The 2015-2016 off-season for the NBA has been a whirlwind of movement. Max deals are being handed out like candy and big name players find themselves on the move. With a $24.1 million dollar rise in the salary cap to $94.1 million, NBA teams find themselves in a position to pay big money to players they wish to keep around or lure in.
Franchises have taken full advantage of this and $1.71 billion was spent on contracts within the first 24 hours of free agency. With so many deals being signed and money flying around, it is difficult to keep up with which teams are improving and which teams are desperately throwing money at mediocre players in an attempt to improve a lackluster roster. Let’s break down the big deals this off-season has brought around the Western Conference.
Memphis Grizzlies
What better way to make a splash then offer the richest contract in NBA history? That is exactly what the Memphis Grizzlies did with star point guard Mike Conley. Conley was the top point guard on the board for free agency and had a substantial list of possible suitors including the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. These teams never really stood a chance as the Grizzles committed $153 million to Conley over the next five years.
The Grizzlies went on to sign another max contract deal with wing Chandler Parsons for $94 million over 4 years. While it is a steep price, the deal has the potential to be worth every penny for the Grizzles organization. There is high optimism for the Parsons deal and Kevin Pelton of ESPN says, “If healthy, Parsons should be far and away the most talented wing player the Grizzles have had alongside their grit-and-grind core of Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol since trading Rudy Gay in the 2012-13 season.”
This off-season, the Grizzlies set out to improve a somewhat stagnant offense and defense by adding a talented wing player who can space the floor (41.4% 3-point shooting in 2015-16 season). Parsons could be the answer to their prayers and perhaps even the piece that can help push them over the hump and into contention with the ever-strong Western Conference.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
The Mavericks have also been busy during the early stages of free agency. Even with the loss of Chandler Parsons and coming up short in the Hassan Whiteside sweepstakes, the franchise has made strides to improve their roster by adding talent as well as keeping talent from leaving.
The most notable Maverick signing has to be the addition of former Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes. Another one of the many max contracts handed out, Barnes will receive $94 million over 4 years. A former 7th overall pick, Barnes is a talented big man who can stretch the floor and shoot the three as well as bang inside the paint for rebounds and loose balls.
He managed to distinguish himself on the star-studded Warriors, averaging 11.7 points per game, and the Mavericks hope his numbers can improve even more as he steps into a more central role within the organization.
The Mavericks also filled another position hole in their roster with the addition of center Andrew Bogut, also from the Warriors. The Mavericks went on to sign promising forward Dwight Powell to a deal worth $37 million over 4 years as well as Deron Williams for $10 million over 1 year, while Dirk Nowitzki agreed to a deal worth $40 million over 2 years. The Mavericks have wasted no time making moves this off-season, and it is a strategy they hope will pay off during the season.
Golden State Warriors
All other deals seemed to be overshadowed by the monumental move of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. In a deal that was reportedly been in the works for months, Durant joins the very team that beat his Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals. The deal is for 2 years and is worth $54 million.
Durant was lured into the organization with the appeal of multiple championships and the chance to join superstars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Their presumptive starting line-up now contains three of the leagues premier scorers.
Additionally, the Warriors also signed forward David West to a 1-year veteran minimum contract as he hunts for the championship that has eluded him his entire career. The league still seems to be in shock over Durant’s decision and only time will tell how the three superstars will gel.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets added talent to both their front court and their back court. The biggest deal they dealt was for former Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson. It is hard to imagine a team spending $80 million over 4 years on someone like Anderson but with the spike in salary cap room, teams find themselves with extra money so the Rockets elected to spend it on a big man who can stretch the floor, especially with the departure of their center Dwight Howard.
They also added guard Eric Gordon on a $54 million deal over 4 years. James Harden, Patrick Beverley, and Gordon will now be the faces of the Rocket’s back court.
It is no secret that the Rockets have been posting sub-par performances for the last few seasons after being swept by Golden State in the first round of the 2015-16 playoffs. The two additions will add scoring threats, but do not exactly shore up the team’s defensive shortcomings, which have been their true Achilles heel. The Rockets have been active in free agency but the bottom line is that they still have much work to do if they plan on being contenders in the Western Conference.
Portland Trail Blazers
One of the more head-scratching moves made was that of Evan Turner joining the Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers had a dismal off-season in 2014-15, losing 4 of their 5 starters to other teams, but shocked the league by posting a 44-38 record and beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the playoffs before being defeated by the eventual Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors.
Turner’s deal is worth $70 million over 4 years, but what makes this move confusing is that the Trail Blazers already have two young, athletic, cold-blooded scorers in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
It is never a bad thing to add scoring threats, but the addition of Gordon will surely take shots away from Lillard and McCollum, who have both proven themselves as valuable scorers. The move, which Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver graded as a “D+,” also does nothing to address the defensive struggles of the team.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers made some surprising moves as well by signing former Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mosgov to a 4 year, $64 million deal. The Lakers have had somewhat of a disappointing free agency run to say the least, after setting out to sign players like Durant, Whiteside, and DeMar DeRozan.
However, none of these ambitions came to fruition and the Lakers found themselves with money to spend but no one to spend it on. This might be why Mosgov was able to pull off such a substantial deal coming off of an NBA Finals series where he had minimal to no impact. The Lakers hope Mosgov will bring them some much needed toughness in the interior and someone they can try to rebuild with.
The Lakers also re-signed Jordan Clarkson to a deal worth $50 million over 4 years. Clarkson has been somewhat of a diamond in the rough for the Lakers averaging, 15.5 points per game as well as 4 rebounds during the 2015-16 season. Keeping young talent like Clarkson in Los Angeles is a step in the right direction for the rebuilding franchise but so far, free agency has been a bitter disappointment for them.
Other notable free agency signings include Solomon Hill going to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal worth $52 million over 4 years. The Pelicans have massive room in their cap space after losing Anderson and Eric Gordon to free agency.
Jared Dudley returns to the Phoenix Suns on a 3 year, $30 million deal and will act as a veteran jack-of-all-trades and mentor to young Suns players as they rebuild.
The Utah Jazz scored with veteran Joe Johnson on a 2-year deal worth $22 million, and the Los Angeles Clippers resigned 6th man of the year winner Jamal Crawford to a 3 year, $42 million contract.
Free agency has been chaotic and unpredictable, with players moving all over the place and with more money being spent than ever before in NBA history. Less than a week into the signing period, the dynamics of the NBA are already shifting.
