Several teams came out swinging in the first day of NBA free agency. But which early moves were the smartest?
So far, we aren’t even 24 hours into the NBA free-agency cycle and we already have a smorgasbord of verbal agreements across the board.
NBA rules state that teams are allowed to negotiate with free agents starting on the night of June 30, and that contracts can’t technically be dated and signed before July 6. But somehow, a flood of unofficial deals are announced shortly after the negotiation period opens.
There were also some trades, including a big one that sent Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson.
Given how fun it can be to discuss transactions and theoretical team constructs, we couldn’t resist the chance to rank some of the best signings of free agency thus far.
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4 days ago Donald KolakowskiNo. 4: Spurs Land Luke Kornet
This free agency has been fun, but it hasn’t been one for record-breaking signings. The San Antonio Spurs agreed to a four-year, $41-million deal with Kornet. That isn’t even what the average starter in the NBA gets paid, yet Kornet has the 10th-highest average annual value of any free agent this offseason (per Spotrac).
Regardless of how tight money is across the league right now, Kornet is a perfect fit alongside Victor Wembanyama. Last season, the Spurs were a respectable plus-2.9 per 100 possessions with Wembanyama on the floor but an abysmal minus-6.7 per 100 with him off it.
A huge reason for this 9.6-point swing is because Wembanyama is a prodigy and already one of the best players on the planet (seventh in DRIP). However, a contributing factor to this shift is the Spurs’ lack of a high-end backup big man.
Kornet gives them just that – placing in the 79th percentile in DRIP this season (no Spurs backup big man even came close to that mark).
Wembanyama has turned into a legit outside shooter (93rd percentile in 3-point attempts per 100) and Kornet’s statuesque physique allows him to cover for Wembanyama’s shortcomings in physicality.
So the Spurs could run some twin tower lineups that have suddenly gone back into style.
No. 3: Dorian Finney-Smith Leaves the Lakers for the Rockets
Last season, the Houston Rockets finished with an excellent defense (fifth in D-TRACR) but an average offense (16th in O-TRACR). Thanks to their surplus of agile, athletic wings the Rockets had no problem ripping and running in transition. Their issues came when defenses got back in time to stop their initial attacks and forced them to play offense in the half court.
As a general rule, to upgrade one’s half court offense, you need two things: spacing and on-ball creation. Even after trading for Kevin Durant, the Rockets still need a little more juice in the latter category.
Signing Finney-Smith to a four-year, $53-million deal won’t help with that, but he will help bolster their half-court offense with his shooting. Finney-Smith shot 41.1% on 5.0 3-point attempts per game during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24. Those marks would have ranked first and fourth, respectively, among primary rotation players on the Rockets last year.
Finney-Smith also fits into the pattern of Swiss Army Knife forwards (as evidenced by his box position being right near 50) the Rockets like to employ (Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, etc.). So by signing him, the Rockets improve a weakness without sacrificing one of their strengths.
That is good business.
No. 2: Brook Lopez Joins the Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are the lucky team that gets to brag that they pushed the team (the Nuggets) that pushed the eventual NBA champions (the Oklahoma City Thunder) harder than almost anyone else (the Indiana Pacers being the lone exception) to seven games.
That’s basically like they hoisted the Larry O’Brien themselves!
All jokes aside, the 2024-25 Clippers were a good team that could’ve gone further in the playoffs had fate given them a more favorable first-round opponent. Their deep and versatile their roster made them dangerous.
Now, the Clippers have managed not only to retain that flexibility (by re-signing Nicolas Batum) but also improve upon it by adding Lopez on a two-year, $18-million deal.
Lopez’s days as a top-tier starting center are long behind him (see his first-round series against the Pacers). But he still possesses one of the rarest combinations of rim protection (third in field goals defended) and 3-point shooting (37.3% this year) that we have in the league today.
As Ivica Zubac’s backup, Lopez will give the ever-improving 28-year-old big man a reliable regular-season reliever while also giving his partner (James Harden) a change-of-pace in the pick-and-roll (Lopez is more of a popper than a roller).
Even if they don’t make another move, the Clippers already have Harden, Zubac, Lopez, Batum, Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanovic. That is a scary nine-man rotation that opponents won’t want to see in the playoffs.
No. 1: Nickeil Alexander-Walker Joins the Hawks
Here’s a sneaky hot take: Dyson Daniels’ defense is a bit overrated. Yes, he creates an insane amount of steals (which is very valuable), but he doesn’t do enough as a point-of-attack stopper or off-ball chaser to warrant being placed on the NBA All-Defensive First Team (like he just was).
One could argue that the newly-acquired Alexander-Walker is a more reliable perimeter defender than Daniels. What is practically indisputable, though, is that Alexander-Walker is a much better shooter.
Last season, he hit 38.1% of his 4.5 3s per game (compared to Daniels’ 34% on 3.1 attempts per game). Even setting the point about Daniels’ defense, Alexander-Walker is the better two-way option next to Trae Young. He gives the Atlanta Hawks even more size and defense around their diminutive point guard, which, as the Thunder just showed us, you can never have enough of.
In any event, given the offseason additions of Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard and Kristaps Porzingis, along with the diminished state of the Eastern Conference, the Hawks will be a team to keep tabs on next season.
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