NBA free agency best and worst values

3 posters

Go down

NBA free agency best and worst values Empty NBA free agency best and worst values

Post by gyso Fri Nov 27, 2020 9:16 am

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-free-agency-best-and-worst-values-gordon-haywards-scary-120-million-contract-201834283.html

Yahoo Sports
NBA free agency best and worst values: Gordon Hayward's scary $120 million contract
Keith Smith
Wed, November 25, 2020, 3:18 PM EST

2020 NBA free agency has largely come and gone, and what a whirlwind it was. Starting less than two days after the 2020 NBA draft, free agency saw the vast majority of impact players come off the board by the end of the weekend. All told, over 100 players have changed teams via free agency or trade.

There were only four teams that had cap space to be major players in free agency. Of those teams, Atlanta and Charlotte chose to be spenders. Detroit did most of their work via trade, as they shuffled players on and off the roster while adding some new players and accumulating future assets. Perhaps most shocking of all was the New York Knicks showing a newfound restraint this offseason. New York signed a small number of players to short-term, highly reasonable contacts and made a couple of small trades.

As with any free agency period, there were great values to be found by teams and there were some contracts that left you wondering what the thought process was. Here are five of the best and worst values of 2020 NBA free agency:

Best values:

1. Christian Wood | Houston Rockets (via sign & trade) | 3 years, $41 million

Wood was one of the top-rated free agents available. It was assumed he would re-sign with the Detroit Pistons, but as his former team added big man after big man, it was clear Wood was on his way out. The Rockets pounced and got the best value in all of free agency. Under $15 million annual value is a relative steal, as Houston migrates away from micro-ball to a more balanced roster. Wood will likely start at the five for the Rockets and will provide inside/outside scoring and rebounding. He can also play some four when the team goes to bigger lineups.

2. Fred VanVleet | Toronto Raptors | 4 years, $85 million

VanVleet was the best point guard on the free-agent market and it wasn’t particularly close. He had some suitors, but ultimately the Raptors are bringing back their former undrafted free agent. The total value for VanVleet’s deal is more than fair. $21 million for a good starting point guard is the going rate, and now VanVleet is locked up as Kyle Lowry eventually ages out. What makes this deal an especially good value is that the Raptors started the contract out high, then it takes an 8% dip in year two, before rising back up by 8% in year three. That allows Toronto to maximize cap space in the summer of 2021, when the free-agent class will be loaded with stars.

3. Bogdan Bogdanovic | Atlanta Hawks | 4 years, $72 million

When the rumor mill started churning, reports came out that Bogdanovic was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks via sign-and-trade. The challenge? Those rumors circulated days ahead of the negotiating period opening. That sent up red flags for the NBA league office as to possible tampering. Any chance of a deal to Milwaukee fell apart, and the Hawks swooped in with an offer sheet. The Kings ultimately chose not to match, and let Bogdanovic go. Now, Atlanta has a tough-minded, scoring wing to go along with Trae Young in their backcourt for the next four years. And, should the partnership not work as hoped, Bogdanovic’s contract is easily tradable.

4. Jakob Poeltl | San Antonio Spurs | 3 years, $27 million

While everyone else was making big trades and handing out huge contracts, the Spurs quietly went about their business, as per usual. Locking up Poeltl for $9 million a year is a relative steal, especially when you look at what some of the other free-agent big men got for contracts. This is probably going to be LaMarcus Aldridge’s last year in San Antonio. That will free up the pivot for Poeltl to hold down. With a bigger role, Poeltl will be a nightly double-double threat and one of the league’s better shot-blockers.

5. Jae Crowder | Phoenix Suns | 3 years, $30 million

The Miami Heat prioritized flexibility for the summer of 2021. They didn’t give out any contracts, minus Bam Adebayo’s extension, that added guaranteed money to the 2021-22 cap sheet. That left Crowder in a tough spot. He could have taken more money from Miami, but only for one season guaranteed, or he could leave for more stability elsewhere. After playing for five different teams on his last contract, Crowder chose stability, and Phoenix won for it. Crowder will slide in as a starting forward, and if he’s passed in ability by one of the Suns’ younger players, he’ll become a top backup. For $10 million per season, that’s a tremendous value.

Worst values:

1. Gordon Hayward | Charlotte Hornets | 4 years, $120 million

When Hayward opted out of his $34.2 million contract with Boston for 2020-21, it was assumed he wanted to be elsewhere and would take a cut in pay to get there. Instead, Hayward landed the richest contract of the offseason. Charlotte has to overpay to get prime free agents, and Hayward tried to sign there in 2014 before Utah matched his offer sheet. But for a player who said before the restart that he still has pain in his surgically repaired left leg, this is a scary contract. Hayward’s raw stats are quite good, and project to be even better with a bigger role. The worry is that he’ll continually miss time on this deal. It brings back bad memories of Grant Hill signing with the Orlando Magic and then never being healthy throughout the life of the contract.

2. Malik Beasley | Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 years, $60 million

The contract Minnesota gave Beasley is fine on its face. $15 million for a shooting guard who played well following the Wolves acquiring him is fair. But the circumstances are what make it a bad value. Minnesota just drafted Anthony Edwards, who projects to play the same position as Beasley. They also traded for Ricky Rubio, in a move that signals a desire to play D’Angelo Russell off the ball a good amount. Where does this leave Beasley? Certainly, playing less than a player with that contract should. The lone silver lining is it is tradable down the line, should that be the Wolves’ direction.

3. Derrick Favors | Utah Jazz | 3 years, $30 million

This one may be too heavily influenced by seeing Favors struggle to keep up while playing in the bubble. If he can get back to the solid player he was with the Jazz for many years, this contract is fine. Utah certainly needed a quality big to play with and behind Rudy Gobert and Favors has plenty of experience doing that. The worry is that Favors looked like he was cooked during the restart. If that holds true, the Jazz added some long-term money that they really don’t need to have on the books.

4. Pat Connaughton | Milwaukee Bucks | 3 years, $16 million

This one isn’t really about the money. $5 million or so a year for a solid, backup wing is fine. It’s about the process and circumstance. When the rumored sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic fell apart, the Bucks had to pivot. That meant re-signing Connaughton, but for the second year in a row, Milwaukee blundered. Last year, they could have created a large, helpful trade exception when they sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers, but didn’t order their signings in a way to do so. With Connaughton, the team’s initial offer wasn’t a legal contract. That meant going back to Connaughton and his agent with a mea culpa and an amended deal. This time around, Connaughton was able to extract a player option for the final season, making it the second year in a row that the Bucks had a minor fumble cost them.

5. Detroit Pistons

This one isn’t confined to a single deal, but general confusion about what the Pistons did instead. It looked as if Detroit was entering a rebuilding phase, but their moves over the last week sent a mixed message. At the draft, the Pistons went young and added three players to aid in their rebuilding efforts. They started free agency by taking on some questionable contracts in exchange for future assets. That was all good. Then Detroit handed out bigger than expected contracts to Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee. It’s not that either Grant or Plumlee is wildly overpaid, they are just overpaid for where the Pistons are. That lack of setting a course, and staying on it, now has Detroit in a bit of an odd place. They are neither good enough to be a playoff team, nor have they fully committed to a youth movement. That’s something that could linger for a year or two more.

_________________
NBA free agency best and worst values Logo_f11
gyso
gyso

Posts : 21872
Join date : 2009-10-13

Back to top Go down

NBA free agency best and worst values Empty Re: NBA free agency best and worst values

Post by bobheckler Fri Nov 27, 2020 10:39 am

If 4 years $120M is the #1 worst contract in the NBA would 4 years $100M have been that much better?  Suppose the Celtics had resigned him and was able to offer him a 5 year deal, would that have been better even if it was less $/year?

I like Gordon Hayward, both as a person and as a player.  I said many times our offense looked MUCH more coherent when he was running it but this is, in my opinion, crazy money for a player who will be 31 during this season and seems to keep running into miscellaneous injuries that force him to sit or play at a lesser level.

If Danny traded Gordon last year he might have gotten more than what he is likely to squeeze out of MJ now but that would have hurt our playoff chances (let's remember, Gordon was healthy heading into the playoffs, he twisted his ankle in the first series, so we thought we were stronger than we ended up being) but we had high hopes for last year (and we did get to the EC Finals).  Trading Gordon for new faces might have been disruptive, at least in short-term chemistry.

I don't know what player Danny might get back in the end here, or even if there will be a player coming in, so I can't have a final opinion on this so far but I'm ok with getting a fat TPE.  This will be a 72 game season.  Front offices, especially in the smaller markets, will feel a money squeeze by next offseason (or the trade deadline?) because this will be the 2nd famine year in a row for them.  Talent might be made available.


Bob


.
bobheckler
bobheckler

Posts : 61054
Join date : 2009-10-28

Back to top Go down

NBA free agency best and worst values Empty Re: NBA free agency best and worst values

Post by gyso Fri Nov 27, 2020 12:12 pm

From what I have read, Hayward was offered $105M/4 years by the Celtics.  I'm glad he decided to take his talens elsewhere.  The outrage here would have been extreme.

Now he has his claws set firmly in the Hornets Nest.  I'm not feelin' the buzz!

What sucks for me it that I want to have this local team be my second favorite, one that I can cheer for when they are not playing the Celtics.  That will never happen because they cannot maintain any kind of consistently good team.  They build it up to where they are actually competitive and then back into the lottery they dive.

That's probably how dboss feels about the Hawks.  Lousy team, lousy fan-base and lousy team management is the triple kiss of death.

_________________
NBA free agency best and worst values Logo_f11
gyso
gyso

Posts : 21872
Join date : 2009-10-13

Back to top Go down

NBA free agency best and worst values Empty Re: NBA free agency best and worst values

Post by dboss Fri Nov 27, 2020 2:04 pm

gyso wrote:From what I have read, Hayward was offered $105M/4 years by the Celtics.  I'm glad he decided to take his talens elsewhere.  The outrage here would have been extreme.

Now he has his claws set firmly in the Hornets Nest.  I'm not feelin' the buzz!

What sucks for me it that I want to have this local team be my second favorite, one that I can cheer for when they are not playing the Celtics.  That will never happen because they cannot maintain any kind of consistently good team.  They build it up to where they are actually competitive and then back into the lottery they dive.

That's probably how dboss feels about the Hawks.  Lousy team, lousy fan-base and lousy team management is the triple kiss of death.

gyso

Well, not exactly but how about a little history.  Where they were (Hawks) is not where they are right now.  Charlotte still looks like they are wallowing in the muck.

I have been down here since Aug of 1986.  There was a strong antagonistic attitude towards the Celtics so I had zero interest in adopting them as my surrogate away from home team.  But over the years I can at least watch a piece of the game without throwing up.  

If you recall the Hawks had a terrific run more recently.  By recent I am talking about their 2014-15 record of 60-22 which was a franchise record.  They had a 19 game winning streak but their season ended badly when they were swept by Cleveland. The following year they were swept again by Cleveland and we signed  Big Al Horford over the summer.  

I knew Al would be pretty good on offense but I also knew his rebounding had declined.  He was destroyed on the glass two straight years by Tristian Thompson in the playoffs.  I spent the previous 3 years with AH on this team telling anyone who would listen that AH was weak on the glass against tough guys.

Playoffs  Head to head (Atl vs Cleveland)

2014-15  TT 11 rebounds per game, AH 4.8 rebounds per game
2015-16  TT 11 rebounds per game, AH 3.5 rebounds per game.

Fast forward and TT comes here as a double double rebounding potential.

The Hawks have moved on under new ownership and are building a solid team by using a similar template that the Celtics used.  Except the Celtics did not tank their way into getting high up in the draft.  Just one bad year under Stevens.  The Hawks however are loaded but did not go after big ticket items.

I think I will be watching the Hawks quite a bit and when Boston is playing, I'll record the Hawks games.

The Hawks have a collection of talent on their team now at every position.  They are a young team with multiple quality young wings and I think their frontline with a healthy Capela is as good as any team in the East least we forget that John Collins is a 20/10 guy who shot 40% from deep.  They got Danny's pipedream at #6 in the draft, Onyeka Okongwu.  Their free agent signings were outstanding
because both Gallinari and Bogdanovic are great 3 point shooters and Rajon Rondo is a proven ball distributor.  Kris Dunn shores up their perimeter defense.

On paper the Hawks look like the most talented and deepest team in the East.  The biggest issue is how to integrate all this talent into a cohesive team.  Their young wings (Huerter. Deandre Hunter and Cam Reddish will see their minutes change since Gallinari and Bogdonavic are established shooters.  

Sorry for this long winded and somewhat off track observation.
dboss
dboss

Posts : 18636
Join date : 2009-11-01

Back to top Go down

NBA free agency best and worst values Empty Re: NBA free agency best and worst values

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum