PAUL GEORGE, WARRIORS HEADLINE BIGGEST 2024 NBA FREE AGENCY WINNERS, LOSERS

When NBA free agency began on Sunday, June 30, the biggest question marks surrounded Paul George and Klay Thompson, two superstar talents that seemed destined to be on the move. George had opted out of his $48.8 million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers after the team was unable to come to an agreement on an extension or sign-and-trade scenario.

Similarly, Thompson and the Golden State Warriors were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract, which ended in the future Hall of Famer leaving the organization he had won four titles with. These two situations directly tie into the biggest winners and losers of NBA free agency thus far.

Whereas George and Thompson reached new deals in free agency, the Clippers and Warriors have been left scratching their heads. Other organizations and players also find themselves as winners and losers in the midst of free agency.

Winner: Paul George

The biggest winner of free agency thus far has to be Paul George, due to the way he has changed the landscape around the NBA. After telling the Clippers that he was leaving, George met with the Philadelphia 76ers and finalized a four-year, $212 million max-level contract. George, who was seeking a long-term deal, is now under contract until he is 38 years old. In the final year of this new contract, the nine-time All-Star will be making roughly $56 million.

Compared to the three-year, $149 million extension Kawhi Leonard got from Los Angeles, a deal that George was seeking, the new 76ers star and his agent struck gold with this deal in Philadelphia.

The 76ers may have got the guy they wanted to pair with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but how much does George have left in the tank pertaining to his All-Star qualities? Let’s put it this way: Does putting George on this past year’s Sixers squad change their outcome against the New York Knicks or Boston Celtics?

These are questions that we will await answers to when the 2024-25 season begins. Until then, George will likely be enjoying quite a few fancy steak dinners this offseason.

Loser: Golden State Warriors

Nobody ever thought that Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, or Klay Thompson would leave the Warriors. Well, here we are waiting to see what Thompson looks like in his new Dallas Mavericks uniform next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

This offseason has not been the greatest for the Warriors, not just because of Thompson’s departure, but also because the organization doesn’t appear to have a sense of direction. The conflict of taking a step back and focusing on the future versus capitalizing on the final years of Curry’s and Green’s careers has not yet been resolved. This is a battle the Warriors’ front office has been fighting ever since Bob Myers left the organization last year.

The Warriors did move under the tax line, yet they lost Thompson, Chris Paul, and the ability to trade for Paul George due to their inability to put together a lucrative trade offer. The only thing that can turn this offseason around for the Warriors and keep them in championship-contending status is if they miraculously pull off a trade for Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. Until then, it’s easy to label this team as one of the losers of free agency.

Winner: Dallas Mavericks

On the opposite side of the spectrum from the Warriors are the Mavericks, who landed Thompson on a new three-year, $50 million contract in a sign-and-trade agreement. Aside from getting Thompson, the Mavs’ front office and general manager, Nico Harrison, have continued to make fantastic moves to surround Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving with win-now talents.

Dallas turned Josh Green into Thompson, and they also turned Tim Hardaway Jr. into Quentin Grimes so far this offseason. Not to mention, Harrison and the Mavs signed Naji Marshall.

The Mavericks should absolutely be considered the favorites in the Western Conference right now after their magical run to the NBA Finals. This is a team built for success, and the addition of Thompson is going to do wonders for their offense.

Winner: Philadelphia 76ers

The four-year, $212 million contract that the Sixers awarded Paul George doesn’t make them winners by any means. Given that they were the only real threat to sign George after he declined the Clippers’ offer, the 76ers may have overpaid for the All-Star. Nonetheless, Philadelphia landed arguably their biggest free agent signing ever to form the Eastern Conference’s latest Big 3: George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey.

The 76ers also added the likes of Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon in free agency, while also retaining Kelly Oubre Jr. The good news for the Sixers is that they are not done yet either.

This team still has close to $9 million in cap space. It is possible that they look to bring back Kyle Lowry and possibly add more experienced veterans to their roster. The Sixers want to win, and they have surely sent a message to the rest of the East with these additions.

Loser: Steve Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers

Steve Ballmer spent an enormous amount of money the last few seasons to field his team of George, Kawhi, and recently James Harden. Los Angeles also gave up draft picks and assets like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to bring in George. Five years after trading for George, he is now no longer on the Clippers’ roster, and the farthest this team made in the playoffs was to the Western Conference Finals.

Oh, and Ballmer has his new $2 billion Intuit Dome opening up in time for the 2024-25 season in Inglewood, California. After George left, it is hard to imagine the Clippers being true title threats with only Leonard and Harden, both of which are like rolling the dice at the craps table.

Although they did add Nic Batum, Kevin Porter Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., Mo Bamba, and Kris Dunn in free agency, the Clippers don’t have much firepower on offense. However, they could realistically be one of the better defensive teams in the league. Ballmer and the Clippers refused to pay the price for George, so now they will pay the price of losing games.

Loser: Denver Nuggets

While it may not seem like a huge loss compared to George or Thompson leaving, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope departing from the Denver Nuggets may just be the most impactful free agency move so far due to their NBA Finals aspirations. Caldwell-Pope has been an integral part of the Nuggets’ success over the last few seasons.

Aside from his three-point shooting, the veteran shooting guard has quietly been one of the more reliable two-way players on the wing.

Worst of all for the Nuggets is that they don’t have any way to replace him. Nikola Jokic is making over $50 million next season, and Jamal Murray is set to agree to a four-year, $209 million extension. Plus, Michael Porter Jr. is making over $35 million, and Aaron Gordon is making close to $23 million next year.

The Nuggets have no money, which is why they are really banking on guys like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and other young players to emerge. Caldwell-Pope heading to the Orlando Magic is really going to test Denver’s depth.

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2024-07-02T23:10:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd