While it might be entirely too early to definitively say which teams came out as losers during the 2013 NBA free Agency period, it is nonetheless fun to speculate. The free-agent period can be a frantic time when teams are scrambling to get commitments from their targeted players. Some teams are predictably active while others prefer to play it calm; either way you slice it there are winners and losers from this time.
We start our analysis of the free-agency period with the teams that failed. That’s rights we start with the losers, the teams who did little to better themselves, teams who gave up on their own and did nothing and teams that stood pat while their counterparts got better. With this in mind we have identified the losers and have provided our reasons why.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks said goodbye to J.J. Redick, Mike Dunleavy and Monta Ellis this offseason. They got nothing in return for Reddik and Ellis, both of whom were unlikely to re-sign with the club and each had trade value that went to waste. The Bucks then tried to swoop in and snag Jeff Teague from Atlanta; however, the Hawks wisely matched the offer and retained the up and coming Teague. Not to be completely stagnate the Bucks did sign O.J. Mayo, Carlos Delfino and Zaza Pachulia to fill out their roster.
The Bucks were an eight seed last year and they were unceremoniously swept out by the eventual champion Miami Heat. Since that playoff exit the team has regressed in terms of talent and potential. Mayo is not a reliable scoring option for them, the bench is depleted to nothing and the issue of not having a starting point guard still looms. Should the Bucks not reach terms on restricted free-agent Brandon Jennings then this offseason will have been a complete tank job in hopes of landing a top-three lottery pick in 2014.
Dallas Mavericks
Mark Cuban did not envision his free agent acquisition period going quite so poorly. The Mavericks failed to land their marquee targets and instead of bolstering the frontcourt they again reloaded on backcourt talent. The Mavs signed Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis to pair with Dirk Nowitzki and aging stars Vince Carter and Shawn Marion. While no one truly believes that these moves will bring another championship to Dallas; these moves might not even be enough to procure Dallas a playoff spot.
One upside for the organization is that they maintained salary cap flexibility heading into next season. I’m not sure how much of a draw it will be for guys; going to a team coming off consecutive non-playoff seasons and playing along side the aging Nowitzki (if he resigns with the Mavs) just isn’t as appealing as other options out there (ie: the Los Angeles Lakers).
Utah Jazz
I rank the Jazz right up there with the Bucks as being absolutely terrible. The obvious tank job being pulled here in Utah is flat out disgusting. The Jazz had two very effective big men who were both unrestricted free-agents. Both Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson were poised to hit the open market and the Jazz were coy when it came to committing to either one on a new deal. As it turns out the Jazz didn’t commit to either one and both bolted Salt Lake and took the first offer that came their way. The Jazz could have pulled the trigger on a deal involving either one of these guys at the trade deadline and they decided to stand pat keeping both. Well now they did nothing and got nothing in return for them.
To compound the misery of Jazz fans everywhere (assuming they have fans outside of Utah), the Jazz took on the horrific contracts of Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedrins from Golden State to basically bring themselves back to the salary cap spending floor. The Jazz did acquire four draft picks in the deal, but they will be late first rounders and second rounders which of course could turn out to be nothing. I personally can’t decide which team takes the cake for biggest loser in this free-agent period; tough call between two incumbently horrible franchises in Milwaukee and Utah.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have pulled the trigger on a franchise changing trade that ultimately brought two horrific contracts tied to two equally horrific players in Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace. After sending Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Paul Pierce out of town, the Celtics did nothing to better themselves. Humphries and Wallace are overpaid, underperforming guys who will do nothing to live up to their contracts and who offer little in terms of trade value.
The only silver lining to the entire affair is that the Celtics did acquire three first round draft picks; one coming in 2014, 2016 and 2018 respectively. So while Garnett and Pierce will have long since hung up their sneakers and likely had their jerseys hung in the rafters, the Celtics will still be compensated for their time in the league. This isn’t to say that the picks pan out, but nonetheless some tangible asset will be received down the road.
The Celtics are faced with going from an above .500 club who qualified for the seven seed last season to a team who is unlikely to come close to the playoffs next season. Rajon Rondo might have a spectacular season, but without a supporting cast the effort will be wasted and the Celtics will be headed to the 2014 draft lottery.