2018 NBA Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

Wow. What a day. The first day of NBA free agency was crazy already. Tons of signings, tons of money being flown around, and that was before LeBron broke the internet. After Paul George started free agency by announcing his decision (with Westbrook at his side), Laker fans were waiting for Magic to make a move. Now that LeBron has made his decision, I expect a lot more dominoes to fall. We still have big names going into Day 2 –  DeMarcus Cousins, Julius Randle, Clint Capela, Jabari Parker and Isaiah Thomas.

Below is a recap of all the deals from Day 1:

Sunday, July 1

LeBron joins Lakers
LosAngeles_Lakers_logo.svg

Superstar F LeBron James has decided to join the LA Lakers. LeBron signs a 4 Year/$156M deal, with an opt-out after the third year. LeBron will most likely pass Kareem’s scoring total, as a Laker. Huge win for Magic and co.

Payton signs with Pels
NO

G Elfrid Payton has agreed to terms with the New Orleans Pelicans. This is Payton’s third team, and New Orleans really needs a young PG. Payton could learn a thing or two from Rondo.

Lance Makes Em Dance in LA
LosAngeles_Lakers_logo.svg

Swingman Lance Stephenson joins the LA Lakers with a 1 Year/$4.5M deal. This fills the Lakers mid-level exception, as Stephenson fills a back up swingman role.

McGee Joins Lakers
LosAngeles_Lakers_logo.svg

C Javale McGee has signed a One Year deal for the league minimum. McGee could start, but should come off the bench to spell the Lakers bigs.

Aaron Gordon Stays in Orlando
ORL

Former slam-dunk champ Aaron Gordon re-signs in Orlando with a 4 Year/$84M deal. This is quite a payday for AG, as he looks to take control of the Magic franchise.

KCP Stays in LA
LosAngeles_Lakers_logo.svg

G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed to stay in LA with a 1 Year/$12M deal. KCP is represented by Klutch sports, which is LeBron’s agency, so this makes complete sense.

Hezonia joins Knicks
NYK

G Mario Hezonia has agreed to a deal with the New York Knicks. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but Hezonia still has a lot of upside, which is exactly what new HC David Fizdale is looking for.

Van Vleet stays in Canada
TOR

G Fred Van Vleet signs a 2 Year/$18M deal to stay in Toronto. He really came into his own last season, and looks to build off of that momentum.

Pistons sign GRIII
DET

F Glenn Robinson III signs a 2 Year/$8.3M with the Detroit Pistons. Robinson should provide some punch off the bench next season.

Durant Re-signs with the Champs
GSW

F Kevin Durant re-signs in Golden State for 2 Years/$61.5M. The second year is a player-option, so we could do this all over again next year.

Paul George stays in OKC
okc

F Paul George has signed a 4 years/$137M deal to stay a member of the Thunder. The final year is a player-option, but this is a significant move for OKC, because it seemed like PG to LAL was a lock.

CP3 stays in Houston
HOU

G Chris Paul has re-signed with the Houston Rockets for 4 Years/$160M. CP3 got his pay-day, and good for him. Houston’s All-NBA backcourt is locked up for the next few years to battle the Warriors.

DJ Lands in Dallas (Finally)
DAL

C DeAndre Jordan signs a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks for $24.1M. Jordan spurned the Mavericks back in 2013, but seems there are no hard-feelings. He’s from Texas, so this is a homecoming of sorts.

Ariza signs in Phoenix
PHO

Veteran F Trevor Ariza signs a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns for $15M. Ariza will look to be a veteran-leader on a very young team, and be paid handsomely for it.

Jerami Grant Re-Signs in OKC
okc

F Jerami Grant signs a 3 Year/$27M deal to stay in OKC. Grant seems to be the starting PF of the future for the Thunder, so this deal could signify the end of the Melo era.

Dougie McBuckets Goes to Indy
IND

Sharpshooting G Doug McDermott signs a three year deal with the Pacers for $22M. McDermott should fit in well with this Pacers team and provide some much needed three-point shooting.

Ilyasova Goes Back to Milwaukee
MIL

Veteran F Ersan Ilyasova signs a 3 Year/$21M deal with the Bucks. Ilyasova previous played in Milwaukee from 2007-2014. He brings a veteran presence, craftiness and three-point shooting.

Joe Harris Re-signs in Brooklyn
BKN

G Joe Harris re-signs with the Brooklyn Nets for 2 years/$16M. Harris showed promise in 2017/18, and looks to build off his first double-digit scoring season.

Baynes stays in Boston
BOS

C Aron Baynes stays in Boston with a 2 Year/$11M deal. Baynes signs a team-friendly deal to remain a Celtic, and showed his value as a back-up big.

Rudy Gay stays a Spur
SAS

Rudy Gay stays in San Antonio after signing a one-year deal for $10M. Gay opted out of his deal that would have paid him $8.8M, so this is a nice upgrade for him. Plus, if Kawhi leaves, this equates for more minutes.

Ed Davis Goes to Brooklyn
BKN

Veteran big-man Ed Davis signs a one-year/$4.4M deal with the Nets. The Nets are expected to waive recently-acquired C Dwight Howard, so this frees up minutes for Davis.

D-Rose Rose on EmojiOne 3.1 Stays in Minny
MIN

G Derrick Rose signs a one-year deal to return to the Timberwolves. Rose is nowhere near the MVP he once was, however he’s still very serviceable, perhaps even a borderline starter.

Omri Casspi Goes to Memphis
MEM

F Omri Casspi has signed a one-year deal to join the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizz were awful last year, and Casspi provides a veteran presence in the locker room and outside shooting.

Marco Bellineli
SAS

Sharpshooter Marco Bellineli has signed a 1 Year/$12M deal to join the San Antonio Spurs. Bellineli was previous with the Spurs from 2013-2015.

Gerald Green returns to Houston
HOU

Wingman Gerald Green has agreed to sign a 1 Year/$2.4M deal to stay with the Houston Rockets.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.