Which NBA Eastern Conference teams performed best and worst during the off-season?
With all the major free agents' homes and teams busy preparing for the start of training camp next month, it's time to grade up on how the teams have managed to reshape their rosters. I'd start with the Eastern Conference, which had straight A's assigned to both, but also one of two D's grades. (Western Conference grades will be unveiled on Tuesday.)
Eastern teams were busy, handing out six of the eight largest contracts signed in free agency. However, it is worth remembering John Wooden's principle to never mistake activity for achievement. Not all those deals look like good values.
These grades are on the curve with a B as the most common result and reflect opportunities that teams had to use in free agency to improve their rosters through drafts and cap space. We are not only interested in which teams have helped their chances for 2021-22, but how well they have leveraged their flexibility to do so.
With that outline in mind, let's move on to the grades, which are alphabetical.
Although it was a relatively quiet season for the Hawks, I liked the way he turned his bench after an unexpected run in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. Atlanta swapped Chris Dunn and Bruno Fernando for top-tier backup point guard Dylan Wright and added Gorgui Dieng for a year, a $4 million deal to fill in the backup center, while Oneka Okongwu shouldered He was cured of surgery.
The Hawks ensured their original stay by re-signing banned free agent John Collins to a no-plays five-year, $125 million deal and extending Trey Young as a designated player. Add in a long-term contract for coach Nate McMillan, remove his interim tag, and Atlanta wisely rewarded key contributors to the playoff run.
Given limited flexibility in the off-season, Brad Stevens, the new Celtics president of basketball operations, did well to reshuffle the lineup around All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. It began with an opening trade for Al Horford sending Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston filled the void at point guard with a one-year $5.9 million deal for Dennis Schroder.
I was all the more surprised the Celtics bet on a bounceback season for Josh Richardson, taking the remainder of his trade in exception and extending his contract. But Boston was able to generate another major exception by signing-and-trading Ivan Fournier in the New York Knicks and would not have a cap space next summer after extending potential starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams.
Barring major defections, the Nets will enter 2021-22 as the title favorites, no matter the trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn did well to bring back starting center Blake Griffin on veteran's minimum and leading reserve Bruce Brown Jr. for their $4.7 million qualifying offer, then landry Schmett in first-round pick and Jevon Carter in potentially useful reserve. flipped in.
The most interesting Nets move was using his $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel exception on Patty Mills, adding James Johnson at the veteran's minimum, rather than a replacement for Jeff Greene on the frontcourt. Mills' shooting and playmaking should help Brooklyn through the regular season, but his role in the deep round of the playoffs is more uncertain.
Including Kelly Aubrey Jr. for two years, the $24.6 million deal (guaranteed $17 million) offered more upside for the Hornets than a conservative off-season. He used his remaining cap space to add on veteran Mason Plumley (via a trade that allowed him to advance to the second round) and Ish Smith aggressively at the center, rather than making a major upgrade.
Unusually, Charlotte dropped a future first-rounder to add a second this year (taking center Kai Jones after first drafting James Buchknight in the lottery) but the banned free agent send-off sign-and-play. Trade was able to change that. Devonte Graham to the New Orleans Pelicans.
I loved the off season in Chicago. I think a four-year, $82.5 million deal for banned free agent Lonzo Ball (via sign-and-trade) will age well as Ball enters his prime, and the Bulls in Derrick Jones. Got a protected first-round pick and a lotto ticket. Jr. for the rights to Laurie Markkanen in another sign-and-trade.
Adding DeMar DeRozan on a third Chicago sign-and-trade, three-year, $82 million deal hurts the Bulls' overall grade. Not only did he pay far more than anyone else offered, he shunned first-round pick and valuable reserve Thaddeus Young for the privilege.
Chicago needed to make the playoffs to justify behavior for Giants DeRozan and Nikola Vusevic while overcoming projects as one of the league's weakest defenses.
I get the idea that Cleveland has to pay free agents more, helping to explain a five-year, $100 million deal to re-sign Jarrett Allen and four years for Laurie Markken, $67 million. of the deal (guaranteed about $55 million) through sign-and-trade. Still, if that were the case, why would the Cavaliers sell for so little on one of the league's better value contracts for Larry Nance Jr. instead of Markken?
3 overall pick Evan Mobley doesn't immediately have an above-average starter, adding Markkanan and veteran point guard Ricky Rubio doesn't seem to put the needle on Cleveland to compete for a spot in the play-in tournament. And if the Cavaliers expand starting guards Colin Sexton (deserving this offseason) and Darius Garland (next summer), an unproven corps could be surprisingly expensive.
Remember that these grades are relative to the resources the team enters the off-season, so the Pistons don't get extra credit for landing the No. 1 overall pick and drafting Cade Cunningham. Also, according to my ESPN colleague Bobby Marks, his big move was working to build cap space by getting Mason Plumley to hire Kelly Olinik for a three-year, $37 million deal with $28 million guaranteed.
It could be a strong value if Detroit gets Oleynik who dominates the stretch with the Houston Rockets, although Olinek was less dominant with the Miami Heat. The Pistons signed a team-friendly deal with banned free agent Hamidou Diallo, back on a two-year deal with the team substitute in the second season.
The Pacers didn't make a move this off-season, bigger than replacing first-year coach Nate Björkgren with veteran Rick Carlisle, who brings the championship pedigree back to Indiana in his second stint. The best addition to Carlisle's roster is a healthy T.J. Warren after missing all but four games last season following foot surgery.
Elsewhere, after McDermott received a sizable salary from the San Antonio Spurs, the Pacers turned the bench, with Doug McDermott two years in, a $10 million deal for wing Torrey Craig. Indiana's backup point guard T.J. McConnell guaranteed him $29.3 million on a four-year deal.
No one else did more to help their chances of winning in 2021–22 than the heat, who added top free agents to switch teams in Kyle Lowry (via sign-and-trade) and Miami. - Saw PJ Tucker switch sides at the Milwaukee rivalry. Helping the Bucks to a Championship.
At long last, the Heat's strategy of connecting Tucker, 36, and Lowry, 35, both of whom slowed down significantly last season, is more sinister. And a three-year extension for Butler will pay him an estimated $50-plus million in 2025-26, when he turns 36. However, under Pat Riley, Miami has successfully prioritized winning now and exploring the future down the road. .
pj The decision not to bring Tucker back was an interesting gamble for the Bucks, who could re-sign him at the cost of a larger luxury-tax bill. Tucker's defense was crucial for Milwaukee in the postseason, but his limited offense scoured the floor at times and he probably wouldn't have played as much as starting guard Donnett DiVincenzo had been healthy.
The Bucks brought back final hero Bobby Portis (using non-bird rights) and old friend George Hill on a two-year, $8 million deal. The return of Hill and the addition of Grayson Allen should give Milwaukee more shooting but less shape than we saw during the Bucks' title race
Rather than stand after a surprise return to the playoffs, the Knicks ended up bringing home Kemba Walker on a two-year deal, an $18 million deal, and Ivan Fournier on a four-year, $73 million contract with $54. Were able to upgrade their backcourts. Lakh Guarantee.
I think the New York off-season benefitted a bit from the re-signing contracts of reserve Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Derrick Rose, because of the incentives and team choices they actually made.
Factoring those out, the Knicks still paid a lot for Rose ($28 million over the next two years) and Noel (over $18 million in incentives over the same period) when they first hit free agency. Limited price given.
This grade mostly reflects Orlando's a pair of my favorite prospects with Jalen Suggs at No. 5 and Franz Wagner at No. 8. Aside from the appointment of Jamahal Mosley as head coach, the rest of the Magic's off-season was anticipated.
A one-year, $5 million deal was good value for center Robin Lopez, but a curious fit considering Orlando is developing Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba into the position. This was the Magic's only signing to exceed the minimum as they await additional cap flexibility in future seasons.
So far, I've liked Sixers Off Season. They brought back starter Danny Green on a contract that guarantees him just $10 million for a year and a fair price in free agency with reserve Furkan Korkamaz (re-signed for three years and $15 million). ) and Georges Niang (two years, $7 million) adding Andre Drummond to Joel Embiid's minimal backup was an easy call considering the price.
Of course, the biggest decision for Philadelphia is a potential Ben Simmons trade. The decision on whether to trade Simmons now and what to prioritize in return will be far more important in the long run than any move the 76ers make.
Although I think the Raptors are less likely to return to the playoffs next season, it's because of the talent at hand and their return to Canada, not their offseason moves. Toronto's decision to wait on the lorry trade at the deadline came down to taking Precious Achiuwa from the Heat in the first round of 2020, but at the cost of taking Goran Dragic for $19.4 million. We'll see if the Raptors can find some value for Dragik over the time frame.
Instead of using the cap space, Toronto stayed on the cap and re-signed a large number of other free agents. Banned free agent Gary Trent Jr. received $52 million over three seasons and a player option that could see him hit unrestricted free agency at age 24, while the Raptors followed a strong post by Khem Birch (three years, $50 million). 20 million) paid a lot to bring back. -Buyout run. In the long term, Scotty Barnes' decision to move No. 4 ahead of Suggs overall could dominate our assessment of Toronto's off-season.
In contrast, the Wizards had my favorite off-season of any team without dramatically changing their outlook for 2021-22. Washington is still in the play-in mix after trading Russell Westbrook for three rotation plays (Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, Montreal Harrell and Kyle Kuzma), while Spencer Dinwiddie (with $45 million guaranteed on a three-year contract) And Aaron Holiday descends. Using Westbrook as matching pay.
Looking ahead, the Wizards' cap sheet is in better shape with Harrell in the final season of his contract and Caldwell-Pope's 2022-23 salary guaranteed at just $4.9 million. And Dinwiddie, 28, is a better fit for Washington going forward than Westbrook, who matches up in age with All-Star Bradley Beale (also 28) as the Wizards look to keep Biel longer .