2018 NBA free agency: Biggest winners and losers

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Winner: Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors could’ve ran it back with the exact same roster by re-signing Kevin Durant, and even with everyone being one year older, they would’ve been the hands down favorites to three-peat. Not only did they manage to do so, but KD took another slight discount…which opened the floodgates to pure madness.

That “pure madness” came in the form of DeMarcus Cousins agreeing to a one-year deal worth a measly $5.3 million. Signing possibly the best center in the league for the taxpayer mid-level exception should be unheard of, but a flourishing dynasty was able to pull it off thanks to the perfect storm of a tight market, a lack of league-wide interest and Boogie’s Achilles injury.

Cousins might not be back until January, and maybe he throws off the team chemistry. But on a one-year deal meant to re-establish his value as one of the NBA’s top talents, he won’t act out and he’ll get to cruise to a title whether he’s restricted to a limited role or the unnecessary piece that makes the greatest team of all time even more invincible. Throw in the signings of Kevon Looney and Jonas Jerebko, and the Dubs dominated an offseason they would’ve won with KD alone.

Loser: Houston Rockets

Part of the reason the Warriors were the hands down biggest winners of the offseason? The Houston Rockets have spent so much time obsessing over how to beat Golden State, they might have finally overthought it. How else can you explain such a bizarre offseason?

The Rockets have every right to hold out for a deal below the max for restricted free agent Clint Capela in a market where no one has that kind of cap space anymore, but even if they stop playing this dangerous game and re-sign him to a long-term deal to avoid the qualifying offer, they’ve really bungled this offseason.

How else can you explain losing both Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute on the wing, only to replace them with James Ennis? What else can you call a nonsensical addition like Michael Carter-Williams, overpaying for Chris Paul or a desperation move like Carmelo Anthony? Melo will be better in Mike D’Antoni‘s system than he was last year, and keeping CP3 means this team will remain in the top two out West, but the Rockets took two steps backward from catching the Dubs.