Every offseason, the NBA’s pieces shift and move like a giant, 30-way chessboard until the dust finally settles and we can look forward to real basketball being played again. So far this summer, most of the pieces have been set in place. With only a few key contributors still up in the air, a clear picture has emerged on who won and who lost in free agency so far. Let’s take a look at who the biggest winners and biggest losers are in this year’s NBA free agency.
Winners
San Antonio Spurs
It’s possible that the offseason for the San Antonio Spurs is one of the greatest offseasons in NBA history, for anyone. Not only was the team able to re-sign two potential franchise cornerstones in Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green for the next several years, but they made by far the biggest splash as well: signing LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge was being courted by many teams this offseason, but the appeal of a championship caliber team and a return to his native Texas lured him to the Spurs.
Aldridge now solidifies a monster starting lineup, and the Spurs didn’t have to sacrifice much to get him either. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili re-signed for cheap, and the team traded Thiago Splitter and his big contract to the Hawks to clear room. Not only did they do all of this, but they somehow convinced David West to give up over $10 million (!!!) to sign with them. West proved that he is in it for a championship, and not for the money. If the Spurs play to expectations, he may have his dreams fulfilled. There is no doubt the Spurs are the clear winners in this year’s NBA offseason.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat were also winners in this year’s offseason, and it started in the NBA Draft. The Heat were able to steal Justise Winslow with the 10th pick, and now return Chris Bosh from injury to once again form a formidable starting five. Miami also accomplished it’s biggest goals, which were to re-sign Dwyane Wade on a short-term deal and to re-sign Goran Dragic to a long-term deal. Add in that Luol Deng opted in to the last year in his deal, and the Heat’s starting five can (when healthy) square off with just about anyone in the East. Miami may not have made the biggest splashes, but they quietly re-tooled for next season, while not forfeiting their future in the process. I call that a pretty solid win.
Memphis Grizzlies
Finally, the Grizzlies took a similar route as the Heat by choosing to add complementary pieces to their core. Memphis was able to sign Brandan Wright to a solid deal, and he offers a better backup than they previously had in the fold. Meanwhile, they also snagged Matt Barnes for cheap, and while Barnes may not always have the best reputation around the league, everyone agrees that he is an excellent teammate. Not to mention that he provides much-needed 3-point shooting and defense off the bench, and the Grizzlies quietly upgraded their bench on the wing. Not to be forgotten, they did also re-sign Marc Gasol in a quick, efficient fashion, and ensured that this team will be back at the top.
Losers
Portland Trail Blazers
Perhaps the biggest loser of this year’s offseason was Portland. Going into the offseason, they knew they had several key pieces they had to re-sign to stay in the upper half of the western conference. However, through free agents leaving and trades, they return only Damian Lillard to the starting lineup. Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez all signed elsewhere, while the team traded Nicolas Batum to the Hornets. All told, the Blazers swung and missed, and ended up with Mason Plumlee, overpaying for Al-Farouq Aminu, and Noah Vonleh, who has yet to prove anything in the NBA. Overall, the Trail Blazers missed on every shot they took in free agency. Now they have to rebuild in a tough western conference, a far fall from the championship contenders they once were.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were right there with the Blazers in the swing-and-miss category of free agency. First, they hoped to get a shot at talking to LaMarcus Aldridge, but he cancelled his meeting with them when he found out they wanted him to play center, something he was vehemently against. Then, they missed out on Greg Monroe, who snubbed them for Milwaukee. Monroe was seen as a great fit in the triangle offense, as was David West, who also snubbed them because he wanted to play for a contending team. Ultimately, all of the big name free agents decided that they didn’t want to be in the big apple, and went elsewhere. The Knicks did sign Robin Lopez who should help, but they overpaid for Derrick Williams and Arron Afflalo, who both aren’t great fits in the triangle. The Knicks didn’t accomplish what they set out to, and while that may be beneficial in the future, right now it doesn’t look like a tally in the win column.
Sacramento Kings
Last, and possibly least, are the Sacramento Kings, who had a PR nightmare of an offseason in the first few weeks of free agency. Excluding the issues with head coach George Karl, the front office, and DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings also went for a few very questionable moves in terms of player personnel. They traded away second-year man Nik Stauskas as well as several picks or options to swap picks to basically clear cap space. Then, they went after, and missed on, Wes Matthews, before signing Rajon Rondo to a one-year deal. The consensus is that the team overpaid for him, as no one else was willing to take the risk. They did re-sign Omri Casspi and added Marco Belinelli, who should both provide spacing. However, they somehow managed to mortgage the future and whiff on the big name free agents for the present at the same time. All in all, it was not a pretty start to the summer for the Kings.