NBA FREE AGENCY TRACKER: LIVE UPDATES AND GRADES OF EVERY SIGNING AND TRADE
NBA free agency officially kicks off at 6 p.m. today as teams can begin negotiating with free agents. However, teams could start negotiating with their own free agents as soon as the NBA Finals ended and we've already seen a slew of trades, extensions, re-signings and significant team- and player-option decisions.
We're keeping track of every significant move with analysis and grades, updating them as they come in. Bookmark this page to follow along and stay on top of all the latest rumors here.
Thunder steal Isaiah Hartenstein
Contract: Three years, $87 million
Analysis: This is just an incredible move by the Thunder. They took a key player from a potential Finals opponent, added a fantastic frontcourt rebounder, defender, finisher and connector who fits a big need and will play meaningful minutes. And they shaved one year off the contract he was rumored to be seeking, giving themselves a little bit more flexibility as their waves of up-and-coming young players roll into being extension-eligible. This could turn out to be one of the best moves of the offseason.
Grade: A+++
76ers get Paul George
Contract: Four years, $212 million
Analysis: After all the wrangling and rumors, it went the way we expected — Paul George got the money he wanted but had to move to the 76ers to get it. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George are a championship-worthy core but their depth may still be lacking compared to the Celtics and Knicks. They still have some work to do over the next few days but a big piece just slid into place.
Grade: A-
Mavericks add two-way wing Naji Marshall
Contract: Three years, $27 million
Analysis: The Mavs add a capable veteran 3-and-D wing in Marshall, who could be a member of the starting five in Dallas. Assuming this transaction foreshadows the departure of Derrick Jones Jr., the former Pelican will be thrust into a decent-sized role instantly. He has shown he can handle an uptick in usage when given the chance as a reliable plug-and-play option. After shooting a career-high 38.7 percent from beyond the arc (and 39.6 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts), he should flourish alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. However, they are penalized for presumably losing one of the unsung heroes from their run to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Grade: A-
Clippers replace Paul George with Derrick Jones Jr.
Contract: Three years, $30 million
Analysis: After announcing Paul George's intention to depart, the Clippers turned around and signed the player who locked him down in the playoffs. Derrick Jones Jr. defended 171 possessions in the first-round matchup between LA and Dallas, holding George to just 10 made baskets, per Joey Linn of FanNation. He could work at the three or four, giving Ty Lue some flexibility along with a huge amount of athleticism on the defensive end. Getting Jones Jr. for less than the full mid-level helps as well.
Grade: A
Suns reinforce frontcourt with Mason Plumlee
Contract: One year, value TBD
Analysis: Given the Suns' financial restrictions as a team over the second apron, filling out and upgrading the roster is daunting. So, they must improvise and add cheap ring-chasing veterans like Plumlee. While the big man may not be the nightly double-double threat he once was, he can still be a functional frontcourt depth piece. He immediately slots in as the backup five behind Jusuf Nurkic. Nonetheless, this highlights how brutal of a position Phoenix is in, facing an uphill battle to surround Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with talent.
Grade: B-
Wizards add Jonas Valanciunas to mentor Alex Sarr
Contract: Three years, $30 million
Analysis: Signing Valanciunas on a multi-year deal is baffling for a Wizards franchise undergoing a complete overhaul. Will he be able to share the floor with rookie Alex Sarr? Washington invested the No. 2 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft in their presumed long-term center via the latter. Now, they have acquired a big man who could hinder his development. Albeit productive, the 32-year-old profiles as a traditional five, making him a situational liability. He virtually got played out of the rotation in New Orleans this season because of his lack of positional versatility. What is happening in D.C.?
Grade: D
76ers sign sharpshooter Eric Gordon
Contract: One year, $3.3 million
Analysis: With a ridiculous amount of cap space, seeing the Sixers make lower-level moves first makes it feel like they anticipate an All-Star to follow suit. Regardless, Gordon is a solid addition as a veteran combo guard and certified three-point marksman. You can never have too much shooting, especially around a big man who commands defensive attention in the paint, such as Embiid. A career 15-plus points per game scorer, the 35-year-old still has gas in the tank as he enters his 17th season as a pro. Additionally, he provides Philly with a secondary ball-handler playmaker to alleviate some of the burden from Tyrese Maxey.
Grade: B+
Spurs pair Victor Wembanyama with The Point God
Contract: One-year, $11 million
Analysis: A true lead guard made all the difference for 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama when the Spurs gave up on the Point Sochan experience. Now, instead of Tre Jones (who performed admirably), the unanimous Rookie of the Year has arguably the ultimate floor general in Paul. The connection between the future Hall of Famer and the 2023 No. 1 selection in the game will be a mind-melding bond. Moreover, the former's presence will have a massively positive impact on how the latter develops. A young Spurs team deprived of guidance and leadership addresses the need in perhaps the best way possible.
Grade: A
Kings retain veteran big man Alex Len
Contract: One year, $3.3 million
Analysis: The Kings cleared cap space on Thursday by sending Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and the No. 45 to Toronto for Jalen McDaniels. Sacramento maneuvered its way below the luxury tax and created a roster spot with the trade. So, it would have been nice to see the Kings put more effort into upgrading their backup center spot. Instead, they bring back Len on a one-year pact, setting themselves up to be in the same position next summer -- needing a reserve big man.
Grade: C-
Neemias Queta re-ups with the Celtics
Contract: Multi-year deal, value TBD
Analysis: Queta is merely a depth option for Boston, though he proved to be an efficient one at that. He shot 64.4 percent on 3.7 average attempts while corralling 4.4 boards in 11.9 minutes per contest. Like Kornet, he may have to handle additional responsibility while Porzingis recovers from his surgical operation. Turning 25 in a couple of weeks, the Celtics have the 7-footer under a team-controlled deal at a presumably cost-friendly price for multiple years.
Grade: B
Magic address shooting woes by prying Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Denver
Contract: Three years, $66 million
Analysis: Orlando makes a much-needed effort to add three-point shooting to its roster by signing Caldwell-Pope. In Denver, he established himself as one of the premier 3-and-D wings in basketball. He has shot above 40 percent on roughly four nightly attempts from beyond the arc in back-to-back seasons. KCP isone of twoplayers who have been that efficient from long distance while averaging at least one steal per game during that span. Only Clippers star Kawhi Leonard shares that honor with him. Moreover, Celtics two-way guard Jrue Holiday joins him as the lone individual to win multiple championships since 2020. A proven winner who addresses a need at a cost-friendly price, the Magic nailed this one.
Grade: A
Kevin Porter Jr. makes NBA return after one-year hiatus
Contract: Two years, value TBD
Analysis: After spending six weeks playing in Greece, Porter returns to the NBA. While the combo guard went overseas because of character and legal issues, his talent was never in question. Last we saw him in the Association, he averaged 19-5-5 for the Houston Rockets while shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. Optics aside, this is a low-risk move with considerably high upside for a Clippers team potentially needing additional scoring if/when George walks.
Grade: A
Andre Drummond returns for second stint with 76ers
Contract: Two years, $10-plus million
Analysis: One of the most distinguished rebounders in league history, Drummond returns to Philly after spending 49 games with the Sixers in 2021-22. Still cleaning the glass remarkably, the veteran big man led the league in boards per-36 minutes -- by a wide margin (18.9). He will be an effective understudy to Joel Embiid, presumably sliding Paul Reed to the four.
Grade: A-
Celtics bring back fan favorite Luke Kornet
Contract: One year, value TBD
Analysis: Despite the limited role off the bench, Kornet has become a beloved player in Boston. He will remain with the Celtics for at least one more season as the team tries to run it back. With Kristaps Porzingis anticipated to miss "five-to-six months" after having offseason surgery, the veteran big man may have to handle a more sizable workload. At 7-foot-2, he can protect the rim (and even stretch the floor a bit) similarly to the Latvian, albeit to a significantly lesser degree.
Grade: B+
All Miami needs is (Kevin) Love
Contract: Two years, $8 million
Analysis: A trusted floor-stretching veteran big man who screams Heat culture, securing Love's place in South Beach at this cost is a win. While he continues seeing his role diminish as he enters the twilight years of his career, the 36-year-old can provide meaningful minutes when called upon. Even if he may not be as impactful as he once was at his peak, it is hard to fault Miami for this move.
Grade: A-
Clippers convince James Harden to stay with bloated short-term pact
Contract: Two years, $70 million
Analysis: $35 million annually is a lot to pay for the current version of Harden. But what other choice did the Clippers have? Considering Paul George seemingly has one foot out the door, retaining the former league MVP was the only option for Lawrence Frank and company. Nonetheless, the two-year deal makes the bloated salary easier to swallow.
Grade: B+
Obi Toppin re-ups with the Pacers
Contract: Four years, $60 million
Analysis: The Pascal Siakam trade tore a hole through Obi Toppin's role, but this is tremendous value for the high-flying power forward. At 26, Toppin put together the best numbers of his career with Indiana. It's the perfect offensive ecosystem for him, always running the floor with Tyrese Haliburton (or T.J. McConnell) and a collection of high-volume shooters. Toppin was supremely efficient both at the rim and behind the 3-point line last season. He's still limited in certain matchups defensively, but the complementary scoring is more than worth this price. This deal will age like a fine wine as the salary cap continues to balloon.
Grade: A
Lakers re-sign 2022 draft pick Max Christie
Contract: Four years, $32 million
Analysis: While Christie hasn't been part of the Lakers' immediate rotational plans, he offers long-term intrigue as a floor spacer and defender. Entering his age-21 campaign, the former Michigan State Spartan has converted 37.8 percent of his three-pointers. At 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, he has the size and quickness to guard multiple positions.
Grade: B+
Pre-NBA Free Agency trades and extensions:
Hawks make the first move, trading Dejounte Murray
Hawks get: Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., two first-round picks
Pelicans get: Dejounte Murray
Analysis: The big question for the Hawks is whether this was the first move in a full rebuild or whether they're now trying to reload around Trae Young. If this is a reload, it's less attractive. Daniels is solid, young and has a lot of upside and a core of him Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Onkongwu and Zaccharie Risacher has a lot of appeal. If they're keeping Young, this is basically treading water. For the Pelicans, this a great value for a player who fills a huge need. With a potential Brandon Ingram trade coming next they have the chance to really remake this roster around Murray, Zion Williamson, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
Hawks Grade: C+
Pelicans Grade: B+
Suns keep Bol Bol
Contract: One year, $2.9 million
Analysis: This is an inexpensive deal for a player with upside. But he's not a huge help to the Suns at his current level of development, as indicated by how rarely they used him last season. And if they're not going to trust him to play bigger minutes and give him the developmental reps he needs, then what's the point?
Grade: C
DeAndre Jordan is back Denver
Contract: One year, $3.3 million
Analysis: The Nuggets clearly value Jordan as a veteran presence and locker-room leader but will probably be much better off in both the near- and long-term if any minutes he would play are actually going to rookie big man DaRon Holmes II.
Grade: C
Suns bring back Royce O'Neale
Contract: Four years, $44 million
Analysis: This is a great deal for O'Neale, in both dollars and job security, for a 31-year-old wing. But the Suns desperately need capable depth, his 3-and-D skillset was useful last season and it's worth committing to paying for a deal that doesn't look great by the end for a chance to keep the championship window open now.
Grade: B
Bulls win with Patrick Willams
Contract: Five years, $90 million
Analysis: Williams hasn't developed into the borderline star the Bulls were hoping for but he's become a very good two-way player, with the ability to defend multiple positions and hit better than 40 percent of his 3s, even if he's a low-volume shooter. Williams is still just 22 and this is a very reasonable price for a valuable role player who still has a lot of upside if he can stay healthy.
Grade: A
Raptors lock up Immanuel Quickley
Contract: Five years, $175 million
Analysis: This is a lot of money and a lot of years for a guard who may be just good, rather than great. But Quickley is a strong fit next to Scottie Barnes and he carried his per-minute production over from the Raptors to the Knicks.
Grade: A
Nic Claxton is a part of the Nets long-term plans
Contract: Four years, $100 million
Analysis: In terms of pure value, this is a great deal for the Nets, just over $25 million per year for a player who received Defensive Player of the Year votes last season and can absolutely be a defensive anchor if he stays healthy. However, they also just traded Mikal Bridges and seem like they might be headed for a reset. It's not hard to imagine the Nets being one of the worst teams in the league over the life of his contract and potentially needing to pay Claxton quite a bit more when they actually need him as the foundation of a playoff contender.
Grade: B+
Trail Blazers pay a stiff price for Deni Avdija
Trail Blazers get: Deni Avdija
Wizards get: Malcolm Brogdon, No. 14 pick, 2029 first-rounder, two second-round picks
Analysis: Avdija is a very interesting two-way player and could be a huge asset for the Blazers, especially if it frees them up to trade Jerami Grant. But they paid a big price — the No. 14 pick turned into Bub Carrington, they added three additional picks and the Wizards could likely flip Brogdon for another pick as well. That's essentially three first-rounders and two second-rounders for Avdija. Great job by the Wizards, maybe an overpay for Portland.
Trail Blazers Grade: B-
Wizards Grade: A
Miami Heat make big commitment to Bam Adebayo
Contract: Three years, $163 million
Analysis: Adebayo's extension came early and won't kick in until 2025-26. As SI pointed out, signing this early forgoes a chance for him to earn a $350 million max extension if he earns Defensive Player of the Year or All-NBA team next season. Getting him early and at what could turn out to be a big discount is a nice win for the Heat.
Grade: A-
OG Anunoby commits to the Knicks
Contract: Five years, $215 million
Analysis: This is an all-in push by the Knicks to open their championship window over the next season or two. It's a lot of money to commit to someone who is still a high-level role player but Anunoby was transformative when he was on the court for the Knicks and continuity and vibes are clearly a big part of the equation for New York. This is a gamble but it may be the safest gamble the Knicks have taken in a long time.
Grade: A-
Knicks go all in on Mikal Bridges
Knicks get: Mikal Bridges
Nets get: Five first-round picks, a pick swap, one second-round pick, Bojan Bogdanovic
Analysis: The Knicks did a tremendous jobs turning their draft pick capital into a player who perfectly fits their needs, has present value and upside and is thrilled to be a part of what they are building. Bridges makes the Knicks a legit challenger to the Celtics and arguably the second-best team in the East. The Nets didn't get any young players in the deal but did about as well as they could have in returning future draft value for Bridges.
Knicks Grade: A+
Nets Grade: A-
Raptors offer Scottie Barnes massive extension
Contract: Five years, $270 million
Analysis: This is a monster extension for Barnes but he's clearly a player on the rise. He won Rookie of the Year and after a slightly disappointing second season made huge strides as a shooter last season, addressing his biggest weakness. The Raptors clearly intend to build around him and weren't going to accomplish anything by negotiating hard to try and save a few bucks. The next challenge is on them to build a competitive roster around him and help make sure they get as much as possible out of their investment.
Grade: B+
Thunder steal Alex Caruso
Thunder get: Alex Caruso
Bulls get: Josh Giddey
Analysis: This is an unbelievable win for the Thunder. They now have an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt with so much offensive and defensive versatility. Caruso is much better than Giddey now and fits their needs much better and it's more than worth giving up any future value in the part of Giddey's potential. For the Bulls, Giddey is an interesting piece but after rebuffing trade offers for Caruso for the past two years who have a good idea of just how better a deal they could have gotten if they hadn't waited this long to trade him.
Thunder Grade: A+
Bulls Grade: D
Malik Monk stays with the Sacramento Kings
Contract: Four years, $78 million
Analysis: This is great value for the Kings. The Sixth Man of the Year is one of the league's most electric bench scorers and could comfortably slide into a starting role if the Kings move Kevin Huerter and don't return a long-term replacement in the deal. It feels like Monk has been around forever but he's still just 26 and this deal will cover the prime of a player who still has upside.
Grade: A
Pascal Siakam is staying with the Pacers
Contract: Four years, $189 million
Analysis: Siakam made the Pacers a different team after he came over in a midseason trade and this is a clear sign that both Siakam and the Pacers are happy about their mutual direction. He's a perfect second-fiddle to Tyrese Haliburton and gives Indiana a level of shot-making and matchup-busting they didn't previously have. Attracting new free agents has historically been tough for Indiana so there's no shame in paying up for a great one who wants to stay.
Grade: A
This article was originally published on fansided.com as NBA Free Agency Tracker: Live updates and grades of every signing and trade.
2024-06-30T13:32:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd