Not all "A's" are created equal.
Over the first month of NBA free agency, which opened on June 30 and has nearly wrapped up in terms of important contributors, I've handed out 17 A grades for quality moves big (Paul George moving from the LA Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers, the first current All-Star to do so in free agency since 2019) and small (the Clippers signing Nicolas Batum back from Philadelphia using their biannual exception).
Because an A is already full points on a 4.0 scale, I don't award any A+ grades. Still, there are shades of A. To differentiate the best of the best moves made so far in free agency, I've ranked all 17 of those As from best to worst based on three criteria:
-- The number of other teams which would have made the same move, given the opportunity
-- The long-term risk and reward of the contract
-- Creativity required to make the move happen
The latter factor is particularly key to this list. The Los Angeles Lakers re-signing LeBron James, or extensions for Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), are obviously great moves but not necessarily ones that required a lot of strategy. So I'm awarding bonus points for deals like the Sixers signing Caleb Martin and the San Antonio Spurs signing Chris Paul using unlikely incentives to make the best use of their cap space.
With that in mind, let's look back on the A grades from best to worst.
Tim Bontemps details how Jalen Brunson's four-year extension helps the Knicks financially moving forward.
Jalen Brunson agrees to four-year extension in New York
Agreed to a reported four-year, $156.5 million extension with guard Jalen Brunson
Although it's not surprising Brunson reportedly agreed to the largest possible extension he could sign with the Knicks, it probably should be given how much money he's foregoing.
Because Brunson's current $25 million salary is low for the star player he has become in New York, the maximum raise of 40% puts his starting salary for this extension in 2025-26 at $34.9 million. Based on the projected 10% increase in the salary cap, the maximum salary for players with seven years of experience, like Brunson, will be $46.4 million -- $11.5 million more than Brunson will make.
Sure, an extension removes some risk of serious injury this season. Barring that possibility, Brunson was sure to command max offers after finishing fifth in MVP voting during a breakthrough campaign.
As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out, the length of this extension -- four years, with the final one a player option -- means Brunson could eventually recoup some of the eye-popping difference between the total value and what he could have guaranteed on a five-year deal as an unrestricted free agent next summer ($269.1 million).
Still, that's at least three years in which Brunson is giving up a total of about $37 million in salary as compared to a potential max deal next summer. That difference will be crucial as the Knicks' roster gets more expensive. New York now has $151 million committed to 10 players for 2025-26, pending Julius Randle's decision on his $29.5 million player option. Brunson taking less could allow the Knicks to give Randle a raise if necessary -- or trade him for someone making more money -- and still stay comfortably below the second luxury tax apron, which is projected at $208 million.
By 2026-27, when newcomer Mikal Bridges will start a new contract, it might prove difficult for New York to avoid the second apron. By that point, however, the Knicks could be content re-signing or extending the players they've already accumulated and having the option to trade those players for ones making less money.
It seems appropriate to term Brunson's extension a family discount given his dad, Rick, is an assistant coach for New York, a role he previously held under Tom Thibodeau in both Chicago and Minnesota, and team president Leon Rose is Brunson's godfather. Add in the Villanova "family" that teams Brunson with his former college teammates Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and now Bridges, and it's clear that Brunson's connection with the Knicks is unusually strong.
Speaking last week about taking less money to help the Los Angeles Lakers avoid second-apron restrictions, LeBron James compared his relationship with the team to his marriage. But James ultimately sacrificed only a few million, while his offer to take a larger discount in order for the Lakers to add an impact player presumably would have been for only one season.
Add in Brunson's age and the fact that he hasn't yet made as much money as superstars who have taken less money later in their careers, such as Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, and there's little precedent for this kind of discount. Brunson's willingness to take less money than he could have made in free agency might ultimately prove a key factor in New York's ability to chase an NBA championship.
Caleb Martin lands with Philadelphia
Agreed to a reported four-year, $32 million contract with forward Caleb Martin
Martin fills a key need for the 76ers, whose depth was troublingly thin at power forward after incumbents Tobias Harris and Nicolas Batum agreed to sign elsewhere in free agency once Philadelphia used the bulk of its cap space to add Paul George.
Enter Martin, who actually projects as the second-shortest member of the Sixers' likely starting five at 6-foot-5 but has extensive playoff experience guarding bigger opponents during his three seasons with the Miami Heat. Positions were fluid in coach Erik Spoelstra's lineups, as they probably will be for Nick Nurse, but I have Martin as the assigned power forward for about 48% of his minutes in 2022-23 before he spent more time on the perimeter last season.
Between Martin, George and Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia has three interchangeable perimeter defenders to assign as needed. Martin actually spent most of his time during Miami's 2023 run to the NBA Finals defending on the perimeter -- his most frequent matchups in their respective series were Jalen Brunson, Jrue Holiday and Jamal Murray, per Second Spectrum tracking -- but also matched up most often with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
Between Martin and Oubre, who guarded Brunson throughout the 76ers' first-round loss to the New York Knicks last season, Nurse should be able to take the toughest defensive assignments off George's plate and free him to be a menace in the passing lanes.
At the other end, Martin isn't as good a shooter as fans who only tune in for the playoffs might think. Martin hit 42% of his 4.5 attempts from long distance per game during the 2023 playoffs (and 44% in a smaller sample last season), but has been around 35% the past two regular seasons and is at 36% for his career. Ideally, you'd want a little more shooting next to Joel Embiid, but Martin's playoff track record may help keep defenses honest.
From a value standpoint, this deal is hard to beat. Philadelphia had about $8 million in cap space remaining after signing George and Andre Drummond to reported deals but before re-signing Maxey with Bird rights and using the room midlevel exception to re-sign Oubre. Martin fits neatly into that space. He'll make only slightly more over four years than Derrick Jones Jr. with the LA Clippers over the next three, and Martin is a more proven two-way contributor.
To complete this deal, the Sixers will waive backup center Paul Reed, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Given the favorable structure of Reed's contract, I'm a little surprised Philly couldn't find a team willing to offer a second-round pick to keep him off waivers. Reed's $7.7 million salary is fully non-guaranteed, while his $8.1 million salary for 2025-26 only guarantees if his team makes the conference finals in 2025.
Crucially, waiving Reed and signing Martin allows the 76ers to maintain a minimum cap hold for reserve forward KJ Martin (no relation). Although he played sparingly for Philadelphia last season, he could become important as matching salary for the Sixers at the deadline. They can exceed the cap to pay him any amount, limited only by desire to limit their luxury tax bill and flexibility with regard to tax aprons.
With so much salary tied up in the trio of Embiid ($51 million), George ($49 million) and Maxey ($35 million), Philly has few tradeable players who aren't already starters and therefore difficult spots to upgrade. Re-signing KJ Martin to a deal north of $10 million would give the 76ers salary to pair with the first-round picks they can use in trade.
Paul teams up with Wembanyama in San Antonio
Agreed to a reported one-year, $11 million-plus deal with guard Chris Paul
Following one season with the Golden State Warriors, 19-year NBA veteran Chris Paul agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs. The deal will pair Paul, a 12-time All-Star, with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs experimented with several options at point guard during Wembanyama's first season, but none had the pedigree of Paul, who is currently third all time in career assists. After finishing with a 22-60 record last season, Paul's veteran presence will be a positive change for the young San Antonio roster. A full breakdown of the deal can be found here.
Thunder re-sign duo
Agreed to re-sign guard Isaiah Joe to a reported four-year, $48 million deal
Agreed to re-sign guard Aaron Wiggins to a reported five-year, $47 million deal
Let's discuss these two contracts together because the Thunder struck similar deals with both Joe and Wiggins after declining their minimum team options for this season. The logic behind that was similar to the Orlando Magic using cap space to renegotiate Jonathan Isaac's contract while simultaneously signing him to a long-term extension.
Like the Magic, Oklahoma City has big raises coming for young stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams and is trying to shift as much money as possible to this season, when Holmgren and Williams are still on their bargain rookie deals. The difference is the Thunder also needed to maximize their cap space this summer in order to sign Isaiah Hartenstein to a reported three-year, $87 million contract.
That's where tiny cap holds for Joe ($2.1 million) and Wiggins ($2.4 million) came in. By declining their team options, Oklahoma City could count them against the cap before using full Bird rights to re-sign them to much larger contracts and staying safely out of the luxury tax. Per league sources, both Joe and Wiggins saw their contracts start at their highest value before descending until the final season, with a new team option at the end.
The net effect is Joe and Wiggins making a combined $23.5 million this season, but just over $20 million by 2026-27 when Holmgren and Williams begin their extensions.
From the players' perspective, these contracts effectively function like extensions that pay them the bulk of the money up front. As compared to the possibility of the Thunder exercising their minimum team options, Joe gets an extra $46 million over three years -- almost identical to next summer's projected non-taxpayer midlevel exception, while Wiggins adds $45 million over four new seasons with $2 million of that as unlikely incentives.
Joe had a little more bargaining power than Wiggins because he would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer had Oklahoma City declined his team option, while Wiggins would have remained restricted after signing a long-term deal when his two-way contract was converted as a rookie.
Additionally, Joe has simply been the more valuable player. In two seasons with the Thunder after being waived by the Philadelphia 76ers, Joe has shot 41% from 3-point range on 9.5 attempts per 36 minutes, providing key floor spacing off the bench. Wiggins is the better defender of the two, but not as threatening from the perimeter despite making 49% of his 3s in the 2023-24 regular season. The Dallas Mavericks largely treated him as a non-shooter in the playoffs, when Wiggins dipped to 30% from downtown.
As much focus as there rightfully is on Oklahoma City's stockpile of first-round picks, working the margins for Joe and Wiggins (taken No. 55 overall in 2021) has arguably been more important to the Thunder's impressive depth. Skillful cap management should make it easier for Oklahoma City to retain both players as the team's young stars come into their prime.
Check out some highlights from Gary Trent Jr. as he agrees to a contract with the Bucks.
Trent heads to Milwaukee on one-year deal
Signed guard Gary Trent Jr. to a one-year, minimum deal
Trent is an atypical minimum signing for a team that had nothing more to offer. At 25, he's still in the prime of his career, unlike veterans Eric Gordon (35), Kyle Lowry (38) and Taurean Prince (30), the three other minimum free agents who saw more than 1,500 minutes of action last season. And Trent is vastly more effective than the other player younger than age 30 as of opening night who has signed for the minimum after playing at least 1,000 minutes, James Wiseman.
In a free agency class that has been marked by winners who were in the right place at the right time and losers who misread where things were headed, Trent stands out as the player who lost the most money. He made $18.6 million last season, completing a three-year contract signed with the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2021, when he became a starter at age 22.
Because of his age and the lower replacement level at shooting guard, I had Trent projected as one of the top 20 free agents available. Yet no market ever developed, leading Trent to take a one-year deal and bet on earning more money next summer.
Something similar happened in 2023 with Malik Beasley, who started for Milwaukee on a one-year deal after making $15.6 million the previous campaign. Beasley didn't entirely rebuild his value, but did double his minimum this summer on a one-year, $6 million deal with the Detroit Pistons.
Like Beasley, Trent's primary calling card is his shooting. He's a career 39% 3-point shooter who hit slightly higher than that in 2023-24. If anything, I'd like to see Trent become more aggressive hunting catch-and-shoot 3s, which he hit at a 42.5% clip, comparable to Beasley's 43% accuracy. Excluding those high-value attempts, Trent shot an effective field-goal percentage (eFG%) of 46% across 2s and off-the-dribble 3s.
Add in just 1.7 free throw attempts per 36 minutes and Trent scored with below-average efficiency (.548 true shooting percentage) while using plays at a league-average rate, his lowest usage since 2019-20. That was surely a key factor in Trent's market drying up.
Playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard (his backcourt-mate entering the league with the Portland Trail Blazers) and Khris Middleton, there will be little need for Trent to create his own offense. Beasley, whose usage shrunk from 21% to a career-low 15% in the same role, is proof of concept.
The Bucks miscast Beasley as their primary perimeter defender after sending out Jrue Holiday in the Lillard trade. Although hardly a stopper, Trent has a better chance of holding up against wing scorers. At a listed 6-foot-5, 209, he's a little bigger than Beasley (6-4, 187) and utilizes his strength well against bigger opponents.
Getting Trent pushes Milwaukee's other minimum signings, Prince and Delon Wright, into more appropriate roles. In Prince, the Bucks already had landed the minimum free agent who recorded the second-most minutes last season after Spencer Dinwiddie (2,108). Now they have two of the top three in that category. That, in turn, means less pressure on Doc Rivers to play Milwaukee's young wings (MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr.) unless they earn the minutes by beating out the veterans.
As with Beasley, the Bucks will be hard-pressed to re-sign Trent next offseason, when they'll be able to offer him 120% of his minimum at most using non-Bird rights. That's a problem for another day, given the urgency for Milwaukee to win while Lillard is still playing at a high level. Adding Trent makes that possibility far more realistic than it looked beforehand.
Maxey agrees to max extension with Philadelphia
Agreed to re-sign guard Tyrese Maxey to a reported five-year, $204 million contract
After getting an agreement from Paul George to sign on in the early hours of Monday morning, the 76ers circled back to officially reach a deal to re-sign Maxey. The timing of these transactions is key for Philadelphia, which can keep Maxey's $13 million cap hold on the books while using cap space before re-signing him with Bird rights for the largest possible deal starting at more than $35 million per season.
That sequence will likely push the Sixers into the luxury tax, but it maximized their spending power and facilitated adding a third All-Star to Maxey and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid.
Maxey has surely been in on these plans since last fall, when Philadelphia declined to extend him ahead of the final season of his rookie contract with an eye toward using cap space. By that point, Maxey already had a reasonable case to command the smaller 25% max salary for players with six or fewer years of experience. Winning Most Improved Player and making the All-Star Game for the first time only strengthened Maxey's bargaining position.
Given the security he gave up by playing last season without an extension, it is surprising Maxey didn't end up with a player option to make this as favorable a contract as possible from his perspective. That fifth year, which will come when the salary cap is projected at $206 million as compared to the current $140.6 million, figures to be a bargain for the team with Maxey in his prime at age 28.
There is still a little more work for the 76ers before they get to filling out their roster with minimum contracts. Assuming they waive or trade backup big man Paul Reed to facilitate using cap space to sign center Andre Drummond, and with the room exception earmarked for Kelly Oubre Jr., that leaves Philadelphia with about $9 million to spend. Presumably, the Sixers will target a power forward to fill out their starting lineup.
White, Celtics agree to 4-year extension
Deal: Agreed to a reported four-year, $125.9 million extension with guard Derrick White
As other contenders seek to load up, the Celtics' front office is quietly going about locking in last season's championship core for as long as possible. Having agreed Sunday to re-sign backup center Luke Kornet, the only Boston free agent who played more than 700 minutes in the regular season or 70 minutes in the playoffs, the Celtics struck a larger deal Monday to extend their starting guard through 2028-29.
Had White hit free agency coming off a season where he merited All-Star consideration and was arguably Boston's best player in the first two rounds of the playoffs (averaging 18.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.8 APG on near 50/40/90 shooting splits), he would likely have commanded an even larger contract than this with the NBA's salary cap going up and few unrestricted free agents of note.
That reality compelled the Celtics to step up with the best possible offer for White, who got the largest allowable salary (starting at a 40% increase from the bargain $20 million salary he'll make in 2024-25) and a player option on the final season of the contract. For White, the security of locking in a contract now and staying on a championship contender in Boston made it worth forgoing the possibility of more money next summer.
Extending White still requires a massive financial commitment from the Celtics, who will also surely sign Jayson Tatum to a designated veteran "supermax" extension sometime soon. That would give Boston a projected $205 million committed to six players for 2025-26 before the Celtics consider an extension for key reserve Sam Hauser or re-signing Al Horford. That's already enough to push Boston over the second apron just as the team begins paying a repeater tax that will grow even more punitive next season.
It's no wonder then, that the White news came just before ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Boston's ownership plans to sell a majority share in the team by 2028. Keeping these Celtics together beyond the next two seasons might require deeper pockets than Boston's current ownership has. That's a concern for another day. For now, Boston is readying for a run at becoming a dynasty.
Sacramento agrees to Monk extension
Agreed to a reported four-year, $78 million contract with guard Malik Monk
Getting Malik Monk back is a great outcome for the Kings, who could have been outbid by a team with cap space that aggressively pursued last season's Sixth Man Award runner-up.
Since Sacramento signed Monk to just a two-year deal back in 2022, when he'd first built up his value as a part-time starter during one season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings could only use early Bird rights to exceed the salary cap and re-sign Monk. That makes this deal the largest they could offer.
To some extent, Sacramento was lucky another team didn't aggressively pursue Monk, who ranked 10th in my projections of the most valuable free agents over the next three seasons based on his high-volume scoring off the bench and age (26). Much like the Lakers last year with restricted free agent Austin Reaves, the Kings deserve credit for making Monk the best offer possible, including a player option on the final season of the deal as reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Since he's on the small side for a shooting guard at 6-foot-3, Monk wasn't a fit with every team. That said, he improved his playmaking last season, averaging a career-high 5.1 assists per game and serving as Sacramento's primary ball handler with former Kentucky teammate De'Aaron Fox on the bench. The Kings averaged more points per pick-and-roll with Monk at the controls (1.04) than Fox (1.02) when the play led directly to a shot, according to Second Spectrum tracking.
Unfortunately, Sacramento saw Monk's value proven last season in his absence for the final 10 games due to an MCL sprain. That injury -- in the wake of starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter's injury -- torpedoed the Kings' chances of a second consecutive playoff appearance. They went 4-6 over that span, slipping into the play-in tournament, and lost in New Orleans with the No. 8 seed on the line after eliminating the Golden State Warriors.
Re-signing Monk will likely necessitate other moves for Sacramento. As ESPN's Bobby Marks noted, this contract pushes the Kings $1 million above the projected luxury-tax line with 12 players under contract, plus the No. 13 pick in this year's draft. Sacramento has plenty of excess reserves in the final seasons of their deals who could be moved, with guard Chris Duarte -- who played sparingly even with Huerter and Monk out -- particularly standing out at $5.9 million. After falling agonizingly short of the playoffs, the Kings will also want to try to upgrade the roster rather than merely retaining last season's rotation. Either way, Sacramento is closer to a playoff return with Monk under contract.
LeBron returns to Los Angeles
Agreed to a reported two-year, $104 million deal with forward LeBron James
With all the top free agents save DeMar DeRozan off the board, the Lakers and James evidently decided it was no longer worth waiting to consider the possibility of having him take a pay cut so they could utilize their non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
Although a James pay cut would have helped out the 2024-25 Lakers, it came with an implicit price. Presumably, James was only taking less money for this season, meaning the 2025-26 Lakers would have become far more expensive with his salary going up $20-plus million and the Lakers retaining the veteran piece they would add with James' blessing.
In that context, I'm curious just how many players besides Klay Thompson the Lakers were really interested in signing using their non-taxpayer midlevel. We know they passed on Jonas Valanciunas, who ended up signing a deal for less than the full annual value of the midlevel with the Washington Wizards. From the Lakers' perspective, I would rather not have had Valanciunas if it meant playing Anthony Davis more at power forward and cramping their spacing.
Whatever the path, we've ended up at the expected destination: James taking something close to his maximum salary and the Lakers dancing around the second luxury-tax apron. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that James is willing to take about $1 million less than the largest possible salary ($50 million) in order to ensure the Lakers keep their salary below the second apron at the time he re-signs.
The downside of this path for the Lakers is any significant changes to their roster besides draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James will have to be made via trade. Because so many Lakers picked up the player options the team loves to hand out (D'Angelo Russell, plus minimum signings Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish and Christian Wood), the other 13 spots on the full NBA roster are currently filled by returning players.
The Lakers could still create a little more wiggle room to either use their taxpayer midlevel exception or re-sign forward Taurean Prince, one of two remaining free agents from last year's roster (Spencer Dinwiddie is the other) by sending out cash or second-round picks with two of their minimum salaries.
In order to avoid hard-capping themselves at the lower luxury-tax apron, any trade the Lakers make between here and the deadline will have to bring back less salary than it sends out. The Lakers will be free to aggregate salary together under those parameters, but it will make a deal slightly more complex to complete.
A possible sign-and-trade deal for DeRozan paying him more than the midlevel would be even more challenging than that because receiving a player in a sign-and-trade triggers a hard cap at the lower apron whether it adds salary or not. In order to pay DeRozan a starting salary of $20 million, the Lakers would have to shed more than $30 million in salary.
Barring a significant trade, the Lakers' roster still has the same weakness that doomed last year's team: too few players average or better at both ends of the court. As strong a fit as Knecht is offensively, he's unlikely to help much on defense as a rookie. That leaves the Lakers counting on a healthy Gabe Vincent and internal development from Max Christie, who re-signed as a restricted free agent, to fill that void.
Ultimately, the biggest challenge for the 2024-25 Lakers is probably playing well enough before the deadline to convince the front office to put tradeable first-round picks in 2029 and 2031 in play before the postseason.
Utilizing one or both of those picks and a number of midlevel salaries, the Lakers could be competitive for a second-tier star or a deal to add depth similar to the one they struck at the 2023 trade deadline that brought back Russell and two other rotation-caliber players (Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt).
Chiney Ogwumike really likes Donovan Mitchell's decision to sign an extension with the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers, Mitchell agree to max extension
Agreed to a reported three-year, $150.3 million extension with guard Donovan Mitchell
When the Cavaliers sent three first-round picks, two swaps and three players (including Lauri Markkanen) to the Utah Jazz for Mitchell less than two years ago, my biggest concern was whether he would stay in Cleveland beyond his current contract. Mitchell held a player option for 2025-26, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent a year from now and potentially bolt for a bigger market.
As recently as December, when the Cavaliers were 13-12 and facing injuries to starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the clock seemed to be ticking on Mitchell's time in Cleveland. Instead, the Cavaliers righted the ship -- with Mitchell's strong play as a lead ball handler in Garland's absence a key factor -- and won a playoff series for the first time since LeBron James' departure in the summer of 2018.
Although Cleveland still has much work to become a legitimate contender in a revamped Eastern Conference, Mitchell's options in free agency no longer looked so promising by the end of the season. Jalen Brunson's development into a top-five finisher in the MVP race meant Mitchell wouldn't join his hometown team as the primary perimeter creator, while the Brooklyn Nets looked far from contending as they missed the play-in.
Surely inspired in part by intel on the likelihood of Mitchell signing an extension, those teams took each other off the board with their trade last week sending Brooklyn the picks that the Knicks would have offered for Mitchell in exchange for the secondary star he would have joined with the Nets, Mikal Bridges.
Other options in free agency might have emerged for Mitchell, such as the Houston Rockets, but that's also not how stars typically change teams at this point. Paul George leaving the LA Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week was the exception rather than the rule. Instead, most players prefer to grab the security of a max extension and consider asking for a trade later.
Based on that track record, Cleveland can't expect to have Mitchell through this entire extension, which takes him through the 2027-28 season. If the Cavaliers do end up trading Mitchell, however, they'll have the leverage of having multiple years left on his extension as opposed to the scenario where he could have been traded this season heading into free agency.
Signing Mitchell to the longest possible extension (four years) surely would have been ideal for Cleveland. That made less sense for Mitchell because by 2028-29, the year he's currently scheduled for a new contract via extension or free agency, he'll be eligible to sign for up to 35% of the rising salary cap based on his experience as compared to his current 30% max.
Whether Mitchell eventually requests a trade is a concern for later. Right now, the Cavaliers have to figure out how to upgrade the team around him. After a lopsided 4-1 loss to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals -- the last two games of that series were played without the injured Mitchell -- they replaced J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach with Kenny Atkinson.
No matter the coach, fit issues in the backcourt and frontcourt are pressing. Cleveland's midseason surge came without Garland and Mobley, freeing Mitchell to play point guard with Jarrett Allen at center and three shooters around them. Those lineups outscored opponents by 9.9 points per 100 possessions and ranked in the 77th percentile offensively, per Cleaning the Glass analysis, as compared to a plus-2.7 net rating and an offense ranked in the 40th percentile with all four core players on the court.
The Cavaliers' decisions on how to move forward are complicated by the fact that the core four were outstanding together in 2022-23 (plus-10.2 net rating), when Cleveland actually had the second-best point differential in the East behind the Celtics.
In particular, Mitchell's extension raises questions about Garland's future with the Cavaliers. Garland averaged 20.0 PPG and 6.9 APG in 21 starts without Mitchell, similar production to when he was named an All-Star in 2021-22 prior to Mitchell's arrival. Playing with Mitchell, his averages dropped to 16.9 PPG and 6.3 APG with weaker efficiency as a scorer.
If another team values Garland as an All-Star point guard, it's possible Cleveland could get similar production by trading him for an off-ball player while also recouping some of the draft picks sent to Utah for Mitchell.
However the Cavaliers decide to proceed, it's clear their options are better with Mitchell signed up for the long term rather than entering this season with him headed into a walk year.
Tatum extends with Boston
Agreed to a reported five-year, $314 million extension with forward Jayson Tatum
The last time Tatum signed a contract extension, missing out on All-NBA honors by a single spot in 2020-21 cost him more than $25 million because his salary started at 25% of the cap rather than the 30% Tatum would have received if he qualified. He's making up for that lost income this time around.
Since Tatum made the All-NBA first team in both 2021-22 and 2022-23, he was already eligible to sign a designated veteran supermax extension before he made it a third consecutive season in 2023-24. Tatum simply had to wait until this summer to become eligible to sign the extension, which will start in 2025-26 and replace the $37.1 million player option Tatum previously held.
Instead, Tatum's new contract will start at a projected $54.1 million, making it the largest in NBA history to date. With the cap set to increase the maximum 10% from season to season with new national TV deals kicking in during the 2025-26 campaign, that record will surely be short-lived. In fact, the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic is already eligible to surpass Tatum next summer by virtue of his All-NBA appearances.
As a result, getting caught up in whether Tatum is worth the largest contract ever -- as with teammate Jaylen Brown a year ago -- misses the point. Tatum's consistent production entering his prime (he'll be 27 at the start of this extension) merits paying whatever it takes for the Celtics to retain him.
That's not to say the money is irrelevant to Boston. Having already struck an extension with starting guard Derrick White earlier Monday, the Celtics now have a projected $205 million committed to six players for the 2025-26 season before they consider an extension for key reserve Sam Hauser or re-signing veteran Al Horford. That's already enough to push Boston over the second apron just as the team begins paying a repeater tax that will grow even more punitive next season.
Eventually, the Celtics will need to sacrifice depth around the edges to keep paying Brown and Tatum both on contracts starting at 35% of the cap. That's a challenge to figure out another day. Today is about celebrating Tatum's well-deserved extension.
Toronto signs Barnes to a max rookie extension
Agreed to a reported five-year, max extension with forward Scottie Barnes
Along with free agents being able to negotiate with their own teams prior to the traditional June 30 start of free agency, the same is true under the new collective bargaining agreement for extension-eligible players such as Barnes.
It's not very surprising this deal got done quickly. ESPN's Brian Windhorst refers to rookie extensions like this as the "fun max" because teams are eager to reward their promising draft picks. Barnes, the Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and the first player from the 2021 draft to become an All-Star last season at age 22, qualifies as Toronto's franchise player.
Still, with rookie extensions like this that are sure to be for the maximum salary, there are a couple of points of negotiation to watch. The first is whether it includes criteria to increase the starting salary to 30% of the cap rather than the typical 25% max for players with fewer than seven years of experience, which this does. That would push Barnes' extension from a projected $225 million to $270 million if he makes All-NBA or wins either MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. The second negotiating point is including a player option on the fifth year, which it doesn't appear Barnes received. That's in line with recent rookie extensions.
None of last year's max extensions (for Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, who bumped up their salaries by making All-NBA, as well as LaMelo Ball) included player options.
Beyond Barnes, the rest of this summer's rookie extensions could be trickier to value. As promising as the 2021 draft looked in Year 1, the development curve has been bumpier for No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham, No. 2 pick Jalen Green and No. 3 pick Evan Mobley. Franz Wagner, taken eighth by the Orlando Magic, and No. 16 pick Alperen Sengun are lower picks with cases for max extensions based on their play to date.
Some of those extensions will surely get done, perhaps even for the max, but they'll likely require more negotiating than Barnes' "fun max" did.
George agrees to max contract with the Sixers
Agreed to a reported four-year, $212 million contract with forward Paul George
Consider George's arrival and departure from the Clippers to be bookends in an era marked by relatively little movement of stars in free agency, with trades instead becoming their most common method of changing teams.
Over the four offseasons since George was traded to the Clippers to join Kawhi Leonard, who signed with the team as a free agent, no current All-Stars changed teams via free agency the summer after being chosen for the game. George is the first since 2019, making this a monumental move -- particularly since he's teaming up with former MVP Joel Embiid and Most Improved Player winner Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia.
One of the most reductive pieces of NBA analysis possible is to say that a star would be an ideal second-best player on a championship contender. Naturally, if a player is already and has a teammate that is better than him, their team would be quite good too.
It's with that self-caveat in mind that I note how ideally suited George is to become the No. 3 option on offense for the 76ers after years of being the second star alongside first Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder and more recently Leonard with the LA Clippers.
Part of the reason star trios haven't always worked as well on the court as on paper is that the ability to create offense at high volume without sacrificing much efficiency is largely what makes players stars. That skill is no longer as important when stars team up, making it important for players to bring secondary skills to the table like floor spacing and defense.
Consider that among the 36 NBA players who averaged at least 22 PPG last season, George's time of possession -- 20% of the time the Clippers were on offense -- ranked sixth-lowest according to analysis of Second Spectrum tracking data. George barely held the ball more than Tobias Harris (17% of the time), the player he's effectively replacing in Philadelphia's offensive pecking order who averaged just 17.2 PPG.
When he doesn't have the ball in his hands, George can be a dangerous threat spotting up while Embiid is isolating or playing pick-and-roll with Maxey. He's coming off making a career-high 41% of his 3-point attempts last season on 8.5 attempts per 36 minutes and shot nearly 40% from long distance during five seasons with the Clippers.
Beyond that, an atypically high amount of George's value comes on defense for a high-scoring star wing. A four-time All-Defensive pick, albeit most recently in 2018-19, George is no longer the turnover-creating dynamo he was in his prime yet still has a massive impact at the team level. In four of the past six seasons, his teams have allowed at least five fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court according to Cleaning the Glass analysis.
As clean a fit as George is, the Sixers will have to deal with the other issue star trios have faced in recent years: sacrificing depth for top-end talent. Despite being uniquely positioned to clear cap space to add George because of Maxey's $13 million cap hold, Philadelphia will likely have fewer proven two-way contributors than the other top contenders in the East, the defending champion Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
On Sunday, the 76ers agreed to deals to add center Andre Drummond using cap space and re-sign small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. to a contract that can use their $8 million room exception. With George on the books at the max, starting at $49.2 million this season, that leaves about $9 million for Philadelphia to finish shopping in free agency and a depth chart currently devoid of power forwards.
Even if the Sixers split their remaining money between a couple of players, they're looking at filling out the roster with at least six players making the veterans minimum. The lure of playing alongside Embiid, George and Maxey should help Philadelphia recruit some of the best players willing to play for the minimum, but we've seen with the Los Angeles Lakers after the Russell Westbrook trade and the Phoenix Suns last season how challenging putting together a minimum-heavy roster can be.
Pending those signings, I'd put the Sixers a notch behind New York in the East, with both teams staring up at a defending champion Celtics team that returns its entire playoff rotation.
Down the road, a key question will be whether Philadelphia can utilize the taxpayer midlevel exception next offseason without pushing above the second luxury tax apron. Alternatively, the 76ers could re-sign players to slightly larger contracts that would make them more viable as matching salary in trades, a way to utilize the extra draft picks Philadelphia acquired in the James Harden trade last year.
The path to putting a championship-level supporting cast around a big three of Embiid, George and Maxey won't be easy, but the 76ers might have the front office best suited for figuring it out. Part of the emphasis Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has long put on acquiring stars is because of his faith in finding undervalued role players to surround them.
In this case, pursuing George was the obvious path once the Sixers committed to using cap space this summer at the trade deadline. Unlike teams that trade for stars, Philadelphia has managed to accumulate three All-Stars without jeopardizing future draft picks. The 76ers are out a pair of protected picks and own theirs outright from 2029 onward.
Given the concerns about depth, adding George might not bring a long-awaited title to Philadelphia. No matter what, it's going to make for a fascinating 2024-25 season and beyond.
Miami extends Adebayo 3-year extension
Agreed to reported three-year, $166 million extension with center Bam Adebayo
Given Adebayo's central role as the keeper of "Heat Culture" that has carried the team to a pair of NBA Finals appearances in the past five years, staying in Miami beyond the expiration of his current contract in 2025-26 seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Despite both sides being happy to extend their relationship, how Adebayo would handle his next contract was a question mark entering this offseason. Had he played out the upcoming campaign, Adebayo would have been eligible for a four-year extension and had the potential to qualify for a supermax extension of up to five years by either making All-NBA or winning Defensive Player of the Year.
Besides the extra year, a supermax extension could have started at up to 35% of the salary cap in 2026-27 as opposed to the 30% projection that gets us to a $166 million valuation for this deal. By locking in his extension now, Adebayo is to some degree betting against his ability to reach supermax eligibility.
Foregoing that possibility may speak to the strength of Heat Culture -- or perhaps more importantly the lure of playing in Miami -- off the court. Adebayo could reasonably fear that Miami, afraid of the potential of devoting 35% of the cap as he ages, would consider trading him instead of offering the supermax extension. By signing now, Adebayo largely assures he'll be in Miami and also gets back into free agency in 2029 ahead of his age-32 season.
Whatever Adebayo's motivation, the Heat front office has to be thrilled to take the supermax possibility off the table and put his next contract on their cap sheet officially. Miami will surely have a trickier time considering a possible extension for Jimmy Butler, who could become a free agent next summer if he declines a $52.4 million player option.
Butler's age (35 in September) and contract create plenty of uncertainty for how the Heat move forward. Whether it's Butler or pursuing a younger star, Miami knows that's to pair with Adebayo for the foreseeable future.
Batum heads back to Clippers on 2-year deal
Agreed to a reported two-year, $9.6 million deal with forward Nicolas Batum
Batum enjoyed something of a renaissance at age 35 after the Clippers included him as matching salary in their trade for James Harden in November. During 57 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, primarily as a starter, Batum averaged 25.9 minutes per game -- the most he has played since 2020-21 during his first season in L.A.
Although Batum no longer makes a big dent on the box score at this point of his 16-season career, averaging just 5.5 points with the Sixers, his 40% 3-point shooting, connective passing and size on defense made him an important cog in Philadelphia's starting five. It's a little surprising from that standpoint the 76ers didn't push harder to re-sign Batum using their remaining cap space after landing Paul George from the Clippers.
It's possible Batum simply prefers to live in Los Angeles. Having used the bulk of their non-taxpayer midlevel exception on a deal with Derrick Jones Jr., the Clippers signed Batum using their $4.7 million biannual exception. He likely slots in as the backup to Kawhi Leonard, with the ability to earn a larger role depending on how coach Tyronn Lue's wing rotation shakes out.
Adding Batum pushes the Clippers ever so slightly over the luxury tax line with 14 players under contract. Trading Russell Westbrook and replacing him with a player at the veterans minimum would get the Clippers out of the tax to start the season.
Bey agrees to 3-year deal with Washington
Agreed to a reported three-year, $20 million deal with forward Saddiq Bey
Bey's foray into free agency was marred by a pair of issues. Most importantly, he suffered a left ACL tear in March that will likely sideline him most of the 2024-25 season. Beyond that, Bey's position -- combo forward -- has been strangely devalued this summer, with the likes of Derrick Jones Jr., Caleb Martin and Naji Marshall all signing deals for less than the value of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception despite their utility to winning teams.
Given those factors, Bey never had a realistic chance of commanding eight figures per season. His former team, the Atlanta Hawks, declined to tender him a qualifying offer because of its luxury tax issues, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Enter the Wizards, who have the ability to think beyond the upcoming campaign in the midst of a rebuild. Even if Bey provides no value at all to Washington in 2024-25, a two-year, $20 million deal would be reasonable next summer for a player with 223 career starts -- more than any of Jones (163), Martin (88) or Marshall (36) -- for his prime age-27 and age-28 seasons.
Washington is certainly taking a risk here in hopes that Bey will return to full health, as well as the possibility of him shooting more like his career 3-point accuracy (35%) rather than last season's career-low 32% mark. Bey's shooting backslide after hitting 38% of his 3s as a rookie is difficult to understand considering he remains an above-average foul shooter (84% in 2023-24, matching his career mark). Still, Bey has the upside of providing starter-caliber minutes at either forward spot at 6-foot-7, filling an important need for contending teams.
By 2025-26, it's possible the Wizards will transition to a new phase of their rebuilding process with more focus on results after adding a lottery pick next June. Alternatively, if Washington is still playing the long game next summer, Bey could hold trade value on this contract as the cap rises. Either way, this is one of my favorite signings of the offseason.