Believe it or not, there haven’t been too many out-of-this-world NBA free agency moves. Typically every summer there are several head-scratchers, and there is a bit this offseason, but not nearly to the extent as before. With that being said, take a look at the five worst moves of the first two days.
Five Worst NBA Free Agency Moves of the First Two Days
5. Cleveland Goes Big
The Cleveland Cavaliers retained Jarrett Allen. By all means, Allen is a great player, and hard to let go of for Cleveland, but this re-signing creates other issues.
First of all, the Cavaliers will have to figure out how to make Allen and third-overall pick Evan Mobley co-exist. Second, they still have another big in Kevin Love who isn’t contributing and eating up a ton of cap space.
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Allen is a more “old school” center, but if Mobley can add the floor, then the frontcourt duo may potentially work. If not, Allen remains a solid trade chip. This isn’t a bad move by Cleveland, but it creates plenty of other issues to solve.
4. San Antonio Takes a Gamble
The San Antonio Spurs decided to take on the often-injured Zach Collins. A decent player when healthy, it’s hard to see what he’ll really offer a team ready to rebuild. Instead of picking him up, San Antonio could’ve been better suited luring in another power forward like Lauri Markkanen.
Instead, the Spurs have Collins who at best will play decently in 20-25 minutes on the floor, but he won’t be a future piece or franchise changer.
3. San Antonio, again, Overpays a Role Player in NBA Free Agency
San Antonio makes the list again. For this move, they signed Doug McDermott in an apparent overpay. McDermott is a great piece to have off the bench, and a terrific shooter, but the Spurs are paying him to be a top starter.
The Spurs’ moves are indicative of a rebuild, but it remains questionable as to why they overpaid role players instead of embracing the fact that they may be ready to tank.
2. New Orleans takes a Questionable Path
The New Orleans Pelicans said goodbye to Lonzo Ball, even though he did present a good fit with the team and likely would’ve flourished after they let go of Eric Bledsoe. To replace him, New Orleans brought in Devonte’ Graham.
Graham is a high-energy scorer who really excelled off the Charlotte Hornets bench. He can get hot and score in bunches and is also a reliable scorer. The issue here, however, is New Orleans will likely depend on him to be the team’s starting point guard. Graham is best suited off the bench, and the Pelicans are running out of time to keep Zion Williamson content.
This move may pay off if the Pelicans’ late-season approach of “Point Zion” works out, but that remains to be seen.
1. New York Blew a Legitimate NBA Free Agency Opportunity
The New York Knicks signed Evan Fournier in their “splash” of the offseason. After retaining key pieces such as Nerlens Noel, Derrick Rose, and Alec Burks, the Knicks had space to make some noise.
Fournier is a very good player, and although he may be overpaid, clearly has a strong scoring niche in the NBA. The issue here, however, is that he’s not the game-changer the Knicks need. They did well under the guidance of Julius Randle and his All-Star season, but Knicks fans likely expected, with the cap space they had, a hard push on more talented players such as DeMar DeRozan or Norman Powell.
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