NBA Day 1 Free Agency Recap: Neophytes
The NBA free agency moratorium kicked off at 12:01am on July 1st and now all hell has broken loose. Not really, but guys are getting paid large sums of money the likes of which the league has never seen before.
The players Upside & Motor will focus on are of the neophyte variety. The majority are coming off of their rookie deals — meaning most are restricted free agents — and there are a few undrafted’s sprinkled in as well. These are the players who will be foundational pieces for championship aspirations over the next 3-5 years for many of these franchises.
Not everyone can earn a $100M deal at 22-years old, but rotational, role players can be just as important to a title run as those superstars.
U&M will provide daily recaps of these signings including reactions, future implications and the like. Enjoy.
Bradley Beal — 22-years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to sign with Washington Wizards for 5 years/$128M max deal
As we outlined in yesterday’s roundtable, this monstrous Beal extension was just the cost of doing business in 2016-17 for the Washington Wizards. Beal, Drummond and others picked a great year to declare for the draft and set themselves up for restricted free agency in this market. Anyway, the Zards [Ed note: Is this a thing?!] have a great backcourt locked up long term, and still have some money to improve the wing rotation and/or lock up a backup big man (Nene or otherwise).
Andre Drummond — 22-years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to sign with Detroit Pistons for 5 years/$130M max deal
Kudos to the Pistons for maintaining a good relationship with their occasionally temperamental big man and earn the right to pay him the biggest bucks possible. His ceiling still feels completely unreached, and Stan is still only one offseason into his master plan for the roster. While it remains to be seen if Tobias Harris, Reggie Jackson and company are really a part of that plan with the goal of contending for a championship, locking up Drummond long-term is a no-brainer that gets them one step closer to that result.
Evan Fournier — 23-years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to sign with Orlando Magic for 5 years/$85M
Another guy that perhaps could have driven his own price up by waiting, but his original gamble certainly paid off. However, $17 million per year for a guy who hasn’t gotten paid yet in his career is a life-changing deal. He can continue to build his own game and the team’s success without really sacrificing much money. Perhaps he wanted to avoid the drawn-out RFA process and get to work with Team France. It’s really a great deal for both sides, as the Magic solidify at least one position on the team following the Victor Oladipo-Serge Ibaka swap during the NBA Draft.
Jordan Clarkson — 24-years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers for 4 years/$50M
Clarkson may have made the wrong call, but perhaps this was the best option out there. Either way, it seems letting some of the bigger dominos fall and driving up his value could have earned Clarkson an even bigger payday later in July. Alas, he now gets to be a part of the new Lakers core led by Lou Williams and Timofey Mosgov. Kidding. Seeing what kind of tricks Luke Walton throws out using Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell will be an early-season must watch. The Lakers earned a small bit of respect back with this cheap deal after the lousy Mosgov inking.
Matthew Dellavedova — 25-years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks for 4 years/$38M
At this point, the Cleveland Cavaliers have until July 9th to match the offer sheet Delly agreed to sign with the Bucks today, assuming the two sides officially ink the offer sheet the minute the moratorium ends on July 6th. But almost $10 million per year, the Cavs will have to think pretty hard about retaining Delly after guaranteeing Jordan McCrae for next year– who will have a good chance to earn minutes if Delly were to leave– and so much money already on the books for this year and beyond. With a more important J.R. Smith decision looming on the horizon as well, Delly might already be packing his bags for the short flight to Milwaukee. Remember, he too likely wanted to get a deal done quickly and join his national team for Olympic qualifiers and practice.
Solomon Hill — 25-years old — Unrestricted FA
Agreed to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans for 4 years/$48M
New Orleans finally got their guy. As far back as January, the Pelicans were caught in rumors of their attachment to Hill, then an unwanted tweener who had mostly fallen out of the rotation in Indiana. After a great showing as a playmaking four in the 2016 NBA Playoffs next to Paul George and Myles Turner, Hill is cashing in and securing a legit role moving forward; away from whatever paradigm shift is being squeaked out under Larry Bird in Indy. In the Crescent City, Hill will split time between both forward positions on a versatile roster, get open 3-point looks, and play next to ANTHONY FREAKING DAVIS. For a guy who was probably lucky to even get back in Frank Vogel’s good graces in time for the playoffs, a $13 million check is a nice story for a perfect fit.
Hassan Whiteside — 27-years old — Unrestricted FA
Agreed to sign with the Miami Heat for 4 years/$98M max deal
Another no-brainer, as nearly every Day One deal was. Despite a late surge by the Dallas Mavericks, Pat Riley Over Everything, yet again. The big man was always going to look best in the wacko small lineups that Spoelstra toys with, and even after a down year for Goran Dragic, he’s a great match for Whiteside. The Dwyane Wade murmurs are real, sure, but that seems more a product of the Heat looking at giving Kevin Durant his money rather than anger over extending the young big man. If Chris Bosh can come back, Wade will take a pay cut, and Riley can retain some of the incumbent flotsam, the Heat will almost certainly make a run next year.