The Dawn of Free Agency
With the draft going down on Thursday and free agency set to begin on July 1, this week has been nothing short of hectic and it’s only going to get crazier in the next few days. I’ll briefly touch on some major storylines of the week below, but make sure you keep checking our player news page for all the latest updates on free agency.
The Wolves took Karl-Anthony Towns with the first pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about his potential. He is probably the best fantasy prospect since Anthony Davis, and he couldn’t have landed in a better situation. Kevin Garnett will be in Minnesota to mentor Towns every step of the way, and Nikola Pekovic’s injury history suggests that it may not take long for Towns to step into a sizable role. I still think it’s possible that the Wolves will bring Towns along slowly just like John Calipari did at Kentucky, but I’m hoping that he will be unleashed after the All-Star break.
My favorite pick of the draft was when the Lakers chose D’Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor with the second overall pick, but not everyone will agree with me. It’s hard to pass on a legitimate low-post beast such as Okafor, but I have been obsessed with Russell from day one. The dude is as crafty as they come, and his ball-handling and passing skills are a thing of beauty. He has already drawn comparisons to players such as Stephen Curry and James Harden, and is there a better a place for him to become a superstar than right alongside Kobe Bryant in the Staples Center?
For more information on this year’s rookies, be sure to check out Michael Gallagher’s top rookies for Dynasty fantasy leagues as well as Ed Isaacson’s draft winners and losers. And for fantasy advice and answers to your questions, follow me on Twitter here!
LeBron James and Kevin Love opted out of their contracts this week, but both players are expected to re-sign (especially LeBron). The Celtics, Lakers and Rockets could make things interesting if they decide to go after Love, but the chance to compete for a championship with LeBron may be too hard for him to pass up. The Cavaliers also extended a qualifying offer to Tristan Thompson, and after his incredible performance on the glass during the playoffs, I don’t doubt that they will match any offer he receives this summer.
Draymond Green will meet with the Warriors right when free agency begins on Wednesday, and it’s pretty obvious how this situation will play out. Green is going to get a max offer and he deserves every single penny of it. He was phenomenal in the postseason with averages of 13.7 points, 10.1 boards, 5.2 assists , 1.8 steals, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 3-pointers, and he gave head coach Steve Kerr no choice but to bench David Lee for the majority of the season. So yeah, Green will be back with the Warriors next season.
LaMarcus Aldridge is set to meet with the Lakers when free agency begins, but before their fans start to freak out, it should be noted that he will also meet with the Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Raptors and Knicks. The Blazers have already dealt Nicolas Batum in a trade with Charlotte and could lose Wesley Matthews and Arron Afflalo in free agency, so Aldridge will probably realize that it’s time to move on from Portland.
The meltdown in Sacramento continued this week, but it appears like things are finally starting to simmer down. The trade rumors surrounding DeMarcus Cousins will probably never go away, and it certainly doesn’t help that there is some serious tension between Cousins and coach George Karl (or at least the media is portraying it that way). For now, it looks like Cousins will open the season in a Kings uniform, and if he can work things out with Karl, it would be fun to see Boogie play alongside Willie Cauley-Stein in what would be a formidable frontcourt.
Ty Lawson found himself in the headlines again this week when he said in a video that he was “going to Sacramento” after the Nuggets selected Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick in the draft. Lawson has been on thin ice in Denver lately, and it’s no secret that his name has been floated around in trade talks. Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post said that Lawson will probably be gone before training camp, so it seems like it’s just a matter of time before Mudiay is handed the keys to the offense. Lawson played for coach Karl in Denver, so a move to Sacramento does make a lot of sense.
Kyle Korver underwent surgery on his right elbow on Monday in order to remove some loose bodies, but the good news is that it was a minor procedure. He recently had surgery on his right ankle as well, but he is reportedly still on track to be ready for training camp. If DeMarre Carroll leaves in free agency this summer, Korver could take on a larger role in Atlanta’s free-flowing offense next season.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported on Monday that the Bulls offered Jimmy Butler a max qualifying offer, which is interesting for a couple of reasons. This means that opposing teams can’t offer less than a three-year deal to Butler, and Chicago can simply match any offer he receives. Many reports suggest that Butler really wants to be an unrestricted free agent a year from now when the salary cap is expected to rise dramatically, and the Lakers are rumored to be on the top of his list. The only way that Butler can get out of Chicago next year is for him to accept a basic qualifying offer from the Bulls for this season, which would mean that he could leave upwards of $90 million on the table. Must be nice.
The Hornets made some noise this week when they acquired Nicolas Batum from the Blazers in exchange for Noah Vonleh, but there is certainly a lot of risk involved here. Batum was terrible last season, and that’s putting it nicely. The French swingman averaged 9.4 points, 5.9 boards, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 3-pointers during the regular season, and he shot just 40.0 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from deep. Giving up on a young talent such as Vonleh is puzzling to say the least, but that’s not the only questionable thing Charlotte did this week. The Hornets were reportedly offered four first-round picks from the Celtics in exchange for the ninth pick (which turned into Frank Kaminsky), but Charlotte refused. I’m from the Charlotte area, and I can tell you that a lot of fans were not pleased that they passed on players such as Devin Booker, Justise Winslow and Myles Turner. Frank the Tank better be worth it, or Michael Jordan and Rich Cho will be facing some serious criticism.
Greg Monroe is not expected to re-sign with the Pistons, but this shouldn’t be too surprising. Andre Drummond is the future of Detroit, and it’s time for Monroe to move on. The Knicks are the favorites to land Monroe, while the Celtics, Blazers, Lakers and Bucks could make a run at him as well.
Coach Jeff Hornacek denied reports that the Suns were shopping Eric Bledsoe, but that comes on the heels of a report that says that Phoenix will offer Brandon Knight a five-year, $70 million deal this summer. Bledsoe’s contract is basically identical, but it’s possible that Phoenix believes that they can both co-exist together successfully. Man, the Suns REALLY love point guards.
We finally got an answer regarding Dwyane Wade this week after he decided to decline his player option for next season, and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Wade will probably interview with some contenders, and it will probably force the Heat to up the ante a little bit. It’s hard to imagine Wade leaving Miami after such an impressive career in South Beach, but money talks. In other news, Luol Deng surprisingly opted into his contract with the Heat, and while this dampens the outlook of Justise Winslow’s rookie campaign, the Heat have now solidified their small forward position moving forward.
Brook Lopez is looking for a three-year, $60 million deal with the Nets this summer while Thaddeus Young is looking for a four-year, $50 million deal, but does Brooklyn really have a choice here? The Nets have very few draft picks and probably won’t be able to lure any other big names in free agency, so their best option is to probably re-sign Lopez and Young. Deron Williams continues to hear his name on the trade block, but good luck trying to trade those ankles. Joe Johnson has also been in the rumor mill, but his contract is going to be way too steep for the Nets to get anything reasonable in return.
The Hawks traded Jerian Grant to the Knicks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. during the draft, and the move makes sense for both teams. Grant is one of the most NBA-ready rookies in the draft and can easily compete for minutes in New York’s backcourt right away. I’ll be watching Grant closely at summer league, but he could be a sneaky late-round flier in fantasy leagues if the Knicks don’t address their backcourt in free agency. As for Hardaway, he gets a fresh start in Atlanta and he will no longer have to worry about creating his own offense (which was a major problem in New York). His role won’t be too significant if Kyle Korver is healthy and DeMarre Carroll returns, but maybe Hardaway can become a 3-point specialist in fantasy leagues next season.
The Nets traded Mason Plumlee and rookie Pat Connaughton in exchange for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Steve Blake during the draft on Thursday. Plumlee was buried on the bench in Brooklyn behind Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, and he could be looking at a significant role in Portland if LaMarcus Aldridge leaves like he is expected to. Hollis-Jefferson would have been in an ideal situation in Portland because he probably would have started, but the defensive stalwart will have more trouble finding minutes in Brooklyn.
