NBA Free Agency: Steve Nash and Each Team's Best Bargain Signing
The NBA is usually one of the worst leagues when it comes to signing free agents at bargain prices, which is a big reason why they are facing a lockout in the upcoming offseason.
Usually, a borderline playoff team will look at a guy coming off a contract year, decide that he is worth a couple million bucks a year more than he is actually worth and stuff his pockets with dough.
Then, when that guy doesn't work out, their cap space is completely killed, they start losing more games, they fall into a cycle of being unable to sign new free agents that may be more reliable and continue to lose. From there, their fans lose interest and they continue a downward spiral both in terms of their record and their financial situation.
That is why when you see a team swoop in and claim a free agent for pennies on the dollar, it is so impressive and unusual.
Teams very rarely either find a diamond in the rough or are able to snag a player on the cheap, so it is a special thing to see someone like Steve Nash join a new team for so little money.
Not every team is as financially savvy as the next, but here I have the best bargain free agent each team has ever grabbed in its exploits.
Atlanta Hawks, Dikembe Mutombo
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After five solid years in the league with the Denver Nuggets, Dikembe Mutombo had established himself as a defensive monster.
That is why in 1996, in the age of bloated contracts for guys that initially looked like role players, Atlanta hit a home run here.
They did give him a good chunk of money, just over $50 million in five years, but in the times, it seems that another team would have swooped in and signed him for seven years and gobs more cash.
Boston Celtics, Xavier McDaniel
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The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the league at drafting players and making their team from that, with the exception of their acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett of course.
However, in 1992 they signed Xavier McDaniel for around $5 million for three years, and were able to squeeze the last few drops from his career.
He helped delay their inevitable downfall after the death of Len Bias and the breakdown and retirement of Larry Bird, helping them make the playoffs in 1993 and 1995.
Charlotte Bobcats, Shaun Livingston
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The Bobcats have only been in the league since 2004, and the only players that have made much impact for them have been Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. Wallace was acquired in the expansion draft and they traded for Jackson.
Otherwise, Charlotte has not made much of a splash in the free agent market.
That is why their nabbing of Shaun Livingston for a cool $7 million over two years seems good for them. He played in the most games of his career this season and genuinely looks like he could be around for a while.
Chicago Bulls, Bison Dele
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Yea, I was a bit shocked too when I came to this conclusion, but Bison Dele may have been the third most important player in the Bulls run to the 1997 NBA Championship.
Dennis Rodman went down late in the season with an injury and easily had his least effective year in the playoffs, failing to grab 10 boards a game.
That is why a guy that played nine regular season games was so important to them. Dele came off the bench in the playoffs and banged bodies with Chris Webber, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Karl Malone, and all for just 10's of thousands of dollars.
Cleveland Cavaliers, Anthony Parker
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Cleveland, with Ted Stepien as a former owner, has a short history of good free agent pickups.
Cavs fans are constantly in fear of what their team is signing when it comes to a free agent coming off a contract year, that is why Anthony Parker was such a breath of fresh air.
For $2 million a year, Cleveland was able to nail down one of the best three-point shooters in the league that also actually gave them a good defensive player as well.
Dallas Mavericks, Peja Stojakovic
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Playing a huge role in this year's version of the Dallas Mavericks is Peja Stojakovic, who is nailing threes like he's on the 2002 Sacramento Kings all over again.
For a cool $600,000, the Mavericks got a guy in January who was able to knock down two or three three-pointers a game for them, helping them stretch the floor even further.
Denver Nuggets, Chris Anderson
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Chris Anderson got a two year ban back in 2006 for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He got kicked out for smoking too much pot (which seems like an impossible thing to do in the NBA), but it should have just been for his performance in the 2005 Dunk Contest.
Still, when Denver signed him in 2008, paying him less than a million bucks for the year, they got one of the best bargains ever.
Coming off the bench, he averaged more than two blocks a game and continues to be one of their most effective players at less than $4 million a year.
Detroit Pistons, Chauncey Billups
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Chauncey Billups bounced around the league quite a bit as a young man, and then the Pistons gave him a contract, getting their franchise point guard for a cool five million bucks a year in a time when Stephon Marbury was getting paid triple or quadruple that to help run the Knicks into the ground.
Billups was key in Detroit's run to the 2004 title and is still one of the most beloved Pistons for his triumphs in the clutch in his years in Detroit.
Golden State Warriors, Dorell Wright
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Wright played in just over 4,000 minutes with the Miami Heat in his first six seasons in the NBA, then Golden State signed him and he legged out 3,000 in this year alone.
The Warriors signed him away from Miami for a mere $3 million this year and he has given them some excellent three point shooting and athleticism from the wing.
Houston Rockets, Vernon Maxwell
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Technically, the Spurs sold Maxwell to the Rockets, but it was just money involved, so I'd call it a pick-up rather than a trade here.
Either way, Houston got what was easily the third best player on their championship teams for a quarter of a million dollars in 1990 and never paid him more than two million for his superb three-point shooting.
Indiana Pacers, Reggie Miller
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Yea, it's a cop out, but so what.
The Pacers drafted Reggie Miller back in 1987, and they never let him go. They were able to resign him and he stayed in Indiana for his whole career, getting paid just $11 million at his height.
They have made the playoffs 19 times while a part of the NBA, 17 of those appearances are with Reggie Miller on the roster.
Los Angeles Clippers, Cuttino Mobley
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After averaging over 15 points a game in his first seven years in the NBA, it's a miracle that some team didn't swoop down and pay him $12 million a year for six years in the mid-00s NBA climate.
Instead, LA came down, gave him $8 million a year for three years and helped put their hard-working, yet stalled team over the top, getting them into the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson
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They stole Kobe Bryant in the draft and made it rain on Shaq, all they needed was the right coach to hold it all together.
They signed Jackson at the beginning of the 1999-00 campaign for $30 million over five years, and he went on and led them to three straight championships.
Sometimes the only missing piece is the ringleader...right Miami?
Memphis Grizzlies, Tony Allen
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Who would have thought, after six years of sporadic play with the Boston Celtics that Tony Allen would have been the missing link for the Memphis Grizzlies.
They "overwhelmed" him with a contract that paid him $3 million this year and he became the glue for a Grizzlies team that won their first playoff series in team history this season.
Miami Heat, LeBron James
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It was called a sign-and-trade, but take it for what it was. Miami gave up a few draft picks that will end up being at the bottom of the first and second round, pennies for the most talented player in the NBA.
Realistically, Miami signed LeBron James to a contract that was less than a maximum deal, and when Joe Johnson is down the road getting a max contract, along with Rudy Gay up in Memphis, nabbing LeBron for anything less than the max is remarkable.
Milwaukee Bucks, Don Nelson
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Larry Costello was the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks during the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era, winning one championship, but by the time he hit his mid-40s, he fell out of favor.
They decided to go with a young up-and-coming coach by the name of Don Nelson early in 1977, proving to be a good choice.
In just over 10 seasons with the Bucks, Nelson made the playoffs nine times, winning at least 50 games eight times.
Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett
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Minnesota continually paired Kevin Garnett with guys that could not win a championship, as his best teammates in his time in Minnesota were Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Wally Szczerbiak was even their number two scoring option for a season.
So, as far as I am concerned, they could have paid Garnett $50 million a year and he still would have been worth it, as he made the TImberwolves relevant, something nobody else in the history of the NBA has done.
New Jersey Nets, Ray Williams
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The Nets signed Ray Williams twice, the first time around he was a very important player for them, the second time not so much.
Williams was a huge part of getting the Nets to the playoffs for just their second time as a part of the NBA, averaging 20 points and six assists a game.
New Orleans Hornets, Johnny Newman
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Signed for just over a million bucks a year in 1990, Johnny Newman was a big part of the first Hornets team to ever make the playoffs.
Alongside Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning and Granmama, Johnny Newman was the sixth man of the first Hornets playoff team.
New York Knicks, Allan Houston
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The New York Knicks have this problem, sort of like a nervous tic, where when they see a free agent guard on the market they completely lose their mind and blow their cap space on him.
That's why their signing of Allan Houston in 1996 for $5 million (going up a million a year until 2000) was so special.
Houston became the most important player for the Knicks team that made it to the NBA Finals in 1999...and then they gave him a huge contract and killed their cap space.
Oklahoma City Thunder, Gus Williams
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The Seattle Supersonics signed Gus Williams away from the Warriors in 1977 at which point he reeled off seven seasons of averaging around 20 points a game.
Williams was making pennies for the 1978-79 Supersonics team that went on to win the NBA Finals with him saddling up as their leading scorer.
Orlando Magic, Mickael Pietrus
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Signing Mickael Pietrus to go along with Dwight Howard's squad was a very smart thing for the Magic to do, which is probably why they traded him away two years later.
Pietrus is that rare breed of player that can shoot the three and defend as tough as anyone else in the league, which gave opponents fits. Signing him for just $5 million a year was a steal.
Then they lost their minds this season, trading defense for offense and shipped him to Phoenix in the Jason Richardson trade.
Philadelphia 76ers, George McGinnis
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One of the better players to cross over from the ABA into the NBA before the merger, McGinnis was a huge part of the late 70s 76ers.
He came across and led them back to the playoffs in 1976 for the first time since the beginning of the decade, helping them get to the NBA Finals a year later.
Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash
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Without a doubt, Steve Nash was the steal of the last decade.
Because of the puzzling mind of Mark Cuban, Nash was allowed to promenade out of Dallas into Phoenix for around $10 million a year for the next seven seasons.
You had better bet that if Nash were 6'11", slow-footed and had bad knees, Cuban would have paid him though.
Portland Trail Blazers, Andre Miller
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Quick note, I can't bring myself to include any player from the Jail Blazers Era. Nobody that is a part of the most un-fan friendly team of my life is a bargain.
Andre Miller came over to the Blazers in 2009 after making $10 million with the 76ers the previous season.
Coming off the third most productive season of his career, you would expect a salary jump, but Miller signed with the Blazers for just $7 million a year.
He has proven to still be an effective scorer and point guard, despite his age.
Sacramento Kings, Vlade Divac
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Signing a franchise center for less than $10 million a year in the early 2000s was the biggest bargain any team could ask for.
Divac was a stout defender and one of the best floppers in league history, but his flopping was so well sold and theatrical at the same time that people didn't seem to mind as much as they do when they see a flopper these days.
He was the glue that held together the most exciting team of the early '00s, and all-around just a fun player to watch.
San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan
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People don't remember this as much these days, because thinking about Tim Duncan in another uniform is as crazy as thinking about John Stockton divorcing his wife and running off with someone Tiger Woods set him up with.
However, back in 2000, the Magic swung for the fences, offering Duncan a six-year deal worth nearly $70 million.
Instead, he re-signed with the Spurs for $32 million over three years, actually less than what Orlando offered.
Toronto Raptors, Anthony Parker
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Yep, Anthony Parker showed up twice on this list. Deal with it.
Parker was gobbled up by Toronto for $4 million a year in 2006, bringing his silky-smooth three-pointer north of the border.
He was the third leading scorer for the first playoff Raptors team since the Vince Carter/Tracy McGrady Era.
Utah Jazz, Gail Goodrich
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Gail Goodrich signing with the Jazz was one of the first big-name free agency signings in basketball history, and probably one of the most important.
With the Jazz, Goodrich never made the playoffs, but he did give them three impressive seasons to finish off his career.
Goodrich went to the Jazz for just over a million bucks over three years. For compensation, the Lakers got a few draft picks in return, one of which turned out to be Magic Johnson, so I would say they aren't too upset about it.
Washington Wizards, Gilbert Arenas
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People always remember the second contract Agent 0 signed with the Wizards, never the first one.
Gilbert first signed with the Wizards in 2003 to a six-year $65 million contract, totally proving himself worth every penny up until 2008 when they re-signed him for $111 million over six years and he fell apart.
The Hibachi nearly cracked the 30-point per game mark twice in the first contract he signed with the Wizards, helping them to their first trip to the playoffs since they changed their name from the Bullets.
