This summer boasted one of the most star-studded free agent lineups in NBA history. The class features eight 2019 All-Stars and four 2019 All-NBA selections hitting unrestricted free agency. That’s not to mention DeMarcus Cousins who made the 2018 All-Star team, Jimmy Butler who made the 2018 All-NBA team, and Al Horford who made the 2018 All-Defensive team. This free agent class was absolutely loaded.
We made predictions on the landing spots for 12 big-name free agents leading up the start of free agency on June 30. Here’s a quick review of what we got right and what we got wrong:
What We Got Right
Kawhi Leonard ⇒ L.A. Clippers
Kevin Durant ⇒ Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving ⇒ Brooklyn Nets
Kemba Walker ⇒ Boston Celtics
Jimmy Butler ⇒ Sign & Trade to Miami Heat
Nikola Vucevic resigns with Orlando Magic
Tobias Harris resigns with Philadelphia 76ers
Khris Middleton resigns with Milwaukee Bucks
Klay Thompson resigns with Golden State Warriors
What We Got Wrong
Al Horford to Dallas Mavericks or L.A. Clippers ⇒ Horford signed with Philadelphia
D’Angelo Russell to L.A. Lakers ⇒ Sign & Trade to Golden State
DeMarcus Cousins to L.A. Clipper ⇒ Cousins signed with the L.A. Lakers
Horford to Philadelphia was unexpected, but the Russell move sent shockwaves of surprise around the league; it indicates a seismic shift in Golden State's veteran core. Russell will slide in at shooting guard to replace the injured Klay Thompson, but the collateral damage of the Russell addition was a trade of Warriors cornerstone Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies to clear sufficient cap space.
Biggest Winners
The common theme in free agency this year was DEPTH. The majority of the teams out of the bidding for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Kemba Walker prioritized quality depth over star power. Toronto laid the blueprint this past year by showing that a team stacked from top to bottom with high-quality contributors (and Kawhi Leonard) could beat top-heavy All-Star laden teams such as Philadelphia and Golden State. This year served as a stark reminder that DEPTH MATTERS. That seems evident in the way a number of teams doubled down at positions of strength and prioritized high-end role players on the first few days of free agency. Here are a few teams whose first week of free agency stood out:rooklyn
L.A. Clippers - The Clippers landed the prize of NBA free agency in Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Leonard choosing the Clippers over the Lakers and Raptors surprised many (not us), but the shocker was a clandestine trade to land All-NBA forward Paul George in exchange for FOUR unprotected first round picks, two first round pick swaps, a protected first round pick, Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Clippers desperately need to add bigs (they have one PF and ZERO centers on the roster), but their wing and backcourt depth is arguably the best in the entire league.
Brooklyn Nets - The Nets are undisputed winners of the NBA offseason. They added three All-NBA caliber players (De’Andre Jordan, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving) and greatly improved their depth while keeping their young core in tact. New Jersey’s potential rotation:
C - De’Andre Jordan
F - Kevin Durant (should he miraculously return late next year)
F - Joe Harris
SG - Caris Levert
PG - Kyrie Irving
Bench PG - Spencer Dinwiddie
Bench Big - Jarrett Allen
Bench Wing - Taurean Prince
Bench Wing - Garrett Temple
If and when Durant returns, the Nets will boast one of the deepest lineups in the entire league.
Philadelphia 76ers - The 76ers made the right choice in prioritizing Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler. While Butler is undoubtedly the better player, Harris arguably provides the better long-term fit. His high-level, efficient off-the-ball scoring spaces the floor perfectly for the drive-and-kick game of Ben Simmons. The 76ers also managed flip Jimmy Butler for a very, very good three-and-D wing in 25-year old Josh Richardson. A lineup of Embiid/Horford/Harris/Richardson/Simmons is arguably the best starting five in the NBA and likely the most potent defensive lineup in the league as well.
Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks retained impact starters Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton and super-sub George Hill, but bowed out of the Malcolm Brogdon sweepstakes, replacing him with Wesley Matthews. They also added Robin Lopez as a backup center. The Bucks' famous "Bench Mob" may be even better this year. The Bucks are clearly in “win-now” mode, trying to squeeze as much as possible out of their current squad before the pending supermax contract for Giannis Antetokounmpo saps most of their financial flexibility. Their roster may even top Brooklyn as perhaps the deepest in the entire league:
C - Brook Lopez
F - Giannis Antetokounmpo
F - Ersan Ilyasova
SG - Khris Middleton
PG - Eric Bledsoe
Bench PG - George Hill
Bench Big - Robin Lopez
Bench Big - D.J. Wilson
Bench Wing - Wesley Matthews
Bench Wing - Pat Connaugton
Utah Jazz - The signing of Bojan Bogdanovic provides much-needed wing depth and high-level shooting, and the additions Ed Davis and Jeff Green provide cheap, but quality frontcourt replacements for Derrick Favors. Those three and the addition of Mike Conley and Emmanuel Mudiay make the Jazz arguably the deepest roster in the Western Conference.
C - Rudy Gobert
F - Bojan Bogdanovic
F - Jeff Green
SG - Donovan Mitchell
PG - Mike Conley
Bench PG - Emmanuel Mudiay
Bench Big - Ed Davis
Bench Wing - Joe Ingles
Bench Wing - Dante Exum
Sacramento Kings - Harrison Barnes, Dewayne Dedmon, Trevor Ariza, and Cory Joseph provide high-quality veteran depth to go with the young core of De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III, and Buddy Hield. The Kings have a talented and balanced roster with enough depth, youth, and shooting to complete their climb back into the Western Conference playoffs.
Biggest Losers:
New York Knicks - The Knicks traded away 24-year old All-star Kristaps Porzingis to create cap space, tanked in hopes of securing the No.1 overall pick for Zion Williamson, and instead ended up with NO max superstar and NO Zion Williamson.
That said, a closer look at the Knicks' transactions show that the seemingly redundant signings of Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, and Julius Randle -- all of whom play the same position -- may not be as crazy at they appear on the surface. Both Portis and Gibson signed two-year deals for reasonable money ($20 million overall for Gibson, $30 million overall for Portis) making their contracts EXTREMELY tradeable. While Randle's age and talent seemingly make him a long-term building block, Portis and Gibson are veterans on short, team-friendly deals that make great trade bait for a contender looking to improve their frontcourt depth.
The same can be said in the backcourt after the curious signing of Elfrid Payton -- ANOTHER young point guard who can't shoot -- to team with Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith, Jr. The Knicks don't need three young point guards, none of whom shoot well, and all of whom make less than $8 milllion. Mark this down -- out of the six players just mentioned, AT LEAST two will be traded before the end of the 2019-20 season and hopefully bring back valuable assets the Knicks can use to continue building.
Who's Left?
Here's a look at some notable veterans still looking to find a home: (As of 3 PM, 7/6/19)
Iman Shumpert, SG
Jabari Parker, SF
Kelly Oubre, Jr., SF
JaMychal Green, PF
Marcus Morris, F
Nene Hilario, C
Vince Carter, F
Greg Monroe, C
Ivica Zubac, C
Joakim Noah, C
Andrew Bogut, C
Tyson Chandler, C
Jamal Crawford, SG
Way Too Early Power Rankings:
These are obviously subject to change as teams continue to fill out their rosters.
L.A. Lakers - The addition of DeMarcus Cousins gives the super-duo of LeBron James them a slight edge over the Clippers, who still need frontcourt help.
L.A. Clippers - The Clippers boast a more well-rounded roster than the Lakers with more shooting and better wing depth, but they MUST find some quality bigs to pair with Leonard and George; they don't currently have a center on their roster.
Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks retained most of the core from their 60-win team and still managed to improve their already impressive depth by adding Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez.
Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets bring back their entire roster while "adding" injured 2018 lottery pick Michael Porter, Jr. Their depth and shooting gives them a real shot at competing with both L.A. teams.
Utah Jazz - They Jazz have the most depth of any team in the Western Conference and have added more shooting to their elite defense.
Philadelphia 76ers - The addition of Al Horford and Josh Richardson give the Sixers elite defensive talent, but they still need more outside shooting.
Houston Rockets - The Rockets are running it back with the same roster and should remain a threat as long as Chris Paul can remain relatively healthy next season.
Boston Celtics - The Celtics swapped All-NBA point guards, but the loss of Al Horford hurts on both ends of the floor.
Golden State Warriors - The addition of De'Angelo Russell adds youth and scoring to help bridge the gap until Klay Thompson returns. The Warriors still need more bench scoring, but if Klay Thompson returns healthy, the Warriors could still be a factor in the playoffs.
New Jersey Nets - The Nets have ridiculous depth and now the added star power of DeAndre Jordan and Kyrie Irving with their young nucleus.
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