made significant moves but still don't have enough firepower to make a playoff run—at least not yet.
The one team that comes to mind is the Sacramento Kings, who have enough off-the-court drama between head coach George Karl and rising star DeMarcus Cousins.
The Kings fared decently well in free agency, though. After striking out on its original targets, Sacramento brought in Marco Belinelli for some perimeter shooting and signed a 7-footer to play alongside Cousins and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein in Kosta Koufos. The Kings also decided to take a shot with guard Rajon Rondo and brought Omri Casspi back to the fold.
The Kings have zero chance of making the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference unless a handful of teams regress, but fans should at least like what they see on paper. If anything, they have the potential to win more than 30 games for the first time since 2008.
10. Miami Heat
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Miami Heat fans breathed a sigh of relief when the face of their franchise returned.
Dwyane Wade agreed to come back to the Heat, signing a one-year, $20 million dollar deal. He averaged 21.5 points per game in 62 games last season. He makes up the backcourt along with Goran Dragic, who agreed to five-years at $86 million. Luol Deng also opted into the $10 million, two-year contract he signed with Miami in 2015.
Miami also added to its depth by acquiring Gerald Green from Phoenix Suns for just $1.4 million. He can shoot from the outside and adds depth to the roster, much like Ray Allen and Shane Battier did during the 2012 and 2013 title runs.
Along with drafting Justise Winslow and the return of a healthy Chris Bosh, Miami looks poised to make a run in the East after missing the playoffs last season for the first time since 2008.
9. Memphis Grizzlies
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It was no huge surprise when the Memphis Grizzlies brought back their biggest question mark. Marc Gasol didn't even meet with other teams, as reported by ESPN's Marc Stein. Gasol signed a five-year contract worth more than $110 million.
Memphis also brought back Beno Udrih as a solid backup for point guard Mike Conley, signed Brandan Wright to a multiyear deal and picked up journeyman Matt Barnes to add some depth and grit to the squad.
The return of Gasol, who made the All-NBA first-team last season, will keep Memphis strong on the defensive end, along with Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies have made the playoffs for five-straight seasons and will look to return with the hopes of avenging last year's second-round loss to the eventual NBA champions.
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8. Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls have spent the past several seasons showing brief glimpses of how great they could be, only to have their hopes dashed by injuries or bad luck.
Chicago managed to limp into the playoffs last season but struggled to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in six games and was no match for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If healthy, the Bulls could be a team to be reckoned with in the East, though health is certainly a big if. Chicago made the right decisions in bringing back last year's leading scorer in Jimmy Butler, who still has much to offer the franchise at just 25 years old.
The Bulls also resigned Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Aaron Brooks to serve as role players, but the question remains if it will be enough to compete in the East. Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah all have battled injuries in recent seasons and will remain vital if Chicago plans to make a playoff run under new head coach Fred Hoiberg.
7. Milwaukee Bucks
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Though the Bulls eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from playoff contention last year, their moves in free agency and upside of the young players put them just ahead of Chicago.
In a surprise move, the Bucks landed Greg Monroe after the big man turned down max offers from the Lakers and Knicks. The 25-year-old averaged 15.9 points and shot 49.6 percent with Detroit last season and is one of two players to record at least 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in each of the last four seasons. Monroe will make a great combination with Jabari Parker, who was in the Rookie of the Year discussion before tearing his ACL.
Milwaukee also re-signed forward Khris Middleton, who posted career highs in points, rebounds and assists last season and led the Bucks in scoring in the postseason.
The moves will certainly help the Bucks offense, which ranked sixth-worst in the league last year. Milwaukee showed incredible improvement under first-year head coach Jason Kidd—26 games to be exact—and should find themselves back in the playoff hunt in the East.
6. New Orleans Pelicans
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The future looks bright for the New Orleans Pelicans. So bright in fact that the team had no problem in having the face of its franchise sign the biggest contract in league history.
The 22-year-old signed a five-year extension worth nearly $145 million that starts in 2016 and runs until Davis turns 28. The All-Star finished last season averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
Along with Davis, the Pelicans re-signed Omer Asik, Alexis Ajinca and Dante Cunningham to multiyear deals, which guarantees that nine of their 10 leading scorers from last season will be back this year.
Signing Davis also allows the Pelicans to start building the team around the young superstar. Though New Orleans got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors, the young team will remain mostly intact and should find itself in the playoff hunt once again.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Now you may be asking yourself why the Oklahoma City Thunder made this list. They barely did anything in free agency!
Exactly. And they still have one of the best chances to contend for a championship.
When healthy, the Thunder have arguably the best lineup in the NBA. And, if healthy, there's no reason why the Thunder shouldn't find themselves back in the NBA playoffs.
Oklahoma City did make one move in free agency that helps add to its depth by signing Kyle Singler to a five-year deal worth $25 million. He'll make for a solid role player with strong play around the perimeter.
But while many NBA teams were let down after whiffing in acquiring a superstar or possibly overpaid for an average player (here's looking at you, Detroit Pistons), the Thunder had the luxury to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.
Oklahoma City narrowly missed the playoffs last season while having to be completely carried by Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant, the 2014 MVP, was sidelined for most of the season with a bad foot. Serge Ibaka missed the end of the season with knee surgery. All the Thunder had to do for this NBA free-agency period was keep their fingers crossed that those three stay healthy.
If OKC's "Big Three" remain healthy, the Thunder will reward new head coach Billy Donovan with a return trip to the playoffs. And, let's let them have this No. 5 ranking. After all, whichever team lands Durant in the 2016 offseason will make this list come next year, and it might not be the Thunder.
4. Los Angeles Clippers
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The Los Angeles Clippers went from being left off this list completely to jumping up to the No. 4 spot in a matter of one night.
DeAndre Jordan had made a verbal agreement with the Dallas Mavericks at the start of free agency but began having second thoughts, eventually going back on his verbal agreement with Dallas and re-signing with the Clippers for four years, $88 million. This isn't the avenue to argue about Jordan's decision or why Dallas is no longer on this list, but to discuss how Los Angeles turned back into one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Before signing Jordan, the Clippers signed veteran Paul Pierce to a three-year deal to play for his old coach in Doc Rivers. They also acquired Lance Stephenson, Branden Dawson and Wesley Johnson. But Jordan's importance to the team, especially on the defensive end, can't go unnoticed. He led the league in rebounding and averaged a double-double last season.
Pierce will give the team a veteran presence and clutch shooting down the stretch and mediate any rift between Jordan and Chris Paul, which was rumored to be the reason Jordan wanted out in the first place, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com.
For a team that's faced years of playoff disappointment and has failed to pass the second round in three of the last four years, losing Jordan might have meant missing the playoffs altogether. Now, LAC is poised for another run at a title.
3. Golden State Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors made just enough moves to help their cause in defending their NBA championship and are an easy pick for No. 3 on this list.
The Warriors signed their biggest question mark in Draymond Green for five years at $82 million to keep their core intact. The 25-year-old finished runner-up for NBA Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 11.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Oh yeah, he also finished with a triple-double in the clinching game of the NBA Finals.
Golden State also brought back role player Marreese Speights and managed to trade David Lee, who spent most of last season eating up money and bench space. Lee, who was Golden State's highest-paid player, was shipped off to Boston for Gerald Wallace.
Getting Green back was huge for the Warriors, who will bring back almost exactly the same squad as last year and have the potential to repeat as champions if they remain healthy.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the NBA Finals last season, players, fans and the franchise can't help but to think "what if?"
What if Kevin Love didn't get hurt against the Celtics? What if Kyrie Irving didn't get hurt against the Warriors? What if LeBron James kept wearing his headband?
Well, maybe not the last part, but you get the point. The Cavs were riddled with injuries at the worst possible time last season and still won two games in the Finals. After some free-agency moves, Cleveland made sure that, if healthy, there won't be any "what ifs" this time around.
The Cavs began free agency by signing Kevin Love, who announced publicly through the Players' Tribune that he was returning to Cleveland, perhaps taking a page from LeBron's playbook. Cleveland then went on to re-sign Iman Shumpert and brought back Mo Williams and is negotiating with Tristan Thompson.
But Cleveland's biggest signing, though not much of a surprise, was LeBron. Once he made sure last year's team would remain intact, The King signed a two-year maximum deal worth $47 million with a player option for the second year that he will almost certainly use.
Cleveland will once again be the team to beat in the East this season and has an excellent chance of getting back to the NBA Finals if the core remains healthy. The Cavs did just about everything they needed to do to remain a playoff contender, but there weren't too many surprises when all was said and done.
One team, however, did all it needed to do and then some.
1. San Antonio Spurs
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Just when it looked like the flame of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty was finally growing dim, more fuel was added to the fire, and the Spurs arguably look like the team to beat in the Western Conference.
San Antonio managed to acquire the biggest free agent of this year's class in LaMarcus Aldridge for $80 million over four years. After breaking the hearts of several teams, including the Lakers (twice), Aldridge decided to bring his 19 points and eight boards per game and play his prime years for the Spurs.
But before the big move, San Antonio made several huge decisions to make the team more lucrative for Aldridge and for the future. The Spurs retained Kawhi Leonard for five more seasons and brought back outside shooter Danny Green for four while trading away Tiago Splitter to free up some space.
San Antonio also managed to sign David West, who left around $11 million on the table to leave the Pacers and sign a veteran's minimum contract for a chance at winning a title.
And, perhaps most importantly, the original "Big Three" will be back. Manu Ginobili signed a two-year deal with a player option after one year, and Tim Duncan took yet another pay cut to help the Spurs fill their roster. The future Hall Of Famer signed a two-year deal worth $10.4 million and, at 39, will make one final run at winning a sixth NBA championship.
The Spurs were on the short end of the stick when it came to their playoff seeding last season and suffered an early exit with a Game 7 loss to L.A. Though it looked like San Antonio might struggle to make the playoffs in 2016, the Spurs absolutely won out in free agency and have emerged as the team to beat in the Western Conference next season.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")