The chaos of the 2019 offseason will shape the NBA for years to come. Think about how much movement we've seen since the Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Zion Williamson to the Pelicans. Kemba Walker to the Celtics. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to the Nets. Jimmy Butler to the Heat. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Clippers. And those are only the big names.
NBA FREE AGENCY 2019: |
With free agencyslowing down and no obvious trades on the horizon cue thetweets from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski! let's run through the major transactions completed by every team this offseason and offer a final grade. (We'll stick with alphabetical orderanda scale of A to F to keep things simple.)
Atlanta Hawks: B+In: Allen Crabbe, Bruno Fernando, Dellin Betances Jersey De'Andre Hunter, Damian Jones, Jabari Parker, Chandler Parsons, Cam Reddish, Evan Turner
Out: Kent Bazemore, Vince Carter, Dewayne Dedmon, Miles Plumlee, Taurean Prince, Omari Spellman
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk knows exactly what he wants to do. He filled in the gaps around Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins by draftingforwards in Hunter and Reddish. He also acquired expiring contracts in deals for Crabbe, Parsons and Turner. Atlanta should have great flexibility next summer withthat moneyoff the books.
Boston Celtics: C-In: Carsen Edwards, Enes Kanter, Kemba Walker, Grant Williams
Out: Aron Baynes, Al Horford, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier
Re-signed: Daniel Theis, Brad Wanamaker
Once Irving was no longer an option, the Celtics turned their attention toward Walker, the Hornets' all-time leading scorer. That's a nice save, but Boston also lost Horford, arguably its most important player, plus Baynes and Morris. That frontcourt rotationis going to be rough for head coach Brad Stevens.
Brooklyn Nets: AIn: Wilson Chandler, NicolasClaxton, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, David Nwaba, TaureanPrince, Garrett Temple
Out: Ed Davis, Jared Dudley, Treveon Graham, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson David Robertson Jersey , Shabazz Napier,D'AngeloRu sell
Previously stuck in NBA purgatory with no a sets, the Nets completed an incredible turnaround by signing both Durant and Irving. That should open a title window once Durant returns, though his recovery from an Achilles injury will be something to monitor. Sure, Brooklyn overpaid Jordan and watched a few key contributors leave for other teams, but the Nets got their stars. This is a huge win for general manager Sean Marks.
Charlotte Hornets: FIn: Terry Rozier, PJ Washington
Out: FrankKaminsky, Jeremy Lamb, Tony Parker, KembaWalker
This didn't go well. The Hornets let the franchise's greatest player walk for nothing when they could have traded him before the last two February deadlines if theyhad no intention of paying him. Lamb, the team's second-leading scorer in 2018-19, took a cheap contract from the Pacers. Charlotte responded to these lo ses by giving Rozier, a career 38.0 percent shooter, nearly $60 million. Youcould be looking at the worst team in the league here.
Chicago Bulls: BIn: Luke Kornet, Tomas Satoransky, Coby White, Thaddeus Young
Out: Robin Lopez, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Greg Bird Jersey Wayne Selden
Re-signed: Ryan Arcidiacono, ShaquilleHarrison
So the Bulls did ... fine? Yes,Chicago had a strongoffseason. The Bulls drafted White to be their point guard of the future, but they also added stability with Satoransky and Young, guys who will contribute on a consistent basis and be positive figures in the locker room.
Cleveland Cavaliers: CIn: Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler
Out: Marquese Chri s, David Nwaba, JR Smith, Nik Stauskas
The Cavs didn't really have the choice to participate in free agency. They took a chance on Garland with Randy Johnson Jersey the No. 5 overall pick, and they traded up to select Porter at the end of the first round. Garland could become a star down the road, but his fit with Collin Sexton is questionable. Cleveland is firmly in the middle of a rebuild, so chasing talent isn't a bad strategy.
Dallas Mavericks: C+In: Seth Curry, Boban Marjanovic, Delon Wright
Out: Trey Burke, Dirk Nowitzki
Re-signed: JJ Barea, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, Kristaps Porzingis
Another summer, another free agency period with no stars heading to Dallas. The Mavs did lock up Porzingis, though, and the pairing of Porzingis and Luka Doncic could be one of the league's best guard-forward combos over the next decade if Porzingis stays healthy. Curry and Wright were nice finds for backcourt depth. (We mi s you, Dirk!)
Denver Nuggets: B-In: Bol Bol, Jerami Grant
Out: Tyler Lydon, Trey Lyles, Isaiah Thomas
Grant should slide in perfectly next to Nikola Jokic, but other than that trade Andy Pettitte Jersey , the Nuggets were content to keep their players together. After Denver finished second in the Western Conference at 54-28, it's hard to argue with that approach.
Detroit Pistons: CIn: Sekou Doumbouya, Tim Frazier, Markieff Morris, Derrick Rose, Tony Snell
Out: Wayne Ellington, Jon Leuer, Zaza Pachulia, Glenn Robinson III, Ish Smith
The Pistons aren't acontender in the Eastern Conference, and they won't bottom out with Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond on the roster. The veterans Detroit signed should allow the Pistons to capture a playoff berth. That's pretty much this team's ceiling, though. Doumbouyais too much of a project to help immediately.
Golden State Warriors: C-In: Alec Burks, Willie Cauley-Stein, Jordan Poole, Glenn Robinson III, D'Angelo Ru sell
Out: Jordan Bell, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala
Re-signed: Kevon Looney, Klay Thompson
Losing Durant ensured the Warriors were never going to receive a top grade. However, Golden State did re-sign Thompson, the top priority once Durant was off the table, and it brought back Looney on a surprisingly cheap deal. Ru sell can be used as a trade a set if he doesn't make sense next toStephen Curry and Thompson. The Warriors are no longer the title favorites, but they didn't completely fail despite Jorge Posada Jersey Durant's departure.
Houston Rockets: CIn: Anthony Bennett, Tyson Chandler, Deyonta Davis, Ru sell Westbrook
Out: NeneHilario, Chris Paul
Re-signed: Gerald Green, Danuel House, Austin Rivers
Evaluating the Rockets' offseason boils down to evaluating the Paul-for-Westbrook trade. There are several questions about how Westbrook and Harden will work together covered in detail as part of soaverage seems fair. (It's acop out, but this is such an odd pairing it's difficult to say what happens until wesee it in action.)
Indiana Pacers: B-In: Goga Bitadze, Malcolm Brogdon, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, TJ McConnell,TJ Warren
Out: Bojan Bogdanovic,
