Hoops Habit
Fansided

2019 NBA Free Agency: Winners and losers from Day 1

By Daniel Lubofsky

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the game on January 27, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 27: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the game on January 27, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 9
Next
Indiana Pacers
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The 2019 NBA free agency period got off to a bang on day one, with several teams having already won and a number down in the dumps.

The start of any free agency period is an exciting time for those in the NBA world, with the 2019 class, in particular, serving up plenty of drama long before the official time for both sides to begin negotiations.

It was a free agent class loaded with talent — roughly 40.0 percent of the entire league, in fact. One way or another, the sparks were bound to fly and the league would be altered for the foreseeable future. What may have caught some off guard was the timing of some of these franchise-changing deals that happened far earlier than expected.

In less than 24 hours, over $3 billion was shelled out to free agents — as well as contract extensions. Some superstars got their max pay days, while others set to fit smaller yet still important roles on their respective teams. The greater New York City will no doubt be the focus of any and all free agency discussion over the coming days, but there was plenty of other important movement around the NBA.

As is the case with any spending spree, certain front offices spent their money wisely, while a number of other organizations left fans to ponder their thought process. For those less fortunate — especially in one team’s case — it may not even be about who was negligently signed as much as who wasn’t.

The work is not done for most teams — far from it. There are still plenty of high-end free agents available on the market, ones that could serve a number of teams well moving forward. After just one day, though, it’s clear to distinguish which franchises came out the other side of a hectic frenzy victorious and those whose moves may not look so good down the line.