Free Agency Roundup: Part 3
*Note: Contract information is yet to be finalized, and the initial reporting is often most favorable to the player. It’s possible that some of the deals below will end up containing non-guarantees and/or team options that will only be publicized when the contract is officially signed*
Dallas reconfigures their wing rotation:
F/G Klay Thompson: 3 years, $50M
F Naji Marshall: 3 years, $27M
After a few weeks worth of rumors indicating as much, the Klay Thompson era in Golden State will officially come to a close. Thompson has agreed to a 3 year, $50M deal with Dallas as part of a 3 team sign and trade, full trade details below:
Dallas Receives: F/G Klay Thompson
Golden State Receives: 2025 2nd round pick (via CHA, least favorable of either DEN or PHI selections), 2031 2nd round pick (via DAL)
Charlotte Receives: G/F Josh Green
While Thompson isn’t anywhere near the player he once was at his peak, he’s still one of the league’s premier shooters, and he won’t be asked to play anything more than a tertiary role in Dallas. Spotting up alongside Luka Doncic, Thompson should have a significant number of open looks set up for him, and his gravity as a floor spacer will open up the paint for both Doncic and Kyrie Irving. With Klay presumably taking over for Derrick Jones Jr. as the Mavericks’ starting small forward, Dallas’ defense in their starting five may take a hit. However, Thompson isn’t just a straight swap for Jones Jr., which is why I like this deal quite a bit for the Mavs. In addition to signing Thompson, Dallas also brought in Naji Marshall on a very reasonable deal, and Marshall can play a similar role to Jones Jr. as an on-ball defender and capable shooter off the catch. While he’s not the same level of athlete as Jones Jr., he’s more skilled as a driver, and provides a bit more bulk, making him a more natural matchup on bigger wings.
Another sneaky benefit of this deal for Dallas might be getting out from under Josh Green’s contract, as he is entering the first year of a 3 year, $41M extension. While Green has a reputation as a solid 3&D wing, he’s not actually good enough at either of those things to be an impactful rotation piece on a championship contender. I believe Quentin Grimes, whom the Mavs stole away from Detroit as part of the Tim Hardaway Jr. salary dump, is a better player than Green in a very similar role, and he makes just $4.2M this season before hitting restricted free agency next summer. All in all, the Mavs will be replacing Jones Jr. with Marshall (net neutral), Green with Grimes (slight positive), and Hardaway Jr. with Thompson (huge positive), all while cleaning up their books. This series of moves doesn’t make Dallas the overwhelming championship favorites, but they advanced through the Western conference last season, and they’re now a better team (on paper).
Notable Retentions:
F Patrick Williams (CHI): 5 years (fifth year player option), $90M
F Obi Toppin (IND): 4 years, $60M
F/G Royce O’Neale (PHX): 4 years, $44M
G Max Christie (LAL): 4 years (fourth year player option), $32M
C Goga Bitadze (ORL): 3 years, $25M
G Gary Harris (ORL): 2 years $14M
Patrick Williams has had a frustrating start to his career. In theory, he should be the prototype of a high-level complementary forward, as he has top tier physical measurements, and has made 41% of his three-pointers in the NBA. However, while Williams has flashed as an on-ball defender, his lack of off-ball instincts have limited his impact, and he’s such a low-volume shooter (3.6 3PA per 36 minutes) that he’s not a true floor spacer. To top it all off, Williams has dealt with significant injury issues in his career, as he’s played less than 45 games in 2 of his 4 seasons, and he’s currently recovering from a foot surgery that may impact his availability for the start of the ‘24-25 season. Despite all of that, I still don’t completely hate this deal for Chicago. While $90M seems like a lot, the most expensive year of this deal ($20.4M in ‘28-29) will actually check in at less than 10% of the salary cap. If Williams can just make moderate gains across the board, he’s a reasonable starting forward, and this contract will pay him as such.
In a vacuum, an average annual value of $15M is totally fine for Obi Toppin, who is a plus offensive big and a very nice fit with the Pacers thanks to his effectiveness in transition. However, given that Toppin’s defensive limitations dictate that the vast majority of his minutes come at power forward, and the Pacers have Pascal Siakam firmly ahead of him in the rotation, I wonder if this is the best allocation of resources for Indiana. Signing Toppin puts the Pacers about $6M below the luxury tax, and while they could technically still use the full Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception and remain below the first apron, Indiana’s historical refusal to pay the tax means they essentially chose Toppin over using the NTMLE. In my opinion, adding a forward with more defensive versatility such as Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith or Naji Marshall would have been a more beneficial addition to their bench.
Because of Phoenix’s second apron restrictions, Royce O’Neale had the team in a vice grip once they acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline. Without any means to replace O’Neale had he left in free agency, the Suns will be significantly overpaying him on this deal. O’Neale is a competent bench wing, but his defense is vastly overrated and will only get worse as he moves deeper into his 30s.
Max Christie flashed moments of potential in each of his first two years with the Lakers, but wasn’t able to carve out a rotation spot come the ‘24 playoffs. Los Angeles is making a small bet that Christie will continue to develop, as this contract is too much for a quasi-rotation piece, but could be great value if Christie hits his ceiling as a plus point-of-attack defender and capable shooter off the catch. My only real gripe: The Lakers’ continued willingness to hand anyone and everyone a player option continues to be completely unnecessary.
Goga Bitadze was quietly very good as a fill-in starter for the injured Wendell Carter Jr. at the start of the ‘23-24 season in Orlando. ~$8M per season is a solid value for him even if he mainly functions as a backup going forward, although with recent reporting that the Magic are also looking to bring back Moritz Wagner, I wonder if Carter Jr. could be on the move in a trade.
Gary Harris likely had his starting spot in Orlando usurped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but at $7M per season, he’ll still provide positive value in a bench role. Harris is a capable shooter and above-average defender, and his biggest weakness (health) won’t be as much of an issue with the Magic only relying on him for reserve-level production.
Smaller-Scale Retentions:
G Aaron Holiday (HOU): 2 years (second year team option), $9.6M
C Kevin Love (MIA): 2 years, $8M
C Luke Kornet (BOS): 1 year, minimum ($2.8M)
C Neemias Queta (BOS): *Exact contract details not yet reported*
F/C Bol Bol (PHX): *Exact contract details not yet reported*
C Luka Garza (MIN): 2 years, minimum ($4.6M)
C Alex Len (SAC): 1 year, minimum ($3.3M)
C DeAndre Jordan (DEN): 1 year, minimum ($3.3M)
Aaron Holiday had the best season of his career in ‘23-24 with Houston, and I’m a bit surprised there wasn’t more of a market for him as a solid reserve guard. The Rockets will use their Bi-Annual Exception on him to retain a good player, but between Fre VanVleet, Jalen Green, Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson, there’s not a ton of minutes to go around in the Houston backcourt. A team like Denver or Miami could have beat this offer by utilizing their Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which I might have done were I in either team’s front office.
Speaking of Miami, Kevin Love has been a solid fit there over the past season and a half, and retaining him at slightly above the minimum is fine value. Love can help mentor Kel’el Ware, and he still provides on-court help with his ability to defensive rebound and space the floor.
With Kristaps Porzingis likely to miss the start of the ‘24-25 season, Boston did well to retain some center depth in Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta. Kornet in particular is a solid backup center, and inking him for the minimum when players like Drew Eubanks are getting $10M is a win for the Celtics. It will be interesting to see if Xavier Tillman will end up elsewhere now that Boston has prioritized elsewhere, but his market has been quiet so far from what I’ve seen.
Bol Bol hasn’t been able to latch on to a permanent rotation spot in any of his stops so far, but I like his speculative fit with new Suns’ head coach Mike Budenholzer, who seems to be prioritizing frontcourt versatility.
Luka Garza’s path to playing time in Minnesota is blocked by Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, but his shooting ability makes him a logical replacement should one of those guys get injured.
Alex Len might still be the best pure rim protector on the Kings’ roster, but Mike Brown has often preferred to play Trey Lyles as a small-ball center with Sacramento’s reserve unit. Len can still be used situationally, and his lob-catching ability brings a different element to the Kings offense.
DeAndre Jordan must provide one hell of a locker room presence, because Denver will be using a roster spot on him for the third consecutive season despite him being an absolute zero in terms of on-court production.
Quick Hitters:
G Delon Wright (MIL): 1 year, minimum ($3.3M)
G Kris Dunn (LAC): *Exact contract details not yet reported*
C Mo Bamba (LAC): 1 year, minimum ($2.6M)
Delon Wright is 32 and fairly injury-prone, but he’s still an upgrade over Patrick Beverley as a defensive-minded backup who can also spend some time playing next to Damian Lillard. Considering Milwaukee’s limitations due to the second apron, this is a nice pickup for them.
Kris Dunn revitalized his career over the last season and a half in Utah, and he might even be an upgrade over Russell Westbrook, whom the Clippers are rumored to be shopping. Dunn needs to prove that the 39.5% he shot from three with the Jazz is real, but there’s no doubt he’s an above-average point of attack defender with enough size to move across multiple positions.
Mo Bamba has been bad in basically every season of his NBA career, but due to his shooting ability, physical tools and draft pedigree, teams continue to take a chance on him. Unless the Clips bring back Daniel Theis or sign an additional big, he’s currently penciled in as LA’s primary backup center.