I'll be providing two grades: one for the team's decision and the other for the player's. No time for superfluous intros, let's roll...
1. Paul George re-signs with the Oklahoma City Thunder for 4 years, $137 million.
Team Grade: A
Player Grade: B-
On multiple occasions, "PG" has publicly stated that Russell Westbrook is "his guy," so I'm not entirely shocked by this one. I know the conspiracy theorists were postulating some combination of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and George in Los Angeles, but one-third of that theory has now dissolved.
This is a no-brainer move for OKC, as it looks to continue its tradition of two excellent players carrying the vast majority of its scoring load. Once a sexy team in the West, the Thunder have now fallen to the middle of the playoff pack, and not everyone shares George's positive views on Westbrook. That said, this is a key hold for Sam Presti, as PG is pretty much the highest-caliber player he'll be able to pair with his mercurial point guard and leader.
I wonder if George's absolutely horrific performance in the elimination game against the Jazz had anything to do with this. Unfinished business, perhaps?
From the player's perspective, it's not the worst decision George could have made. If you're okay with Westbrook playing completely out of control at times, he's a smart player to align yourself with long-term. Depending on who you ask, he's somewhere between the third and seventh-best player in the world.
On the downside, you're stuck with the albatross...Carmelo Anthony. Do you really wanna get involved in the drama that's destined to unfold this season? Melo is already being defiant about potentially accepting a bench role, and at this stage in his productive career, he clearly thinks he's better than he is. It's going to be an uncomfortable situation for Billy Donovan and his players, and I'm not sure I'd want to mess with it if I were George. Especially when essentially every team in the league would be ecstatic to welcome PG.
We'll see if a healthy Andre Roberson really makes all the difference OKC fans yak about. I know he's a top-tier defender; but is he really going to get you over the top against the Warriors, Rockets, Spurs or potentially, the Lakers?
Who are we kidding, here? If the Thunder want to be a serious NBA Finals contender, they'll have to (somehow) separate themselves from Melo and acquire a legitimate, two-way No. 3 guy.
2. Chris Paul re-signs with the Houston Rockets for 4 years, $160 million.
Team Grade: A-
Player Grade: A+
This one's a textbook catch-22 -- what can you really do if you are in Daryl Morey's position? Obviously, advancing in years with a consistent history of injuries, "CP3" is a risky proposition going forward. But do you have another choice? You just gotta hope he stays healthy throughout the postseason, which (maybe) gives you another shot or two at a title run. I don't know about you, but I don't like being in a position where luck determines everything.
Obviously, the primary solution is to hold CP3 out of a lot of regular season games. He needs to be rested as much as humanly possible. But, he missed a bunch of games this year and still went down in the playoffs. The simple reality is that he is injury-prone.
From the player's side, this is a resounding win for Paul. One-hundred sixty million at 33 years of age. Good player, good agent, good deal. All of the risk is on the side of the Rockets organization.
3. DeAndre Jordan signs with the Dallas Mavs for 1 year, $24 million.
Team Grade: C+
Player Grade: D+
I hate wasting words on this guy. Is DeAndre Jordan really the guy who is going to get you over the top? Of course not. The Mavs are still going nowhere, and $24 million is an awful lot for an overrated player with ZERO offensive game. The league has evolved to the point where centers dribble and swish three-pointers, yet DeAndre can't even make a six-foot jumper.
From the player's side...why Dallas? Because you let the city down last time around? Who cares? Dennis Smith, Jr. is an encouraging young guard, but this is a middle-of-the-pack squad if I'm being polite. Maybe no other team was showing legitimate interest. The Mavs and Clippers are probably the only teams dumb enough to give him over $20 million.
4 and 5. Nikola Jokic re-signs with the Denver Nuggets for 5 years, $146.5 million. Will Barton does the same for 4 years, $54 million.
Team Grade: A
Player(s) Grade: A
First one was reported pretty early on, so it's not as much of a headline at this point. Denver had to re-sign its young franchise player, and of course Jokic's bank account ends up the big winner here. This was easy on both sides. Essentially a foregone conclusion.
Barton is another player the Blazers screwed up on, and the Nuggets have been reaping the benefits ever since. He likes their helter-skelter, up-and-down offensive style of play. Both players fit this system. Appropriate moves.
6. Trevor Ariza signs a one-year, $15 million deal with the Phoenix Suns.
Team Grade: B+
Player Grade: F
Ummmmm, what?
I guess Trevor doesn't care about Games 6 and 7 against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. You'd think the Rockets core of James Harden, CP3, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker and Ariza would be dying to finish their business against Golden State; but I guess that doesn't apply to Trevor. He was already an NBA champion with the Lakers.
Ariza will take on the wise grandpa role with Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and the rest of Phoenix's youngsters.
I just don't get it. Unless...Trevor thought LeBron was going to gobble up all his minutes in Houston? Hmm...you know I love a good conspiracy theory...
7. Marco Belinelli circles back to the San Antonio Spurs for 2 years, $12 million.
Team Grade: A
Player Grade: A
Hahahaha, it's funny how quickly the 76ers have fallen from grace, right? "The Process" was finally resulting in some wins, then this happened: (1) They got embarrassed by the Celtics in the playoffs, without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and with Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart playing through injuries; (2) Bryan Colangelo turned their offseason into an absolute shitstorm; (3) Once thought of as a potential favorite to land LeBron, the dysfunction with Colangelo and Markelle Fultz surely scared him away and (4) Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova (he's up next on this list) are both now gone, and this is a club that was already concerned about poor perimeter shooting with Fultz and Ben Simmons.
I feel bad for Philly's fans, but not for their ownership or upper management. Tanking sets a bad precedent for the rest of the league, and really for the other major sports as well. Fans can't take losing, year after year, especially on purpose. It's not fair to hard-working people who pay hundreds of dollars for tickets. Every team should strive to be competitive on a yearly basis, while also looking to maintain enough draft picks to sustain a future. There are always players who are undervalued on the free agent market, and even when you are tanking, there are values to be found to create a more competitive short-term team.
As for Bello and the Spurs, it's clearly a match made in heaven. Bello has always performed well in screen-heavy offensive systems, and Gregg Popovich already knows how to use him. Belinelli is simply a winning player -- he knows his role, he knows his own game and he knocks down big shots. He's never afraid out there. He's my kind of player.
8. Ersan Ilyasova circles back to the Milwaukee Bucks for 2 years, $21 million.
Team Grade: A
Player Grade: B+
Obviously the Bucks needed shooting. That probably goes without saying. This move is a total no-brainer from Milwaukee's side. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon playing big minutes without providing any consistency from deep, "Ghostface Ilya" has to come in and knock down triples. I'm sure he'll be up to the task.
From Ersan's side, it's not a bad idea to align yourself with Giannis in the East. Going forward, it should be relatively easy for the Bucks to continue returning to the postseason, provided Giannis stays healthy. The young megatalent is already a top-10 all-around player, and we all know that he has the potential to move into the top 3 or 4.
The downside for Ersan is that the Bucks are not an immediate title contender, and he's a veteran player with a lot of mileage on his aging legs. Because of his two-way versatility and history of starting and coming off the bench, Ersan is adaptable to any team situation. I'm sure the Warriors or Rockets would have been glad to have him, too (for far less money, though).
9 and 10. Joe Harris re-signs with my Nets for 2 years, $16 million. My Nets also add Ed Davis for 1 year, $4.4 million.
Team Grade: A
Player Grade(s): B+
I know I'm a biased Nets fan...but people don't know how good Joe Harris really is. A running joke I have with Steve Summer -- one of the senior members of my world-famous Hot Takes Team -- is that Harris is better than JJ Redick, yet the latter made $22 million last season. We were only paying Joe $1.5 million.
And, I say "running joke," but to me it really isn't. Harris has the pure ability to shoot the ball like Redick (Joe's 3pt percentage jumped from 38.5 to 41.9, good for 17th in the NBA, .01 behind Redick) and he finishes at the rim FAR more effectively than the average basketball fan would think.
Harris was "one of the NBA's most efficient players," per The Ringer. He averaged roughly 11 points per game on 49.1% shooting, while playing just 25 minutes per night. Considering his 41.9% 3pt clip, Harris' 49.1% overall FG mark indicates how efficient he is at the rim. He shot a staggering 58.9% on two-point attempts. This season, Kenny Atkinson should consider playing D'Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe a little bit less, and Harris a little bit more. I like the backcourt combo of Spencer Dinwiddie and Harris. They have complementary skillsets.
As for Davis, we know what he is and does. He's long and lanky, and he brings energy and offensive rebounding. Davis makes for a good sub for up-and-comer Jarrett Allen, as both players have similar offensive skillsets. It seems like Atkinson and GM Sean Marks have an ultimate goal of a fully-interchangeable squad.
The Nets' win total jumped from 20 to 28, and I know we will surprise people again this season. Back-end playoff spot?
Eh. It's me. My teams never make the playoffs.
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