Ranking the Best Free-Agent Steals of the 2015 NBA Offseason So Far
Free-agent heists can be almost as noteworthy as the summer's blockbuster signings, particularly when the discounted rate at which a player signs runs in the neighborhood of $11 million per year. That's essentially the pay cut David West accepted in order to chase a ring with the San Antonio Spurs, and he isn't the only one who left some money on the table this month.
We've ranked seven of the summer's most dramatic steals according to which players will make the greatest impact with their new teams. Oh, and yes, there must be a new team in order to qualify for this list, meaning hometown discounts (of the Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili variety) will have to settle for honorable mention.
These players are chasing something: a championship, greater opportunity, better fit. And they're willing to sacrifice money in the pursuit thereof. They won't be this season's highest-paid contributors, but they may well find the rewards they're looking for instead.
7. Andrea Bargnani
1 of 7
New Contract: Two years, veteran's minimum with Brooklyn Nets, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Andrea Bargnani a bargain? Yes, it's a first—but it's also for real. This guy produced consistent numbers down the stretch for the New York Knicks last season, averaging 16.2 points per contest in his 25 games after the All-Star break. Defensive liabilities notwithstanding, that kind of output will earn playing time, particularly in a league trending toward stretch big men.
The Nets needed an economical addition or two after waiving Deron Williams and getting nothing in return. Brooklyn hasn't embarked upon a full-on rebuild, instead opting to re-sign center Brook Lopez and power forward Thaddeus Young. Bargnani figures to find plenty of playing time behind the two, essentially replacing Mirza Teletovic, who reached an agreement with the Phoenix Suns via free agency.
Bargnani isn't an aggressive rebounder or defender, and that won't change overnight. At the age of 29, he's reached his ceiling. The hope is he can carve out a consistent role and maintain his shooting rhythm. If he scores, all else will be at least somewhat forgiven.
Aside from keeping the front line together and losing Williams, it's been a quiet offseason for the Nets. This summer has been as much about avoiding the luxury tax as it has been about building a competitive roster, and Bargnani's addition doesn't change that. The nine-year veteran is a bust in draft terms, but he's better than his minimum contract suggests.
6. Brandon Bass
2 of 7
New Contract: Two years, $6 million with Los Angeles Lakers, per USA Today's Sam Amick.
Brandon Bass has performed admirably as a highly efficient pick-and-pop threat in his last four seasons with the Boston Celtics. The 10-year veteran started and came off the bench for Boston, and he could inherit a similarly flexible role in Los Angeles as second-year power forward Julius Randle eases into the job after losing his first season to a leg injury.
Bass takes some of the pressure off Randle's shoulders, assuring head coach Byron Scott a more experienced and polished presence at the position—not unlike Carlos Boozer's role with the club a season ago. Don't expect Bass' output to blow you away, but he's a solid complementary scorer, often salvaging possessions with uncontested mid-range jumpers.
The 30-year-old averaged 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes per game last season. He probably won't top 30 minutes per contest this season, either, and that's fine. Bass is a fine addition to a supporting cast that desperately needed more depth.
He will be especially effective when setting screens for Kobe Bryant and rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell. His ability to pop out for mid-range jumpers after the screen is an especially valuable option, and Bass doesn't miss many of those looks. He made 50.4 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, which was slightly better than his impressive career mark of 49.3 percent from the field.
5. Marcus Thornton
3 of 7
New Contract: One year, veteran's minimum with Houston Rockets, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.
Houston needed a spark plug off the bench (and likely a replacement for guard Jason Terry, who is still a free agent). Marcus Thornton is an ideal candidate for the job, capable of spending time at both backcourt spots behind point guard Patrick Beverley and shooting guard James Harden.
Thornton isn't much of a two-way player, but he's a legitimate scoring specialist. He made 37.8 percent of his three-point attempts last season and will benefit from some stability after bouncing around a bit during the last two seasons. He'll also enjoy Houston's pace and penchant for shooting the long ball.
"The Rockets were the right choice because of their style of play—uptempo," Thornton recently told reporters, per Feigen. "That's when I'm at my best. And they are a playoff team that is always competing for a title year in and year out, and that's what I want to do—win on the biggest stage."
According to Feigen, Thornton's agent Tony Dutt indicated that other teams offered more money. Thornton took less on account of fit and the opportunity to win.
"He needs to play to sort of reinvent himself in the league and this was a perfect fit," Dutt said, per Feigen. "There were some teams trying to do some things for him, but this was right. He's very excited. This is going to be fun."
.png?w=256)
4. Gerald Green
4 of 7
New Contract: One year, veteran's minimum with Miami Heat, per the the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.
Gerald Green has become something of a journeyman in his eight NBA seasons, but his ability to score as a slasher and shooter has made him an intriguing commodity as well. It's hard to know exactly how much he's worth in today's market, but rest assured it's more than the minimum.
Green's production and playing time decreased a season ago, but he will enjoy consistent minutes behind shooting guard Dwyane Wade and small forward Luol Deng. Last season, the 29-year-old averaged 11.9 points in just 19.5 minutes per game. A year before that, he tallied a career-best 15.8 points in 28.4 minutes per contest. The two seasons in Phoenix may have involved uneven opportunities, but they were enough to demonstrate Green's electric scoring ability.
In the right role, he can thrive.
He should also help Miami maintain an uptempo attack when the second unit enters games. As Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling put it via Twitter, "Green rejoins Goran Dragic in Miami. While, of course, Green is not LeBron, Heat's fast break just got a whole lot more exciting."
For his part, Green views the Heat as a unique opportunity to join a now-healthy and resurgent winner.
"Once I heard that Miami wanted to give me an opportunity to come here and play, it wasn't even about the money," Green recently told reporters, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "It was about here, my getting to Miami."
With those kinds of priorities, this will be a promising situation for Green. If he competes on both ends of the floor, the minutes will be there. Green added the following:
"I wanted to be a part of something special. That was my whole goal, to be a part of something special, to be a part of a culture that's all about winning. I wasn't worried about the financial aspects of this contract. I was worried about, 'What I can do? What can I do to help this team win? How can I get better to help this team win?'
"
That improvement involves paying increased attention to the defensive end. It's never too late to start.
3. Amar'e Stoudemire
5 of 7
New Contract: One year, veteran's minimum with Miami Heat, per ESPN.com.
Green wasn't Miami's only savvy addition this summer. That should come as little surprise with team president Pat Riley running the show. Few are better suited to selling veterans on the prospect of taking a discount in exchange for a deep postseason run. Should the Heat remain healthy, they could be in store for precisely that.
The optimistic prospects are thanks, in part, to Amar'e Stoudemire's addition, a move that creates offensive-minded depth behind power forward Chris Bosh and center Hassan Whiteside. The 32-year-old can still mix it up with the ball in his hands, either facing up or backing down defenders in the post. Stoudemire averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in just 21.1 minutes per game last season.
The 13-year veteran split time between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, demonstrating a continued willingness to contribute off the bench with short bursts of scoring prowess. He may be more of a seventh or eighth man by now, but he could still be valuable for the Heat.
"We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar'e has chosen the Miami Heat," Riley said in a statement, per Winderman. "He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another championship in Miami."
The intangibles will help as well. Miami is suddenly one of the more veteran teams around the league, and it's hungry to recover from LeBron James' well-chronicled decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. To the organization's credit, it hasn't imploded.
It has reloaded instead—one smart bargain at a time.
2. Mo Williams
6 of 7
New Contract: Two years, $4.3 million with Cleveland Cavaliers, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
It almost seems unfair that the Cavaliers are still getting deeper, but the club's injury-riddled Finals run serves as a reminder that depth can be a tremendous difference-maker over the course of a full campaign. Even with Matthew Dellavedova coming up big down the stretch, someone like Mo Williams would have been particularly useful after point guard Kyrie Irving went down with a knee injury.
Even with a healthy lineup, Williams will make consistent contributions.
"We're very excited to welcome Mo back to Cleveland, and we feel he will be a great fit with our team," general manager David Griffin said in a statement on the team's website. "Mo is a proven, high-caliber playmaker, and his ability to space the floor at either guard position will be essential for us."
The 32-year-old remained a productive sixth man and part-time starter last season while playing for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 14.2 points and 6.2 assists per game, more than enough to assure himself steady playing time with the Cavaliers—which have, incidentally, yet to reach a deal with swingman J.R. Smith.
After 12 NBA seasons, Williams has established himself as a professional creator, capable of scoring off the dribble from virtually any spot on the floor. He's still quick enough to cause headaches for defenders, and he's never too shy for the big shot. Some in these parts will remember as much from Williams' two-and-a-half seasons with the club from 2008 to 2011.
James will enjoy having him around again—and so will the fans in Cleveland.
1. David West
7 of 7
New Contract: One year, veteran's minimum with San Antonio Spurs, per NBA.com's David Aldridge.
If any team has come to rival Cleveland's embarrassment of riches, it is the Spurs. This summer's addition of All-Star free agent LaMarcus Aldridge sent waves of eyebrow-raising throughout NBA circles, and David West's arrival soon thereafter put the cherry on top. San Antonio will pay maximum money for the former and a minimum salary to the latter.
Both will be instrumental in 2015-16.
West will be an exceptional fit behind Aldridge and Tim Duncan. He's a pick-and-pop specialist who can also play with his back to the basket, a hard-working interior presence who has consistently played bigger than his 6'9" frame. The 12-year veteran will be 35 when the season starts, but he'll also be as hungry as ever.
As the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner noted via Twitter [sic], "West wanted a place where he could compete, fit n2 winning culture & not have to, in a sense, babysit. He definitely gets that in SA."
He'll also have an opportunity to win. No franchise has been more consistently successful since Duncan entered the league in 1997. And while the original Big Three is past its prime, the addition of Aldridge and the emergence of swingman Kawhi Leonard will keep San Antonio in the hunt. That's what West is betting on.
He would have made about $12.6 million had he opted to remain with the Indiana Pacers. Now he'll make a fraction of that in his bid to join a legitimate contender. It's an educated risk for West, and it's one heck of a steal for the Spurs.
West averaged 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per contest last season. Those numbers will decrease a bit, given San Antonio's front-line depth, but there's little doubt West will find plenty of chances amid a rotation in which head coach Gregg Popovich gives key starters plenty of rest and the occasional night off.
West will be the latest bench addition to assure that such a strategy remains viable.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")