NBA Free Agency Recap: Weekend One is for the Neophytes

A plateauing salary cap and existential dread at the hand of the Golden State Warriors have chilled the league out a little during 2017’s NBA free agency period. Not so many wild, obviously silly deals have been handed out by teams who ought to prioritize future flexibility. Similarly, players have not been so lucratively rewarded for their accomplishments as they were in the summer of 2016. However, it’s transaction game over everything in this league. A quick recap can help us to keep track of the craziness.

The players I will focus on in this space are the NBA’s neophytes. The majority are coming off of their rookie deals– meaning most are restricted free agents. They are the players who will be foundational, mostly cheap pieces for championship contenders over the next several years. A contender is not built in one summer, but by counting each piece along the way, the final product can look much clearer.

Not all of these players earn $100M at age 22, but stud rotation players are just as important to a title run as those superstars. I will provide recaps of these signings every few days including reactions, future implications and maybe a little scouting as well.

Four interesting neophyte deals occurred during the first weekend of NBA Free Agency:

Tony Snell — 25 years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to return to Milwaukee Bucks for 4 years/$46 million

The rest of Snell’s career is going to be fascinating, especially now that Milwaukee will be paying him eight figures per year. He was truly unremarkable in three seasons as a Bull to start his career, falling so low that Chicago eventually traded him to Milwaukee for backup point guard depth. Yet his time with the Bucks rejuvenated Snell’s career, and he now looks the part of a bona fide 3-and-D wing.

The main reason the Bucks can stomach a deal like this is that they have nearly $25 million coming off the books next summer in the form of the Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes contracts. They should try to begin talks with Jabari Parker’s camp on a renegotiation and extension before the Halloween deadline in the hopes that they might get a Stephen Curry-type injury discount. Even after this Snell deal, getting Parker on a below-market deal and moving on from the two veteran frontcourt backups would allow them to improve their team next summer.

In the meantime, Snell can expect to start for the majority of next season. Jabari Parker’s second ACL tear has a recovery timeline of at least 12 months, meaning there is a hole in the starting lineup at small forward. Snell fits extremely well with Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo with his ability to consistently make the right decision when the ball kicks his way. The Bucks avoided outbidding themselves, and Snell was smart to accept this deal right as free agency opened instead of going out on this dry market and hurting his value.

Cristiano Felicio– 24 years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to return to Chicago Bulls for 4 years, $32 million

Felicio is a fascinating player, having played less than 1,500 minutes during his pro career. Fortunately for the Bulls, he handled a sharp uptick in responsibility last year while maintaining all of the positive indicators for his future. Unlike most young big men, Felicio has kept his fouls under control and shot a high percentage throughout his career.

He averaged merely 3.8 fouls per 36 minutes last season as Chicago’s backup center and has made 57 percent of his shots overall since being drafted. Eight million might jump out as a big total at first glance, but in today’s market a capable two-way big man who’s still improving will almost always earns eight figures per season. Keeping Felicio in-house to continue his development on a bargain salary is a savvy move for a rebuilding Chicago team. The Bulls are entering a rebuild, but may have already locked up a piece for the future.

Joe Ingles — 28 years old — Restricted FA
Agreed to return to Utah Jazz for 4 years, $52 million

This tweet is an accurate description of The Ingles Paradox we faced heading into free agency:

And yet here we are, living on a planet on which the third year wing who rarely scores for Utah is earning $13 million per year. It’s hard to sort out how much of Utah’s strategy this summer was a focus on maximizing their current potential with Gordon Hayward in his prime and eligible for a new contract compared to an actual assessment of their assets.

Ingles isn’t worth $52 million to every team in the league, but the Jazz need him desperately if they hope to keep up their identity as a defense-minded team and improve in the playoffs next season. The Australian wing made 44 percent of his 3s last season on a decent volume. I would think that if the Jazz are comfortable forking over this kind of contract to him, he will be shooting more than three, 3s per game next year. He can also take on a bigger load of the play-making duties, especially in hybrid bench lineups where he has a talent advantage.

His role in last year’s playoff series against the Clippers, in which his defense sank J.J. Redick and his offense gave the Jazz another dimension, is the blueprint for his future value in Utah. If it also brings them a little closer to re-signing Hayward and making another push in the West next year, then the deal is hard to argue.

Ben McLemore — 24 years old — Unrestricted FA
Agreed to deal with Memphis Grizzlies for 2 years/$10.7 million

McLemore makes almost no sense as a player. He is 24 years old, starting to leave the developmental stage of his career and move toward his prime, yet still plays with the kind of raw energy and untapped potential of a rookie. He is bouncy in an exciting and special way, quick on his feet, and maintains a decent handle.

Yet his role on the court has basically evaporated. McLemore was supposed to at least be a shooter coming out of Kansas, but he hasn’t even put up more than 5.3 3s per 36 minutes for the four lottery teams he’s played with. His career average sits at 35 percent, right around league average. Other than that, he projects as a difference-maker only as a turnover creator on defense. The ability to play the passing lanes and make athletic plays is extremely valuable, and perhaps there’s still time for McLemore to master that angle of his game.

Memphis is betting a reasonable amount of money that they can finally find their 3-and-D guard, after years of recycled parts and scrap heap tryouts.

Quick Hits: Ron Baker, Wayne Selden, Langston Galloway

Baker could end up being an interesting player, but he will be a deep bench piece for a fairly non-competitive team. Baker re-signed for two years as a restricted free agent, but will be behind rookie Frank Ntilikina and whichever veteran the Knicks lock onto at point guard.

Selden represents another shot by Memphis at nabbing a solid two-way guard. He will probably come much cheaper than McLemore, because he has less of the lottery pick sheen. Selden made it on the court in the first round of the playoffs last year, as the Grizzlies leaned harder into defense than they had all season in an effort to upset the Spurs. He will see the court plenty this year as well.

Galloway isn’t technically coming off his first contract, having signed a two-year deal with New Orleans last summer. That contract unfortunately only guaranteed Galloway one year of income during a season in which he was traded and then cut by the Kings. But his success as a shooter, making 39 percent of his 3s on a wildly difficult diet of pull-ups and pin-downs earned him $21 million from Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons. If Galloway can succeed in the NBA, it will be under Van Gundy.