2019-20 NBA Free Agency (Day One)

Blazers: Damian Lillard (extension of 4yrs/$196m), Rodney Hood (2yrs/$16m), Mario Hezonja (1yr/min)
Listen: we have this notion that the rich bosses don't want to share their money with workers but that is not the case. When a guy like Lillard, a guy that gets the job done, comes along, the bosses can't wait to give that guy more money--don't you think the Pelicans would've gladly given Anthony Davis more money? Great move for the Blazers, the kind of move that doesn't matter if it bites them in the long run--they've already gotten enough out of Lillard to make this deal work. This town belongs to Dame and the two are a good match.
I kinda thought the Pelicans would make a run at Hood just to fill out their roster with Blue Devils (and, yes, they got Reddick instead, but I thought they'd go for both!). Hood is a nice player and this is a reasonable deal for the Blazers. Good move.
Hezonja is worth another look, especially in a rotation that already has strong guard play. Not expensive, worth a try, good move.

Bucks: Brook Lopez (4yrs/$52m), Khris Middleton (5yrs/$178m), George Hill (3yrs/$29m), Robin Lopez (?/?)
Okay, they lost Brogdon but brought back Lopez, Middleton and Hill (and got an extra Lopez for their troubles), good move? Hard to tell. Here's the deal with the Bucks: retaining all these guys doesn't make them better, but then again losing them doesn't make them better either. Now they're running back the same squad (minus Brogdon) at a wildly higher price point. This team is all about Giannis, so it doesn't really matter, I guess, but this was gonna be a tough night for the Bucks no matter what happened. The Bucks are still looking good for next season and that's what's important, I reckon, but man they just sent out a bunch of money for a team that's not quite as good as the one that lost last year and that hurts.

Bulls: Thaddeus Young (3yrs/$41m)
Sure, why not?

Celtics: Kemba Walker (4yrs/$141m)
Great pick up!  I think Kemba is the perfect palette cleanser after the tumultuous Kyrie period. Kemba has a similar game but just seems like a much nicer guy and has more to play for. Seems to me that Tatum, Hayward, Brown and even Williams are set to be better and I think Kemba brings a sunny disposition on the upswing rather than Kyrie's gloomy selfishness. Great move by the Celtics (tough to lose Horford, though).

Grizzlies: Jonas Valenciunas (3yrs/$45m), traded for Andre Iguodala
I always like Valenciunas, I think he fits the Grizz and this is a reasonable contract for the team. Good move. Iguodala, too, is a Grizz kinda guy (though I'm guessing he'll get moved at the trade deadline).

Heat: sign and trade for Jimmy Butler (4yrs/$142m)
(Hmmmm....still figuring out who went out the door to make room for Jimmy Butler, making me wonder if perhaps this doesn't get voided and/or re-worked--avs are holding out for Justise Winslow?)
Does this make the Heat any better? I dunno, maybe. But we won't find out til next summer's free agent moves anyway.

Hornets: Terry Rozier (3yrs/$58m)
*ugh* Hornets are in a bad way and this deal doesn't do anything to decrease that feeling. Rozier is getting paid, good for him, but I don't otherwise see how this positively impacts his career.

Jazz: Bojan Bogdanovic (4yrs/$73m), Ed Davis (2yrs/$10m), (traded away Derrick Favors)
Bogdanovic started in the NBA as a good shooter but not otherwise noteworthy to a dude that was bodying up Lebron in the playoffs 2 years ago. That's a transformation! If he keeps busting his ass, then this is a great pickup for the Jazz. He gives them a perimeter shooter that plays smart and hard.
I always liked Ed Davis and since Favors is now on the way out, they'll need his rebounding down low. Very good deal for the Jazz.

Kings: Trevor Ariza (2yrs/$25m), Dwayne Dedmon (3yrs/$41m), Harrison Barnes (4yrs/$85m)
I loved the Barnes trade last season and re-upping him was the top priority and I like that they got it done. And to that end bringing in Ariza and Dedmon to help Barnes be the 'adults' to watch over the kids strikes me as good moves, too. (Though Al Horford would've been better) I like where the Kings stand in the West, this team is getting better and these moves push them in the right direction.

Knicks: Julius Randle (3yrs/$63m), Taj Gibson (2yrs/$20m), Bobby Portis (2yrs/$31m)
They wanted Zion...and they got Julius Randle. I like Randle, I think he's actually had a pretty good career so far but his presence did not work for Lebron or for Zion so he keeps getting moved--which should give the Knicks fans hope that someone else will soon push him out again (remember Steve DeBerg? Randle is having a DeBerg-ish career so far).
Portis still has upside but for the Knicks I can't help thinking he does nothing for them and they do nothing for him.
I like Taj, thought he'd fit better on a veteran team that's playing for something instead of a young team going nowhere. The fact that he's not getting paid more or at least on a better squad (where were the Celtics?) is kind of a shame.
I like all three of these guys but they're not enough to make any difference in the East. And the fact that these guys are walking into a situation where everyone has impossible expectations and they have virtually no chance of the post-season just sets them up for failure and that's disappointing. The Knicks gonna Knick.

Magic: Terrence Ross (4yrs/$54m), Al-Farouq Aminu (3yrs/$29m), Nikola Vucevic (4yrs/$100m)
The Magic gave raises to two important vets that got them into the playoffs last year and added another reliable defensive presence on a reasonable deal in Aminu. This doesn't really make them better but at least they're smart moves. It's all about Fultz now...

Mavs: Kristaps Porzingis (5yrs/$158m), Dwight Powell (3yrs/$33m)
Okay, Mavs ready to roll. (Kinda bummed the Dragic trade didn't work out, I think he'd be a great addition off the bench; that trade is still up in the air, we'll see if the Mavs can put the screws to Pat Riley one more time)

Nets: Kevin Durant (4yrs/$164m), Kyrie Irving (4yrs/$141m), Garret Temple (2yrs/$10m), Deandre Jordan (?/?)
The big moves of the night...but do the actually make the Nets better next season? I kinda doubt it. They had to cast off D'Angelo Russell, Ed Davis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Demarre Caroll and Jared Dudley--all guys who played significant minutes for a playoff team last year--which leaves a bunch of nice youngsters to go with Kyrie. Durant won't play next season, Deandre will be backing up Jarrett Allen and Temple will be backing up Dinwiddie, so for next season they basically gutted their roster...for Kyrie and nothing else. Hmmmmm, that doesn't seem nearly as sexy as ya thought, right? There's still time to make moves but I don't see the Nets as a playoff team next year. So this is all about 2021 and does anyone think Kyrie is gonna be cool with sucking til then? (Yikes! I'm not at all sure the Nets made the right moves here!)

Nuggets: exercised team option on Paul Millsap (1yr/$30m), Jamal Murray (extension of 5yrs/$170m)
Kinda surprise but I like it! This actually sets them up nicely to have money to spend next summer and would not have given them much to spend this year anyway, so after a career of getting underpaid because the timing just wasn't right, Millsap is gonna get a fat paycheck because of a weird glitch. Good for him! And good for the Nuggets. And I love extending Murray, this is his team, pay him and let him lead. Hey, man, standing pat looks pretty good for them in the West.

Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon (4yrs/$85m; sign and trade?), Jeremy Lamb (3yrs/$31.5m)
They lost Bogdanovic but Brogdon is a smart young player and Lamb has his moments (offensively, anyway) and I think they'll mesh well with Oladipo. I'm not sure these are home run moves but they're still at the plate.

Pelicans: JJ Reddick (2yrs/$26m), Niccolo Melli (2yrs/$8m), (traded for Derrick Favors)
Another day, another Dukie. Reddick gives them a hungry, reliable vet to shepherd the youngsters and adding Favors is a good move for developing the youth, too. (You know, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is a hard-working defensive specialist that might fit nicely in this roster, too) Don't know Melli but he scored a ton in Europe, he probably doesn't suck. The Pelicans are all about the youth movement so its hard to project them as a playoff team next season but they'll be fun to watch and they're moving in the right direction.

Pistons: Derrick Rose (2yrs/$15m)
I'm fine with this but this just means it'll be two more years before D-Rose gets to the 3-on-3 league, which is where his best game lies.

Rockets: Gerald Green (1yr/?), Danuel House (3yrs/$11.1m)
*Yawn*

Sixers: Tobias Harris (5yrs/$180m), Mike Scott (2yrs/$9.8m), Al Horford (4yrs/$109m), Josh Richardson (trade with Heat)
Horford is quite possibly the best move by any team all night long, luring him away from the Celtics is a dagger to one of their closest rivals. Great get!
Watching the Sixers during the regular season I really liked the Harris-Simmons combo but once they got into the playoffs it was the Butler-Embiid that brought them success, so I find it a little strange that they ended up shuttling out Butler and giving Harris a shit ton of money. But I guess adding Richardson gives them so defensive toughness and Horford will keep the offense moving, so it should still work.
I like Mike Scott, thought he fit this team pretty good actually.
(If they let TJ McConnell go, they're gonna regret it!)

Spurs: Rudy Gay (2yrs/$32m), Demarre Carroll (2yrs/$13m)
Gay is an established Popovic soldier and Carroll looks like he could be, too. I'm okay with these moves.

Suns: Ricky Rubio (3yrs/$51m)
The first real surprise of the night--hadn't heard anyone pairing Rubio and Phoenix. I dunno, I guess it works, Rubio will keep the ball moving, he won't take away shots from anyone, he could be a great foil for Josh Jackson, he's a decent defender and he's an adult. I like the move, I like Rubio. The Suns still suck but, you know, this is okay. 

Thunder: Nerlens Noel (?/?--uhhh, maybe not), Mike Muscala (?/?)
Seemed like Nerlens was perfect for the new-look Lakers, but Twitter says OKC is keeping him. But then Twitter said they weren't. And since Twitter never lies, I'm in a quandary.
Mike Muscala seems like a nice guy.

Warriors: Klay Thompson (5yrs/$190m), D'Angelo Russell (4yrs/$117m; sign and trade)
Well the Warriors say goodbye to Durant and hello to an exciting young PG to fill in while Klay is out. Considering everyone thought KD was leaving anyway, I'd say this is a great night for the Warriors! Without Klay (and Durant) the Warriors will obviously take a step back next year but not as far back as we thought. With Steph, Draymond and Iguodala, I'd say they're still in the mix--we'll see if those Lakers are still there in the post-season and what the Rockets do to get better (I haven't seen any upgrades yet).

Wizards: Thomas Bryant (3yrs/$25m)
Oh, man, the Wizards are built to suck for years to come (at least the Hornets will have cap space next summer). I don't see how this changes anything for them.


Still out there:
Kawhi Leonard, Demarcus Cousins, Kelly Oubre, Willie Cauley-Stein, Patrick Beverley, Jabari Parker, Enes Kanter, Wesley Matthews, Austin Rivers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Iman Shumpert, Alec Burks, Danny Green, Jared Dudley, Rajon Rondo, the Morris twins, Corey Joseph, Wayne Ellington, Dragan Bender, Justin Holiday, Kyle O'Quinn, Emmanual Mudiay, Frank Kaminsky, Stanley Johnson, Trey Lyles, Tomas Satoransky, Sam Dekker, Seth Curry, Elfrid Peyton, Delon Wright, Reggie Bullock, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Tyus Jones, Amir Johnson, Raymond Felton, Vince Carter, Jamal Crawford, Jonas Jerebko, Greg Monroe, Kevon Looney, TJ McConnell, Richaun Holmes, Deyonta Davis, Ivaca Zubac, Rodney McGruder, David Nwaba, Jordan Bell, Khem Birch, among others.

Anyone still want: Kenneth Faried, Tyson Chandler, Jeremy Lin, Marcin Gortat, Zach Randolph, Dwight Howard, Anthony Tolliver, Ben McLemore, Ish Smith, Lance Stephenson, Thabo Sefalosha, Kosta Koufos, Marquesse Chris, Justin Patton, Jeff Green, Luol Deng, JaVale McGee?