The dust has pretty much settled on the NBA free agent period and most of the players who were eligible have found a new home for the upcoming season. There are of course a few stragglers who have yet to ink new deals; however, the stars and second-tier guys have found their homes. With the ink now dry on the new deals and press conferences complete, it is time to take a peek in at the new faces in new places and assess just how they will fare in terms of fantasy value for the season. We round out our look at the Western Conference by finishing off with the Pacific Division.
Golden State Warriors
The defending NBA champs did what most defending NBA champs do and that is do their best to retain the talent that brought home a title. The biggest piece of that returning puzzle was of course Draymond Green who quickly resigned for another five years with the Warriors. Green really proved his worth to the club during the playoff run as he not only contributed nicely with his scoring and rebounding. However, it was his versatility on defense that earned him his new deal. Look for Golden State to highlight more of Green’s offensive capabilities in the coming season as the team will want to unburden Stephen Curry as the season unfolds.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were uber-aggressive this offseason as evidenced by their all out re-recruitment of DeAndre Jordan. In addition to taking Jordan out from underneath Dallas’ feet, the Clippers signed Cole Aldrich for depth, Paul Pierce for scoring and leadership and Josh Smith just because they could. Of the trio, it is Smith who will probably carry forward the most significant fantasy worth depending largely on Pierce’s minutes load. Smith should have an easier time getting touches this year than last in Houston and so long as he doesn’t settle for jumpers he will once again be a relevant fantasy player.
Phoenix Suns
One of the more interesting signings this spring was certainly that of Tyson Chandler going to Phoenix. Chandler obviously jumped at the chance to play on another four year contract as most teams were likely offering one year or two at most with a club option third. I see a lot of potential in Chandler this season as a quality fantasy option. The offensive schemes in Phoenix seemingly fit Chandler’s skill-set and now that the Morris twins are all but gone from Phoenix there won’t be a lot of competition on the boards for Chandler either. Another double-double type season here is certainly attainable for Chandler here.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers made a bit of a splash in free agency as they acquired Roy Hibbert from Indiana, Brandon Bass from Boston and Louis Williams from Toronto. Hibbert will be looking for a bounce back season; however, until he proves himself in the much tougher Western Conference; but low on him. Williams does have some upside here as he proved himself to be a decent option off the bench for Toronto last season. Now in Los Angeles it remains to be seen if he starts in the backcourt or if he is once again a second-unit type player. In terms of fantasy production seeing him on the second-unit would be much preferred as he would play alongside Kobe Bryant less frequently.
Sacramento Kings
For the Kings, this offseason was all about taking a gamble on the enigmatic Rajon Rondo. Rondo can be the moody temperamental player who just completely checks out mentally and isn’t worth a thing to the player who poses a nightly triple-double threat and gives opposing coaches headaches. I’d like to see Rondo regain his confidence and mental fortitude this season and hopefully pairing him up with friend DeMarcus Cousins goes a long way to making the transformation complete. A healthy and happy Rondo could be a fantasy sleeper pick of epic proportions here as everyone will be looking to buy low on him.