NBA Free Agency 2011: Report Card Grades for All Contracts Signed

With the NBA season set to tip off in just a matter of days, the free-agent frenzy that was jammed into a matter of weeks is just about complete.

Some teams did very well during the period and some failed miserably.

Here is a detailed look at the letter grades for each and every free-agent signing before the 2011-12 season tips off.

Arron Afflalo

Contract Details: Re-signed with Denver; five years, $43 million

Contract Grade: A-

The Nuggets have had a very productive offseason and they achieved one of their top priorities by keeping Afflalo in a Denver uniform.

It's a lot of money, but his game has a lot of upside on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.

He drew a good bit of interest around the league, but Denver proved to be a good match for both parties.

JJ Barea

Contract Details: Signed with Minnesota; four years, $19 million

Contract Grade: C+

Barea wasn't courted very much by the rest of the league, which makes you wonder why Minnesota would invest four years for him.

He's a decent point guard who gave Dallas a spark in the postseason, but that was with a veteran team and a true superstar in Dirk Nowitzki.

The Timberwolves have some great young talent, but they will be mistake-prone and Barea will be asked to do more than he had to in Dallas.

That could eventually be a mistake.

Shane Battier

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with the Miami Heat

Contract Grade: B

Battier is a great signing for Miami. He's a guy that will do everything a team needs to win, but won't put up big stats.

His impact will definitely be felt, but Miami may have been better served spending its money on a center. They needed a big body more than they needed a wing player.

Regardless, Battier will fit in nicely in Miami.

Marco Belinelli

Contract Details: Signed Hornets' $3.37 million qualifying offer

Contract Grade: B-

The Hornets need to keep and acquire young players and keeping the 25-year-old Belinelli is a good move.

After a season in which he averaged double figures in points, Belinelli is worth the Hornets taking another look at.

Mike Bibby

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with New York

Contract Grade: C

The Knicks are banking that Bibby has some more gas left in the tank, but that's debatable. New York needed a point guard and Bibby helps fill a need, but they still needed an upgrade at the position.

The good news is that Bibby can still fill a valuable role on a suddenly very deep Knicks team.

Kwame Brown

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $7 million contract with Golden State

Contract Grade: D

The Warriors missed out on all the other big men on the market and decided to throw a big wad of money at the forever underachieving Brown.

Acquiring a talented big man was a priority coming into the offseason for Golden State, but I don't think Brown was what new head coach Mark Jackson had in mind.

$7 million?

He's made an awful lot of money in his career for a guy who's averaged only 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Shannon Brown

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Phoenix

Contract Grade: C+

The Suns get a good role player in Brown that solidifies their rotation. He's solid both offensively and defensively and will give Phoenix a boost off the bench.

There is a chance he's due for a breakout as well. He won't be backing up Kobe Bryant any longer, so his minutes will likely increase. His numbers should go up slightly.

Caron Butler

Contract Details: Signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers

Contract Grade: B+

How often do the Clippers woo a good free agent away from the likes of the Bulls, Spurs, Nets and other teams?

That's exactly what Los Angeles did with Butler, as he wanted to sign with the Clippers after he was courted by all the other teams in the league.

If he's healthy, Butler fits in very nicely with the new-look Clippers lineup.

Rasual Butler

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with Toronto

Contract Grade: C-

Gives the Raptors depth, but doesn't do much to improve a struggling team.

Brian Cardinal

Contract Details: Re-signed with Dallas on a one-year, $1.3 million contract

Contract Grade: C

Depth piece and fan favorite. Dallas could do worse than Cardinal; he won't get many minutes.

Vince Carter

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Dallas

Contract Grade: B

It's nice for Dallas to get a talent such as Carter after he was released by the Suns, but maybe not at the expense of losing what made them great a season ago.

Carter is a risk. He's never come close to winning in the NBA, but at his age he is more likely to fit into the team concept more than he did early in his career.

Will Carter be happy deferring to Nowitzki and others? Time will tell, but he's still more talented than most in the league.

Mario Chalmers

Contract Details: Re-signed with Miami. Two-year deal with a team option

Contract Grade: C

The Heat needed an upgrade at the point guard position, but with the lack of money to spend, it looks like they are stuck with Chalmers again.

They could do much worse, but they certainly didn't improve with the signing.

Tyson Chandler

Contract Details: Signed a four-year, $56 million contract with New York

Contract Grade: B

Chandler is exactly what the Knicks need and his signing gives the Knicks the best frontcourt in the NBA, but he's a risk, as he's often been hurt for stretches and he's coming off his best season in the NBA during a contract year, which is always risky.

Chandler may have more of an impact on his new team than any other free agent, but the money spent on him likely takes the Knicks out of the running for one of the superstars they were targeting next year.

Still a very good signing as the Knicks haven't had a quality center since Patrick Ewing.

Jamal Crawford

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $10 million contract with Portland

Contract Grade: B+

Crawford seemed like he was linked to every team in the NBA for a while. He took a while to sign, so the market almost dried up on him.

In the end, he decided on Portland, which is close to his home in Seattle.

It's a good signing for the Blazers, who get a much needed scorer and some veteran leadership pretty cheap.

Eddy Curry

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with Miami

Contract Grade: F

Really, someone is still paying this guy? It's shocking that he's out of the lineup already and the regular season hasn't started.

Granted, Miami needed size, but the money could have been spent smarter on another big body.

Samuel Dalembert

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $14 million contract with Houston

Contract Grade: A-

Dalembert nearly priced himself out of the market, but his is a great deal for Houston, who land the big man they desperately needed after attempting to sign every other big on the market.

Considering what all the other top centers on the market signed for, Dalembert seems like a bargain for the Rockets, who have a team option on the second year of the deal. 

Baron Davis

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with New York

Contract Grade: A-

Granted he's hurt for at least the first month of the season, but the Knicks may have signed the steal of the offseason when Davis agreed to sign for only $1.4 million.

With the Knicks offense, they don't need Davis right off the bat, but they get the veteran guard they really needed to bolster their backcourt.

When New York is fully healthy, they could be scary good.

Glen Davis

Contract Details: Signed a four-year, $26 million contract with Orlando

Contract Grade: C-

Davis ended up in Orlando at the request of Dwight Howard after a sign-and-trade sent him there in exchange for Brandon Bass.

It's a slight upgrade for Orlando, but would they really want four years of Big Baby after they trade Howard?

Mike Dunleavy

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with Milwaukee

Contract Grade: B-

Not a bad value signing here for the money. Dunleavy is still averaging double figures in points and is a good depth piece for the Bucks.

He can also give them more minutes if Stephen Jackson isn't healthy.

Maurice Evans

Contract Details: Re-signed with Washington, one-year contract

Contract Grade: C

Evans is a decent bench player that didn't cost much.

Reggie Evans

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.23 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers

Contract Grade: B+

After the trade for Chris Paul, the Clippers were left without much size on their bench. They were able to sign Evans cheap.

When healthy, Evans is one of the better rebounders in the NBA and that's all he will be counted on to do for the Clippers.

It's a very low-risk, high-reward type of contract.

TJ Ford

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.26 million contract with San Antonio

Contract Grade: C+

San Antonio had some more pressing needs that they didn't fill, but they were able to land Ford, who will serve as the primary backup to Tony Parker.

Jeff Foster

Contract Details: Re-signed with Indiana, one-year contract

Contract Grade: C

Foster returns to the Pacers, where he will serve as a valuable big body off the bench. He's always a health risk, though.

Marc Gasol

Contract Details: Re-signed with Memphis; four years, $58 million

Contract Grade: A

This was a move the Grizzlies had to make. By inking Gasol, they lock up a key young piece of their core for the next four years.

Aaron Gray

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with Toronto

Contract Grade: C-

Gray is a big body and a functional center although he doesn't do any one thing particularly well. He's a decent big body coming off the bench, though.

Jeff Green

Contract Details: Re-signed with Boston; one-year, $9 million contract

Contract Grade: Incomplete

Green's health problems resulted in his contract with the Celtics being voided by the team. The result is that Boston's bench is now much weaker.

Richard Hamilton

Contract Details: Signed a three-year, $15 million contract with Chicago

Contract Grade: A

Great move by the Bulls, who needed a serious upgrade at the shooting guard spot and get a quality veteran on a relatively cheap deal.

Hamilton still has something to give to a team and should have success playing alongside Derrick Rose.

Spencer Hawes

Contract Details: Accepted Philadelphia's $4.1 million qualifying offer

Contract Grade: B-

Hawes returns to Philadelphia for another season and the Sixers keep their young core together. If his production can increase, this could end up being a bargain.

Chuck Hayes

Contract Details: Signed a four-year, $21.3 million contract with Sacramento

Contract Grade: Incomplete

Due to failing his physical because of a heart condition, Hayes had his contract voided by the Kings.

That's a big blow to Sacramento, who really could have used a guy like Hayes, who is tough and does all the little things at both ends of the floor.

Grant Hill

Contract Details: Re-signed with Phoenix; one-year, $6.5 million contract

Contract Grade: B+

Hill is still going and anytime you can sign him, it's worth the money. He brings so much to any team in the form of leadership and intangibles.

It's a little surprising he went back to the Suns instead of signing with a contender, but it's a good fit for both parties.

Josh Howard

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with Utah

Contract Grade: B-

Injuries over the course of the past few seasons have relegated Howard to a shell of his former self, but if he's healthy he's an upgrade at the 3 for the Jazz.

He can still bring it on the defensive end of the floor and signing for a portion of the mid-level exemption could turn out to be a bargain.

Kris Humphries

Contract Details: Re-signed with New Jersey, one-year, $8 million contract

Contract Grade: D+

If there is the classic case of a guy having his best year during a contract season, it's Humphries.

Sure, he averaged a double-double a season ago in New Jersey—the best year of his career by far—but look more closely and his per 36 minute averages were the worst of his career.

He's more like the player that averaged 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds throughout the course of his career than the guy that averaged 10.0 and 10.4 last season.

He's definitely not worth $8 million.

Jared Jeffries

Contract Details: Re-signed with New York, one-year contract

Contract Grade: D-

He's a body. That's about it.

DeAndre Jordan

Contract Details: Re-signed with Clippers; four-year, $42.7 million contract

Contract Grade: A

The Clippers matched Golden State's offer sheet to keep Jordan in Los Angeles.

The young, athletic big man is a big part of the Clippers' bright future and should have a big year at both ends of the floor, especially playing with newly acquired Chris Paul.

Jason Kapono

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers

Contract Grade: D+

The Lakers needed a shooter, but is Kapono still a reliable one?

He only played in 24 games a season ago, and only averaged 0.7 points per game and shot only .125 percent from behind the arc.

Replacing Shannon Brown with Kapono as the backup 2-guard is a downgrade for the Lakers.

Carl Landry

Contract Details: Re-signed with New Orleans; one-year, $8.8 million contract

Contract Grade: B-

Landry doesn't give you much in the form of defense or rebounding, but he can still score in the paint and that's something the Hornets need given all of their offseason losses.

Landry was open to returning to New Orleans, so for the Hornets it's good to have a guy that actually wants to be there.

Tracy McGrady

Contract Details: Signed a one-year contract with Atlanta

Contract Grade: C+

In McGrady, the Hawks aren't getting the once-dominant NBA superstar, but instead the bench player that we saw in Detroit a season ago.

He's always an injury risk, but that talent is still inside him. You never know if he will break out again.

Either way, he's a nice, solid and cheap bench signing for the Hawks if he can stay healthy.

Josh McRoberts

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers

Contract Grade: C

Decent bench guy who brings energy, but really doesn't do much for the Lakers. I'm sure they would have rather given the minutes to Lamar Odom instead of McRoberts or someone else.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Contract Details: Re-signed with Milwaukee; four-year, $18.7 million contract

Contract Grade: C+

The Bucks matched Denver's offer sheet to Mbah a Moute in order to keep their second leading rebounder in a Bucks uniform.

He's a good role player that can crash the glass, play some defense and chip in a little bit on the offensive end.

Troy Murphy

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers

Contract Grade: D

Murphy can still shoot the ball and hits the glass decently, but he's a big liability on the defensive end and in new Lakers coach Mike Brown's system, that's not a good thing.

His signing really doesn't make much sense.

Nene

Contract Details: Re-signed with Denver; five years, $67 million

Contract Grade: B+

In what was otherwise a weak free-agent class, Nene was the top prize.

Give the Nuggets credit for shelling out around $110 million to keep both Afflalo and Nene. The new CBA really worked in their favor.

While Nene is a very good player and will continue to have success in Denver, that's a lot of money to throw out to a guy that's not necessarily a franchise-type player.

Greg Oden

Contract Details: Re-signed with Portland; one-year, $8.9 million contract

Contract Grade: C

Oden's a big health risk for the money, but the Blazers really didn't have much of a choice other than to stick with the former No. 1 overall pick to see if he can reach his potential.

He's already hurt to begin the season, but this is a big year for Oden and the Blazers as he's an unrestricted free agent next season. With a big year, he could very well cash in.

Anthony Parker

Contract Details: Re-signed with Cleveland; one-year contract

Contract Grade: B

Every coach likes a player like Parker. He's an intelligent player and brings both good shooting and good defense to the Cavs.

He's definitely a professional and having him around can only benefit a young guy like Kyrie Irving.

Tayshaun Prince

Contract Details: Re-signed with Detroit; four years, $27 million

Contract Grade: B+

Prince is still a dependable player at both ends of the floor and someone the Pistons really didn't want to lose.

He was one of the top small forwards on the market, so considering he's remaining in Detroit for a little over $6 million a season, the Pistons did very well here.

Jason Richardson

Contract Details: Re-signed with Orlando; four-year, $25 million contract

Contract Grade: B

Richardson was one of the more sought-after shooting guards available and elected a return to Orlando.

For the Magic, they get a very good long-range shooter and another good player on the roster in an attempt to try and convince Dwight Howard to remain in Orlando.

For Richardson, it's an opportunity to play with a pretty good team and put up some good numbers.

It's a win-win situation.

Rodney Stuckey

Contract Details: Re-signed with Detroit; three years, $25 million

Contract Grade: B

Stuckey was tough to deal with in the offseason, but eventually the restricted free agent signed a deal to remain in Detroit.

He's beginning to come into his own as a player, but with Detroit drafting Brandon Knight in this past draft, Stuckey could find himself in a reduced role.

Either way, he's a talent and makes the Pistons a better team.

Sebastian Telfair

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Phoenix

Contract Grade: D

The former lottery pick has never been able to put things together, as he's found another home in Phoenix.

Unfortunately for the Suns, it looks like a bad signing, as Ronnie Price is likely to beat out Telfair for the backup point guard job.

Kurt Thomas

Contract Details: Signed a two-year deal with Portland

Contract Grade: B-

Thomas surprised many by signing with Portland as it was widely thought that the NBA's oldest player would sign somewhere where he had a chance to win a championship.

It's a good signing for the Blazers as Thomas adds some much needed frontcourt depth, and it only comes at the veteran minimum.

Marcus Thornton

Contract Details: Re-signed with Sacramento; four years, $31 million

Contract Grade: B

Thornton has impressed and is one of the better young shooting guards in the league. The Kings in general have one of the better young backcourts in the NBA with Thornton, Jimmer Fredette and Tyreke Evans.

Someone is going to have to come off the bench, but I guess that's a good problem to have. However, with paying Thornton nearly $8 million a season, the Kings are going to have to make sure the minutes are there for him for the next few seasons.

David West

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Indiana

Contract Grade: A-

Indiana lands the two-time All-Star West in a deal that could eventually turn out to be a bargain, but it comes with some risk.

He was a dominant low-post threat in New Orleans, but is coming off major knee surgery. You just don't know if he's going to be the same player and how the heavy schedule this season will affect the knee.

If West is healthy, though, this is a good move by the Pacers.

Delonte West

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $1.18 million contract with Dallas

Contract Grade: B-

Dallas had a few holes to fill after winning the NBA championship last year. Signing West essentially replaces J.J. Barea.

He's a solid ball-handler and is a very good post player.

If West has his head on straight, then this could be a productive and inexpensive move. That's a big if, though.

Chris Wilcox

Contract Details: Signed a one-year deal with Boston

Contract Grade: C+

This could be an underrated cheap signing for Boston.

Wilcox is a solid big man that can give the Celtics good minutes off the bench. He can rebound, play defense and shoots a good percentage from the floor.

He could wind up getting more minutes than originally expected.

Reggie Williams

Contract Details: Signed a two-year contract with Charlotte

Contract Grade: C

This grade would be a lot higher if Williams weren't out for the first six to eight weeks of the season.

Charlotte was desperate for a shooter after finishing 29th in the NBA in three-point percentage a season ago.

When healthy, Williams fills that need. He finished eighth in the NBA at 42.3 percent last year.

Shawne Williams

Contract Details: Signed a two-year, $6.1 million contract with New Jersey

Contract Grade: B

Williams is a nice grab for the Nets and someone the Knicks will surely miss.

He is athletic and can shoot the three. His biggest value may come on the defensive end of the floor, where his versatility allows him to effectively guard both the 3 and the 4.

Williams is a very good role player and should help the Nets out a lot.

Shelden Williams

Contract Details: Signed a one-year, $884k contract with New Jersey

Contract Grade: C+

Williams is a veteran that can add depth to the New Jersey frontcourt. He can rebound and play defense. He's a good, cheap insurance policy if Kris Humphries struggles.

Nick Young

Contract Details: Accepted Washington's one-year, $3.7 million qualifying offer

Contract Grade: A

Young priced himself out of the market by holding out for a multi-year deal and the result is that the Wizards get a steal by signing him to a one-year deal for under $4 million.

He led the Wizards in scoring a season ago at 17.4 points per game and could be a very motivated player this season as a result of being snubbed on the market.

Thaddeus Young

Contract Details: Re-signed with Philadelphia; five years, $43 million

Contract Grade: B+

Young is a very good young player and the Sixers were wise to lock him up for the next five years at a number that will turn out to be a bargain before his contract ends.

Now the Sixers need to create even more minutes for him.