2018 NBA free agency: Biggest winners and losers

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers were the ones who really kicked off 2018 NBA free agency by landing the biggest fish of the summer in LeBron James. At that point, they got cocky and started lobbing lit sticks of dynamite into the free agency pool, scooping up whatever mangled bits of damaged goods they could fit in their nets.

Surrounding the best player in basketball with Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Michael Beasley and a bunch of youngsters is a hilarious proposition, no matter what role the King played in filling out his royal court. There will be drama, there will be laughs and there will be frustration on LeBron’s part.

However, until the Dubs KO’d the rest of the league with the Boogie signing, this was the biggest coup of the summer. Since all of these bizarre deals are one-year trials, the Lakers still win with LeBron on a four-year contract, and will still have flexibility to make moves next summer — even if it feels like they’re kind of wasting a year of his prime with a non-contender supporting cast.

Loser: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost the best player in basketball, and nobody in The Land could really even blame him for leaving this time. Whenever something like that happens, it’s hard to say the front office prepared correctly for the doomsday scenario.

Collin Sexton should give fans hope for the future, but it’s going to be ugly in the meantime, especially if that massive Kevin Love extension is actually meant to keep him around for five years, rather than the Cavs doing what the Los Angeles Clippers did with Blake Griffin by offering him an extension in preparation for a future trade.

In less than 12 months, the Cavs could be without LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. A full-scale rebuild is in their best interest now, but with so many ugly contracts still on the books, it’s not going to be pretty.