As the NBA’s focus shifts toward Summer League, young prospects and changing rosters, it’s time to reflect on the best and worst offseason free-agent signings.
Based on value added relative to their new salary (bargain pickups were counted more favorably), team fit, as well as past success combined with potential to improve, PointAfter pinned down the top 10 signings of the summer on each end of the spectrum, starting with the best.
Note: We opted to stray away from max contracts as being best, for the most part, because it was a no-brainer for the Chicago Bulls to bring back Jimmy Butler for top dollar and for the Memphis Grizzlies to retain Marc Gasol for more than $100 million. This doesn’t mean we fail to see the inherent value of keeping elite stars.
Jae Crowder, Boston Celtics
Jae Crowder Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 5 years, $35 million
Jae Crowder’s deal might not look so great right now, provided that he’s still working on developing his outside shooting touch. However, it’s going to be a true bargain of a price point a few years down the road when the NBA salary cap spikes over a projected $100 million.
As a young, versatile defender who makes all the hustle plays, Crowder brings value to any roster.
Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Mo Williams Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 2 years, $4.3 million
Back in the day, Mo Williams played second fiddle alongside a younger version of LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, he’ll return as a bargain-bin backup guard ready to contribute to a championship contender. Provided he poured in a career-high 52 points in a Jan. 13 win against the Pacers this past season, he clearly still has some spark-plug scoring chops in the tank.
Ed Davis, Portland Trail Blazers
Ed Davis Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 3 years, $20 million
Former lottery pick Ed Davis has showed flashes of big-time potential in his NBA career, but he’s still never found the right situation to truly put his talents on display.
He’s already 26 years old and is an atrocious free-throw shooter—two variables hurting his stock—but his PER of 20.00 last season was better than the likes of Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Perhaps he’ll thrive in Portland as LaMarcus Aldridge’s replacement.
Brandan Wright, Memphis Grizzlies
Brandan Wright Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 3 years, $18 million
As the Sacramento Kings went out and paid Kosta Koufos $33 million to add depth to their frontcourt, the Memphis Grizzlies moved on with a bargain replacement.
Brandan Wright isn’t much of a mid-range shooter, but he can block shots, rebound and finish at the hoop off the pick-and-roll. He should fit in nicely as a backup to Z-Bo and Marc Gasol.
Danny Green, San Antonio Spurs
Danny Green Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $45 million
So much of the San Antonio Spurs offseason hinged on whether they’d be able to retain free-agent shooting guard Danny Green. A prototypical ‘three-and-D’ wing player, the former second-round pick has proven a perfect fit in Gregg Popovich’s schemes.
Keeping him on a relatively cheap four-year, $45 million contract allowed the Spurs to reload the roster in new ways. San Antonio could have replaced him, but career 42 percent three-point shooters aren’t very common.
Arron Afflalo, New York Knicks
Arron Afflalo Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 2 years, $16 million
Throughout the 2013-14 season, it appeared as if Arron Afflalo was going to represent a new wave of great NBA shooting guards. The position had been watered down for some time, but a collection of young talents and Afflalo’s career year—18.2 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.7 percent shooting from three-point range—hinted at a change in the winds.
Afflalo fell back down to earth with Denver and Portland last season, but he’s still a nice pickup for the Knicks at two years and $16 million. He should be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony on both ends of the court.
Kyle O’Quinn, New York Knicks
Kyle O’Quinn Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $16 million
In addition to Afflalo, the Knicks added former Orlando Magic forward Kyle O’Quinn for $16 million. The key distinction is that the 25-year-old will earn that amount over four seasons, not two.
O’Quinn isn’t a transcendent talent by any stretch, but he can score efficiently, rebound and defend. The former second-round pick was also born in Queens, so this is a bit of a homecoming. Overall, a savvy, under-the-radar move made by Phil Jackson.
Jeremy Lin, Charlotte Hornets
Jeremy Lin Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 2 years, $4 million
With so many mid-tier free agents raking in heaps of cash throughout free agency, it doesn’t compute that Jeremy Lin was seized by Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets for a mere $4 million over two seasons.
It wasn’t long ago that “Linsanity” was overtaking the basketball world. And while Lin has undoubtedly cooled off since that tremendous run with the Knicks, he’s still a good player. I suppose we’ll just have to shrug, tip our caps to the Hornets and move on.
David West, San Antonio Spurs
David West Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 1 year, $1.4 million (veteran’s minimum)
David West gifted San Antonio another of the offseason’s best bargains by opting out of his $12.6 million player option with the Indiana Pacers to pursue a championship ring with the Spurs dynasty at the league minimum.
In sacrificing financial comfort for a shot at basketball glory, he comes in as the No. 2 best contract from free agency. But he’s still going to be backing up the next guy…
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
LaMarcus Aldridge Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $80 million
Although we wanted to avoid free agents who netted max contracts in the offseason, Aldridge was an exception. Because the talented power forward was being courted by multiple teams, San Antonio’s success at courting him stands out in terms of re-shaping the NBA landscape.
Adding Aldridge to a squad that already features Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and others makes the Spurs completely stacked. Not only are they among the favorites to win the championship in the short term, but they’re also set for the future with the Leonard/Aldridge tandem.
Cory Joseph, Toronto Raptors
Cory Joseph Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $30 million
Bringing Cory Joseph back to his home country to fill the void left by the departed Greivis Vasquez makes a lot of sense for the Toronto Raptors.
With that being said, the former Texas Longhorn hasn’t proven much of anything yet. He’s been a solid backup for one of the NBA’s best organizations, but that alone doesn’t justify a $30 million contract. It will be interesting to see how Joseph responds with added responsibilities.
Amir Johnson, Boston Celtics
Amir Johnson Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 2 years, $24 million
It’s worth noting that Amir Johnson is a really solid role player who can impact games in a variety of different ways. The team fit with the Boston Celtics, however, is just bizarre.
The Celts already have 24 power forwards on the roster (all numbers approximate), so it’s unclear why they’d opt to pay Johnson $12 million per season to join the crowded frontcourt. Jared Sullinger, David Lee, Jonas Jerebko and the freshly acquired Perry Jones all deserve minutes at the 4, so it’s really tough to envision where Johnson will wind up on the depth chart. Given his salary, though, it will be impossible for Brad Stevens not to play him as well.
Thaddeus Young, Brooklyn Nets
Thaddeus Young Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $50 million
The Brooklyn Nets opted to trade Mason Plumlee to Portland in exchange for defensive-minded forward prospect Rondae Hollis-Jefferson out of Arizona. They also picked up former No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson on a dirt-cheap deal. So why exactly did BKN pay Thaddeus Young $50 million to continue holding down the small/power forward spot?
It’s easy to criticize with hindsight, but Brooklyn would have been better off embracing a youth movement and seeing if it could develop a dynamic new talent. Thad is still young, but career averages of 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds with lackluster three-point shooting makes a $50 million commitment a head-scratcher.
Aron Baynes, Detroit Pistons
Aron Baynes Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 3 years, $20 million
Yet another Spurs backup who cashed in this summer, Aron Baynes earning $20 million is curious to say the least.
Baynes always stayed ready and played well in the few minutes he’d get court time under Coach Pop, but the Detroit Pistons already have Andre Drummond locking down the center position. Handing Baynes more than what Brandan Wright is set to earn in Memphis over the course of his three-year contract just doesn’t compute.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers
Al-Farouq Aminu Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $30 million
On the bright side, Al-Farouq Aminu is a solid rebounder who’s still just 24 years old. That being said, he’s already played five seasons in the pros and hasn’t even posted a league-average PER (15) in any of those campaigns.
It’s easy to bank on potential, but it’s fair to say we already have a pretty clear picture of who Aminu is as a professional basketball player. Frankly, that guy isn’t worth $30 million.
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Garnett Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 2 years, $16 million
Unless you’re the San Antonio Spurs, sentimental contracts just don’t tend to work out.
Sure, it’s fair to say the Timberwolves had no shot of competing for a playoff spot this season anyway. And yes, having “The Big Ticket” on board as a sage veteran who can guide youngsters like Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns into the future is important. But still, $8 million per season for a guy who was washed up two seasons ago is excessive.
Omer Asik, New Orleans Pelicans
Omer Asik Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 5 years, $58 million
Omer Asik’s deal of $58 million over five years is sure to raise eyebrows, but only $44 million of the contract is guaranteed, per Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate.
That makes the figure significantly easier to digest, but Asik remains a curious system fit for the New Orleans Pelicans. Now that Alvin Gentry—an offensive-minded, pick-and-roll oriented guy—is set to be the team’s new head coach, having an offensive black hole at center doesn’t make much sense.
It’s logical to believe Anthony Davis will play a lot of center moving forward (a la Amar’e Stoudemire back in Gentry’s Phoenix Suns days). If that comes to fruition, Asik won’t play a role significant enough to justify the big payday.
Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City Thunder
Enes Kanter Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $70 million
The fans defending Enes Kanter’s new contract will exclaim that he’s an offensive juggernaut who can put 20-10 in the box score every single night.
While that hyperbolic statement isn’t far from the truth, more offense isn’t what OKC needs. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup, the Thunder have no shortage of offense. That dynamic duo could use defensive complements, and Kanter is arguably the worst answer in that regard. He’s a totally inept defender, and while the Thunder had little choice but to pay him, that doesn’t make it a good signing.
Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks
Wesley Matthews Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $70 million
When Wesley Matthews’ new contract with the Dallas Mavericks ballooned to a $70 million max deal following DeAndre Jordan’s return to the Los Angeles Clippers, it became a lot more difficult to justify.
A four-year, max contract for a 29-year-old coming off an Achilles tear who has never been more than a team’s third offensive option? It’s sad to say, but this has disaster written all over it. We hope Matthews can bounce back and prove us wrong, but that will be far easier said than done.
Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons
Reggie Jackson Overview | PointAfter
New Contract: 4 years, $80 million
To put things simply, the Pistons are paying Reggie Jackson a huge sum of money based on a 27-game sample size.
His numbers in Detroit were much better than those he posted in OKC—17.6 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game—but he shot just 33.7 percent from long range and turned the ball over 3.5 times per contest.
There was a lot to like, but Jackson has to show the capability to perform at an elite level over an 82-game grind to justify this deal. Until then, John Wall and others will continue to doubt the 25-year-old’s new contract.
Discover More NBA Player Stats on PointAfter
Read more: