The NBA’s free agency period for acquiring players has reached its crescendo and it is now in decline as the few impact players remaining are restricted free agents who are likely to resign or return to the old clubs.
For the majority of teams who wanted to better themselves from last season, the free agency period is an integral part of building future success. Not every team makes sound decisions when it comes to adding new talent and taking on new contracts. For example, I’m still trying to figure out the Al Jefferson deal with Charlotte. Why a team would purposefully commit such money to a player when his impact is negligible towards the team’s success is beyond me. If anything is accomplished at all, the Bobcats might procure a few extra wins which could ultimately eliminate them for a top lottery selection.
Anyways, for every team that made boneheaded decisions and moves (Philadelphia, Charlotte, Milwaukee) there are those who definitely entered the free-agent period with a goal and a game plan. For those who were prepared, we applaud and we crown you our free agency winners.
Houston Rockets
The biggest free agent fish on the market was of course Dwight Howard. Dwight ultimately finished his “show me the love” tour and committed to Houston. Without Dwight in the fold last season, the Rockets had a dangerous squad as they ranked second in the league for points per game, sixth overall in assists per game, ranked seventh for rebounds per game and albeit a dismal twenty-eighth for points allowed per game.
I cannot imagine the Rockets bettering their ranking in any of the team offense categories, while Howard will help on the defensive side of the ball it was Houston’s perimeter defense that was letting them down, not the play in the middle.
The acquisition of Howard for the Rockets is understandable a huge one as it solidifies the front court and pairs James Harden with another imposing all-star on the roster. This move will not lead the Rockets to a championship, but it will make for some interesting matchups and it could propel the Rockets out of the first round of the playoffs next season.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers did what everyone expected they would do and that is offer Chris Paul the keys to the building and a max-contract over the next five years. This was the smart play and honestly the only play for the Clippers to make. The organization had already pushed all their chips in when they acquired Doc Rivers from Boston and with that coaching move the front-office brass signaled their intent to chase down a Larry O’Brien Trophy.
With the addition of Rivers and the return of Paul; the Clippers all of a sudden became a very desired spot to play. The trickle down effect was that Alvin Gentry came on board as an assistant coach, Matt Barnes resigned and they acquired J.J. Redick from Milwaukee. The Clippers jettisoned Eric Bledsoe to Phoenix and they took back Jared Dudley. All in all the ten days leading off in July were very productive for the Clippers and with these moves the Clippers will be in discussion as championship contenders come next season.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors had a coming out party last season as they knocked off the Denver Nuggets in the first round and then pushed San Antonio in a hard-fought six game series. Many folks around the world took notice of this upstart Warriors squad as they were exciting to watch and they play an uptempo style of run-and-gun basketball.
The Dubs organization knew that they were missing some pieces on their roster if they were to challenge for a Conference Championship. With this in mind they set out to acquire and they honed in on Denver’s Andre Iguodala. Iggy came to the Bay Area and settled on a four year $48 million deal that left Denver in the cold. The organization wasn’t done yet as they jettisoned Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson along with pot-sweetening first-round draft picks in 2014 and 2017 as well as two second-round picks in 2016 and 2017.
While on the surface it may appear that the Warriors gave up on the future by surrendering all those picks; however, they shed $20 million in payroll for next season in the process. The future is now in Golden State as the nucleus of the team is under contract, Iguodala will provide some needed flexibility up front and the Warriors still only have about $45 million in committed salaries on the books (after the exercise option on Klay Thompson) for the 2014-15 season. A shrewd move by management to better the team today while abolishing the bad contracts of yesterday.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Surprise surprise the Cavaliers are gaining momentum as a franchise once again. The club’s fortunes took a turn for the better when they won the NBA’s lottery and secured the first-overall pick in the entry draft. Their selection may have raised a few eyebrows; however, a draft that lacked a franchise-type cornerstone player saw the Cavs take Anthony Bennett first overall.
The momentum just continued for the Cavaliers as they headed into free agency with the goal of becoming a playoff team once again. They certainly took some steps to see this become a reality as they signed Earl Clark and Jarrett Jack to deals and then they scooped Andrew Bynum on a two year deal with only $6 million in guaranteed money and the second year coming at the Cavaliers option for $12 million.
Three very solid acquisitions in a ten day period, coupled with a number one overall draft pick and the bright futures of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters have folks predicting a seventh or eighth seed for the Cavs come playoff time.
Los Angeles Lakers
For the Lakers this free agency period was mostly a matter of addition through subtraction. The Lakers bid for Howard’s services and they lost out to Houston. While I’m sure they would have preferred to land the big man, Dwight’s departure from the club might actually be to it’s benefit.
The long-term contractual commitment to Howard would have effectively taken the Lakers out of next off season’s bidding war on projected top-tier free agents. As it stands right now the Lakers have a paltry $11 million in guaranteed salaries for the 2014-15 season, only two players are under contract being Steve Nash and Robert Sacre. The Lakers do not hold any team-options and only the newly signed Nick Young has a pending player-option worth just over $1 million.
Kobe Bryant will resign with the club at a discounted rate from his $30 million this season and with the colossal amount of cap space available, the Lakers can make significant offers to two top-tier free agents as opposed to having just Howard and the aging Bryant and Nash. So while the Lakers lost out in the Howard sweepstakes, they might have just won out in the foreseeable future.