Ranking the Best NBA Buyout Signings of the Last 10 Years
When the chaos and excitement of the NBA trade deadline ends, player movement isn't finished. Several teams quickly shift their focus to the buyout market.
In reality—and particularly the last decade—few players ever make a substantial impact. But contending teams or playoff hopefuls alike are considering every possible way to improve their rosters and believe they can uncover a gem.
And once in a while, they legitimately do.
The choices are based on a player's production for the franchise that signed him—not the remainder of his career—in both the immediate and following years. Players considered were either waived or bought out and signed as part of the buyout market.
8. Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli, Philadelphia 76ers (2018)
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At the 2018 trade deadline, the Atlanta Hawks tried to find a suitor for both Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli. When that failed, they bought out both players.
And the Philadelphia 76ers jumped at the opportunity.
Ilyasova and Belinelli immediately bolstered the rotation, playing 24-plus minutes per night with 51 combined appearances in the regular season. Together, they averaged 24.4 points, shot 37.7 percent from the perimeter and became key reserves.
The downside is both players had a rough series when the Boston Celtics eliminated the Sixers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Belinelli, though, at least hit a buzzer-beating three to force overtime in Game 3.
7. Jeff Green, Houston Rockets (2020)
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After the Utah Jazz waived Jeff Green during the 2019-20 campaign, the journeyman found a comfortable landing spot on the Houston Rockets.
Green averaged 12.2 points in 18 regular-season games and held a vital role in the playoffs. He played 28.4 minutes per night in the postseason, tallying 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range.
Most notably, Green scored 13 points in Game 7 of the opening round to help Houston beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
6. Blake Griffin, Brooklyn Nets (2021)
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For much of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Blake Griffin dealt with injuries and shot a middling 28.1 percent from the perimeter and 35.8 overall.
Clearly, it was time for a change.
Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets in March 2021, becoming a top complementary piece—and suddenly began dunking again. He contributed 10.0 points per game in the regular season and started all 12 postseason games, averaging 9.0 points and 5.9 rebounds.
The short-handed Nets exited in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but Griffin helped Brooklyn take the eventual NBA-champion Milwaukee Bucks to a seven-game series.
5. Joe Johnson, Miami Heat (2016)
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Although the 2015-16 campaign began to reveal Joe Johnson's decline, he enjoyed a brief surge on the Miami Heat.
Johnson had connected on just 40.6 percent of his shots as a 57-game starter for the Brooklyn Nets. But the veteran wing regained his range in Miami, averaging 13.4 points while posting a 51.8 clip overall and hitting 41.7 percent of his threes.
Miami reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Johnson provided 10-plus points in 11 of the Heat's 14 playoff games.
4. Enes Kanter Freedom, Portland Trail Blazers (2019)
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The truth is the Portland Trail Blazers probably wouldn't have put together a surprise run to the 2019 Western Conference Finals without Enes Kanter.
Please direct all thank-you notes to the New York Knicks.
New York waived Kanter—who's since changed his surname to Freedom—and he averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 23 regular-season games for the Blazers after signing with them in February. He finished the playoffs as their No. 3 scorer (11.4 per game) and top rebounder (9.6).
Portland, which bounced OKC in the first round, overcame a 3-2 deficit to eliminate the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. He provided 12 points and 13 rebounds in the Game 7 win.
3. Derek Fisher, Oklahoma City Thunder (2012)
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Earlier in his career, Derek Fisher ran the point on a handful of title-winning Lakers teams. However, his second stint in Los Angeles ended with a deadline trade to the Rockets, who agreed to a buyout that ushered Fisher to Oklahoma City.
Signed to provide a veteran presence for a young roster in a reserve role, Fisher ended up emerging as a key player.
At 37 years old, he recorded three 10-point games in a sweep of the Dallas Mavericks during the 2012 playoffs. After helping the Thunder eliminate the Lakers, he sealed the dramatic Western Conference Finals triumph over the rival San Antonio Spurs with two clutch shots in Game 6.
Ultimately, he averaged 6.3 points on 22.3 minutes per night alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook during the postseason. Oklahoma City lost to a Miami team led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the NBA Finals.
2. Markieff Morris, Los Angeles Lakers (2020)
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Markieff Morris had quite a two-year journey. He started the 2018-19 season with the Washington Wizards and ended in Oklahoma City. He then began the 2019-20 campaign on the Pistons and found his way to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The final stop made Morris a champion.
While his average of 5.9 points per game in the playoffs wasn't glamorous, he unlocked much-needed flexibility for the Lakers. He earned consistent minutes in small-ball lineups and buried a team-best 42.0 percent of his threes during the postseason (minimum one attempt per game). Los Angeles' defensive rating improved from 109.9 to 104.9 points allowed per 100 possessions with Morris on the court, per NBA.com.
Morris was immensely valuable for the Lakers, which defeated Miami in six games in the NBA Finals and re-signed him as a free agent.
1. Boris Diaw, San Antonio Spurs (2012)
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Boris Diaw is No. 1, and it's not particularly close.
Once the then-Charlotte Bobcats cut him loose, Diaw headed to San Antonio. Fisher and the Thunder halted a scorching Spurs team in the 2012 Western Conference Finals, but San Antonio recovered with an incredible two-year stretch with Diaw as a top reserve.
After a heartbreaking seven-game loss to Miami in the 2013 NBA Finals, the Spurs returned with a vengeance in 2014. They unleashed a beautiful offense that showcased Diaw's passing ability; he averaged 2.8 assists in the 2013-14 regular season and 3.4 in the playoffs. Diaw also scored 9.2 points per game with a 40.0 three-point clip in the postseason.
Not only did Diaw total exactly 400 appearances for the Spurs, he signed two contracts worth a combined $32.3 million with San Antonio. Pretty good for a player Charlotte had paid to leave.
