The NBA free agency period began Friday, and for fans, it meant post notifications and the refreshing of Woj and Shams Twitter page for the latest news. This year’s free agency had potential storylines of a Gordon Hayward signing (we’ll see if he chooses to announce in the Players Tribune this year), Anthony Davis is also a free agent, will the Knicks spend their salary cap space on Freed VanVleet, and many other possible storylines.
However, none of those above happened. This is five takeaways from day one NBA free agency.
Lakers Sign Montrezl Harrell and Wes Matthews
Last year because the Los Angeles Lakers were waiting for the last shoe to drop in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, they missed out on adding other key free agents. This year the Lakers await an Anthony Davis commitment from multiple Laker offers on the table, the most likely of which being a 3-year $106 million contract with a third-year player option that aligns with the end of the LeBron James contract. However, this year the Lakers didn’t wait to get started on night one of free agency.
The Lakers made a big move Friday night by agreeing to terms with NBA Sixth Man of The Year award-winner Montrezl Harrell. Harrell, who is represented by Rich Paul, agrees to a two-year deal to switch Staples Center locker rooms and join the Lakers. The details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Prior to the Harrell signing, the Lakers agreed to a one-year $3.6 million contract with veteran swingman Wesley Matthews. Matthews has always performed well on the defensive end, and with a career 38.1% average behind the arc, he brings an excellent three-and-D presence to this Lakers team.
Harrell and Matthews join recent Laker addition Dennis Schroder who they acquired in a draft-night trade. Los Angeles hopes to round out their free agent class by bringing back Anthony Davis and Markieff Morris.
Brooklyn Brings Back Harris
The Brooklyn Nets have been a major talking point this offseason. Whether they complete a deal for James Harden or not, the Nets got great news as they agreed to a deal with sharpshooter Joe Harris.
The Nets hope to be championship contenders as their stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant return healthy. Harris comes off his third consecutive season of shooting above 40% from three and only looks to benefit from Irving and Durant’s return as he spaces the floor. Harris was a significant part of Brooklyn’s playoff run in the 2018-2019 season and bringing Joe and his shooting back was critical for the Nets championship aspirations.
Surprising Pricelines
Every year when NBA free agency starts, NBA fans everywhere sit by their phone, refreshing the Twitter feed of Woj and Shams. And every year, there is a list of perplexing NBA deals. The first day of the 2020 NBA free-agency period kept that streak alive.
First on this year’s list is Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari signs a 3-years $61.5 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were looking to add Gordon Hayward after he opted out in Boston. However, with Hayward’s desire to play in his home state Indiana, Atlanta altered their plans and set their sights on Danilo Gallinari. How Gallinari fits into the Hawks roster is a big question mark, especially at that price. There is still a possibility for Hayward to join the Hawks, which would help this move, but also doesn’t bring clarity on Atlanta signing an overpriced aging forward.
Another questionable priceline was the 4-year $60 million contract offered to Minnesota Timberwolves restricted free agent Malik Beasley. While Beasley was impressive following his trade to the T-Wolves averaging 20.7 points in his 14 games with the Wolves, $60 million? Minnesota may have seen something in that small sample, but they also may be riding a crashing wave of a player that overperformed on a bad Western Conference team.
Marcus Morris was a top priority for the Los Angeles Clippers free agent plans. Such a priority, they agreed to a 4-year, $64 million deal with the aging forward. Averaging nearly 12 points and 5 rebounds per game, the price tag is definitely perplexing, but the loss of Montrezl Harrell certainly added to the need for a Morris return.
Honorable Mentions: Joe Harris and David Bertans
Steven Adams to the Pelicans
After losing Derrick Favors in free agency, the Pelicans made a move to the already proposed Jrue Holiday trade and brought in the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire center Steven Adams as part of that deal. Adams is in the final year of a $27.58 million contract and gives the Thunder an expiring contract as well as a strong big man to play alongside Zion Williamson.
This trade becomes extra important for the Pelicans when you factor in the minutes Favors was on the court with Zion vs. the minutes Zion was on the court without Favors. With Favors and Williamson sharing the floor, the Pelicans had a +11.5 net rating, and with Zion on the court without Favors, the Pelicans have a -5.0 net rating. This shows the importance of surrounding Williamson with a quality big, and Stan Van Gundy got that with the acquisition of Steven Adams.
Utah Jazz bring back Derrick Favors, and re-sign Jordan Clarkson
The Utah Jazz had two major goals going into the 2020 offseason. First was bringing back their sixth man Jordan Clarkson. Since being traded to Utah, Clarkson became the scoring threat the Jazz second unit needed. He also fit in right away with the team and was an integral part of Utah’s postseason matchup against the Nuggets, where he averaged 16.7 points per game off the bench and shot 46.4% from the field.
The Jazz’s second goal this offseason was to make up for the void they see in the 15 minutes a game that Rudy Gobert is on the bench. The first attempt to address that was by drafting Udoka Azubuike in the first round of Wednesday’s draft. They followed up that move by reuniting with veteran big man Derrick Favors. Favors spent nine seasons in Utah before leaving on a one-year deal with the Pelicans. On Friday, Favors was brought back to lead the Jazz second unit, big man. Favors is step up from Ed Davis and Tony Bradley Jr., who the Jazz would trot out in place of Gobert. Favors brings an offensive and defensive presence the second unit needed, and players like Clarkson and Joe Ingles look to benefit from the attention he will bring.
There are a few remaining players after day one of NBA free agency that I think could be interesting signings of teams trying to contend. Jae Crowder, Paul Millsap, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, and more are interesting names going into day two and beyond.
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