Well, that didn't take long. Already plenty of headlines on day 1.
Davis (Pelicans): 5yrs/$140m extension; Ajinca (Pelicans): 4yrs/$20.2m. There's no reason for Davis to wait, this is the deal, just sign it and start check collecting. I believe there's an out after year 4, but god, they'll figure out how to fill out the roster around in the next four years, won't they? Hope so for their sake. I like Ajinca, not dissimilar in style and build, a decent stunt double for AD going forward. I thought the Pelicans would let Asik move on and fill the space in some other way but the rumblings are that he'll be back too. We'll see.
Chandler (Suns): 4yrs/$52m; Knight (Suns): 5yrs/$70m. Did not see Phoenix as a landing spot for Chandler. (Since they just grabbed Jon Leuer too does this mean Alex Len is on the move?) He definitely gives them a defensive presence in the middle that they haven't had in decades and he can score around the basket, if he's opportunistic he'll have plenty of scoring options with Bledsoe and Knight combo-in' all over the place. And I like the Knight signing, gives Bledsoe a formidable comrade, they'll be fun and Tyson gives them some credibility. They might be sniffing around #8 again.
Butler (Bulls): 5yrs/$90m; Dunleavy (Bulls): 3yrs/$15m. The word was that Butler was wanting a shorter deal to get out of Chicago as soon as possible. But if he stays good, his contract will be easily moved (I can totally see him in the post-Kobe LA), I'd say the kid did the right thing: take the full dollars, everything else can be worked out later. I thought they'd let Dunleavy walk but as soon as Lebron expressed some interest in him, Bulls right quick locked him up. They don't have any flexibility any more (looks like they're already way over the cap, how do these deals metabolize?).
Love (Cavs): 5yrs/$110m; Thompson (Cavs): 5yrs/$80m; Shumpert (Cavs): 4yrs/$40m. They're rolling with last year's squad again. Probably not a bad idea. That squad should probably comfortably rule the east for the foreseeable future. Room left for Smith?
Leonard (Spurs): 5yrs/$90m extension; Green (Spurs): 4yrs/$45m; traded Splitter to the Hawks (terms still being worked out). Signing Kawhi is a sigh of relief (you can't exhale until the ink is dry) but signing Green is a pleasant surprise. In order to make room for Aldridge (or whoever they end up wooing) I thought Green would get jettisoned and I suppose he could still be traded but this move seems like their shoring up the lineup for next year. Moving Splitter would be bring to in someone new but it looks like they gave a good chunk of that to Green. Green's a good fit, perhaps a better fit than Aldridge, and perhaps they chose to stay in-house (and a run at Lopez maybe?) instead of re-shaping everything for the bigger star. We'll see.
Singler (Thunder): 5yrs/$25m. This one surprised me too: all indications are that the Thunder want to re-sign Kanter, would've though that made Singler a cap casaulty. Guess not. (Also, I thought Singler was a perfect fit for the Cavs but this is more than the Cavs would've wanted to give him I reckon)
Dragic (Heat): 5yrs/$90m. I love Dragic, think he's gonna be money with Bosh, Wade, Winslow, Deng, McRoberts, Whitside. Just one year in Lebron's wake and already they seem the most likely to challenge the Cavs (for the next year anyway) in the East. (Or this could be a painful disaster where none of the pieces fit the way they're supposed to...though that might be fun too)
Middleton (Bucks): 5yrs/$70m. Good move, Middleton was one of the most underappreciated players in the whole league last year, it was his maturation that held the Bucks in playoff mode even after Jabari got hurt and Sanders bailed. He had a really good year and its good to see him get rewarded.
Johnson (Celtics): 2yrs/$24m, Jerebko (Celtics): 2yrs/$10m. A coupla short-term role deals, hardly the big splash the Celtics were hoping to make on day one. I don't dislike the players or the contracts (both very reasonable) but the Vegas odds didn't get any better for the Celtics today. Maybe tomorrow, still a lot of summer left to pull off the right deal.
Carroll (Raptors): 4yrs/$60m. One of those moves where the team overpays a nice player who's not the right player, team swallows up the player, who's never heard from again. Carroll is a a good contributor for a good team but a mediocre team going in the wrong direction, he's just absorbing too much salary. Raptors have too many players to trade away to have any idea where this team will be in October but I still don't see how Carroll fits.
Lillard (Blazers): 5yrs/$110m extension, Aminu (Blazers): 4yrs/$30m; I knew Aminu would get paid, D'd up James Harden as well as anyone all year, that's a valuable thing in the West. Personally I've thought the whole time that Aldridge goes back to Portland, I think all this talk is just him getting some league love (he deserves it) and then heading on back home. Kinda looks like Plumlee to replace Lopez, Aminu in place of Batum, (now to replace Matthews), and Lillard getting big money doesn't keep Aldridge away. I think they're feathering the nest while he hangs with Kobe and Pop (and, of course, anyone who's anyone is having dinner with Chandler Parsons these days). I think the Blazer re-build is closer to complete than we realize.
Pierce (Clippers): 3yrs/$10m. I dunno...I don't get this move, its not obvious to me why he wants to be in LA. Sure, playing with Chris Paul will be great but I feel like Pierce interrupts the Clipper flow more than adding to it. I'm not feeling Lance and Pierce as big upgrades over Barnes and Hawes, we'll see who they can get for Crawford but if they lose Deandre, all these moves are moot. The Clippers are really on the edge right now.
Lopez (Nets): 3yrs/$60m, Young (Nets): 4yrs/$50m. I would've thought the Nets would've been happy to get any new blood but I guess they're going for continuity. $20m/per for Lopez, are we sure he's that good? I like Lopez as much as the next guy but I feel like there's more versatility out there. Young, too, is a nice player but $12m/per feels like more than anyone else would've paid. I dunno, these aren't horrible signings but they certainly aren't any kind of leap forward either.
Wright (Grizzlies): 3yrs/$18m. The Grizzlies could use more perimeter players (JR Smith, anyone?), but they have let go of Koufos and Leuer already, Wright is good for depth and he's a pretty good scorer. Wright was one the one unsung victims of last season: he was having a great season with the Mavs but got tossed aside for Rondo (bad play), then dumped again by the Celtics and again by the Suns. The Grizzlies got a pretty good player at a reasonable price.
Millsap (Hawks): 3yrs/$59m. I felt like Millsap would be one of the coveted free agents of the summer instead he gets less than Brook Lopez to stay with the team he helped build. (I thought the Jazz would make the down-on-one-knee kinda plea to Millsap to return to the SLC but I guess that was never gonna happen) One rumor is this is part of a sign-and-trade for Tobias Harris; could be an interesting move for both teams. They did acquire Splitter (for a player to be named later) so perhaps this signing is the first step in a longer process.
Green (Warriors): 5yrs/$85m. Wow, that seems a little high but this is the right move. Green is a badass, knows exactly who he is and he fits on this team and they've already won a championship, go ahead and pay the man.
