NBA Free Agency 2024

[Who]

Vinny Benedetto @VBenedetto

I can confirm Vlatko Cancar signed a minimum contract to return to the Nuggets, per league source. @MikeAScotto had it first.

[Who]

So the Nuggets hope to acquire Russell Westbrook.

G: J Murray, R Westbrook
G: C Braun, P Watson
F: MPJ, J Strawther
F: A Gordon, (vacancy)
C: Jokic, Saric

So that would leave them with a PG who can't shoot in Westbrook, two wings who cannot shoot in Braun & P Watson, a 4th big forward in A Gordon who is a bad shooter. 4 of their top 9 bad shooters. Even Strawther who was a shooter in college is an uncertainty since he struggled to adapt to the NBA three point line as a rookie.

MPJ, Jokic and J Murray are all great shooters but they need some help. Some people who can provide floor spacing. Saric is their only dependable shooter in their supporting cast.

[Who]

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42

Contract for LeBron James, two-years $101.35M, according to sources. James was eligible for $104M but gave back close to $3M. The savings puts the Lakers below the second apron.

Hmm ...

Arash Markazi @ArashMarkazi

I?m not saying these two facts are connected but? LeBron James took almost a $3 million pay cut and helped the Lakers avoid the second apron after they drafted Bronny James and gave him a four-year, $7.9 million deal.

[Who]

I missed this one

Shams Charania: Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley plans to sign a one-year, $6 million-plus deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium . Beasley?s agent, Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management, has been negotiating the new deal with Pistons officials.

G: J Ivey, M Sasser
G: C Cunningham, Malik Beasley
F: S Fontecchio, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ron Holland
F: T Harris, Ausar Thompson
C: J Duren, I Stewart

That team might be able to make a run for a play-in spot.

I am disappointed that there is now a bit of a squeeze on those forwards / wings minutes now with Beasley there. I liked the idea of a shooter (T Harris, Fontecchio) pairing with a raw forward prospect (R Holland, Ausar Thompson) to provide adequate spacing. To get those young guys on the court and contributing in a functional development situation. Beasley throws an extra body into the mix. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those two young forwards ends up being out of the rotation now with Beasley taking backup SG minutes and Timmy Hardaway shifting up to backup SF.

That said, it gives the team a good deal of extra shooting. T Harris, Fontecchio and Timmy Hardaway gives them 3 forwards who can shoot. Beasley, Sasser, Cade and even Ivey can all shoot in the backcourt. A much better offensive group heading into next season.

[SparzWizard]

DeRozan will help the Kings for a playoff push. Could get them to the second-round.

San Antonio...with CP3 and Harrison Barnes with Wemby, oof they could be a 7-8 seed in the West now?

[SparzWizard]

Nuggets signing five Centers to probably drain the pool of big men, preventing other teams from picking them up to body the Nuggets? Sounds smart 

[Birdman]

Spurs

G: CP3, Tre Jones
G: D Vassell, S Castle
F: H Barnes, Keldon Johnson
F: Sochan
C: Wemby, Z Collins

That is a nice 9 man rotation. I love the addition of H Barnes here. They can now keep Keldon JOhnson as their 6th man and bench stabilizer. Or they can start both at forward if Sochan continues to struggle offensively and move Sochan into a 15-20mpg bench role.

Great offseason by Spurs.. getting vets like Paul & Barnes will help the young fellers..Spurs should make the playoffs

[Birdman]

Kings have a great big 3 in:
Sabonis
DeRozan
Fox
But think the bench is weak but should be good fight in West

[BitterJim]

So Denver now have Jokic as their starting center. They have Saric as their main backup center. They have Daron Holmes II as their rookie first round draft pick who is supposed to be a contributor next year as a small ball backup center. Then they have Zeke Nnaji who they are paying $8mil a year to be a backup center who is nothing more than a minimum contract level talent. And then they have DeAndre Jordan as their 1, 2, 3, 4, 5th center.

5 centers!

They have no starting SG. Only two backup wings (C Braun, P Watson). No backup PGs. The team is a mess. Oh, and Julian Strawther. I forgot him. Three backup wings.

5 centers. Who the heck needs 5 centers especially when your main center is Jokic who is going to soak up 75% of the minutes by himself and that will go up to 80+% in the playoffs. What a waste of resources.

Porzingis
Horford
Kornet
Queta
Tillman

Us, apparently lol. We have the excuse of our starting Center missing a few months, though, and trying to limit the time that our top 2 Centers are on the floor. It's a very odd mix for Denver

[Moranis]

Barnes is a much better shooter than DeRozan.  They are similar rebounders.  In a vacuum DeRozan is a better player, but is he really going to help the Kings more than Barnes. I'm just not sure. 

[liam]

Barnes is a much better shooter than DeRozan.  They are similar rebounders.  In a vacuum DeRozan is a better player, but is he really going to help the Kings more than Barnes. I'm just not sure.

Barnes is also the better defender. The Kings more defenders... The T-Wolves would've been a perfect fit for DeRozen with there trouble closing close games...

[Phantom255x]

Heat feel like one of the biggest losers this FA. They didn't nab anyone great, and also let Caleb Martin walk. Burks isn't gonna make a huge difference for them. Meanwhile the rest of the East got better around them.

I guess the Bucks are a close 2nd as well but they still have Giannis + Lillard. Their bench still seems very iffy to me, so it'll really come down to the health of their starting unit.

[Goldstar88]

I missed this one

Shams Charania: Free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley plans to sign a one-year, $6 million-plus deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium . Beasley?s agent, Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management, has been negotiating the new deal with Pistons officials.

G: J Ivey, M Sasser
G: C Cunningham, Malik Beasley
F: S Fontecchio, Tim Hardaway Jr, Ron Holland
F: T Harris, Ausar Thompson
C: J Duren, I Stewart

That team might be able to make a run for a play-in spot.

I am disappointed that there is now a bit of a squeeze on those forwards / wings minutes now with Beasley there. I liked the idea of a shooter (T Harris, Fontecchio) pairing with a raw forward prospect (R Holland, Ausar Thompson) to provide adequate spacing. To get those young guys on the court and contributing in a functional development situation. Beasley throws an extra body into the mix. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those two young forwards ends up being out of the rotation now with Beasley taking backup SG minutes and Timmy Hardaway shifting up to backup SF.

That said, it gives the team a good deal of extra shooting. T Harris, Fontecchio and Timmy Hardaway gives them 3 forwards who can shoot. Beasley, Sasser, Cade and even Ivey can all shoot in the backcourt. A much better offensive group heading into next season.

I?m not sure the Pistons can go from being the worst team in the NBA last season to a play-in spot this year. I don?t think Cunningham and Ivy are a good fit.

[Roy H.]

Heat feel like one of the biggest losers this FA. They didn't nab anyone great, and also let Caleb Martin walk. Burks isn't gonna make a huge difference for them. Meanwhile the rest of the East got better around them.

I guess the Bucks are a close 2nd as well but they still have Giannis + Lillard. Their bench still seems very iffy to me, so it'll really come down to the health of their starting unit.

On paper, is it...

1. Boston
2. OKC
3.  Philly

Or do Minnesota, New York and/or Denver break into the top three?

[Phantom255x]

Heat feel like one of the biggest losers this FA. They didn't nab anyone great, and also let Caleb Martin walk. Burks isn't gonna make a huge difference for them. Meanwhile the rest of the East got better around them.

I guess the Bucks are a close 2nd as well but they still have Giannis + Lillard. Their bench still seems very iffy to me, so it'll really come down to the health of their starting unit.

On paper, is it...

1. Boston
2. OKC
3.  Philly

Or do Minnesota, New York and/or Denver break into the top three?

For me, it is:

1. Boston
2. OKC
3. New York
4. Philadelphia
5. Minnesota
6. Denver

I think losing KCP is a sneaky big loss for DEN and their bench last season was already pretty bad. Plus the conference around them is getting tougher. I think NY and PHI could be a tossup. I give NY the slight edge because they are deeper and have more mental toughness IMO, but no doubt Embiid is the best player between the two teams assuming health. I like Ant Edwards and the Wolves but I got to be honest, I'm not that sold on KAT as the #2 option there and it definitely showed in the Mavs series with how inconsistent and disappointing he was. They lost Kyle Anderson as well and Conley is 36.

I do fully believe the best two teams in the NBA are Boston and OKC though, in whatever order.