Initial NBA Free Agency Thoughts
With the NBA’s off-season in full swing, here are my thoughts on the noteworthy moves of free agency.
LeBron James heads to Hollywood, 4 years/$154 million. This decision is about so much more than just basketball. If LeBron was only focused solely on chasing rings he would have signed with Philly or facilitated a trade to either Houston or Boston. But LeBron is more than basketball. He is a brand; a billion-dollar brand. Sure, having The King makes it infinitely easier to lure another superstar, but playing in the Western Conference (where by my measure 14 of the NBA’s 15 players best reside) makes the quest for rings all the more challenging.
Paul George re-signs with the Thunder, 4 years/$137 million. The Thunder gambled last summer: trading for PG despite him only having one year remaining on his contract. It paid major dividends as Sam Presti was able to ink the multi-dimensional forward to a contract that will keep him in OKC running alongside Russell Westbrook for the remainder of their primes. I am somewhat surprised that George passed up on the opportunity to play for his hometown Lakers given all of the chatter about his love for his hometown, but in OKC they have constructed a roster than has the potential to compete out west.
Chris Paul re-ups with Houston, 4 years/$160 million. He didn’t quite get the five-year max that he was seeking, but CP3 did pretty well for himself considering he watched from the sidelines as his body failed him once again in the postseason. I am uncertain how this contract will appear two or three years down the road, but the Rockets really didn’t have another option.
Trevor Ariza bolts for the Suns, 1 year/$15 million. Ariza skipping out on Houston in favor of the desert is a major win for the Warriors: their fiercest competitor, the Rockets, lost a key component to their defensive scheme and a lethal three-point shooter. From Ariza’s perspective, it is clear that he took the most lucrative one-year offer presented to him, which gives the 33-year-old the ability to test the market again in 2019 when the league should be flush with cash.
Kevin Durant signs short-term contract, 2 years/$61.5 million. Really KD has a player option after the first year so if he wanted to leave next summer he could. I am not sure what the reigning two-time NBA Finals MVP’s mindset is, but I find it very interesting that he continues to sign stopgap deals. It leads me to believe that Oakland will not be his final stop.
Julius Randle joins AD in New Orleans, 2 years/$18 million. I absolutely love this signing for the Pelicans. A three-man forward rotation of Anthony Davis, Nikola Mirotić, and Randle is enthralling. Adding a brute in Randle who can handle and create for others adds a much-needed dimension to Alvin Gentry’s offense.
DeMarcus Cousins to the Warriors, 1 year/$5.3 million. Just when you thought the Warriors had too much talent, they add arguably the most skilled big man in all of basketball. Clearly teams across the league were reticent to paying Boogie substantial money given his Achilles injury, but if he can even be half of the player that he was the Warriors just got substantially better.
