NBA Free-Agency Roundup: C's Not Done Dealing in Wake of Gordon Hayward Signing

Stop me if you've heard this before, but some of the NBA's big free-agency news revolved around the Golden State Warriors getting even better.               

I know. That's redundant at this point. And yet, the defending champions did add Nick Young one day after landing Omri Casspi in a continued effort to stockpile talent on their bench. 

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics kept trying to offload salary in an attempt to clear space for Gordon Hayward, and rumors ruled the day. Even though Hayward's signing was supposed to lead to more dominos falling, teams are taking their time and trying to figure out how they can spend their oodles of cash most wisely. 

Did you miss anything Wednesday while recovering from your hot dogs and fireworks? Don't worry, because we have you covered.              

Boston Is Trying to Figure Out the Collateral Damage of Signing Gordon Hayward

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

If there's a downside to the Boston Celtics poaching Gordon Hayward from the Utah Jazz, it's this: One of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart needs to go—and maybe even to the Jazz in a sign-and-trade, per Tony Jones and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune.

To create the cap space necessary for Hayward, the Celtics have started "aggressively" hawking all three, according to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. This wouldn't be such a tough pill to swallow if Jimmy Butler or Paul George were still available, but they're not. So this to-be-determined exit is going to sting.

Bradley and Smart profile as the most likely castoffs. Hayward's arrival would force Crowder to become a full-time power forward, and thus, he is a more complicated fit. But he's on the best contract in the NBA. Dealing him as part of a non-blockbuster, let alone a glorified salary dump, should be a no-go unless Boston is bringing back a primo first-round asset.

Jettisoning Crowder is tough even in the most ideal scenario. He will earn just $21.9 million over the next three seasons—less than Al Horford takes home in 2017-18 alone. That's an unfathomable bargain by any measure, but it's particularly convenient when weighed against the monstrous raises both Bradley and Smart are due for next summer. 

Could Marc Gasol Join Gordon Hayward in Boston?

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Signing Gordon Hayward is not the end of the Boston Celtics' offseason. They have plenty of pipe dreams left in the tank—one of which might include Marc Gasol, according to The Vertical's Chris Mannix.

"One player worth keeping an eye on, two league executives told The Vertical: Memphis' Marc Gasol," he wrote. "The Grizzlies lost Zach Randolph, Tony Allen could be next out the door, and if you were filling out your Western Conference playoff bracket today, Memphis probably wouldn't be in it. Would the Grizz move the 32-year-old Gasol for a ready-made rebuilding package of players and picks?"

There is a level of urgency ingrained in the Celtics' trade pursuits. Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas are all due for raises next summer, so the time to broker a splashy move is now. It's hard to make room for inbound salary when paying the luxury tax, and neither Bradley nor Smart will be as appealing when he's earning significantly more money.

Gasol isn't an unreasonable target either. Nothing emanating out of Memphis suggests the Grizzlies are committed to pushing reset, but that changes quickly if they show Allen, Vince Carter and JaMychal Green the exit after letting Randolph walk.

That's not to say Gasol will become the apple of the Celtics' eye. He doesn't beef up their defensive rebounding much more than Al Horford, and consolidating rangy perimeter talents into another high-profile big man is counterintuitive when you're chasing the smallish Cleveland Cavaliers and positionless Golden State Warriors.

If the Grizzlies start hocking Gasol for lowball returns in advance of a full-scale teardown, the Celtics will be involved because they always seem to be. But they wouldn't empty the war chest for Jimmy Butler or Paul George. Expecting them to change course for a 32-year-old big man is a stretch.

Golden State Adds a Little Swag(gy P)

FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images

After tirelessly poring over the contents of the Golden State Warriors' latest championship roster, general manager Bob Myers (apparently) jotted down one gaping hole in the margins of a crumpled napkin:

"Needs more Swaggy."

As luck would have it, Nick "Swaggy P" Young was available, and the Warriors scooped him up for the taxpayer's mid-level exception ($5.2 million for one year), according to Wojnarowski.

This fit is perfect regardless of what you think about Young as a person and loose-cannon player. He spent a year playing under former Warriors associate head coach Luke Walton and wrapped last season shooting nearly 44 percent on catch-and-shoot threes—attempts that accounted for more than 45 percent of all his looks.

Slot him in lineups orbiting Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and Young will feast on barrages of wide-open threes. Don't be surprised if he easily cans over 40 percent of his opportunities beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, to those who don't know any better, it might seem like the Warriors are the team that got bounced from the NBA Finals in five games instead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've added Omri Casspi, according to Wojnarowski, purchased second-round pick Jordan Bell from the Chicago Bulls and signed Durant for almost $10 million less than he's eligible to make, per ESPN.com's Chris Haynes. Now this.

The Cavaliers? Well, they're operating without a general manager and have reeled in Jose Calderon, according to the guard's agency. That's it.

Yes, the NBA will always play the games. But after looking at the Warriors' 2016-17 season and taking stock of their summer, it's getting progressively harder to figure out why.

The Oklahoma City Thunder's Incredible Offseason Continues

Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Trading Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo (with nothing else included!) for Paul George? Signing Patrick Patterson on a bargain contract, per Wojnarowski? 

Those were mere appetizers to the main course provided by Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who will now ink Andre Roberson to a three-year deal worth just $30 million, per Wojnarowski. 

That may be a slight exaggeration. Landing George remains a bigger story. But let's not understate just how much Roberson will mean to the Thunder, especially now that he and George can team up to ensure there's always a defensive ace working next to reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. 

Roberson isn't just a good defender; he's a downright great one, to the point that he may develop into the league's best perimeter stopper. A film junkie who attempts to learn every one of his opponent's tendencies before using his physicality and long arms to apply those lessons, he's made a living out of taking on the toughest assignments and never switching away. 

Need someone to check Kawhi Leonard? That's Roberson's job. Is Stephen Curry going off? Wait for this swingman to switch over onto the two-time MVP. He's always willing and able to take on those matchups, no matter how difficult they may be. 

Of course, Roberson still can't shoot. He's a liability on the offensive end and struggles immensely at the charity stripe (49.3 percent for his career), which negates some of that point-preventing value. It's also likely why the Colorado product wanted to take a three-year deal, per Wojnarowski, as it could give him the opportunity to improve his jumper and earn a bigger payday a few seasons down the road. 

But even if he keeps throwing bricks, this is yet another bargain for the reloading—note: not rebuilding—Thunder. 

—B/R's Adam Fromal

Dion Waiters Is Taking His Talents Back to South Beach

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

Who needs Gordon Hayward when you have Dion Waiters?

The Miami Heat. But still: Their contingency plans are falling into place after Hayward opted for Boston winters over sunbathing in December. 

Waiters is returning to the Heat on a four-year deal worth approximately $52 million, according to Wojnarowski and Basketball Insiders' Michael Scotto. That number feels right following the combo guard's career year. He averaged 15.8 points per game to go with a career-best 4.3 assists per contest and a personal-high 48.8 effective field-goal percentage.

The NBA has never played host to a better version of Waiters. His shot selection, decision-making, defensive effort—everything improved. And that's part of the risk involved here. 

Will Waiters be able to replicate his performance in a normal year, when he's not playing for this brand-new contract?

If Waiters had signed elsewhere, considering the worst-case scenario would have been a prerequisite of any answer. Even now, it's fine to equivocate. The habitual chucker in him still exists. The Heat didn't get it out of him.

They did, however, ease him into a more sensible role. They gave him more responsibility on the ball while also putting him to good use away from the action, and he embraced it. 

About one-quarter of his attempts in Miami came off the catch. He operated from standstill positions more often with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was also playing beside two top-seven superstars in Durant and Russell Westbrook. That he's bought into a more measured approach on a team that doesn't employ a pair of MVP candidates bodes well for the life this deal—which, by the way, won't even take him to his 30th birthday.

Miami can now check Waiters off its to-do list. Next up? James Johnson, per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds.

Here Come the Kenneth Faried Trade Rumors

Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images

With all the best point guards off the market, Kenneth Faried is no longer prime sign-and-trade bait.

He's just plain trade bait.

Teams continue to call the Denver Nuggets about the final two years and $26.7 million remaining on Faried's contract, according to HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy. And can you blame them?

The Nuggets have about 603 players who will contend for frontcourt minutes: Darrell Arthur, Wilson Chandler, Juan Hernangomez, Nikola Jokic, Tyler Lydon, Trey Lyles and now Paul Millsap, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Restricted free agent Mason Plumlee will join that logjam as well if he returns.

Suitors are no doubt hoping to steal Faried for a clearance-rack offer, given the Nuggets' superfluous resources up front. But Denver needn't worry about dumping Faried now, since there's no remaining free agents worth the cap space. (R.I.P. Pursuit of George Hill.)

Although it'll be tough to find minutes for everyone once the 2017-18 regular season tips off, it might behoove the Nuggets to float Faried's $12.9 million salary into February's trade deadline. That money, along with the contract's length, will be a valuable asset if another star reaches the midseason chopping block.

Clippers Looking at the Grindfather

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Clippers' pursuit of post-Chris Paul relevancy is raging on. 

Tony Allen has emerged as a sign-and-trade target for Los Angeles' other team in the aftermath of JJ Redick's departure, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. This does nothing to replace Redick's flame-throwing from beyond the arc; Allen is a career 28 percent three-point shooter.

But the Clippers need depth on the wings—even after adding Danilo Gallinari, according to Wojnarowski—and Allen would be a breath of fresh air on defense. He has made six All-Defensive teams over the past seven years and, at 35, still effectively hassles all-world scorers while at times guarding two positions.

Coach-president Doc Rivers needs all the scrappers he can get his hands on if he's running out Gallinari and Blake Griffin at the 3 and 4 spots. Allen is a familiar face, having played under him during the Celtics' championship run in 2008, and the Clippers have just enough floor-spacers after adding Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams to offset any offensive damage.

Everything, as usual, comes back to price. 

Giving up real value in a sign-and-trade for Allen should be out of the question. If the Grizzlies want a pick, Rivers needs to ditch his usual impulses and hang up the phone. Likewise, if Allen costs more than mid-level-exception money, the Clippers have to walk away.

Their commitment to chasing the Western Conference's seventh seed is admirable, but paying deep into the luxury tax for a 44-win team is the kind of investment that gets people fired.

Milos Teodosic to the Clippers?

Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Oh, hey, another Clippers rumor.

Sources told Eurohoops.nets Nikos Varlas that point guard Milos Teodosic is "negotiating a three-year, $24 million deal" with the Clippers, who appear to be in the market for a jillion different players. It's worth noting nothing is imminent and that the floor general has been linked to a variety of teams, including the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.

Signing Teodosic seems to fit in line with whatever the Clippers are doing. They're not worried about rebuilding, so a 30-year-old point guard doesn't run counter to their timeline. They also need another playmaker.

Patrick Beverley is more of an off-ball guard than offensive pilot. Lou Williams isn't the ideal candidate to run point against rival starters. The same goes for Austin Rivers.

Teodosic is almost universally considered the best playmaker not in the NBA. Picture Steve Nash with anvils for feet, and you get Teodosic. 

The Clippers' cap situation, like always, is weird. They may have an easier time acquiring Tony Allen on a sign-and-trade than creating the room necessary to sign Teodosic. Still, Doc Rivers is clearly in talent-acquisition mode. Their potential interest in anyone and everyone is worth monitoring.

Richard Jefferson Will Return to the Cavaliers

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Richard Jefferson is running it back for one more year.

And that, right there, is the best news Cleveland has received all summer.

Jefferson, 37, delivered the news during an episode of his Road Trippin' podcast, per Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon. The continuation of said podcast is worth his return alone.

Never mind that the Cavaliers still (inexplicably) turn to him for integral defensive coverage or that he shot 50.9 percent off LeBron James' passes last season. We need to know he's within adequate proximity of podcast co-hosts Channing Frye and Allie Clifton of Fox Sports. Their episodes are too damn entertaining to lose. 

They are Cleveland's real Big Three, and busting them up for any reason would be a mistake. So big ups to Richie for keeping the partnership alive.

Monta Ellis Added to the Free-Agent Pool

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Monta Ellis' fall from grace is complete. 

We're no more than a half-decade removed from his glory days with the Golden State Warriors, in which he consistently threatened to make All-Star rosters without actually doing so, but he's now also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers. And after the Pacers unceremoniously waived him Wednesday, per Charania, he'll likely be looking to throw on the fifth uniform of his career. 

Wherever the new unrestricted free agent lands (this is assuming he clears waivers, which he should, since no team will want to match the remaining $23 million on his deal), he won't make too much. 

Ellis has a five-game suspension looming after violating the league's anti-drug policies, and his production has consistently declined on the offensive end. During 2016-17, he could only muster 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 31.9 percent from downtown and 72.7 percent at the stripe. 

Given his pedigree and his ability to produce points in bunches every once in a while, the 2-guard should be able to land on a contending team's bench—if he's willing to accept a minimal salary. It also doesn't hurt that his defensive focus improved during his time with the Pacers. 

But if your team is linked to Ellis in the coming days, try to remember the 31-year-old backcourt contributor isn't the same player he was in his prime. 

—B/R's Adam Fromal

Top Remaining Free Agents

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

The talent pool is dwindling quickly, but quite a few impact players are still looking for homes. These are the top five free agents remaining from our original Big Board:

1. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Restricted

Need a shooting guard with upside on both ends of the floor? Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is your best remaining bet, even if he's been inconsistent throughout his career with the Detroit Pistons. There's also that pesky little issue that the Motor City will likely match any offer sheet he signs...

2. Nerlens Noel, PF/C, Restricted

Coming off a season in which he took just 21.7 percent of his shots from at least 10 feet and made only 31.3 percent of them, Nerlens Noel isn't much of an offensive threat. He can finish plays around the basket and slam home alley-oop attempts with ferocity, but his range is severely lacking. Fortunately, he remains one of the league's elite rim protectors and stands out as a versatile defensive big. 

3. Dewayne Dedmon, C, Unrestricted

Dewayne Dedmon is ready to break out. All it takes is opportunity, since he could shine on defense and develop offensively if a team grants him more run than head coach Gregg Popovich was willing to give him with the San Antonio Spurs. The center is fantastic at hedging and recovering to anchor the interior, and his touch around the hoop offers hints of future two-way contributions. 

4. JaMychal Green, PF/C, Restricted

A versatile defender who can capably slow down players at multiple positions, JaMychal Green could be the league's next breakout star. There's risk involved in signing him to a big contract because he's so unproven, but his defensive acumen, offensive range and playmaking ability out of the frontcourt make him one of the most intriguing commodities in this free-agent class. 

5. Pau Gasol, PF/C, Unrestricted

At this point, everyone knows who Pau Gasol is. The veteran big man remains an impressive offensive presence who can finish plays around the hoop with a soft touch or stretch out the floor with his perimeter jumper. He's also a defensive liability unless placed in a system that asks him to effectively cover a minimal amount of space. Gasol is no longer close to his prime years, but he's retained plenty of value and should keep serving as a plus in fewer minutes for a while longer.

Of course, Gasol plans to re-sign with the Spurs after opting out of his contract, per Wojnarowski, so it's unlikely he'll be calling anywhere but San Antonio home next season.

—B/R's Adam Fromal

Dan Favale and Adam Fromal cover the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow them on Twitter, @danfavale and @fromal09.

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com. Salary information via Basketball Insiders and RealGM.