Free agency is often a time of tumult and chaos, as players fly around the league to new homes and teams look vastly different than they did a few weeks earlier. It’s Extreme Makeover: NBA Edition. While this summer featured one blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert, and the prospect of other trades still hangs overhead, it has otherwise been rather muted in reshaping the league.
There have certainly been meaningful moves. Dejounte Murray is now with the Atlanta Hawks, Malcolm Brogdon with the Boston Celtics, Jalen Brunson with the New York Knicks. But the face of the league didn’t change in free agency, and if Danny Ainge and Sean Marks continue to stare down the rest of the league, it could be some time before any more seismic deals take place.
That leaves plenty of deals in the “interesting” realm to break down, even if they don’t shake the foundations of the league. Those kinds of deals can absolutely have an impact; the Golden State Warriors might not win the title without signing Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II to minimum deals last season. Deals for starters and rotation players matter too.
NBA Free Agency & Trade Season are complete—here are the grades.
With six weeks of free agency under our belts, and the transactions slowed to a crawl, it’s the right time to dig in and evaluate how each team performed. Taking into account signings, trades and contract extensions, what grade should each NBA team receive for their work in free agency?
A few notes on the process. The majority of a team’s moves will be listed, but players signed to training camp deals may be omitted. These grades will factor in transactions primarily with relatively little weight given to player departures. Finally, think of “C+” as an average grade; getting a B- is above average, not some sort of failure. Let’s start in the Peach State!
NBA Free Agency Grades: Atlanta Hawks
Signings: Frank Kaminsky (1 year, $2.46 million), Aaron Holiday (1 year, $1.97 million)
Trades: Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, first-round pick swap for Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale; Jock Landale to the Suns for cash consideration; Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings for Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, and a first-round pick
The Atlanta Hawks made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago, only to fall back to earth last year and need to string together two wins in the Play-In Tournament just to make the playoffs, where they fell in a lopsided five-game series to the Miami Heat. That tough season led to reports that the Hawks were open to trading anything other than their tentpole star, Trae Young.
The Hawks put their money where their mouth was, at least for a couple of big-time moves. They traded a massive haul of draft picks for Dejounte Murray, one of the best guard defenders in the league who made his first All-Star Game last season. Murray seems like a great fit next to Trae Young, especially if Young will play more off-ball, but the cost in picks was significant and this deal didn’t suddenly vault the Hawks into contender status.
Their other big move was trading Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings for a couple of role players and a first-round pick. Holiday in particular looks like he will be in the rotation as a 3-and-D wing, but Huerter was an underrated scorer who just didn’t have the defensive chops to survive alongside Young. That deal was fine for Atlanta.
Otherwise, the Hawks made a couple of solid bargain signings on the fringes, adding a strong third point guard in Aaron Holiday (now they’re just missing Jrue for the complete set of Holiday brothers) and a decent stretch-big option in Frank Kaminsky. They still seem to be calling around on players such as John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic so there could be more to come.
For now, the cost to add Murray was too high for a move that won’t move the needle enough, and no other moves really elevated their trajectory.
Grade: C
NBA Free Agency Grades: Boston Celtics
Signings: Danilo Gallinari (2 years, $13.28 million); Sam Hauser (3 years, $5.66 million); Luke Kornet (2 years, $4.55 million)
Trades: Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas and a first-round pick to Indiana Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon
The Boston Celtics made the NBA Finals last season, and heading into the Finals were picked by many to win it all. Statistical models saw them as the overwhelming favorites over the Golden State Warriors. While they ultimately lost, this is and was clearly a team without major weaknesses.
That the Celtics were then able to add a player like Malcolm Brogdon for essentially salary filler and a single first-round pick was remarkable. Brogdon has battled injuries, but when healthy he is a talented player who can run the point or space the court off-ball, both roles he has filled successfully. He averaged 18.9 points, 6.3 assists and 1.9 three-pointers per game across three years in Indiana, and the Celtics added him without sacrificing any members of their rotation.
Danilo Gallinari is a less-clear fit, given his defensive issues on a team that excelled because they didn’t play any poor defenders. He has plenty of skill and shooting still as a stretch-big, but “Gallo” probably won’t be in the playoff rotation. That’s fine, as he was relatively inexpensive to sign and they have other frontcourt players. Luke Kornet was a “whatever” signing, but Sam Hauser has a shot to be a knockdown shooter in the Duncan Robinson vein, and they now have him on a value contract. They still need another big man, but otherwise, this offseason has been a slam dunk.
Grade: A
NBA Free Agency Grades: Brooklyn Nets
Signings: Nicolas Claxton (2 years, $20.09 million); Patty Mills (2 years, $14.49 million); Kessler Edwards (2 years, $3.57 million); T.J. Warren (1 year, $2.63 million); Edmond Sumner
Trades: First-round pick to Utah Jazz for Royce O’Neale
Where to even start with the Brooklyn Nets? Any analysis of their offseason is covered up by a massive “incomplete” stamped on top. It’s tempting to just type the shrug emoji and move on to the next team. Let’s do our best to make sense of the moves in that limbo between the two possible outcomes: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being traded, and the two returning for one more year.
If the Nets are trying to compete for a title around those two stars once again, their offseason looks better. Nic Claxton wasn’t really worth $10 million per season, but he’s young and has some skills as a switch-big that play well in the modern NBA. Patty Mills’ deal is fine, but he is somewhat redundant playing behind Seth Curry. The buy-low deal for T.J. Warren makes sense for him, as he will either get gobs of playing time in Durant’s absence, or have a shot at an “Otto Porter” type of season rehabbing his value on a contender.
If the Nets are going to move those stars and step out of contention for a year or two, then the deal for Mills looks worse and the trade for Royce O’Neale looks awful. He is an aging 3-and-D player who is slipping on “D” and wasn’t worth a first-round pick. Kessler Edwards is a talented wing they can retain for cheap, so that deal at least was a no-brainer.
Grade: Incomplete, but for now, C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Charlotte Hornets
Signings: Cody Martin (4 years, $31.36 million)
Trades: None
The biggest moment in the Charlotte Hornets’ offseason came not from a free agent transaction, but from the arrest of restricted free agent Miles Bridges. Whether or not he plays again for the Hornets or in the NBA at all given the serious nature of his charges, the Hornets have to move forward without either re-signing their talented young forward or recouping value in a sign-and-trade deal.
They have otherwise been quiet in free agency, re-signing backup swingman Cody Martin to a solid four-year deal. They opted to keep Mason Plumlee at his full guaranteed salary, and he will be in a rotation with first-round pick Mark Williams at center.
The Hornets have decisions to make, from whether to seek another center on the trade market to decisions on P.J. Washington’s extension and Gordon Hayward’s trade market. They have a foundational piece in LaMelo Ball, but it’s unclear how they want to build around him, and which players on the roster will still be around a few years from now.
Taking the Bridges situation out of the equation, they made a fine signing in Martin but perhaps were too quiet otherwise in not adding on the margins. They will instead focus on developing recent draft picks into rotation roles.
Grade: C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Chicago Bulls
Signings: Zach LaVine (5 years, $215.16 million); Andre Drummond (2 years, $6.56 million); Derrick Jones Jr. (2 years, $6.56 million); Goran Dragic (1 year, $2.9 million)
Trades: None
Last summer was about remaking the Chicago Bulls; this summer was ensuring the centerpiece stuck around. Zach LaVine flirted with free agency but was probably only leveraging the Bulls into offering the full five-year max. Last time he hit free agency, he had to sign an offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings to get paid; this time around he publicly hinted at meeting with other teams to get paid.
The other deals were around the margins. Andre Drummond is a very solid backup center and a good complement as Nikola Vucevic’s substitute. Derrick Jones Jr. is hyper-athletic, but his defensive skill has lagged behind potential, and offensively he is little more than a dunker.
Goran Dragic is a great signing as this team’s third point guard, but with all of their backcourt depth it’s a surprise he signed there and not another place such as Dallas to team up with his fellow Slovenian Luka Doncic. It may be a sign that Lonzo Ball is not expected to be healthy to start the season, which would be more impactful than any of these role-player signings.
Retaining LaVine was important and he is likely going to be worth this contract, so that gets solid marks. Every other deal is low-cost and very reasonable money for the players signed. The Bulls have larger questions about their ceiling to answer, and should have used their full midlevel exception on someone to help play at the 4, but they didn’t make a bad signing.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Cleveland Cavaliers
Signings: Darius Garland (5 year, $193 million extension); Ricky Rubio (3 years, $18.44 million); Robin Lopez (1 year, $2.91 million); Raul Neto (1 year, $2.46 million)
Trades: None
The Cleveland Cavaliers came into this offseason with three primary needs to fill: a third center, a backup point guard and a 3-and-D wing. Yet again they ignored that last need in free agency, although it’s possible they intend rookie Ochai Agbaji to play minutes at the 3. Instead, they will rely on a combination of power forwards and shooting guards to stretch across to cover the small forward position.
The other two questions they answered very well. Robin Lopez is an excellent signing at the veteran’s minimum as their third center, a high-character locker room guy who can be relied upon when there are injuries. Raul Neto is something similar, a steal at the minimum and a luxury as their third point guard, although he will be the backup to start the year.
Ricky Rubio is coming off yet another serious injury, and there is some question as to whether he will have lost a step when he does return sometime after the start of the year. That being said, he was a revelation in Cleveland to start last season, and he will be very inexpensive the next two seasons if he plays anything close to how he played last year.
Finally, the Cavs inked their young All-Star point guard Darius Garland to a five-year, maximum extension. He looks like the real deal, a sharp-shooting dynamic passer who can knife into the paint and loves to hit his bigs on the roll. He marks the first real star post-LeBron and will now be in Cleveland for a long time.
Thus far, the Cavs have also avoided overpaying for restricted free agent Collin Sexton, talk of an extension for trade deadline acquisition Caris LeVert has been quiet, and they are on track to have max cap space next summer. Not finding a small forward is a choice, but at least the Cavs seem to have a plan.
Grade: B+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Dallas Mavericks
Signings: JaVale McGee (3 years, $17.2 million); Theo Pinson (1 year, $1.97 million)
Trades: None (Christian Wood trade completed before the draft)
The story of the Dallas Mavericks in free agency isn’t about who they gained, although we will discuss that in a moment. It’s primarily about who they lost. Jalen Brunson, an indispensable part of their run to the Western Conference Finals last season, left the Mavericks to sign a lucrative contract with the New York Knicks.
Should the Mavs have paid up to keep Brunson? Was that even an option or was Brunson gone either way? It’s hard to say, but the Mavs have a major hole on their roster. Expecting rookie Jaden Hardy to fill that is unrealistic, but perhaps the expectation is more that a healthy Tim Hardaway Jr. can.
The Mavericks certainly didn’t add any other perimeter creators in free agency, instead handing a surprisingly large and quick contract to JaVale McGee, the onetime goofball of the league who has reinvented himself as a hard-playing role player. Early signs are that he will start ahead of Dwight Powell at center beside Christian Wood in a revamped, larger starting lineup. It seems like both an overpay and weird use of their limited funds. Theo Pinson is an energy teammate who is unlikely to have much of a rotational role.
Grade: C-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Denver Nuggets
Signings: Nikola Jokic (5 year, $264 million extension); Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (2 year, $30 million extension); Bruce Brown Jr. (2 years, $13.28 million); Vlatko Cancar (3 years, $6.82 million); Davon Reed (2 years, $3.97 million); DeAndre Jordan (1 year, $2.91 million)
Trades: Monte Morris, Will Barton to Washington Wizards for Ish Smith, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
The Denver Nuggets that finished last year in a five-game gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors is making two massive additions: Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., both of whom missed all or most of last season, respectively. When healthy those are two near-All-Stars. Nothing they did in free agency approaches that.
Even so, the Nuggets didn’t sit back but attacked weaknesses on the roster even so. Signing Bruce Brown as a second defensive stopper to pair with Aaron Gordon, and to run incredibly inverted pick-and-roll actions with Nikola Jokic, is the exact sort of creative move that propels teams forward. The money is phenomenal for a player who impacts the game like Brown.
Then the Nuggets went out and traded Will Barton and Monte Morris for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, swapping the talented but ill-fitting Barton out for KCP, who fits like a glove in this starting lineup at the 2. They will miss Morris if Murray isn’t fully healthy, but between Smith, Brown and Jokic they have plenty of ball-handling to go around.
Keeping Vlatko Cancar continues to be a bizarre decision, but his salary hit is small over three years. Davon Reed is likewise on a very small deal. The biggest head-scratcher is DeAndre Jordan, who may only be making the minimum but seems like the wrong player to be announcing a deal for the moment free agency begins. There were and are a number of centers still on the market that have more to offer than the shell of DeAndre Jordan.
Grade: A-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Detroit Pistons
Signings: Marvin Bagley III (3 years, $37.5 million); Kevin Knox (2 years, $6 million)
Trades: Nikola Radicevic, second-round pick to New York Knicks for Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, 2 second-round picks, cash; Jerami Grant, Ismael Kamagate (46th pick) for Gabriele Procida (36th pick), first-round pick, 2 second-round picks
When trying to evaluate the Detroit Pistons’ “free agency” period without evaluating the “draft” period you run into a problem, as they moved Jerami Grant “verbally” before the draft in a deal that wasn’t official until a week into free agency. We’ll include it here, but the Pistons more than most are a bit tricky to parse out according to our guidelines.
The deal to move Jerami Grant for a first-round pick, two seconds and a pick swap looked like selling low, but given that the Pistons were able to pivot and use much of the money saved in the deal to add draft assets from the Knicks it seems quite reasonable. Their deal to add Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel probably could have extracted more from the Knicks given their somewhat desperate situation to clear space for Jalen Brunson, but other teams with space like the Pacers and Spurs probably motivated the Pistons to move quickly.
Now to the signings. The Pistons spent $43.5 million in contracts on a pair of former top-ten picks who have essentially failed to deliver much of anything to this point in their careers. Taking a flier on Knox is fine, but he doesn’t look like an NBA player. Bagley? Paying him $12.5 million a season is highway robbery by his agent and a terrible decision by the Pistons. Their future is bright because of some excellent drafting, but they continue to lose at putting the pieces of a team together.
Grade: C
NBA Free Agency Grades: Golden State Warriors
Signings: Kevon Looney (3 years, $25.5 million); Donte DiVincenzo (2 years, $9.23 million); JaMychal Green (1 year, minimum)
Trades: None
The Golden State Warriors won the championship this past season and did so with a record-breakingly expensive roster. The big question entering the summer was whether the Warriors would pay through the nose to keep everyone together or if they would have a “walk away’ point.
It turned out to be the latter option, as both Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. left for more money elsewhere. Nemanja Bjelica also went back to his old Turkish team, and Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson signed for minimum deals elsewhere. The champs lost a lot.
They did retain Kevon Looney, their starting center for much of their playoff run, at a deal that seems below market value. Marvin Bagley is making more per season than Looney? Mitchell Robinson is making nearly twice as much? They squeezed “Moses MaLooney” a bit and he acquiesced.
The surprise signing was bringing in Donte DiVincenzo to replace Payton II, a deal that is low cost with incredibly high upside. DiVincenzo was a starter on the Bucks two seasons ago, the same year they won the title (he missed the actual Finals with an injury) and he looked to be starting to get his legs back towards the end of last season.
Finally, JaMychal Green is securing a buyout from the Oklahoma City Thunder and will reportedly sign with the Warriors, replacing some of the role Porter and Bjelica played as a stretch big. The Warriors managed to reduce their exorbitant tax bill by a bit and bring in solid buy-low candidates, just as they did last year. That doesn’t mean those bets will pay off, but they are better financial moves than bringing everyone back, even if that option had a lot of sentimental value.
Grade: B+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Houston Rockets
Signings: Jae’Sean Tate (3 years, $22.13 million)
Trades: None (Christian Wood deal took place prior to the NBA Draft)
The Houston Rockets took on four players in the Christian Wood trade, then drafted three players in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. As they fully embrace their rebuild, there weren’t roster spots available to add anyone in free agency, and the Rockets accordingly stood pat.
The one move they did make was to decline Jae’Sean Tate’s tiny team option and re-sign him to a three-year, $22.13 million deal. Tate has some long-term questions about his shooting and overall offensive versatility, but he is a really solid defender at a premium position and made sense to lock up.
There are decisions still looming for the Rockets, from whether they will trade Eric Gordon to a potential extension for Kevin Porter Jr. For now, a very quiet offseason nets a relatively vanilla grade.
Grade: B-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Indiana Pacers
Signings: Jalen Smith (3 years, $15.13 million)
Trades: Malcolm Brogdon to Celtics for Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas and first-round pick
The Indiana Pacers haven’t bottomed out in decades, but they finally heard the music and decided to tear things down and stock the cupboards with draft picks and young talent. Tyrese Haliburton looks like a budding star, Bennedict Mathurin scorched Summer League and they still have multiple valuable veterans to bring in more value.
They took the next step during free agency by trading Malcolm Brogdon. On the one hand, they got a first-round pick and an interesting young wing in Aaron Nesmith for an injury-prone guard. On the other hand, they basically just got salary flotsam and a low-upside first for a player who had a strong case for the All-Star Game in two of the last three seasons.
The Pacers attempted to take a big swing by signing DeAndre Ayton to an offer sheet, one that the Phoenix Suns matched within minutes. They took a much more mild swing by bringing back Jalen Smith to a three-year deal at the maximum number they could sign him for after his rookie option was declined. As a stretch big Smith has shown flashes in the past calendar year and is a reasonable player to keep around on a low-cost deal.
Grade: B-
NBA Free Agency Grades: LA Clippers
Signings: Nicolas Batum (2 years, $22.55 million); John Wall (2 years, $13.28 million); Amir Coffey (3 years, $11 million); Moses Brown (1 year, $1.9 million); Jay Scrubb (1 year, $1.84 million)
Trades: None
The LA Clippers have a luxury few other teams have, which is to build a team knowing that their owner is comfortable with a hefty bill heading his way. That has given them the necessary flexibility to add salary in a number of ways, and their current projections are to set a new record for total payroll next season (eclipsing Golden State’s record last season).
That’s in part why they were able to bring back swingman Nic Batum on a substantial raise up to $11 million a year, a player who isn’t necessarily “needed” on their team next year but gives them another wing option. Amir Coffey is also back on a modest three-year deal, a guard with good size and plenty of potential who came off of a two-way last year.
The big addition was John Wall, the onetime All-Star point guard who took last season off with the Houston Rockets. After agreeing to a buyout he came to the Clippers on a two-year deal at $6.6 million annually, a number that could be a bargain if Wall plays anything like his former self. If he wavers, the Clippers still have Reggie Jackson, Coffey and last year’s second-round pick Jason Preston, so it’s a worthy gamble.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Los Angeles Lakers
Signings: Lonnie Walker IV (1 year, $6.48 million); Damian Jones (2 years, $4.89 million); Thomas Bryant (1 year, $2.13 million); Troy Brown Jr. (1 year, $1.97 million); Juan Toscano-Anderson (1 year, $1.9 million)
Trades: None
The moves of the Los Angeles Lakers last summer formed one of the worst offseasons for any NBA team in the history of the league. Trading solid rotation players for Russell Westbrook was a disaster of a trade right when it happened and obvious to anyone not named Rob Pelinka and LeBron James. Surrounding Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis with aging veterans didn’t help much either.
The Lakers have been unable to pivot away from Westbrook this summer, but if they manage to turn him into Kyrie Irving this grade will tick up a bit. What the Lakers did execute was a plan to get younger, signing more mid-career players with their collection of minimum contracts.
In that play to get younger, they used their Taxpayer MLE, the one bullet available to them larger than the minimum, on Lonnie Walker IV. The former San Antonio Spurs wing has shown very little that suggests he is a future star or even starter on a good team. Last year their MLE signing, Kendrick Nunn, gave them nothing; it will be painful if that happens again. If he does put things together, he’s signed for just one year and will likely leave for a payday just as Malik Monk did this summer.
Juan Toscano-Anderon, Damian Jones and Troy Brown Jr. are interesting depth pieces, and Thomas Bryant is a good offensive center if he can stay healthy. At the end of the day, though, the Lakers don’t have the pieces in place to be a contender. For a team with LeBron James that’s always an abject failure. Grading in the context of this offseason, though, their grade reflects their moves this summer, and not the sins of the past.
Grade: C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Memphis Grizzlies
Signings: Ja Morant (5 year, $231 million extension); John Konchar (3 year, $19 million extension); (Tyus Jones (2 years, $30 million)
Trades: None
The Memphis Grizzlies had the opportunity this summer to make a big splash, to sign or trade for another star to put alongside Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. They didn’t do that, instead agreeing to a couple of extensions and bringing back essential backup point guard Tyus Jones on a two-year deal.
First, the moves themselves. Getting Morant to sign a five-year maximum rookie extension without a player option is a great move for the Grizzlies, and will ensure their exciting young phenom is around for a long time as the face of the franchise. On a much smaller level John Konchar agreed to an extension to stick around as a reserve guard. Jones for $15 million a season seems very fair, and the Grizzlies likely had to outbid a number of teams like the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers prepared to offer the full MLE.
Now the question becomes, should the Grizzlies have made better use of their cap flexibility and made a bigger splash? The answer becomes another question: who should they have gone after? All of the major free agents sans Jalen Brunson re-signed with their former teams. DeAndre Ayton didn’t make sense for this team and was matched on a max contract by the Phoenix Suns. Miles Bridges took himself off the market. There wasn’t a player out there obviously available. The Grizzlies got to this point by being patient and developing their own talent, and they’re going to follow that path some more.
Grade: B-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Miami Heat
Signings: Caleb Martin (3 years, $20.41 million); Victor Oladipo (2 years, $18.2 million); Dewayne Dedmon (2 years, $9.02 million)
Trades: None
The Miami Heat are a franchise that always goes big-game hunting. It brought them Shaquille O’Neale for their first title and LeBron James and Chris Bosh for the next two. They made the NBA Finals three seasons ago on the backs of Jimmy Butler, a player they went after in a sign-and-trade move. They want to win now and position themselves to add the next big piece.
That’s the context for their offseason. On the surface, it’s incredibly vanilla. They re-signed Caleb Martin to the maximum they could given their cap situation, brought back Dewayne Dedmon as center depth – a questionable move given the number of centers available and the emergence of Omer Yurtseven last year – and enticed Victor Oladipo to stick around as one of their better bench players with a chance to start.
They also lost P.J. Tucker, a starter and crucial piece for them last season, as they couldn’t pay him as much as the Philadelphia 76ers without triggering the hard cap. That limit to their spending power may have made a trade for a disgruntled star, be that Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell, a tricky or even impossible proposition. Their need to keep that flexibility, however, made them a worse team coming out of the summer. This grade changes dramatically if they swing a trade, but for now, it’s rather tepid.
Grade: C
NBA Free Agency Grades: Milwaukee Bucks
Signings: Bobby Portis (4 years, $48.58 million); Pat Connaughton (3 years, $28.27 million); Jevon Carter (2 years, $4.34 million); Joe Ingles (1 year, $6.48 million); Wesley Matthews (1 year, $2.9 million); Rayjon Tucker (1 year, $1.9 million); Serge Ibaka (1 year)
Trades: None
On a recent episode of the Dunc’d On Basketball podcast, host Nate Duncan made a salient point. The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA title two seasons ago by deploying an incredibly versatile defensive group that had enough offensive juice to get the job done. They found a formula that worked….and promptly flushed it down the drain.
Seriously, what moves have they made since winning the title? Last summer they chose offense-first Bobby Portis over P.J. Tucker, then traded for and extended Grayson Allen while dumping Donte DiVincenzo for nothing at the Trade Deadline. That gave them less versatility heading into this past postseason, where an injury to Khris Middleton sealed their fate.
This summer they had a chance to correct their mistakes, and what did they do? They signed an aging offense-first wing in Joe Ingles, who is rehabbing a torn ACL; they backed up the truck for Portis on a four-year deal; and they signed a collection of players around them who are fine but don’t move the needle.
The Bucks are contenders, and at least they are continuing to pay the luxury tax to try and field the best team around Antetokounmpo. The problem is that they are using that financial capital to sign players that don’t maximize their chances of winning a title, and with a player like Giannis in his prime, that’s a mistake.
Grade: C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Minnesota Timberwolves
Signings: Karl-Anthony Towns (4 year, $231 million extension); (Kyle Anderson (2 years, $18 million); Austin Rivers (1 year, $2.9 million); Bryn Forbes (1 year, $2.30 million); Taurean Prince (2 year, $16 million extension)
Trades: Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, Walker Kessler (22nd pick), four first-round picks, pick swap to Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert
It’s been a busy offseason for the Minnesota Timberwolves, as signing players like Austin Rivers and Bryn Forbes remade their backcourt depth after a strong run into the playoffs last season. Taurean Prince returning for $8 million is an overpay but not one with any real cost to the Timberwolves, and they retain forward depth. Adding Kyle Anderson gives them a rugged defender and all-around glue guy who can fit in different lineups.
Oh, and they sent one of the biggest trade hauls in history to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert. The “French Rejection” will start at center and move Karl-Anthony Towns, who himself inked a long-term extension this summer, to power forward. The plan is to maximize Towns’ offense while still getting an elite rim protector on the court.
The idea of pairing Gobert and Towns is fine, even if it doesn’t seem optimized for the modern NBA postseason. That being said, a modest trade haul for Gobert would have been a sharp move, buying low on a player who was receiving undue negative flak for the Jazz’ struggles in the postseason the past two seasons.
Instead, they sent three solid veterans, two recent first-round picks and four more first-round picks, three of them unprotected. Add in a pick swap, and you have a trade package that dwarfs anything else sent out in recent years. Is Gobert worth that? He might be, but that kind of a haul signals the Wolves intend to compete for a title. If Anthony Edwards blossoms into a superstar that is in play, but it’s far from the most likely outcome. I love that the Wolves took a swing, but wow they invested a lot in that swing.
Grade: C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: New Orleans Pelicans
Signings: Zion Williamson (5 year, $193 million extension)
Trades: None
The New Orleans Pelicans had very little to do this offseason. Even with superstar youngster Zion Williamson sidelined last season they made a surprise run to the NBA playoffs, snagging the final Play-In spot and then winning twice to reach the field properly. That roster came back virtually in full, with 14 players under contract already for this season. Dyson Daniels, the eighth pick in the NBA Draft, was the only addition.
The one big move in free agency was signing Zion to a rookie extension. This move had a lot of drama attached to it heading into the offseason. Would the Pelicans be scared by Williamson’s injury history? How would the two sides negotiate the structure?
The end result was the full five-year max, with injury triggers to fully guarantee. There was no player option for Williamson, no discount for the Pels. Likely the team gave Zion the choice between injury-related triggers to fully guarantee the deal – i.e. if he plays ‘x’ number of games over the next three years the final two years go from partial guarantees to full – or a slightly lower number, and he chose the triggers. The real excitement came from a “weight” clause that dictates Williamson needs to keep his overall weight plus BMI under a certain number, a unique inclusion and one that could motivate him to a healthier place overall.
Grade: B+
NBA Free Agency Grades: New York Knicks
Signings: Jalen Brunson (4 years, $104 million); Mitchell Robinson (4 years, $60 million); Isaiah Hartenstein (2 years, $18.1 million); Jericho Sims (3 years, $5.69 million)
Trades: Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, two second-round picks, cash to Detroit Pistons for Nikola Radicevic, and a second-round pick
The New York Knicks are the front-runners to land Donovan Mitchell and have amassed a significant collection of draft picks to use in such a deal, but that move hasn’t happened yet so for now we need to evaluate their moves with such a trade as a hope and not an inevitability.
And there were certainly a lot of moves to evaluate. The Knicks were active in moving off of salary in order to free up the space to sign former Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson. The cost they paid to move Kemba Walker (a draft-day trade technically not in our purview here) and later Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel was very reasonable on its own.
Combined with the added cost of then handing Jalen Brunson a massive new contract it becomes a bit more strained, but Brunson is a good player and the cap is going up, so it’s not the worst offseason strategy. Brunson was the best player to change teams in free agency, and the Knicks got that player.
They also put together their center rotation. Mitchell Robinson returns on a surprisingly long deal at fair value, but they also handed a contract to Isaiah Hartenstein. One of last year’s breakout players, Hartenstein is a great value at $9 million a year. The Knicks also converted second-year big Jericho Sims to a full contract and signed him for three years.
Why all the money to centers when Julius Randle and Obi Toppin could also earn minutes at the 5? None of the deals look bad individually, but collectively it’s a strange use of resources. The Knicks played the transaction game well with each individual move, from dumping salary to signing contracts, but the overall vision seems a bit off.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Oklahoma City Thunder
Signings: Luguentz Dort (5 years, $87.5 million); Mike Muscala (1 year, $2.64 million); Kenrich Williams (4 year, $27.2 million extension)
Trades: None
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to keep their plans for this season shrouded in uncertainty. After two years of tanking, gaining assets to take on veterans and handing rotation minutes to roster tryouts, they finally landed their big draft fish in Chet Holmgren. Will the Thunder now pivot to building a winning team, or do they want to stay at the bottom for one more year?
Their moves in free agency don’t signal anything one way or the other. Mike Muscala is a veteran stretch-big but he is back for a pittance and seems to be a great locker room guy. Kenrich Williams is a versatile combo forward who is now under contract at backup money for another four years.
The big move was declining the team option for Luguentz Dort and handing him a substantial raise, a five-year $87.5 million deal that sounds larger than it is after you filter out incentives. It’s a lot of money for Dort, but he is a solid wing who fits well with their young core and is now around for a long time. Nothing they did was bad, nothing was amazing, it was just fine for a team still keeping its timeline secret.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Orlando Magic
Signings: Mohamed Bamba (2 years, $20.6 million); Bol Bol (2 years, $4.4 million); Gary Harris (2 years, $26 million)
Trades: None
The Orlando Magic’s big move came at the draft, when they took Duke forward Paolo Banchero with the first overall pick in the draft. He joins a collection of recent lottery picks: the Magic now have seven players on their team who went in the top-8 picks of one of the last six drafts, and another three first-round picks still on rookie contracts. The youth movement is happening in earnest, and they’re leaning into high-pedigree players to enact it.
The Magic kept one of those players around by re-signing Mohamed Bamba to a two-year deal worth $10.3 million per season, with the second-year non-guaranteed. He and Wendell Carter Jr. made for a solid center pairing last season and the Magic will run it back for at least one more year.
They ordered the rest of the offseason similarly, bringing back Bol Bol and Gary Harris on two-year deals with the second season non-guaranteed. That makes them valuable trade pieces if the Magic want to consolidate or even go after a player such as Donovan Mitchell. This is a rebuilding team that didn’t need to make any big splashes or risky bets, but they also didn’t lock themselves into any bad money, either.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Philadelphia 76ers
Signings: James Harden (2 years, $68.6 million); P.J. Tucker (3 years, $33.04 million); Danuel House Jr. (2 years, $8.42 million); Trevelin Queen (2 years, $3.57 million)
Trades: None
The Philadelphia 76ers have suffered from a lesser version of the Stephen Curry problem the past few seasons. When their superstar Joel Embiid was on the court, they were good enough to push for an Eastern Conference crown. When he sat, either to rest or due to injury, the team fell apart. The Sixers continued to cycle through options trying to figure out how to make those minutes successful, and even after acquiring James Harden last year couldn’t get it to work.
Finally, the team looks to have addressed their depth issue and given the stars the support they need to make a fair shot at contention. P.J. Tucker is aging and was handed a hefty contract, but he is exactly the sort of defensive player this team needed. Danuel House was underrated for his two-way 3-and-D ability. At the draft they added De’Anthony Melton, another solid defender with plenty of offensive burst as well.
In short, the 76ers now have legitimate depth around their core four of Embiid, Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. Will it be enough to win three or four playoff series? That comes down to whether Embiid stays healthy and Harden finds that missing next gear. The fact that Harden took a pay cut to add more rotation help shows he desires to win at a high level, but the question becomes whether he can step up to the plate himself.
Grade: A
NBA Free Agency Grades: Phoenix Suns
Signings: Devin Booker (4 year, $214 million); DeAndre Ayton (4 years, $132.93 million); Bismack Biyombo (1 year, $2.9 million); Damion Lee (1 year, $2.13 million); Josh Okogie (1 year, $1.97 million)
Trades: Cash to Atlanta Hawks for Jock Landale
The Phoenix Suns have had a rather tumultuous offseason for a team that largely stayed the same. Their high-profile negotiation with DeAndre Ayton saw the young center sign a max-offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers that the Suns immediately matched. From a contract side it worked out well for the Suns – no incentives, trade kickers or player options – but whether or not it causes chemistry issues remains to be seen.
The other big-money move was to ink Devin Booker to a new extension, a four-year max deal to keep their centerpiece star in place. Booker, Ayton and Mikal Bridges are now all under contract through at least 2025-26, locking in the core of a contender.
The moves around the margins were fine. Bismack Biyombo resurrected his career last season, and Josh Okogie will hope to do the same as an athletic wing. Damion Lee is a movement shooter forged in the fire of Golden State and will add another element off the bench.
What didn’t happen was a Kevin Durant trade, which at one point seemed nearly inevitable after Durant put Phoenix on his two-team list. The Ayton contract likely means they are now out of the running, so for better or worse this is the team that will compete next season.
Grade: B-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Portland Trail Blazers
Signings: Damian Lillard (2 years, $122 million extension); Anfernee Simons (4 years, $100 million); Jusuf Nurkic (4 years, $70 million); Gary Payton II (3 years, $26.15 million); Drew Eubanks (1 year, $1.97 million)
Trades: Gabriele Procida (36th pick), first-round pick, two second-round picks to Detroit Pistons for Jerami Grant, Ismael Kamagate (46th pick)
Last season the Portland Trail Blazers found themselves in a one-year bottoming out, with Damian Lillard missing most of the season and other injury absences cascading through the roster. Rather than trade Lillard and fully tear down, they instead pivoted to retool around Lillard and try to make a run again this year.
The construction of the Blazers over the past half-decade of competing with Damian Lillard has been somewhat similar: two small guards, questionable forwards and a decently competent center. Portland tried to attack their weakness at the forward spots by trading for Jerami Grant, easily the best forward Lillard has played with since LaMarcus Aldridge, and signing Gary Payton II away from the Golden State Warriors.
Both are talented defenders who will pair with Josh Hart and Nassir Little to give the Blazers a suddenly deep forward rotation. Payton is a bargain at less than $9 million per season, while the cost to add Grant for Portland was incredibly low since they could add him directly into a trade exception left over from the CJ McCollum deal and save the Detroit Pistons a lot of salary.
Unfortunately, they doubled down at the outside edges of their rotation. Jusuf Nurkic was handed a contract above market value that may have been agreed to earlier in the season when they shut him down for a minor injury; $17.5 million per year isn’t the end of the world, but they are locking into Nurkic again for the next few years.
Finally, they re-signed Anfernee Simons to a four-year, $100 million contract on the back of his strong play running the show for Lillard last season. Portland became the first team with one of these young “combo scoring guards” to agree to a contract; Collin Sexton, Jordan Poole and Tyler Herro are all eligible to agree to a contract or extension, and Portland set the market fairly high at the start. Is Simons worth $25 million? Perhaps, but the Blazers will likely find themselves either closing without Simons for defensive purposes, or be similarly capped as a contender trying to win at the highest level with two small guards.
Overall, the Blazers slightly overpaid to lock in a pair of in-house players who somewhat limit their ceiling and lock them into the challenges of the past, but a pair of really strong moves to add forwards could balance things out and were both excellent values.
Grade: B
NBA Free Agency Grades: Sacramento Kings
Signings: Malik Monk (2 years, $19.42 million); KZ Okpala (2 years)
Trades: Justin Holiday, Maurice Harkless, first-round pick to Atlanta Hawks for Kevin Huerter
The Sacramento Kings are pushing chips into the middle of the table to make a push into the playoffs. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. This year’s version of the Kings is building on the Domantas Sabonis trade at last season’ deadline to try and make it out of the lottery for the first time in nearly two decades.
The contract for Malik Monk is absolutely fair value for the former Charlotte Hornets guard who revived his career with the Los Angeles Lakers last season; he and the Kings’ starting point guard De’Aaron Fox played together at Kentucky before both going in the lottery of the 2017 NBA Draft. The problem is that the Kings already had a surplus of guards.
What makes it even more confusing is that the Kings then traded a future first-round pick and two solid 3-and-D wings for another defensively-challenged shooting guard in Kevin Huerter. Again the value for Huerter in a vacuum was fine; in the team-building context of the Kings, it seems nearly inexplicable. After Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray who do the Kings have at forward? KZ Okpala and Trey Lyles? The theory for the Kings is, yet again, severely lacking.
Grade: C-
NBA Free Agency Grades: San Antonio Spurs
Signings: Keldon Johnson (4 year, $80 million extension); Gorgui Dieng (1 year)
Trades: Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale for Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, pick swap
Last season the San Antonio Spurs tried to compete early in the year, and then accepted the path before them as the season went on, fully embracing their rebuild by trading Derrick White at the deadline and then moving first-time All-Star Dejoue Murray this summer. Their moves now and moving forward have to be evaluated in the light of a team tearing things down and setting up for the future.
In any context, however, the Spurs got great value back for Murray. He is not one of the 24 best players in the league despite his All-Star nod, and the Spurs got multiple unprotected picks and a swap in the deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Given that he was a given to hit unrestricted free agency in two years, a span of time in which the Spurs are unlikely to compete, and the deal was a slam dunk.
The Keldon Johnson deal also looks like a steal, especially in the context of a growing salary cap. Johnson is a combo forward who has gotten better every season in the league and last season averaged 17 points per game including 39.8 percent from deep. That’s exactly the sort of player you lock up early.
The Spurs haven’t leveraged their cap space for much of anything this summer, but otherwise, their two primary moves were both excellent values.
Grade: A-
NBA Free Agency Grades: Toronto Raptors
Signings: Chris Boucher (3 years, $35.25 million); Otto Porter Jr. (2 years, $12.3 million); DJ Wilson (2 years, $4.57 million; Justin Champagnie (2 years, $3.57 million)
Trades: None
The Toronto Raptors have built something of a roster identity over the past few years since losing Kawhi Leonard, loading up on athletic combo forwards in the 6’6″ to 6’9″ range. Rather than pivot in another direction, the Raptors doubled down by adding even more combo forwards to the mix.
That starts with Otto Poerter Jr., fresh off an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors. They drew a line in the sand due to luxury tax concerns and Porter thus left and signed elsewhere. His deal with the Toronto Raptors was likely less than market value, but injury concerns depressed his value.
Chris Boucher is a legitimate 3-and-D center and it made sense to bring him back, and both DJ Wilson and Justin Champagnie have a great chance to make the roster this fall. Toronto will mostly “bring the band back together” from last year and hope it is enough. Porter is the primary additional piece to put them over the top.
Grade: C+
NBA Free Agency Grades: Utah Jazz
Signings: None
Trades: Rudy Gobert to Minnesota Timberwolves for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt, Walker Kessler (22nd pick), four first-round picks, pick swap; Royce O’Neale to Brooklyn Nets for first-round picks
The Utah Jazz have not signed a single player to a full NBA contract in free agency, and yet they are going to receive an ‘A’ grade for the free agency period. How could that be? For bringing back one of the most spectacular trade hauls in NBA history.
The Jazz have been a really good team that couldn’t break through for the past half-decade with Rudy Gobert manning the middle, and the team decided it was time to build something new. They traded Gobet to the Timberwolves for an absolutely monstrous haul of picks and players, and are now actively shopping Donovan Mitchell to complete their rebuild.
Tanking in Utah is not an easy proposition, but exciting young talent is the most valuable commodity outside of a bona fide superstar. By trading their stars and veterans and effectively starting over, the Jazz can make a race to the bottom and perhaps rebound quickly.
Grade: A
NBA Free Agency Grades: Washington Wizards
Signings: Bradley Beal (5 years, $251 million); Delon Wright (2 years, $16 million); Anthony Gill (2 years, $3.83 million); Taj Gibson (1 year, $2, 905)
Trades: Ish Smith, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Denver Nuggets for Monte Morris, Will Barton
Let’s start with the good. Delon Wright is a very competent backup point guard and will serve the Wizards well. Taj Gibson is an interesting choice for their big rotation but doesn’t have to be an issue. Most importantly is the trade to bring in Monte Morris and Will Barton.
The Wizards flipped wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Denver Nuggets for a decent starting guard in Monte Morris and someone who could also start on the wing in Will Barton. “KCP” was the best player to change hands, but the value wasn’t terrible and both Morris and Barton will be a part of Washington’s rotation this campaign.
Those moves are likely just window dressing compared to the main event. Bradley Beal is a regular All-Star but not more than that, and the Wizards backed up the truck for Beal, giving him a maximum contract with a player option and a no-trade clause. That level of overpay was not necessary for Beal.
Grade: C
There are still massive dominos still to fall in free agency, but for now, the dust has settled. Here are all 30 teams in the league and how they fared this summer.