The NBA’s free agency period kicked off with a frenzy this week. Here are highlights of some of the league’s biggest moves and how they could impact the upcoming season.
Winners: The 76ers and Paul George
Philly is the big winner here, as they added Paul George to the franchise’s cornerstones, Joel Embiid at center and Tyrese Maxey at guard. George, who signed a four-year, $212 million contract after exercising a player option, will be a valuable winger for the 76ers, coming from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he failed to live up to high expectations when paired with Kawhi Leonard and later James Harden. But it wasn’t all because of George; he and the Clippers haven’t always been healthy, and not all star-studded pairings have stellar chemistry or supporting casts.
The mix in Philadelphia, though, is a potent one. George is 34 but remains one of the NBA’s better two-way athletes, and the Sixers are hoping he can be a steadier (and less ball-dominant) part of their core than Harden was during his tumultuous stint in Philly a few years ago. At the very least, he should be a veteran asset to the freshly expanded Maxey, the fifth-year point guard who was a revelation last season and played in his first All-Star game. The 76ers are all about Embiid, and signing George might not be enough. But with an extra star, they should be an Eastern Conference contender.
Losers: Klay Thompson and Splash Brothers fans
Thompson is a bit of a loser here, as his legendary career with the Golden State Warriors has come to an end that doesn’t seem like it could be part of a fairytale. The Warriors found themselves dramatically reduced and facing an eternity in salary cap hell, and Thompson, one of the best shooters of all time, seemed like the likely odd one out for weeks. That’s how it ends in the Bay Area for a four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star who, along with Stephen Curry, formed the “Splash Brothers,” the most entertaining backcourt ever. To make matters worse, Thompson will no longer be able to play in Dallas commuting to the arena in his boatHe’ll also make about a third of the money he made last year with Golden State, though $15.9 million next season without state income taxes will hardly put Thompson in financial trouble.
For the Mavericks, Thompson is an optimal addition to play alongside Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Dallas ranked 13th in three-point percentage last season and had to scrape and scramble to earn the league’s ninth-best offensive efficiency rating (117.6 points per 100 possessions). They lacked the firepower to seriously challenge the league’s best offense, the Boston Celtics, in the NBA Finals. Thompson’s sharpshooting from distance could be a crucial addition.
Winner: Jayson Tatum
Tatum is at one of the heights of basketball history. A few weeks ago, he hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time as a champion, dispelling any doubts that a team could win the whole enchilada with Tatum as the headliner. Now he’s agreed to the richest contract in league history, a five-year, $314 million supermax pact. Tatum is a winner, and the Celtics are merely paying the cost of doing championship-caliber business.
Those costs are high, however, and the Celtics’ rapidly rising salaries are undoubtedly a reason the team’s ownership group announced this week a plan to sell the franchise by 2028. The Celtics would be expected to fetch a record amount of money, perhaps in the $7 billion range, and the new controlling owners would be responsible for the high salaries of Tatum and running mate Jaylen Brown. The Celtics are set to soon more than $300 million per year in payroll and luxury tax payments. But don’t mourn the Celtics’ ownership. The current owners bought the team in 2002 for $360 million, an investment that will soon pay for itself many times over. Whoever gets the team next will inherit a gold mine, and it’s players like Tatum and Brown who will give the Celtics a place in the NBA hierarchy.
Winners: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder’s slow rebuild finally paid off with a 57-25 record and a trip to the second round of the playoffs last season. OKC boasts one of the best players in the NBA, guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a supporting cast that’s talented and young. SGA turns 26 next season, wunderkind center Chet Holmgren turns 22 and swingman Jalen Williams turns 23. These are exciting times for a franchise that may finally be on to something for the first time since the long-gone days of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. But the Thunder had an Achilles heel: rebounding. Their 21 percent offensive rebounding percentage was 27th out of 30 teams. In a six-game playoff series that ended in a loss to the Mavericks, Dallas dominated the rebounding margin, cutting 28 percent of their offensive rebounding opportunities to just 22 percent for OKC.
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Isaiah enters Hartenstein, on a three-year, $87 million contract, who is moving from the New York Knicks to Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old averaged a career-high 8.3 rebounds last season, including 3.2 offensive boards – exactly double the offensive rebounds anyone pulled down for Oklahoma City. (Holmgren led the way with 1.6 per game.) The Thunder have some great offensive players, and Hartenstein’s addition means they’ll get a few more chances per game to put the ball in the hoop. In that regard, OKC is the big winner.
Losers: People who want Chris Paul to win a ring
The Spurs have signed the future Hall of Fame point guard to a one-year contract, $11m contract. The big winner of the deal is Victor Wembanyama, who gets to play alongside a living legend and gain some knowledge from CP3. Paul, who turns 40 in May, gets to earn a little more money as his career winds down, and perhaps he’ll get some youthful energy from Wembanyama and the still-developing Spurs. But the Spurs aren’t a contender yet. And so those hoping Paul will end his career with a ring will be counting on Paul to increase his trade value midway through the season. If he plays well enough, he could be traded to a contender at the end of the season, giving him one last serious shot at winning the Finals.
TBA: LeBron James
James opted out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers, but that’s not as ominous for LA as it sounds. The Lakers just hired his podcast partner as the team’s head coach and spent a second-round draft pick on LeBron’s eldest son — all to keep The King happy. No one seems to think LeBron is about to leave Southern California. Instead, he might return to the Lakers at a lower salary, his agent saysto help the franchise round out its roster. Let’s wait and see if James does, and if the move has the intended impact in improving the Lakers’ depth.