The Top-10 Day 1 Free Agent Signings
Feb 20, 2013 12:40:03 GMT -5
Post by aar on Feb 20, 2013 12:40:03 GMT -5
1) Magic Sign SG James Harden for $101,062,500 over 7 years
The Harden signing is exceptionally significant for the Magic.
They now cement an unbelievable backcourt of Deron Williams, Harden and Alando Tucker for at least three more seasons with an up and coming frontcourt of Milan Macvan and Kenneth Faried.
All five of these guys are under 30 and they will continue to a force in the East.
Their five starters alone average nearly 100 ppg, which is an incredible feat.
Somehow, Play is always able to make the moves to have a fantastic starting five and this team is no exception.
2) Hornets Sign PF Blake Griffin for $101,062,500 over 7 years
The Hornets made a lot of high risk/high reward trades with the idea that they would be able to bring back Griffin and he returns for seven seasons.
After moving Quincy Acy for Amare Stoudemire, which they now admit to regretting, they flipped Amare for Ben McLemore, the second overall pick in this year's draft.
The Hornets are likely not ready to contend just yet, but with a core of Kyrie Irving, McLemore, the underrated Dante Cunningham, Griffin and Roy Hibbert, they have a nice, young starting five. They also have a very nice, young bench featuring Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, Paul George and Earl Clark.
The big question remains whether they would have been better off standing pat and having Griffin, Andre Drummond, Quincy Acy, DeMar DeRozan and Ty Lawson as their starting five. That is all contingent on the growth of Irving.
3) Wizards Sign SG Da'Sean Butler for $42,000,000 over 4 years.
Not only do the Wizards keep the under the radar Da'Sean Butler, they do so without offering him a full four year max when other teams undoubtedly did.
Butler stays with his team featuring youngsters like Damian Lillard and Jonas Valanciunas that also added Christian Watford and Rudy Gobert.
The Wizards have built an excellent young core that hinges on the growth of Lillard, but if I were them, I would stand pat and not be worried.
The big question marks remain to be whether Watford or Gobert are boom or bust, that will ultimately determine if this team can continue to grow.
4) Raptors Sign PG Daniel Gibson for $10,000,000 over 2 years
Daniel Gibson stays with the Raptors at a ridiculously budget price tag for a player coming off of a career year.
Gibson is one of the premiere three point shooters in the league and is incredibly efficient.
It's surprising that the Raptors haven't been able to get anything of value for Gibson yet because he'd be an outstanding asset in an outside team.
5) Spurs Sign PF Al Jefferson for $6,000,000 over one year.
The Spurs added Andrew Bynum in the offseason, who was an absolutely huge acquisition.
They also drafted Alex Len, but Len isn't quite there yet as a high caliber backup big man, so he paid Al Jefferson to stick around.
Jefferson has been a bust in terms of expectations of him, but he has settled into the role of being a quality sixth man or serviceable starter.
This was a good move to bolster their frontcourt.
6) Suns Sign SF Jonas Jerebko for $9,200,000 over 2 years.
Jerebko is nothing especially great, but he'll be a very nice compliment for Quincy Acy because like Acy, he is very efficient and is also young.
The Suns are starting to get a bit younger and Jerebko is a nice piece.
It was also good that Skillz gave him a two year deal so that he'd have birds at the end of the contract if Jerebko ends up being a really strong piece.
7) Hornets Sign PG Ty Lawson for $10,500,000 over one year
Strangely, Lawson is listed above Kyrie Irving on the Hornets depth chart, which means that there's potentially something special beneath the letter ratings.
Lawson was the type of player that could have gotten offers in the $6-8 million range, so the Hornets didn't take any chances and gave him a one-year MAX, hoping that at the end of this season, he requests a more budget long-term contract before free agency.
Lawson is still young and if he has a decent TC, his trade value will certainly go up.
The Hornets are starting to enter win-now mode and they could use Lawson as trade bait paired with some picks.
8) Celtics Sign PG Steve Nash for $12,000,000 over one year.
The Celtics have a solid mixture of young and old with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Greg Monroe and Greg Smith paired with Rashard Lewis and the returning Steve Nash.
The Celtics will likely either attempt to move their youth for some veteran talent to contend with or keep their youth, play out the year and rebuild after this season.
My guess would be the latter.
9) Jazz Sign PF Brandon Bass for $10,000,000 over one year
Brandon Bass is a very nice looking player in terms of his grades, but underachieves on the course.
Regardless of that, a one year deal is not a risky assessment and he will be able to step in and start right away.
The Jazz didn't have any cap, so they have nothing to lose by bringing back Bass.
10) Grizzlies Sign SG James Anderson for $78,750,000 over 6 years
Stud.
The Harden signing is exceptionally significant for the Magic.
They now cement an unbelievable backcourt of Deron Williams, Harden and Alando Tucker for at least three more seasons with an up and coming frontcourt of Milan Macvan and Kenneth Faried.
All five of these guys are under 30 and they will continue to a force in the East.
Their five starters alone average nearly 100 ppg, which is an incredible feat.
Somehow, Play is always able to make the moves to have a fantastic starting five and this team is no exception.
2) Hornets Sign PF Blake Griffin for $101,062,500 over 7 years
The Hornets made a lot of high risk/high reward trades with the idea that they would be able to bring back Griffin and he returns for seven seasons.
After moving Quincy Acy for Amare Stoudemire, which they now admit to regretting, they flipped Amare for Ben McLemore, the second overall pick in this year's draft.
The Hornets are likely not ready to contend just yet, but with a core of Kyrie Irving, McLemore, the underrated Dante Cunningham, Griffin and Roy Hibbert, they have a nice, young starting five. They also have a very nice, young bench featuring Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, Paul George and Earl Clark.
The big question remains whether they would have been better off standing pat and having Griffin, Andre Drummond, Quincy Acy, DeMar DeRozan and Ty Lawson as their starting five. That is all contingent on the growth of Irving.
3) Wizards Sign SG Da'Sean Butler for $42,000,000 over 4 years.
Not only do the Wizards keep the under the radar Da'Sean Butler, they do so without offering him a full four year max when other teams undoubtedly did.
Butler stays with his team featuring youngsters like Damian Lillard and Jonas Valanciunas that also added Christian Watford and Rudy Gobert.
The Wizards have built an excellent young core that hinges on the growth of Lillard, but if I were them, I would stand pat and not be worried.
The big question marks remain to be whether Watford or Gobert are boom or bust, that will ultimately determine if this team can continue to grow.
4) Raptors Sign PG Daniel Gibson for $10,000,000 over 2 years
Daniel Gibson stays with the Raptors at a ridiculously budget price tag for a player coming off of a career year.
Gibson is one of the premiere three point shooters in the league and is incredibly efficient.
It's surprising that the Raptors haven't been able to get anything of value for Gibson yet because he'd be an outstanding asset in an outside team.
5) Spurs Sign PF Al Jefferson for $6,000,000 over one year.
The Spurs added Andrew Bynum in the offseason, who was an absolutely huge acquisition.
They also drafted Alex Len, but Len isn't quite there yet as a high caliber backup big man, so he paid Al Jefferson to stick around.
Jefferson has been a bust in terms of expectations of him, but he has settled into the role of being a quality sixth man or serviceable starter.
This was a good move to bolster their frontcourt.
6) Suns Sign SF Jonas Jerebko for $9,200,000 over 2 years.
Jerebko is nothing especially great, but he'll be a very nice compliment for Quincy Acy because like Acy, he is very efficient and is also young.
The Suns are starting to get a bit younger and Jerebko is a nice piece.
It was also good that Skillz gave him a two year deal so that he'd have birds at the end of the contract if Jerebko ends up being a really strong piece.
7) Hornets Sign PG Ty Lawson for $10,500,000 over one year
Strangely, Lawson is listed above Kyrie Irving on the Hornets depth chart, which means that there's potentially something special beneath the letter ratings.
Lawson was the type of player that could have gotten offers in the $6-8 million range, so the Hornets didn't take any chances and gave him a one-year MAX, hoping that at the end of this season, he requests a more budget long-term contract before free agency.
Lawson is still young and if he has a decent TC, his trade value will certainly go up.
The Hornets are starting to enter win-now mode and they could use Lawson as trade bait paired with some picks.
8) Celtics Sign PG Steve Nash for $12,000,000 over one year.
The Celtics have a solid mixture of young and old with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Greg Monroe and Greg Smith paired with Rashard Lewis and the returning Steve Nash.
The Celtics will likely either attempt to move their youth for some veteran talent to contend with or keep their youth, play out the year and rebuild after this season.
My guess would be the latter.
9) Jazz Sign PF Brandon Bass for $10,000,000 over one year
Brandon Bass is a very nice looking player in terms of his grades, but underachieves on the course.
Regardless of that, a one year deal is not a risky assessment and he will be able to step in and start right away.
The Jazz didn't have any cap, so they have nothing to lose by bringing back Bass.
10) Grizzlies Sign SG James Anderson for $78,750,000 over 6 years
Stud.
