Although cap space was tight around the league, these five teams came out ahead after NBA free agency.
Heading into 2020 NBA free agency, it appeared as though few teams would be able to make significant upgrades.
Only a handful of squads had any salary-cap space at their disposal, and the free-agent class could be charitably described as mediocre at best. Once it became clear that Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram weren’t going anywhere, the top prizes were… um, Fred VanVleet and Danilo Gallinari?
That sounded like the recipe for an underwhelming free-agency period, but the following five teams weren’t deterred.
Some managed to use their cap space or salary-cap exceptions to sign productive players to reasonable contracts. Others turned to the trade market for their biggest upgrades and rounded out their rosters with affordable depth signings. A few managed to retain their own biggest free agents, too.
As the dust settles on the whirlwind that was free agency, these five teams appear to have clearly come out ahead.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks committed two major blunders in free agency, which has negatively colored the perception of their offseason. But step back from the wreckage of their front-office faux pas, and they appear to have significantly upgraded a team that was on pace for a 70-win season for much of last year.
Four days before free agency began, news leaked out that the Bucks had agreed to a sign-and-trade for Sacramento Kings wing Bogdan Bogdanovic. Beyond being a blatant violation of the moratorium on contacting external free agents, another problem arose: Bogdanovic had never agreed to sign with the Bucks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. The deal quickly collapsed from there, leaving the Bucks with egg on their face.
They also originally agreed to re-sign Pat Connaughton on a two-year, $8.3 million deal with a second-year player option, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. But as Hollinger noted, that contract wasn’t legal since they were using his Early Bird rights to re-sign him, and such deals must be for at least two guaranteed years. They instead wound up bringing him back on a three-year, $16 million contract.
None of that is great, particularly since the Bucks are currently attempting to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a supermax extension. But their acquisition of Jrue Holiday and their signings of D.J. Augustin, Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis and Torrey Craig were a valiant attempt to save face.
The Bucks undeniably overpaid for Holiday — they sent out Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, three first-round picks and two first-round swaps in the four-team deal — but if he gets Antetokounmpo to sign on the dotted line, no price was too costly. He’ll also be a significant upgrade over Bledsoe, particularly in the playoffs, where Bledsoe tended to become more of a liability than an asset.
Augustin likely won’t lead the league in 3-point percentage like Hill did last season, but he’s a steady second-unit point guard. Forbes, Portis and Craig should help make up for the losses of Robin Lopez, Wes Matthews and Ersan Ilyasova and give the Bucks more depth and versatility.
Until Antetokounmpo signs his supermax extension, the Bucks won’t rest easy this offseason. But despite their screwups with Bogdanovic and Connaughton, they’ve done well to upgrade their roster and give the Greek Freak more reason to stay put long term.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t generate many headlines during free agency, but they had a quietly brilliant offseason nevertheless.
Heading into the draft, the Blazers traded Trevor Ariza, the No. 16 overall pick and a protected future first-rounder to the Houston Rockets for Robert Covington, who should slide in as the perfect 3-and-D complement to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Covington is a notoriously streaky shooter, but he’s a brilliant off-ball defender who can wreak havoc in passing lanes and guard forwards and centers alike.
The Blazers also wiggled their way into a three-team draft-night trade, sending Mario Hezonja to the Memphis Grizzlies while receiving Enes Kanter from the Boston Celtics. Kanter thrived in place of starting center Jusuf Nurkic toward the end of the 2018-19 season, and he’s a proven backup big who already has chemistry with the Blazers’ star guards.
The Blazers overpaid a bit to re-sign Rodney Hood (two years, $20.9 million), although the second year of his contract isn’t guaranteed, and 3-and-D wings don’t grow on trees. The acquisition of Covington should allow them to bring Hood along slowly as he returns from an Achilles tear, although he eventually projects as a high-upside sixth man or a starter.
They further bolstered their forward depth chart by signing Derrick Jones Jr. to a two-year, $19 million contract, which also might seem like an overpay based on his career stats and projected role in Portland. However, the springy 23-year-old should provide some nice pop off the bench alongside Hood, Kanter, Gary Trent Jr. and Anfernee Simons, giving the Blazers one of the deeper rotations in the NBA.
Portland’s free-agency coup de grace was bringing back Carmelo Anthony on a one-year minimum contract. The 10-time All-Star filled in admirably on the injury-ravaged Blazers last season, averaging 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game, and he can either start at the 4 in place of Zach Collins or serve as the sixth man until Hood is back up to speed. Taking a one-year flier on Harry Giles as bench depth is icing on the cake, too.
A rash of injuries sent the Blazers skidding to the No. 8 seed last season, but they’re far deeper this time around. Don’t be surprised if they end up challenging for a top-four seed in the brutally competitive Western Conference.
3. Phoenix Suns
Fresh off an 8-0 run during their seeding games in the Orlando bubble, the Phoenix Suns decided it was time to accelerate their rebuild.
The Suns shipped a package including Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr. to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Paul, who guided the Thunder to an unlikely playoff berth last season. The 10-time All-Star won’t be a part of Phoenix’s long-term future, but he should be a phenomenal backcourt complement to All-Star 2-guard Devin Booker provided he can stay healthy.
The Suns didn’t stop after acquiring Paul, though. With Oubre gone, they pivoted toward shoring up their depth at the forward spots, signing Jae Crowder to a three-year, $29.2 million contract and re-signing Dario Saric to a three-year, $27 million deal.
Crowder started all 21 games with the Miami Heat during their march to the NBA Finals this past season, averaging 12.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 triples per game. Although Oubre is more talented than him in a vacuum, he’s better suited for a lower-usage, 3-and-D role. He’s also versatile enough defensively to work in switch-heavy schemes, which should make him a strong fit alongside the similarly switchy Mikal Bridges.
Saric had an up-and-down first season with the Suns in 2019-20, but he seemed to hit his stride in the bubble. Coming off the bench in all but one game, the 26-year-old went off for 14.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 triples in only 23.8 minutes per night. If he stays in that super-sub role behind Crowder or Cam Johnson, he could find himself in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.
The Suns rounded out their depth chart by signing Langston Galloway and E’Twaun Moore, both of whom should compete for a role in the rotation. Galloway can provide some scoring pop as a combo guard off the bench, while Moore will be a depth swingman to plug in behind Bridges and Crowder.
The Western Conference projects to be a bloodbath as usual, but the Suns now have the personnel in place to contend for their first playoff berth in more than a decade.
2. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the few teams that entered free agency with a substantial amount of cap space, and they did not let it go to waste.
Shortly after free agency began, the Hawks came to terms with Danilo Gallinari on a three-year, $61.5 million contract. Although the 32-year-old isn’t on the same developmental curve as All-Star point guard Trae Young and the rest of the Hawks’ young core, he should be a brilliant stretch-4 complement to paint-bound center Clint Capela in particular.
A few days later, the Hawks signed Bogdan Bogdanovic to a four-year, $72 million offer sheet that the Sacramento Kings ultimately declined to match. Sacramento’s loss will be Atlanta’s gain, as Bogdanovic figures to slide right into the Hawks’ starting lineup and take some of the scoring and creation load off Young’s shoulders.
Gallinari and Bogdanovic were the Hawks’ main prizes of free agency, but they also rounded out their depth chart well with a few savvy signings.
Although Kris Dunn (two years, $10 million) won’t provide much offensively, his defensive upside should earn him a spot in the Hawks’ rotation, particularly alongside Young at times. Rajon Rondo (two years, $15 million) is no longer an All-Star-caliber floor general, but he should keep the Hawks’ offense afloat whenever Young is off the floor. Solomon Hill is little more than a depth signing, but it’s still noteworthy when a rebuilding team adds rotation-level talent on a minimum deal.
Head coach Lloyd Pierce now has the unenviable task of figuring out how all of the Hawks’ new pieces fit together and how to feed everyone enough touches to keep them happy. But having too much depth is a first-world problem that the Hawks would undoubtedly prefer over the alternative.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Fresh off winning the 2020 NBA championship, the rich got even richer.
Prior to the draft, the Los Angeles Lakers shipped Danny Green along with the No. 28 overall pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Dennis Schroder, who finished as the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up last season. What the spark-plug guard lacks in basketball IQ compared to former Lakers backup Rajon Rondo, he’ll make up for with three-level scoring ability.
Once free agency began, the Lakers fired a shot across the bow at their crosstown rivals, snagging Montrezl Harrell on a two-year, $19 million contract. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is fresh off a season in which he averaged a career-high 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in only 27.8 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Clippers, and he should slide in as a picture-perfect pick-and-roll partner with Schroder off the bench.
To make up for the loss of Green and Avery Bradley, the Lakers signed Wes Matthews to a one-year, $3.6 million contract that he’s all but certain to outplay. Matthews started all 67 regular-season games with the Milwaukee Bucks last year, and he’ll be a strong low-usage, 3-and-D complement to LeBron James and Anthony Davis in L.A.
The Lakers also secured perhaps the single biggest steal of the offseason, signing Marc Gasol to a two-year minimum contract. The 35-year-old isn’t much of a scoring threat at this stage of his career, but he remains a phenomenal passer for his size and a stout defender. JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard played well for the Lakers last year, but Gasol will be a marked upgrade over both.
Although the Lakers did lose Green, Bradley, Rondo, McGee and Howard, they did manage to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (three years, $40 million) and Markieff Morris (one year, $2.3 million). KCP and Matthews figure to round out the Lakers’ starting lineup next to James, Davis and Gasol, while Morris will provide forward depth alongside Harrell and Kyle Kuzma.
The defending champs might get off to a slow start given the quick turnaround from the bubble, but they appear even stronger than they were last year.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac.
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