Another busy free agency period is in the books and there have already been some massive shifts in the landscape of the NBA. The annual tradition has delivered another exciting few weeks for basketball fans as there has yet again been a huge number of players moving from franchise to franchise since the doors opened on June 30th with players signing for a collective $2.6 billion in contracts. While the world still watches on waiting on two blockbuster trades involving All-Star guards James Harden and Damian Lillard that are set to define the offseason, players, teams and groups will begin to look back on free agency as either the start of something special or an ominous sign of things to come. Here are some of the standout winners from the offseason so far.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns made the first big move of this offseason going all in for Bradley Beal with the downside of potentially limiting their options in free-agency. Beal’s massive contract meant that between himself, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the franchise had committed to a huge $163 million payout. Tasked with assembling a championship fighting roster around those four in the frenzy of free-agency on virtually no budget courtesy of the new restrictions for big-spending teams in the new collective bargaining agreement seemed an impossible task but Phoenix have done an incredible job. They somehow came away with an impressive haul of talent adding veteran Eric Gordon with a bargain deal of $6 million for two years, along with exciting prospects Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop, and Chimezie Metu. They also brought in Drew Eubanks who will add some much-needed depth to the roster at the front of the court. Furthermore they managed to resign Josh Okogie as well as Damian Lee. The Suns didn’t have much flexibility for filling out the rotation around their new big four and have ended up on a Bargain-bin dive that went pretty much as well as it could have. Now the franchise is in an excellent position to challenge the Denver Nuggets in the Western conference. It has genuinely been one of the best free agencies in recent memory for the Suns.
Houston Rockets/Fred VanVleet
The Houston Rockets entered free agency with a massive $60 million in available cap space, the highest in the league, and decided to go big and bring in some much-needed veteran talent. Houston has endured one of the worst records in the NBA since trading Harden in early 2021, and the team was determined to put that rut to an end. One of the men tasked with doing just that now is Fred Van Vleet who was brought in with the hopes that he could complement Houston’s young core of talent. VanVleet arrives on a massive three-year deal that guarantees him $130 million with a team option in the final year. The Toronto Raptors were desparate to retain the point guard’s services, but few could turn down such a lucrative offer. To this point in his career, VanVleet has made $80 million, a great total for an undrafted player, but this offseason he’s made himself a lot wealthier thanks to a three year, $130 million deal with Houston. As for what the Rockets are getting in return, no one has added more estimated wins than Houston this offseason. VanVleet could end up being the most important piece in the Rockets’ puzzle. But they didn’t stop there; the Rockets also signed Jae’Sean Tate to a three-year $22.1 million deal. It’s an absolute bargain when combined with the stacks of draft capital they have with the Brooklyn Nets makes for pleasant reading for Houston fans.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have drawn a lot of praise for their business in free agency largely because they accomplished two key tasks to build on last season’s unexpected run to the Western Conference finals. Top sportsbooks in America have the Lakers as +350 favorites to win the NBA in the 2023/24 season. They improved their options around LeBron James and Anthony Davis by bringing in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes. Vincent is the standout on that list as a smart shooter on a good contract of $33 million for three years. However, the most significant move of this offseason from the Lakers has been to retain the services of Austin Reaves on a $54 million four year deal. Given the current state of affairs with salary cap restrictions and the potential for a suitor with enough cap space to sneak in, Los Angeles have done well to offer Reaves enough monetary incentive to stay put and in doing so assure he will be playing at the Lakers in his prime. It would have been a nervous wait to see if anyone wanted to come in to steal the talented wing but instead Rob Pelinka has guaranteed that Reaves’ creativity will be a mainstay in his roster for the next four years. Knowing he will only get better with more experience, this is a big win for LA.
Boston Celtics
Granted the best part of the Celtics’ business took place after the finals and not specifically since free agency opened up, it is still a stellar acquisition that puts Boston in contention for the NBA Finals again next season. Getting Kristaps Porzingis is a big deal, especially coming off his best season in 2022/23 in which he posted career-high numbers like most points per game, assists per game and field-goal percentage. Not only that but he poses a massive three-point threat that will only open up opportunities for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum when defences have to worry about another shooter four feet out from the three-point line. Losing Marcus Smart will hurt Boston fans but they could not have hoped for any better replacement to step into his shoes, especially considering the multiple first-round picks that come along with this trade. With Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White staying on too, the Celtics are by far the best team in the Eastern conference and will more than likely look back on this offseason as the platform that propelled them to success in 2023/24.
