With the salary cap set just north of $94 million for the 2016-17 season, the first week of free agency provided some shocking offseason moves. What better time to talk about what we've seen so far and what we can expect moving forward?
Our experts give their thoughts in our free agency edition of 3-Man Weave.
1. Who has been the best free-agent pickup in terms of money and fit?
James Herbert: Do free agents who stayed put count? I thought the Hornets convincing Marvin Williams to give them a hometown discount (reported four years, $54.5 million) was a huge victory for the franchise. He's the sort of player who fits anywhere, and Charlotte would have been in trouble without him. If we are only looking at players who switched teams, I'll go with Zaza Pachulia -- the Warriors needed someone like him, and he could have got much more than a reported one-year, $2.9 million deal elsewhere.
Ananth Pandian: Jeremy Lin agreeing to a reported three-year, $36 million deal with Brooklyn Nets seems like the perfect match. Brooklyn didn't overpay to get Lin and was able to fill a number of needs.
The Nets needed a starting guard and a marketable player (which they didn't have last year) and now they have one in Lin. He also provides new coach Kenny Atkinson with a point guard to run his system that he already has experience working with.
For Lin, he gets to be a starter, reunited with Atkinson -- a coach that helped him develop his game -- and go back to New York, where he's experienced the most success in his career. Best of all, with a three-year deal, Lin has some stability in Brooklyn.
Matt Moore: I really liked the Grizzlies getting Chandler Parsons. It comes with a host of injury concerns, obviously, but it also solves a lot of their issues. They needed shooting and another playmaker on the wing and they got both. Three months ago people were saying the Grizzlies needed to blow it up and start over, and now they might be the third or fourth best team in the Western Conference (again).
If Parsons isn't healthy, if Conley or Gasol miss time, it won't work. But as far as addressing their needs? Parsons was a major pickup that altered the course of a franchise that seemed like it was on the dive.
2. Which free agent probably got overpaid?
Herbert: There are certainly players who earned richer contracts than anticipated. My jaw dropped when Evan Turner reportedly agreed to a four-year, 70 million deal with the Blazers -- he rebuilt his reputation on a solid Celtics team, but this is a huge investment in a player who doesn't stretch the floor and needs the ball in his hands to be effective.
Pandian: Some teams may have overpaid and overvalued certain players this offseason. And no more so than the Lakers reportedly agreeing to give Timofey Mozgov a four-year, $64 million deal. Mozgov is a fine player and should be an upgrade over Roy Hibbert yet this is an overpay by the Lakers. Yes, Mozgov is an NBA champion but he's not a star. He will help defensively as a rim protector, is a good rebounder and can set solid screens on offense. That said, the Lakers could have likely gotten a similar skill set from another available player on a much cheaper deal.
Moore: Evan Turner's not bad. He's really not. He was pretty good in Boston, in certain areas, and even graded well in the regular season defensively per Synergy Sports. But Turner's got massive holes in his game in terms of consistency. $70 million for him for Portland is just too much, considering where they were at. He's not the guy you put in who takes you to the next level. He's a former No. 2 overall pick who never lived up to the hype and was most effective as a backup point guard in Boston. I just can't see why this was the move that was going to put Portland into a new tier in the West, especially if it winds up costing you Allen Crabbe (still to be seen).
3. Which team achieved the most so far?
Herbert: Outside of Kevin Durant, Al Horford is the best player to change teams. This was an enormous move for Boston, a team that has been steadily improving while waiting to make a big splash or two. This is a big splash. Horford makes the Celtics an even better defensive team, and they desperately needed another scorer like him. This acquisition positions them as a more attractive destination as they try to lure other players, too.
Pandian: Easily the Golden State Warriors. They were able to convince Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the league, to leave his NBA home in Oklahoma City where he was the man to join their star-studded team. The Warriors needed to make some upgrades after losing in the NBA Finals and they made it in the biggest way possible by adding Kevin freaking Durant. Plus now that the Lil B's Based God curse on Durant has been lifted, the Warriors may never lose again.
Moore: Outside of Golden State, you have to say Boston, who finally added a multi-time All-Star in free agency as Al Horford gives them a major weapon while also taking one away from Atlanta. Boston hurt the competition while adding a star player (who many don't consider a star but whatever, he's really good). The Celtics leaped Atlanta and likely pulled even with Toronto with a single move.
4. Which team has left you baffled by its offseason moves?
Herbert: Washington is confusing to me. The Wizards have decided to sign three big men -- Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith -- who don't move the needle much for them. Is a Marcin Gortat trade coming? Is Nicholson going to play major minutes? Locking up Bradley Beal was good, but their summer has not exactly been exciting so far.
Pandian: The Miami Heat's reluctance to pay Dwyane Wade, their franchise star, what's he's asking is bizarre. Sure, Wade is not as young as he once was but he is still an All-Star and their best player. And now he may actually leave, which would be perhaps the craziest thing to happen this offseason.
Moore: I like the Magic's acquisition of Bismack Biyombo in a vacuum. I like signing D.J. Augustin as firebug backup point. Jodie Meeks helps their shooting. It's the overall scheme. They got rid of Tobias Harris which in part turned into Serge Ibaka, but considering the money they spent the extra space on, wouldn't you rather just have Harris? Biyombo makes Nikola Vucevic unnecessary, or a too-talented reserve. The combo of Ibaka and Biyombo takes Gordon from the power forward spot. There's just a lot of "What?"going on.
5. What has been the biggest surprise in free agency so far?
Herbert: Dwyane Wade met with the Nuggets and Bucks, and he might not return to Miami. I know Wade and the Heat had nasty negotiations last year, but who saw this coming?
Pandian: Mike Conley getting the biggest contract in NBA history (reported five years, $153 million) is pretty surprising. He's a great player, but Conley has never been an All-Star and is usually viewed as one of the more underrated players in the league. Yet now he's the highest paid? Memphis had to pay him what they paid him though, as Conley's value to the team and franchise is that great. But it will never not be strange next season when Conley is referred to as the highest paid player in the league.
Moore: I think it's how judgmental everyone is about this summer. Between NFL players and writers being outraged that players got market value for their services, and the idea that Durant committed some sort of mortal sin by going to Golden State, I'm pretty shocked at just how mad everyone is. I mean, it's the Internet in 2016. But seriously, it's summer. Go have a lemonade and let the chaos flow around you.
