Chris Paul re-signs with the Clippers for 5 years and 107 million.
Surprise, surprise. CP3 returning to the Clips was a done deal as soon they were able to pull off the Doc Rivers deal. It's a nice payday for Paul who will make over 21 million on average over the next five years (to put that in perspective, LeBron James, the best basketball player in the world, will make a shade over 19 million next year). This deal also allows for some flexibility as Paul can opt-out of the final year of his contract. Do I really need to tell you that this deal is a win for the Clippers? I didn't think so. Anyway, with the best point guard in the league back for an encore with Lob City, expectations will be quite high but the Clippers have had a strong offseason thus far and are finally shaping into the mold of a championship contender. And watch out, because their offseason is not finished just yet.
Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler land in Phoenix in a three-team sign and trade as JJ Redick (on a 4 year, 27 million dollar deal) and Jared Dudley go to the Clippers and Milwaukee receives two 2nd round picks
See, I told you the Clippers weren't done yet. I really like this deal for the Clippers. They are desperate for a 2 guard that can hit the 3 with consistency (and if you tell me that they already have that with Willie Green, then you know nothing about the NBA) and Redick will fit right into that role. He was pretty much a disaster coming off the bench for the Bucks because he really thrives in a starting role as we saw in glimpses in Orlando (something he'll be able to do for the Clippers who have Jamal Crawford coming off the bench). Jared Dudley's a solid acquisition as well. While he's a rather glamor-less player, he's a solid scorer who can knock down the 3 and rebound fairly well for a small forward. Unloading Caron Butler's contract is a win for the Clippers who got basically the same player in Dudley, but cheaper. It's a bit of a surprise because it looked as of late that the Clippers were leaning towards keeping Bledsoe, but the Clippers got an excellent value for him. Only con is that they have really no backup to CP3 right now, but that should be easy to address on the market.
Two 2nd round picks is an OK value for JJ Redick for the Bucks but I don't like the deal for the Suns or for Bledsoe. I was looking forward to, if Bledsoe got traded, him lighting the NBA on fire as a starting PG. That won't happen with the Suns, who already have Goran Dragic. Now, it will lead to a point guard timeshare for both players and a timeshare is never a fun situation for any player. And statistically speaking, Jared Dudley and Caron Butler are the same player, in essence. So this deal is kind of a head-scratcher for the Suns and it's tremendously disappointing for Bledsoe who goes from a backup PG on a contender to a backup PG for a cellar-dwellar (unless the Suns trade Dragic, move him to the 2, or promote him over Dragic, none of which I would bet on)
Martell Webster re-signs with the Wizards for 4 years, 22 million
It looked like Webster would be on his way after Washington drafted Otto Porter Jr. to come in and start at small forward. But, alas, Webster is back to provide some depth off the bench. It's a decent deal on both sides as Webster performed admirably last year after Bradley Beal's injury. However, 4 years, 22 million might be a bit of a stretch. I think 2 years, 10 million would have been better for the Wiz.
Chase Budinger re-signs with the T-Wolves for 3 years, 16 million
Budinger, who was injured for most of last year, is back for another run with the Timberwolves. The former Arizona Wildcat of dunk contest fame looked doubtful to return after Minnesota acquired Shabazz Muhammad on draft night, but Flip Saunders has already gone out and said that Muhammad will come off the bench next year leaving an opening at the starting 3. Budinger can hit the 3 which will allow Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love more room to operate. Now, with this news, it looks like Andrei Kirilenko will not return to the Wolves next year.
Andray Blatche re-signs with the Nets for 1 year, 1.4 million
Good move by the Nets to keep Blatche on the cheap after the departure of Kris Humphries to Boston. Kevin Garnett is coming into town, meaning Blatche will be back in a bench role. Even with the presence of Mason Plumlee now on the Nets bench, Blatche has to be happy about the championship potential he has secured by re-signing with BKN. Since he could have gotten a lot more money and a starting gig elsewhere, it's good to see that he values winning above all else.
Tiago Splitter finalizing a 4 year, 36 million deal with the Spurs
9 million a year for a mediocre post player like Splitter may seem hefty, but he showed a lot of promise, especially in the regular season and the Spurs hope that Splitter will be able to hold down the fort at PF/C when Tim Duncan retires. He's improved every year thus far, and other than perhaps throwing a little too much money at him, it's a fine deal for the Spurs.
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Eric Maynor signs with the Wizards
The terms of Maynor's deal have not been disclosed yet, but he's a fine back up point guard to John Wall. It's a role that he's comfortable in after backing up Russell Westbrook in OKC and Damian Lillard in Portland last year, and he's definitely an upgrade for the Wiz over AJ Price.
Mike Dunleavy gets 2 years, 6 million from the Bulls
Solid add for the Bulls, as Dunleavy will provide sharp-shooting and depth off the bench. Marco Belinelli now looks like a prime candidate to depart but I like Dunleavy, who has the better build and the better overall game, more. A bit of a logjam at Dunleavy's natural 3 with the presence of Jimmy Butler and Luol Deng but this signing allows for a bit more flexibility in Tom Thibodeau's rotations.
CJ Watson hops onto the Indiana Pacers train for two years
DJ Augustin was a disaster in a backup PG role for the Pacers last year and while CJ Watson isn't going to get anyone excited, he is an upgrade behind George Hill and the brevity of the deal will allow the Pacers to cut him loose if he doesn't work either. Watson can score and distribute as well as a backup 1 can and it's a decent move by Indiana.
David West re-signs with the Pacers for 3 years, 36 million
This was a no-brainer for the Pacers. West was one of the key pieces to a young, scary Indiana team that took the champion Miami Heat to seven games and when combined with Roy Hibbert, he helps form the most imposing frontcourt in the NBA. 17-8 every night from a second or third option on offense (perhaps even third or fourth depending on what happens with Danny Granger) is something that the Pacers are quite lucky to have and the Pacers accomplished their number one goal this offseason
The Pelicans sign Tyreke Evans to a 4 year, 44 million offer sheet.
Desperate to end the Eric Gordon era, the Pelicans signed Tyreke Evans to a rather lucrative offer sheet. Capable of playing 3 positions and putting up very competent scoring and distributing numbers throughout his career, Evans is a fine young NBA player that has not been able to scratch his ceiling with the Kings to this point. He would be an upgrade over Al-Farouq Aminu if they put him at the 3, could replace EJ at the 2, or even handle the ball while Jrue Holiday is on bench. And he's got to be happy about the payday too. It remains to be seen if the Kings match the offer.
Andrea Bargnani heads to the Knicks for Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, and a 2016 first round pick
Reigning NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri came into the Toronto GM job with one priority: get rid of Andrea Bargnani. The former #1 pick had fallen out of Dwane Casey's rotation completely and had shown inconsistency and a tendency to get injured often. Well, Ujiri accomplished his goal and got Steve Novak, a one-dimensional, but elite 3 point shooter, veteran Marcus Camby, who is washed up but can provide veteran leadership and depth off the bench, and a future first-rounder. Nicely done by the Raptors. I have mixed feelings about the Knicks end of thing. Reports came out today that Amare Stoudemire might be limited to 20 minutes a game and in back to backs as well so Bargnani's presence as a stretch 4 that can pick and pop would be welcome. He has great range and gives much needed for size for Knicks team that went small at times going with Iman Shumpert at the 3. However, Bargnani can't get a rebound to save his life and playing with a ballhog like Carmelo Anthony will not do him any good. So we'll see if this trade breaths new life into him or if we see more of the same from the Italian.
Stay tuned because free agency is just getting started baby!!
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