The initial wave of NBA free agency has come and gone. Here are the three biggest winners so far.
The most exciting time of the summer for NBA fans is the start of free agency. The NBA is now at a place where superstars and mid-tier stars alike are changing teams to increase their chances of winning a championship or taking their talents to the teams that are offering the most money.
Free agency is one of the most important parts of how a team will play going into the following season. If a team doesn't make any changes, chances are their season will be very similar to their last. If a team makes some drastic changes it either means they are going to be really good or really bad.
As always, free agency ends with some teams coming out as winners, and sometimes coming out as giant losers. Here are the three biggest winners of free agency so far this offseason.
The 3 biggest winners of Free Agency so far; 3. Indiana Pacers
Last season the Indiana Pacers finished the season 35-47 as the 11th seed. It was a disappointing finish for them as at one point during the season they were a top-5 seed in the Eastern Conference but an injury-plagued season for their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton hurt them.
With the emergence of star play from Haliburton, the Pacers have had one of the best offseasons. One of the first moves they made was acquiring the eighth overall pick in the draft from the Washington Wizards, which they used to get the AAC Freshman of the Year, Jarace Walker.
The Pacers had one of the biggest surprise signings so far this offseason offering a two-year, $45 million contract to 2023 NBA Champion Bruce Brown. Even though the Pacers may have overpaid Brown, he still gives great defense, energy, and solid 3-point shooting. Having the opportunity to start will be exciting to see.
The biggest and most important move the Pacers made was trading for Knicks forward Obi Toppin. Obi has extreme athletic ability, is great in the open court, and has improved his shooting from the 3-point and free-throw line.
Obi averaged 14.7 minutes per game with the Knicks as he was playing behind Julius Randle. In his 3 seasons with the Knicks, he started just 15 games, and in those starts he averaged 20.8 points per game.
He will finally get his chance to shine with the Pacers and is the perfect side piece to Haliburton as he averaged 10.4 assists per game. The Pacers are in the perfect position to take a leap in the standings next season.
The 3 biggest winners of Free Agency so far; 2. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns were one of the first teams that made a big splash in free agency. After longtime Washington Wizard Bradley Beal requested a trade the Suns jumped at the opportunity. They were a part of a 3 team deal that sent Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Bilal Coulibaly (seventh overall pick in the draft), four pick swaps and four second-round picks to the Wizards. The Pacers got Jarace Walker (eighth overall pick in the draft) and a future second-round pick from the Wizards and Suns, and then the Suns got Bradley Beal, Jordan Goodwin, and Isaiah Todd.
This trade was good and bad for the Suns. They got rid of Chris Paul who's an aging superstar with injury history and in return got Bradley Beal who is still in his prime and one of the elite scorers in this league. The thing that hurt the Suns the most in this trade was that they had no depth.
Once free agency rolled around they made a lot of little signings that could impact them in a great way. They first re-signed Josh Okogie and Damion Lee. Okogie will provide great hustle and be one of their top defenders while Lee will be a great 3-point shooter for them, as he shot 44.5 percent last season.
Then the Suns signed Yuta Watanabe, who will give great floor spacing. Then they went out and got Drew Eubanks and Chimezie Metu, who will mainly be used as a lob threat and pick-and-roll option on offense while also providing solid defense at the rim. They got Keita Bates-Diop to a two-year deal who gives them good defense and solid shooting from the wing.
The Suns' biggest signing this offseason is the 2017 6th Man of the Year winner Eric Gordon. He will be turning 35 next season but he can still be a nice burst off the bench for the Suns.
As long as Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton stay healthy, all of these signings will work out great for the Suns. Do not be surprised if they come out on top as Western Conference Champions.
The 3 biggest winners of Free Agency so far; 1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers had one of the strangest seasons in NBA history. Starting off the season 2-10, the Purple and Gold were the 13 seed at the trade deadline. Then they went 18-9 in their last 27 games, finished the season 43-39, and made the Western Conference Finals as the 7th seed.
The biggest reason for their mid-season turnaround is because they built a roster around Anthony Davis and LeBron James that fit well, which is exactly what they did this offseason.
They re-signed three key players, all at reasonable prices. The first was Rui Hachimura on a 3-year, $51 million contract. Hachimura played extremely well this postseason and gave the Lakers great size, defense, and shooting.
They also re-signed D'Angelo Russell to a 2 year, $37 million contract (with a second-year player option), which is a great price for him as he's another good scoring option. Most importantly they re-signed Austin Reaves on a shockingly cheap contract for 4 years, $56 million. When Reaves was inserted into the starting lineup he broke out onto the scene and most fully expect him to maintain that level of play for this upcoming season.
Then the Lakers had three great little signings for them. The first was picking up Taurean Prince. He is going into this season at age 29 and will provide the Lakers with defense and 3-point shooting on the wing, something they lacked in the postseason. He is the perfect role player to have alongside LeBron.
Another huge signing for the Lakers was getting Gabe Vincent on a 3-year, $33 million contract. Vincent will be another good 3-point shooter and defender on the perimeter. After losing Dennis Schroder, Vincent is the perfect replacement for him and at times can replace D'lo when he becomes a liability on defense.
The last signing for the Lakers was getting Jaxson Hayes on a 2 year, $4.6 million contract. One thing the Lakers have lacked since their 2020 Bubble run is size. The only legit big they've had was Anthony Davis but Hayes should fix that. He's a solid rim protector and rebounder, not to mention a high flier as well. He won't be asked to do much behind Davis but in the time that he does play, he will make small impacts that will change the game.
The Lakers have had the best offseason by far. They kept important role players on their roster while adding some solid ones. The only thing that can hurt them is the health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Assuming everyone is right, the Lakers are one of the top 3 teams in the West.