NBA free agency: The 3 biggest winners in this offseason so far
The initial wave of NBA free agency has come and gone. Here are the three biggest winners so far.
The most exciting time of the summer for NBA fans is the start of free agency. The NBA is now at a place where superstars and mid-tier stars alike are changing teams to increase their chances of winning a championship or taking their talents to the teams that are offering the most money.
Free agency is one of the most important parts of how a team will play going into the following season. If a team doesn’t make any changes, chances are their season will be very similar to their last. If a team makes some drastic changes it either means they are going to be really good or really bad.
As always, free agency ends with some teams coming out as winners, and sometimes coming out as giant losers. Here are the three biggest winners of free agency so far this offseason.
The 3 biggest winners of Free Agency so far; 3. Indiana Pacers
Last season the Indiana Pacers finished the season 35-47 as the 11th seed. It was a disappointing finish for them as at one point during the season they were a top-5 seed in the Eastern Conference but an injury-plagued season for their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton hurt them.
With the emergence of star play from Haliburton, the Pacers have had one of the best offseasons. One of the first moves they made was acquiring the eighth overall pick in the draft from the Washington Wizards, which they used to get the AAC Freshman of the Year, Jarace Walker.
The Pacers had one of the biggest surprise signings so far this offseason offering a two-year, $45 million contract to 2023 NBA Champion Bruce Brown. Even though the Pacers may have overpaid Brown, he still gives great defense, energy, and solid 3-point shooting. Having the opportunity to start will be exciting to see.
The biggest and most important move the Pacers made was trading for Knicks forward Obi Toppin. Obi has extreme athletic ability, is great in the open court, and has improved his shooting from the 3-point and free-throw line.
Obi averaged 14.7 minutes per game with the Knicks as he was playing behind Julius Randle. In his 3 seasons with the Knicks, he started just 15 games, and in those starts he averaged 20.8 points per game.
He will finally get his chance to shine with the Pacers and is the perfect side piece to Haliburton as he averaged 10.4 assists per game. The Pacers are in the perfect position to take a leap in the standings next season.