Free agency has started with a flurry of player movement. We've had more than a handful of big-name players changing teams, affecting the fantasy basketball landscape. In this article, I'll discuss the most meaningful deals that have happened so far.
Paul George, 76ers - 4 years, $212 million
Daryl Morey remains addicted to doing everything possible to add star talent, and this seems like something that was likely in the making since he traded James Harden for spare parts and cap space. George leaves the Clippers after an injury-riddled five years next to the injury-riddled Kawhi Leonard and one year next to the ghost of the aforementioned Harden. George's average games played in the past half-decade is 52.6, though he appeared in 74 last season. The injury questions around him remain, and Joel Embiid matches George's fit with Kawhi in that respect, as Embiid has averaged 55 games played over the past five years.
From a fantasy perspective, I think this is a neutral move for George. He replaces fighting for touches with Kawhi and Harden with fighting for touches with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. And George doesn't seem to mind taking a backseat as the No. 3 option in an offense. I could see Maxey and Embiid take fairly small hits to their usage and George effectively replaces Tobias Harris. Obviously, that's a big jump in talent, but Harris quietly averaged 17.2 points and 3.1 assists to George's 22.6 points and 3.5 assists.
For the Clippers, well, they lost George for nothing. They added Derrick Jones Jr. and Kevin Porter – not exactly replacements. More touches for Kawhi and Harden should be on the horizon, and we'll see what Terance Mann, Kevin Porter, and Norman Powell can contribute.
Dejounte Murray, Pelicans - Trade
I love this move for the Pelicans, acquiring Murray for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., EJ Liddell, and two first-round picks. CJ McCollum is not a point guard and not a point-of-attack defender, and both of those problems become solved with Murray. It doesn't sound like the Pels are done making moves, potentially looking to move Brandon Ingram, but I'm a fan of the roster as it stands – simply ignoring right now that Jonas Valanciunas left and they have no starting center.
I would grade this change of scenery as a neutral for Murray. He doesn't have to share the rock with Trae Young anymore, but now he's contending with more players who still want the ball, like McCollum, Ingram (for now), Zion Williamson and even Trey Murphy. Hopefully, Murray can focus more on passing and defense and it shows up in the box score.
For Atlanta, it's officially back to being Trae's team. He was the No. 8 player in 8-cat, per-game value the year before Murray showed up. We'll see if Clint Capela and other vets get moved, but it should ultimately be Trae orchestrating for the young guys, including No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder - 3 years, $87 million
This move makes so much sense for OKC. They were a bottom-five rebounding team last year, and Hartenstein had the 13th-highest rebound percentage (18.5%) in the NBA last year. He also won't take any touches away from the young core, and the team gets to explore minutes with Chet Holmgren at power forward next to a traditional center. Hartenstein is also someone who can play in the Thunder's ball-movement system, having averaged 4.7 assists per 36 minutes back in 2021-22. We'll see if they try to make him space from 3. It's a mixed bag, but Hartenstein is a non-disastrous 23-of-70 (32.9%) from three over the past three seasons.
I think Hartenstein's fantasy value will remain similar, though I also think it depends on how well he works with Holmgren. At the very least, Hartenstein should retain the 25.3 minutes per game he saw last year, which led to him being a top-100 fantasy asset. The move could decrease Holmgren's impact on the glass and as a rim protector, but the Thunder traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso earlier in the offseason, so there will be more touches available for Holmgren.
Can the Knicks get by at center with just Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims? Randle should be trusted to play small-ball five for a handful of minutes, so it's possible. I still think they need another body, given how much Robinson gets injured and how bad his conditioning is. As it stands, Robinson's fantasy value is on the upswing.
Klay Thompson, Mavericks - 3 years, $50 million
The Warriors' dynastic Big 3 unceremoniously comes to a close. Golden State fans seemed to be packing Thompson's bags, and coach Steve Kerr even moved him to the bench for a stretch. You'd think he was averaging 10 points the way people talked about him, but Thompson made the fourth most 3s in the league last year while posting 17.9 points per game. He's not the defender he used to be and doesn't get to the rim much anymore, but this is the kind of spacing you want around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
I could see this move hurting Thompson's fantasy value, given the usage rates of Luka and Kyrie. But with Tim Hardaway, Derrick Jones, and Josh Green leaving Dallas, there are certainly shots available. Ultimately, Thompson is a fringe fantasy asset anyway as a category specialist.
Technically, this is a sign-and-trade, so Golden State will get something back. But losing Thompson doesn't make this roster look prettier. As of now, he'll have to have his minutes replaced with some combination of Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, De'Anthony Melton, and Jonathan Kuminga. We'll see how they handle it in preseason, but all three could have fantasy upside.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Magic - 3 years, $66 million
Talent continues to swirl down the drain in Denver. A year after losing Bruce Brown to the Pacers, the Nuggets have lost Caldwell-Pope to the Magic. This is a great move for Orlando, who desperately needs shooting, and the championship pedigree doesn't hurt, either. KCP should slot in as the starting shooting guard and asked to continue doing his job. I don't foresee a big usage increase for KCP, and open shots will be harder to come by.
Christian Braun and Peyton Watson better work on their games this offseason. Braun is expected to convert to a starter, while Watson should occupy a sixth-man role on the wing. We all like this pair, but it's not exactly like when the Hawks dumped John Collins to slot in Jalen Johnson. Neither of them is predicted to have meaningful value in fantasy, even in expanded roles. But with Michael Porter Jr.'s injury history, this Nuggets team might get really thin, really fast.
Jonas Valanciunas, Wizards - 3 years, $30 million
Get your money, Valanciunas. After two years of a declining role in New Orleans, the 32-year-old center has latched onto the deeply, deeply rebuilding Wizards. Valanciunas and the also re-signed Richaun Holmes will presumably handle the bulk of the center minutes, with No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr looking to be the team's starting power forward. The potential for increased minutes and usage for Valanciunas should have fantasy managers intrigued. He was a top-50 fantasy player as recently as 2021-22.
New Orleans losing Valanciunas means their center rotation is down to rookie Yves Missi and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – not great! I assume they'll find a way to get another big, but maybe they'll just roll with Missi, a rim-running big who can protect the paint. Dare I suggest more minutes of Zion Williamson at center?
Tobias Harris, Pistons - 2 years, $52 million
Harris effectively spent two years in Detroit, suiting up for 157 games between the 2015-16 season and the 2017-18 season. But now he's turning 32 years old and was practically run out of Philadelphia by the fans. As much of a mixed bag his time in Philly was, Harris brings needed floor spacing and general potential to score the basketball to Detroit, who averaged the fourth-fewest points and fewest made 3s per 100 possessions last year.
Going to Detroit and moving away from the high usage rates of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid should result in more touches for Harris, who still managed to average 17.2 points and 3.1 assists in 33.8 minutes last season. However, his presence does complicate the roles of Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland.
The Sixers replaced Harris with Paul George, as discussed above.
Chris Paul, Spurs - 1 year, $11 million
We could quibble about whether or not Paul is good enough to still qualify as a big name or major signing, but I just love this move for both parties. The main things Victor Wembanyama was missing last year were floor spacing and point guard play – no offense to Tre Jones; full offense to Jeremy Sochan. The spacing did not get fixed, but adding Paul brings the team up a notch from an experience standpoint, and he's the exact coach-on-the-floor type to help Wemby develop.
I could see Paul having a slight bounceback from his stint in Golden State, though I'm not sure he'll see more than the 26.4 minutes he did last year. I'd consider him draftable in fantasy, but not someone you want to jump the pack for considering his age and injury history. Tre Jones gets a hit to his value, partially due to rookie Stephon Castle entering the picture as well.
Golden State replaced Paul with De'Anthony Melton and have Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton for backcourt minutes, too.
