My Thoughts From Day 2 of NBA Free Agency; Bulls and Lakers Make Big Moves!
While Day 1 of NBA Free Agency was crazy, Day 2 hasn’t exactly been relaxing. Some teams have been scooping players and a lot of solid pole players have been taken off the board. Today I will just be going over the major moves and giving my thoughts.
Bulls Receive: DeMar DeRozan
Spurs Receive: Thaddeous Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2025 FRP, Two 2nd Round Picks
Bulls: I love the Bulls so much. They understand they aren’t trying to rebuild anymore, it’s time to win. If there move for Nikola Vucevic at the deadline wasn’t an indicator, where they sent away two future first round picks, they are serious. This free agency has reinforced that ideology and they have been excellent.
They gave up nothing to get Lonzo Ball, who fits very well with Lavine and Vucevic. Alex Caruso can play defense and shoot, a solid backup. Now they give up two expiring contracts for DeMar DeRozan. They do give up a first round pick, but Chicago seems to be past that at this point, it’s time to win.
Now, the DeRozan fit is interesting. I think that DeRozan is solid, but how will he and Lavine work out? It’s interesting to think about. But DeRozan has improved greatly as a passer, so he’s a solid secondary creator out of the post. A very good mid-range shooter, DeRozan shouldn’t struggle.
Now, I do imagine that the Bulls will struggle somewhat next season, just because they have to many new faces to balance. Losing Thaddeous Young does hurt, but I think it was necessary. Now, the Bulls have to decide what they want to do with Coby White/Markkanen. I doubt Markkanen comes back in free agency, but with the additions of Ball and Caruso, I think White is on his way out.
But I think Chicago has had the best free agency, by a mile. They are certainly just as good as teams like Indiana, Boston, and Charlotte as of night now. This team could easily be a 4-6 seed in the East with this new core. The Bulls are going all-in and they’re making sure they’re not doing it halfway. This has been a really aggressive free agency for the Bulls.
Grade: Aggressive
Spurs: The Spurs have had a weird free agency. Signing Doug McDermott for 3 years? Giving Zach Collins 3 years? Now this? Aminu and Young are expiring deals, entering the last year of their deal’s next season. Getting a first round pick is nice, but the Spurs have been weird. Drafting Joshua Primo as well? Losing Mills and Rudy Gay?
The Spurs still don’t have an identity and they just went weird this free agency. Knowing the Spurs, they will still be better than expected, but they should just blow it up. I think it’s time to abandon ship. The problem is, I don’t think Popovich will stay around for a full rebuilding. Maybe him retiring would help the Spurs more than you would think.
Grade: Weird
Rob Pelinka For MVP – Lakers Add A LOT of Depth
The Lakers were one of my biggest losers in the NBA draft, because the Russell Westbrook trade was awful. Over the past 5 seasons, Westbrook and AD have been the two worst volume shooters in the NBA. So Rob Pelinka has really worked his magic to get a competent bench around his non-shooting trio. This one day in free agency makes the Lakers a lot more comparable to the Nets, in my opinion.
- Kendrick Nunn, 2yr/$10 million dollar deal. Nunn turned down more money from other teams like the Knicks to win. Talented offensive player, helps the Lakers cause.
- Talen Horton Tucker, 3yr/$32 million dollar deal. Tucker is an offensive player, but he’s only 20 and with Caruso out of the way, he’ll (likely) have a much larger role.
- Wayne Ellington, Bazemore, and Ariza were all signed to one year deals yesterday. All can shoot well.
- Carmelo Anthony, one year deal. With my Blazers, Carmelo was asked to do too much and his defensive problems were highlighted. But now with a much deeper LA team, all he has to do is shoot 40% from 3 again and not take bad shots. Not too hard to do.
- Malik Monk, one year deal. What the heck, dude. Malik Monk is out here struggling for a contract? Unless he turned down money from somebody else, I am shocked he didn’t get a bigger deal. Not surprising he left Charlotte, they just drafted his replacement in Bouknight. But this is such a steal, he’s an absolute flame thrower off the bench.
- Dwight Howard, one year deal. Howard and the Lakers were perfect together in 2020 and after one season apart, they’re back together. The Lakers finally get a good backup center who can give AD some rest. They desperately missed his services last year, he fits in very well.
So, yeah, the Lakers changed a bit. Westbrook is still a liability and AD isn’t always healthy, but this bench is filled with a lot of role players. Sure, most of these guys can’t really play defense, but they can shoot and that is very helpful for LA. The Lakers should be the favorite to win the West barring any injuries, because this might be their best supporting cast since Lebron joined the team.
#RobPelinkaForMVP
The Blazers Are Running Things Back; Is That A Good Thing?
Keep in mind, this in from the perspective of a Blazers fan. Since our season ended, I have wanted to trade CJ McCollum for somebody like Harrison Barnes or even Ben Simmons. I just didn’t think that CJ fit in well. I wanted to re-sign Norman Powell and trade CJ for a better wing. While that is still a possibility, I like what Portland has done this offseason and I have warmed up to the idea of running things back.
Re-Signing Norman Powell was key, because if they did leave, we would have traded Gary Trent Jr. away for nothing. The contract, 5yrs/$90 million, is solid. Portland apparently really wanted him, doing things like this for him after they traded for him in March;
They bought him a house, filled his fridge with his favorite drinks and snacks, and even got him the right bed to sleep on.
So, they really wanted him back and I am very happy that he is back. But the Blazers were really good with Powell, but it’s just that the help wasn’t behind the starting unit.
Last season, the Blazers played 745 possessions with Dame, CJ, Powell, Covington, and Nurkic. That starting 5 had a net rating of +13.3. The only starting 5’s better than that was that of the Nets, 76ers, and Clippers. So the starting unit wasn’t the problem. As much as Blazers fan want Nurkic gone, he wasn’t the problem.
The problem was more with coaching and apparently Chauncey Billups is good, so I’ll give him a chance. But Scott Brooks as an assistant? God help us all. But the bench has also improved.
Ben McLemore is a good shooter, Cody Zeller is a very good backup, and Tony Snell is the GOAT. What more can you ask for? Anfernee Simons is already solid and maybe Nassir Little or Greg Brown gets some minutes, who knows.
But I think that if we don’t trade CJ, it’s not the absolute worst thing in the world. Our starting 5 was excellent last year and we added some nice role players. Chauncey Billups should be an upgrade over Stotts, maybe this is the year Portland doesn’t disappoint everybody and lose in the first round.
Breaking News: The Nets Are Still Good At Basketball
The Nets were going to have a tough offseason, trying to maneuver cap limitations and build a real team outside of their Big 3. Joe Harris was their only role player that they have locked up, everybody else was up in the air. They traded away Shamet and lost Jeff Green to Denver. But the replacements are far from bad.
Bruce Brown came back on the qualifying offer for one season, so he’s a UFA next summer. I did expect him to get an offer somebody and maybe he did, but he was excellent for the Nets last year and should be just as good this season.
Blake Griffin is back and that’s big, they really needed him to start at center. He was also surprisingly good for them last year and he’s one of their only good interior presences.
They drafted pure scorer Cameron Thomas and center Day’Ron Sharpe in the last first round. Interesting to see if they pan out at all. Oh, and they also got Jevon Carter, if that means anything to you.
Patty “Olympic” Mills signed a two year deal. He’s a god in the Olympics, so if he can offer some more shooting, just in case Joe Harris goes MIA again, it’s worth it. His first name is also great.
So the Nets brought back Brown and Griffin, hopefully added some talent in the draft, and got the greatest Olympics player ever. James Johnson is just there, I guess. Not a bad offseason for Sean Marks and company.
(and if everything fails, you have the most talented offensive trio, maybe ever. It’s certainly up there).
“Thrust The Process” Is Stuck In Reverse
This offseason could have been big for the 76ers. Ben Simmons not shooting that layup in Game 7 should have sealed in fate in Philly, but they have yet to make a move and apparently they’re “fine” with him staying, which is just depressing. Then, they really haven’t anybody and they remain the same, flawed team from last year.
First, let’s talk about the Ben Simmons saga. Ben Simmons needs a fresh start, because him and Embiid can’t coexist, they just contract each other in the worst way possible. If Daryl Morey hasn’t figured that out yet, I don’t really know what to say.
Simmons has to go, but it seems like the 76ers want too much. There was a report that from the Raptors, they wanted OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry via sign and trade, and the 4th pick. As Stephen A. Smith would put it, “Stay off the WEEEEEED.”
Are you seriously expecting that for Simmons, a liability in the playoffs? Anunoby is an elite young defensive forward. VanVleet is very good and Lowry was one of the most sought out free agents this summer, before eventually signing with Miami. Then on top of all of that, you get a top-4 pick? Is that what Philly is expecting for Ben Simmons? Well in that case, he’s staying for the foreseeable future, because nobody is giving up that much for Ben Simmons.
Here is what Messiah Ujiri’s reaction to that proposed trade should have been;
So I think that Ben Simmons returning to Philly for at least the 2021-22 season is likely. No matter how many times he calls Instagram commenters a nutty ass professor (he actually did that), it looks like he’s staying. That’s of course bad for Philly but this free agency has been bad for them.
I liked that that signed Furkan Korkmaz for pretty cheap, but losing Dwight Howard? He was the best backup center the 76ers have ever given Joel Embiid. The next best thing was Amir Johnson, who was checking his phone in the middle of a playoff game. So now the 76ers don’t have a backup center. Don’t worry, they “solved” that problem.
Andre Drummond. Andre. Drummond.
If I need to say anything to why this won’t work, here are some facts for you.
The Lakers defensive rating was 3.5 points better when Drummond was off the floor. The Lakers offense was also 1.2 points better with Drummond off the floor.
But the good thing is, he gets along well with Joel Embiid. Yeah, about that….
On October 24th, 2017, Joel Embiid said that Drummond doesn’t play any defense. Drummond replied to this by saying, “See you Dec 2nd.” On December 2nd, 2017, Embiid had a double-double and got the win.
On November 3rd, 2018, Embiid tallied 39 points and 17 rebounds on 69% TS (nice). Andre Drummond on the other hand? 8 points and 9 rebounds. Safe to say Embiid holds the head-to-head advantage.
This tweet after that game sums things up perfectly.
Now these two are teammates. One is the 2nd best center league and was an MVP candidate last year who is also not afraid to speak his mind. The other is a allergic to defense, Kareem wannabe, who doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with Embiid. And now they have to try and work together. What could go wrong?
With most of the best role players also off the board, not only did the 76ers not get rid of Simmons, they’re the same team with a worse backup center. They didn’t put themselves into the same tier as the Nets/Bucks, as they’re going backwards. Thrust the Process is stuck in reverse.
The Defending Champs Got Worse, Already
Usually after a team wins a championship, they stay the same team with maybe 1-2 minor changes. But usually, their core 8-9 guys stay the same. Yeah, somebody forgot to tell that to the Bucks as they got considerably worse this offseason. They brought beloved Bobby Portis back, but their unsung defensive hero is gone.
We are of course talking about PJ Tucker. The man with a house on his shoes is now gone, headed to South Beach. If reports are correct, the Bucks offered him 2yrs/$20 million. Tucker signed for 2yrs/$15 million with Miami, a shocking move that leaves the Bucks a little lost.
Tucker was the only reason Kevin Durant was somewhat slowed down in the 2nd round and his defense was awesome in the playoffs. Now they lose a championship starter and they’re kind of lost. Donte DiVincenzo is coming back next year from injury, but he likely would have been relegated to the bench with how good the Bucks were with Tucker starting.
Now the Bucks lose their defensive mastermind. Rodney Hood was signed, but since his Achilles injury in December of 2019 has left him a shell of his former self. Maybe he can bring it back together, but he’s certainly not the defensive guy that Tucker was.
George Hill is returning, which is solid, but losing Tucker will hurt the Bucks a lot in the playoffs. They are still a championship team, but that loss really hurts, especially because he went to the rival Miami Heat, who had a big makeover this offseason.
Rapid-Fire Thoughts
I’m not doing a whole deep dive into these moves, but these are just some quick ones;
Miami Heat: They eat nails for breakfast, without any milk. Lowry via sign and trade, bringing back Duncan Robinson, extending Jimmy Butler, and signing Markieff Morris/PJ Tucker. The Heat got a lot better, I like them more than the 76ers and they’re probably knocking on the door of teams like Brooklyn and Milwaukee. But assuming they don’t add more crazy pieces, I don’t see them winning a title.
Indiana Pacers: They got better. Re-signed McConnell, drafted Chris Duarte, signed Torrey Craig, really good off-season for them. They added depth plus a good coach, they should be good.
New York Knicks: Got guys like Burks and Nerlens Noel at a bargain. D-Rose is a little expensive but probably worth it in the long run. Evan Fournier has been an elite scorer for the past few seasons, can actually do stuff off the dribble, something that the Knicks desperately needed. They still need a PG, but they can’t really be mad with this offseason.
San Antonio Spurs: Weird. Zach Collins was signed for 3 years, Doug McDermott got $42 million after not dribbling for the past 4 seasons. Lost DeRozan and really only got one first round pick in return. Drafted an 18-year old with the 12 pick. Weird.
Denver Nuggets: Re-signed Barton and JaMychal Green for 2 years each, got back Austin Rivers, and even snagged Jeff Green for more depth. If Murray gets healthy in time for the 2022 NBA Playoffs, look out for Denver everybody.
Utah Jazz: They got Rudy Gay. That’s cool, I guess. I still don’t think they’re good enough to win a championship.
Best Available Free Agents
As of right now, here are the best remaining free agents. This is of course subject to change;
Kawhi Leonard: Kawhi always waits a long time before signing. I highly doubt he’s leaving the Clippers
Spencer Dinwiddie: Woj said that Dinwiddie was close to a deal with the Wizards, but there hasn’t been anything official about that move yet. Likely he signs there, but you never know.
John Collins: Apparently Collins and Atlanta aren’t close to a deal and Collins hasn’t accepted a deal anywhere else yet. But he’s going to be staying there, as Atlanta is going to match whatever he gets or they extend him. One of those two things will happen.
Kelly Oubre: Unlikely he’s going back to Golden State, not that they want him back or anything. Likely going to get 10-15 million from a team. There was a report he’d be interesting in going to the Spurs, which would just make their offseason even weirder. Maybe he goes there or to a place like Minnesota or New Orleans?
Dennis Schroder: Seems like Schroder isn’t getting his wish for $20 million per year. Maybe he even comes back to the Lakers for cheap off the bench. The Knicks need a PG, maybe the Spurs just sign him because why not? Don’t know where he’s going, but I can tell you, it’s not $20 million per year
Danny Green: Maybe the Lakers? Boston and Chicago apparently showed interest? He’s going to a playoff team, that’s for sure. But which one?
Lauri Markkanen: I think he’s going to OKC, although maybe them drafting Josh Giddey ended that. Markkanen could obviously just accept the qualifying offer and return to the Bulls for a season, but they don’t need him. Maybe he goes somewhere in a sign-and-trade?
Reggie Jackson: Good to know teams aren’t stupid and haven’t given Reggie Jackson the bag. I still see him returning to the Clippers, he’ll be perfect as a scorer for them. I don’t know if he can be a starter, he never really has been a great starting point guard. Is there a world where the Knicks give him money? Maybe.
Victor Oladipo: Looks like Oladipo isn’t getting that max contract he thinks he deserves. I don’t think it’s possible for Miami to spend another penny on anybody, so maybe he signs somewhere for cheap on a one-year deal. A pretty steep decline for the former Indiana All-Star.
Josh Hart: While the Pelicans are dumb and let Lonzo Ball got, they’d better keep the restricted free agent Josh Hart. They’d better match any deal he gets within reason, or he just comes back on the qualifying offer.
Jarred Vanderbilt: He was pretty good for Minnesota last year, I find it likely that he returns with them. They could use a young, athletic wing player like him.
So there’s Day 2 of NBA Free Agency for you. We still have some good players available, some teams got a lot better today, and others didn’t, to say the least. Free agency will likely dial down from here, but there still might be a few big moves yet to happen. But like I said, nothing too crazy should happen from here on out.
What Are Your Thoughts From Day 2 of Free Agency? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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This is super in-depth and very thought out. Crazy how much you got down for one day.