With the NBA off-season underway, and free agency set to heat up now that LeBron James has made his decision, one of the most exciting parts of the season is beginning. Free agency is where championship teams are made, but it is also where teams can be stuck in mediocrity for years. A few bad contracts can leave a team strapped financially for years, handicapping their ability to make roster moves. The free agency period is arguably more important than the draft, and general managers job are either praised or lost during this period. With a star studded free agency class, and some big names on the trade block, there will certainly be some big moves in the future. But for now, let's take a look at some of the best and worst moves of the off-season
Best - LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers
It's pretty safe to say that the Cavaliers have won the off-season so far. Not only did they win the NBA Draft Lottery, but they managed to trade players to create necessary cap room in hopes of signing LeBron James. And then the news broke, LeBron James would return to Cleveland.
After holding free agency and the NBA at a standstill, LeBron finally made his decision. His decision to return to Cleveland just made too much sense. Although he won two championships with the Heat, the Cavs certainly had a brighter future. He now joins an All-Star point guard in Kyrie Irving, this years number one overall draft pick in Andrew Wiggins, and young shooting guard in Dion Waiters, a double double machine in power forward Tristan Thompson, and last year's number one overall draft pick Anthony Bennett. Not only does this team have more overall talent than the Heat, they are also much younger and brimming with potential. LeBron will now have a much younger, and deeper team surrounding him. Finally, this move makes the Cavaliers immediate title favorites.
Worst – Washington Wizards Re-Signing Marcin Gortat
Marcin Gortat is coming off one of the best years of his career and has been very productive in the last four years. The decision by the Washington Wizards to want to resign Gortat is a no brainier, as he was a key piece to the Wizards. However, Gortat is 30 years old, and has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Plus, the contract he signed, a five-year, $60 million, escalates every year. While Gortat's production now is certainly worth the $10 million he will make next year, I question if he will be nearly as productive when he is 35 years old and earning $13.5 million. While this is a good move in the short run, it is very risky for the fact that it could handicap the Wizards in the long term.
Best – Portland Trail Blazers signing Chris Kaman and Steve Blake
The Blazers were one of the NBA's biggest surprises this past season as they emerged as legitimate contenders in the West. The one area that the Blazers really struggled is their bench scoring, as they had one of the least productive benches in the NBA. To address this issue the Blazers went out and made two great signings that bring experience and depth to the team. At 32 years old, Kaman is entering the twilight of his very productive career. In 11 years he old career averages of 11 points and eight rebounds. Kaman will immediately add another option at the center position behind Robin Lopez and be one of the first players off the bench. Plus, his two-year, $10 million contract is very affordable.
In his 11 year career, Steve Blake has played for seven teams. After signing a contract with the Blazers he will be joining them for his third stint with the team. In his 11 year career, Blake has averaged seven points, four assists, and shot 38 percent from behind the arc. Blake will play perfectly into the Blazers style as they love shooting the three ball. Blake will also provide valuable depth at both guards positions.
Worst – Jason Kidd and the Milwaukee Bucks
One of the most bizarre events of this young off-season was the breakdown of the Nets relationship with Jason Kidd and the Bucks way of acquiring him as head coach. It all started when Jason Kidd started seeking a larger role in the Nets organization, as he wanted for control over personnel decisions. The Nets declined his request, but then allowed him to talk with the Bucks about coaching for them. Within a period of a few days Jason Kidd was traded for two second round picks and was signed as the Head coach of the Bucks. All this happened while Larry Drew was employed as the head coach at the time. Drew was promptly fired. While it is still uncertain how good of a coach Kidd is, and how successful he will be, one thing is certain. This was handled very poorly by both the Bucks and Kidd. Not only did Kidd go after a fellow coaches job, he showed little loyalty to a Nets franchise that gave him so much. Plus, Kidd ended up in the same position as he was in Brooklyn. The Nets meanwhile, actively pursued another coach while still employing Larry Drew.
Worst – Sacramento Kings
For the first time in years the Kings franchise seemed to have turned a corner. They had some very talented franchise cornerstones, and the new ownership regime seemed to be aggressive in their efforts to turn around the franchise. But then the front office did something very questionable, something very reminiscent of the old front office. They signed Darren Collison to a 3 year, $16 million contract. While this contract is very reasonable, it raised some serious questions. The primary question was what happens with Isaiah Thomas, the Kings starting point guard. The situation got even worse when Collison accepted the idea based on the fact he was told he would be the starting point guard. The question was answered when the Kings traded Thomas, who was a restricted free agent, to the Phoenix Suns for $7 million in trade considerations and Alex Oriakhi.
While Collison is a solid point guard, he holds career averages of 12 points and five assists. However, he has spent a majority of his career as a reserve and has been unable to hold down a starting gig. Plus, Isaiah Thomas is clearly the better point guard, and he is only continuing to improve as he increased his averages this season to 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. The major knock on Thomas is his size, and his lack of defensive potential. However, Collison is barely six foot, hardly making him much of an upgrade.
To make matters worse, the Kings failed to get anything substantial in return for Thomas. While the $7 million is a nice kicker,there is little else they can take away from this. This trade was especially questionable because the Pistons were apparently very interested in acquiring Thomas in exchange for Josh Smith. This move is certain disappointing for Kings fans, and unless the Kings do something big with the extra money, many people will be very disappointed.