monta8curry
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2038 FA Grades (Day 1)
w/G9.
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Mark Price signs with the Warriors for $177,252,060 over 5 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Warriors had to retain Price, the question is whether they decide to continue building the team around him, or go another direction. Price and Staten haven't done much together, so we'll see if they decide to keep rolling out that small-guard lineup or change it up.
G9: The absolute maximum that Price was eligible for, but I expect him to be worth it. We’ve seen way worse players get similar contracts, and Mark is still only 28 years old. “A” outside is becoming rather common in the league, but A outside paired with A- defense is rather rare. Has Nate started coaching yet? Would really help Price maintain his stellar ratings over the next 5 years…
Eric Flor signs with the Celtics for $109,509,175 over 4 years
Monta: A+
G9: A+
Monta: Nobody saw this one coming, as the Celtics fleece Flor away from the Wizards. This one boosts Boston straight into the top three in the East, with Flor, Hill, Gentile, and Warney. With a young, star-studded core of Flor, Hill, and Gentile, the Celtics could be running the East for years to come.
G9: What? I mean, it is a max. But, what? Did GB not offer one? Did he think he could repeat the league-wide fail that resulted in an underpaid Dell Curry? Flor’s outside and defense are approaching those of the aforementioned Mark Price – and he comes with “C” rebounding!? Great pick-up for this up and coming Boston team. Expect Flor to thrive next to Gentile, Hile, and Warney. If only the Celtics had an elite rebounder…
Hristo Zahariev signs with the Nets for $177,252,060 over 5 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: No-brainer for the Nets here as they’re in the middle of their championship window and they bring back the face of their franchise for a well-deserved max contract. Hristo will look to run it back with Hondo and Malone in an attempt to get over the hump in a wide open East.
G9: The absolute maximum that Hristo was eligible for, but I expect him to be worth it. We’ve seen way worse players get similar contracts, and Hristo is still only 28 years old. “A-” outside is becoming rather common in the league, but A- outside paired with A- defense is rather rare. I expect Scott to keep taking good care of Hristo as he continues to lead this Brooklyn team to it’s most successful years in ... a while.
Jaedo Lee signs with the Suns for $37,156,300 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: C+
Monta: After losing Maxey to retirement, and dealing away Sitnik, the Suns fill the void at point guard with the facilitator Jaedo Lee. This is a very solid signing as the Suns needed a true floor leader. Jaedo runs a team as well as anyone in the league, and while he's not much of a scorer, he can provide stable play game in, game out.
G9: I mean, I guess? This will certainly be a blow to the Hornets, as Jaedo is coming off an insane 11.3 assist year. Although, I’m not sure if they had birds. Anyways… as for the Suns… If Nihad came in at PG (I think he did?)… that is a 7 point guard roster. AIR will be forced to hit the trade market and convert some of these guys into 3/4/5’s. This contract is… OK. Jaedo is… OK. The fit is… questionable.
Evaldas Zabas signs with the Grizzlies for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: The Grizzlies add Zabas to anchor their second unit behind Martin Cuello. They’ve shown they don’t really trust Axel Julien by putting him on the trade block, and Zabas can help stabilize this spot. He sees the floor and defends opposing point guards extremely well, which makes up for his lack of shooting.
G9: Cannot argue with A- defense at < ½ an MLE. Zabas is an absolute joke on the boards (1.3 rebounds in 14 minutes) and he cannot really shoot (31% from 3), but he’ll provide a defensive spark off the bench and veteran leadership for the Grizzlies young PGs. Don’t think you can get much better value than this with a BAE, so this gets an A.
Federico Aguerre signs with the Trail Blazers for $50,335,989 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B
Monta: Solid signing for a 3-and-D wing, something that is hard to find nowadays. It’ll be interesting where he’ll play, since he and Bouldin can both defend the wings equally well. Portland’s perimeter defense looks impressive.
G9: For some reason I keep thinking that Federico is like, 34 years old. At 31 years old this isn’t a bad contract. It isn’t far over the MLE and even with scouted “D” potential, I think we can expect Aguerre to provide the caliber of 3&D that is required on a championship winning roster. Yrtb should have fun moving him around the lineup as a starter/sub.
Dontrez Styles signs with the Pistons for $17,425,000 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Styles has shown signs of slowing down the last few years, but he’s still very valuable for a playoff team like the Pistons in his ability to knock down outside shots and defend the wings reasonably well. His ability to rebound the ball as a wing is also invaluable.
G9: Rather similar to the Aguerre signing, except Styles actually is 34 years old. Of course, this is also only a 2 year contract. I’d say at worst – Styles dies in 2 TC’s and mngopher gets him cutback. Looking at Detroit’s roster, I think Panic! would freak if he saw how many guys are over 30. Not to say they aren’t good – expect Styles to contribute off the bench for a Pistons team that looks to win 60 this year.
Bobby Fields signs with the Rockets for $34,020,000 over 3 years.
Monta: B-
G9: A+
Monta: This is an interesting signing, as Fields has shown his ability to be a sniper and score in bunches, but he’s also very one-dimensional in that he can’t facilitate, struggles around the rim, and doesn’t play much defense. Most of his scoring is probably a product of Houston having little to no other options offensively, but Fields has undoubtedly scored the ball with impressive splits.
G9: This contract is the result of one of those crazy combinations. A combination that, had anything been different, would’ve prevented this Fields’ signing. Dwight 1) finally has his picks back. 2) has cap space. 3) took a swing on a player last FA that was about to be deleted from the league 4) that player averaged 20 points on 44/87/42 splits. Let us not dog Dwight too much. Let the man have some fun. Houston can tank in peace with their tank commander Bobby “Steph Curry” Fields leading the way for a few years.
Hunter Mickelson signs with the Timberwolves for $10,250,000 over 2 years.
Monta: C-
G9: F-
Monta: They really didn’t need Mickelson back since acquiring Behanan and with Lindeman coming back from the D-League. This move only puts them over HC, so not great.
G9: Chris has had a successful string of trades as he entered FA with a new core of (TMG/Wilbert/Castle) / (Sitnik/Ivanovic) / Kittles but he stood in desperate need of rotational bigs and a backup 3. Mickelson doesn’t provide anything that Behanan already was, but he is better than Lindeman. Had Minny not signed Makur Maker further down this list, this signing may have been necessary. Yet – they did sign a better big down the line. And now Mickelson eats up space (over the hard cap) as Chris searches for a way to dump him.
Joseph Uchebo signs with the Trail Blazers for $78,300,000 over 5 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B+
Monta: Portland needed to bring back Uchebo to keep their front court intact, and make another run in the playoffs. While he doesn’t play much defense, he is an effective low post scorer and rebounder, and the trio of Uchebo/Chappell/Ben Wallace has proven to be good enough to win playoff games.
G9: I think yrtb has done a fantastic job keeping Uchebo at bay while he was on his rookie deal. I only wish I had kept a similar player in Kourtney Roberson under the wraps – as I doubt I’m able to retain him at the contract that Portland retained Uchebo at. I could easily see Joseph as a 15/11 staple for the next 5 seasons.
Renardo Sidney signs with the Rockets for $63,000,000 over 3 years.
Monta: C-
G9: A
Monta: Sidney is a versatile scoring big who can do a bit of everything, but $63M over 3 years is a little much for him. He doesn’t do anything well enough to warrant that kind of money, but with Houston trying to lure any talent, they had to overpay.
G9: See: Bobby Fields. Sidney should be fun to run with Beniusis, Parks, Glenn with Fields chucking away. Literally zero risk signing. Shame someone had to lose him though.
Karl Malone signs with the Nets for $61,500,000 over 2 years.
Monta: D+
G9: C
Monta: I don’t think anyone came close to offering Malone $30M/year, as he's nowhere near a max level player. Granted, it’s just a two-year deal, but this puts the Nets way over the hard cap. It’ll be interesting to see how they get under.
G9: Not really sure this was the move? Perhaps should have opted for a longer, lesser offer. The Hristo max was a must. This whopping offer – not so much. I’m hoping Scott has a sign and trade or something already planned about his current cap situation. Pros: retained Malone. Cons: everything else?
Melvin Ejim signs with the Kings for $143,750,000 over 5 years.
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Monta: B
G9: A
Monta: The Kings had to 5-year max Ejim, despite him not improving as much as they would have liked. Bringing back the face of the franchise ensures that they’ll be back in the thick of things in the West, with Ellington/Weaver/Ejim/Hardrick/Bojan.
G9: In a league that often finds itself with rather dry wings – Ejim is a tough case. He’s better than most, but worse than best. His build isn’t what you’d want, but something about it entices you. Tyfreak saved a tiny, tiny bit of money going under the full max for his 20/8 small forward. Personally, I would love Ejim for 5 years. As I said, he’s better than most. And if tyfreak can surround his ‘better-than-most-SF’ with good pieces, they’ll surely be in championship contention.
Michel Diouf signs with the SuperSonics for $4,194,944 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Another calculated, solid signing by Seattle in adding a versatile bench big for cheap. Diouf has a solid offensive skillset, and can rebound well enough. After trading away Koshwal, the Sonics will look to more of a platoon in their front court.
G9: Fairly certain Cloud has a plan to get under the hardcap (unlike Minny and Mickelson) – so we’ll let that part pass. Diouf has been playing significant minutes on contending teams for 6 seasons straight now and that streak will continue in Seattle. Michel has made a name for himself as a rotational big, and we can expect him to mesh well next to a player that knows that role all to well in Harper Kamp. Definitely worth a min.
Jelan Kendrick signs with the Bucks for $3,922,910 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Not a lot of money for a backup wing, nothing much to see here, solid player who isn't great at anything in particular.
G9: Similar to the Diouf deal right above – but with a wing. Kendrick’s offense is piping hot trash (career 42/65/29 splits) but he provides effective defense and rebounding off the bench. Two year mins are very low risk – especially on 26 year olds.
Deryk Ramos signs with the Kings for $6,962,816 over 4 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: After initially taking a flier on him a couple years ago, the Kings continue to try and develop their project in an undersized two-guard who can shoot a little bit. The four years are interesting, but the money isn’t a lot, so this is a low-risk medium/high reward move if he does pan out.
G9: Ramos popped off in college a few years ago, fell through the draft, hit tyfreak in RFA for a 1 year min, spent the year in the DLG, and finds himself back in Sacramento for 4 more years. Is tyfreak developing the next _________? Time will tell. Keep your eye on this interesting story as it develops (with more summer league, d-league, height, weight, coaching to come!?).
Shannon Scott signs with the Kings for $3,378,844 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: D
Monta: Another flier on a young player who can play a little. Wouldn’t be surprised if Scott plays a decent role off the bench behind Bruce Ellington.
G9: A few years ago tyfreak and I said we would stop signing 2 year mins to players who had never gotten meaningful minutes. It is one thing with guys like Diouf and Kendrick – guys who have been playing ~15 to 20 minutes a game. But ty – Scott has played 80 minutes in his BSL career. One year min him at most. Now you’re stuck with an extra year of 0.0 minutes per game eating up a roster spot and valuable hard cap space.
Jeff Hornacek signs with the Grizzlies for $17,302,379 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B+
Monta: Hornacek can shoot the ball, as his splits are pretty ridiculous at 45/92/40 last season. He’ll likely play a decent role backing up Rakim Sanders, and maybe an even larger role after that. Vancouver with a very savvy move in quietly offering for Hornacek after he was cut.
G9: Guess I wasn’t paying attention because I didn’t see Hornacek get cut. Oh well. Certainly a solid pick-up for Vancouver. The man has had a weird career but his shooting his coming around and he’ll instantly be one of the Grizzlies best shooters. He could also teach a thing or two to Rowan Barrett’s C+ outside looking ass.
Lorenzen Wright signs with the Heat for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B+
Monta: Lorenzen has stuck around the league for a while and will join a pretty packed front court in Miami. We’ll see if he’ll stick or get shipped elsewhere.
G9: BAE, just above the min. I take Wright just over Michel Diouf who just signed a two year min up there, so this signing makes sense. B-/B/B- inside/def/reb is about all you can ask for off the bench.
Makur Maker signs with the Timberwolves for $17,714,050 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: C
Monta: Makur has a lot of game left, and needing front court help the Timberwolves brought back an old friend. While he doesn’t defend or rebound particularly well anymore, he is still a walking bucket. This hater below me thinks he won't produce at 36 years of age. Barring a catastrophic Wayne Chism-like TC, he'll be putting up numbers next year too.
G9: Probably should have gone 1 year so he could get cutback (given the HC situation…). Makur Maker is way better than Hunter Mickelson so this is a great pick-up, but Chris will have to work some magic to get under the hardcap. “A” signing if it was 1 year and a cutback was immediately lined up. “C” signing for the second year on a 35 year old who’s immediately causing you problems.
Cazzie Russell signs with the Hawks for $37,156,300 over 4 years.
Monta: D-
G9: F
Monta: One of the more questionable deals of free agency so far, as Cazzie has shown no signs of improvement since he’s come into the league. Pairing Russell and Bias seems like a spacing nightmare.
G9: I think Atlanta is just having some fun for a bit? Looks like they got Len Bias. Cazzie had a high B inside in FA. Is it time… for the inside offense? Well, maybe not. He still has Jelani Hewitt and Scottie Barnes. We’ll see. All I know is, nobody – and I mean nobody, was looking at Cazzie Russell.
Ivan Almeida signs with the Supersonics for $168,083,850 over 5 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: Like most of the maxes, this was a no-brainer and Seattle will look to get redemption this year after losing to the Knicks in the finals. The West would have been very interesting if Almeida left, but with him back in the fold, the West still goes through Seattle.
G9: I mean, what else do you pay 23/7 all-defensive team with low turnovers? It literally does not get much better than Ivan Almeida on the wing, and now Seattle has him locked up locked up. Expect Ivan to find himself in a few more Finals with the Sonics over the next few seasons as his best basketball may not be completely behind him yet.
Dylan Andrews signs with the Celtics for $40,000,000 over 2 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: The Celtics are the clear winners of free agency, as they snag both Andrews and Eric Flor away from playoff teams. Andrews will either see 6th man minutes behind Flor, or possibly start at SG. Celtics also have the flexibility to make some trades if they want to.
G9: Fuck. Eric Flor AND Dylan Andrews? Andrews, like Flor, is coming off a career year. The man just shot 47/45 with 18 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds in 1.3 turnover per game. Great pick-up by Boston. The contract isn’t too long, and even though it doesn’t give them bird years, it gives them the option to offer just over $20M starting when he does hit the market (should they decide to bring him back for a crucial 3rd year on a big expiring). Boston is gearing up for some __ years of dominance. Get ready.
Seth Tuttle signs with the Bucks for $3,188,422 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Not sure how or why we keep seeing Tuttle stick around in the league, but he seems to switch teams every year. He’s like a sixth big at best, so not a great signing, but not bad either.
G9: Former Maverick! Tuttle is alright. His pot is dead, but if he can improve even marginally he’s something similar to Michel Diouf or Harper Kamp. Worth a shot as Milwaukee is desperate for rotational big men.
Adrien Moerman signs with the Mavericks for $8,641,000 over 1 years.
Monta: C
G9: A+
Monta: Normally this would be a fine signing, but already being strapped up against the hard cap, bringing back Moerman on an MLE makes little sense. They’ll likely get him cutback, but they have several other moves to make to get under the cap as well.
G9: Another team over the hardcap! Yikes! Can you imagine if we had a rule that made it so you could not go over the hardcap in free agency? Would make things a little more interesting. Moerman was a key piece for me at 3, 4, and 5 last year. I am very glad to have him back. Hopefully I can find a way to get under the hardcap though.
Kevin Dillard signs with the Clippers for $85,500,000 over 5 years.
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Monta: A
G9: B+
Monta: Great signing by the Clippers in bringing back Dillard for a 5-year, declining deal. Risky move, but it definitely paid off as they won't be paying him a ton of money later on in his career. Dillard will likely be the leading scorer for the Clips again, unless Moser makes a huge leap in TC. Clippers are in the middle of things in the West but have yet to find a way to get over the hump.
G9: There has been a lot of talk around what point guards are worth - as many of them are very similar and the position has become rather “plug and play.” Some will neg the Clippers for signing Dillard to a hefty deal at the “plug and play” position – but I don’t think we should lump Dillard in with those guys plug and play guys. B+ defense with below average steals is representative of a good perimeter defense build, and the Clippers hope to repeat their top 5/10 OFG%/O3PT% yearly team performance next year. Dillard was a key part of that. So while his 23/9 on 2 turnovers might be plug and play, his defense isn’t. Declining contract to boot?
Dick Nemelka signs with the Clippers for $18,000,000 over 4 years.
Monta: B
G9: C+
Monta: Gotta love Dick and Dong. The combo that can’t be defeated. Dick defends the perimeter well and does enough offensively to warrant a contract like this and is a quality bench guard.
G9: Err. A little more questionable than the Dillard one. See: “plug and play.” Nemelka, similar to Dillard, does have B+ defense going for him. Perhaps he’s more crucial to this team than us outsiders can see? Think he could have gone lower on the contract, or opted for fewer years in case Nemelka drops to C+ C+ C+ again.
Enis Murati signs with the Bucks for $7,175,000 over 2 years.
Monta: B-
G9: C
Monya: Murati’s defense is horrendous. Feel like I write that sentence after every free agency, but he’s an undeniable bucket. It’ll be interesting what role he’ll play in Milwaukee this year. Bucks fans better hope he's not in the starting lineup or they'll be in trouble.
G9: Can you imagine? Teams know that you play literally 0 defense – and they still sign you. Like – there is tape. You do not even cross half court. Still signed. Enis Murati’s inside was high B, making him a near B+ A- scorer. B+ A-? Of course people are signing him! His offense is electric. He is not efficient. He cannot rebound. He will not pass the ball. But man, is he fun.
Brad Daugherty signs with the Jazz for $58,250,006 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: D+
Monta: Love this signing for Utah, as they now have one of the strongest front courts in the league with Kuminga, Wang, and now Daugherty. Their perimeter play is very lacking, so we’ll see what they do about that.
G9: Brad Daugherty is sneakily just Lorenzen Wright. Or maybe Lorenzen Wright is sneakily just Brad Daugherty. I did not see fringes for Brad, so maybe he’s much better than I am seeing here. But as it stands – the man got 55 million more than Wright did, and they are the same player.
Jeronne Maymon signs with the Bucks for $4,194,944 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Former draft bust Jeronne Maymon is somehow still in the league, and is somehow still only 27 years of age. He is a decent scorer, I’ll give him that I guess.
G9: Re: Seth Tuttle. I’m not in the business world, so I do not email often. Did I do that right? Re:? See: Seth Tuttle? (see, Seth Tuttle). Anyways. Same thing as Tuttle. Bit more experienced. Slightly different build. Same level of play. Same level of worth.
Myles Mack signs with the Pelicans for $86,218,305 over 5 years.
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Monta: C
G9: F+
Monta: Definitely an overpay, but it’s not horrendous given his age and possible upside. Mack can score for sure, but he gets tunnel vision when he has the ball in his hands, and doesn’t defend the perimeter very well either. However, Mack's shooting splits are undeniable and with further polishing, could develop into a good scorer, but his game isn’t developed enough to warrant that kind of money.
G9: I was not lying when I said I had not heard of Mack. I mean, I am sure I had seen him on the Pelicans roster before. I often browse the league rosters looking for deals. And still -never seen the guy. I wrote a whole article about upcoming Point Guards in Free Agency. Did not see Mack. I guess some other people saw him, and there were some competing bids – but god damn. It isn’t like he is a sneaky triple double threat – or has some defensive niche like thrifty stealing. He’s just … plug and play. For 17M AAV. Odd.
Brad Miller signs with the Heat for $17,109,180 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Don’t think Miller is worth an MLE. Yeah he puts up decent numbers and provides rare floor spacing out of a big man, but he doesn’t defend well enough to warrant a full 8.6M.
G9: I had Miller for a bit a few years ago, and again last year. Man can ball. He plays better than his ratings. Does tend to turn it over a bit, but it looks like he kept them in check last year. Will immediately get big minutes in Miami. Worth the two year MLE.
Franck Kepnang signs with the Heat for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Kepnang for 1-yr/2.4M is solid. Defends and blocks shots well enough to give him some minutes.
G9: Insurance. Decent blocker. I dig it.
Brandon West signs with the Warriors for $3,650,876 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Decent bench big who can rebound the ball and give energy off the bench.
G9: The Warriors played a C rebounder in their front court for 16 minutes a game last season. Brandon West’s B rebounding are a huge addition and will make an immediate impact. The Warriors still need a lot of other rotational pieces (PG, SG, PF/C) to fill out, but West was a good start on the two year min.
Deuce Bello signs with the Nuggets for $15,050,000 over 4 years.
Monta: C+
G9: C
Monta: Meh. I see what Denver is hoping Deuce can become, but don’t really see it. After four seasons in the league, Bello has failed to make any real impact.
G9: Kind of random. Was he fringe outside? Doubt he has pot. Career splits don’t exactly paint a telling picture. Denver is tanking. For-fun signing?
Jalen Williams signs with the Heat for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Solid deal for a guy who can still score and shoot the ball at a high level. Williams’ rebounding stinks, but hopefully his shooting makes up for it.
G9: Much better than that contract Williams got a few years ago. Definitely worth noting that last year in Detroit – Williams scored a whopping 8 points per 13 minutes of play on 45/98/47 splits. If he can do anything, he can shoot. He’ll fit in great next to Blackshear, Harrow, and Di.
Darko Jukic signs with the Grizzlies for $17,302,379 over 4 years.
Monta: A-
G9: C+
Monta: Another really good signing by the Grizzlies as Jukic goes for less than half of the MLE. The euro-wing can score the ball and shot 41% from deep last year. He’ll likely be their sixth man on the wings.
G9: Like Brad Miller up there ^, I had Jukic for a bit. Did not enjoy him a much as Brad. Looks like his splits were a bit better last year, but for me he was ice cold. I hope he stays hot for the next 4 years as Vancouver decided to lock up the 29 year old SF.
Eric McWilliams signs with the Timberwolves for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: B-
G9: C+
Monta: It’ll be interesting to see how the Wolves utilize McWilliams as he plays more like a 4 than a 3. This move however put them further over the HC.
G9: Chris asked me what I thought about Eric McWilliams before he sent his offers. I had no idea who he was. I looked him up last night and told Chris he was not much. Completely forgot about him. Saw this signing, had to look him up again. Sneaky Zane Hicke? McWilliams could provide some needed versatility at the ¾ for Minnesota, but it is a shame there weren’t better options for the BAE.
Jaden Hardy signs with the Pistons for $4,700,000 over 1 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B
Monta: Bringing back Hardy for cheap on a one-year deal should pay dividends as they needed a guy to stabilize the guard position off the bench. Hardy should have a similar that he had last season for Detroit. Hardy's last couple seasons reminds me of Skylar Mays at the end of his career when he jumped from contender to contender making an impact off the bench.
G9: Hardy ended last year in Detroit and made his presence immediately known. The 35-year-old is still a top tier defender and is only 2 years removed from making the All Defensive First Team. In a recent interview, Hardy said “if I was still a starter, I would make All-D First Team every year.” We will see if slows down at 36, but a 1-year contract brings little risk.
w/G9.
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Mark Price signs with the Warriors for $177,252,060 over 5 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Warriors had to retain Price, the question is whether they decide to continue building the team around him, or go another direction. Price and Staten haven't done much together, so we'll see if they decide to keep rolling out that small-guard lineup or change it up.
G9: The absolute maximum that Price was eligible for, but I expect him to be worth it. We’ve seen way worse players get similar contracts, and Mark is still only 28 years old. “A” outside is becoming rather common in the league, but A outside paired with A- defense is rather rare. Has Nate started coaching yet? Would really help Price maintain his stellar ratings over the next 5 years…
Eric Flor signs with the Celtics for $109,509,175 over 4 years
Monta: A+
G9: A+
Monta: Nobody saw this one coming, as the Celtics fleece Flor away from the Wizards. This one boosts Boston straight into the top three in the East, with Flor, Hill, Gentile, and Warney. With a young, star-studded core of Flor, Hill, and Gentile, the Celtics could be running the East for years to come.
G9: What? I mean, it is a max. But, what? Did GB not offer one? Did he think he could repeat the league-wide fail that resulted in an underpaid Dell Curry? Flor’s outside and defense are approaching those of the aforementioned Mark Price – and he comes with “C” rebounding!? Great pick-up for this up and coming Boston team. Expect Flor to thrive next to Gentile, Hile, and Warney. If only the Celtics had an elite rebounder…
Hristo Zahariev signs with the Nets for $177,252,060 over 5 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: No-brainer for the Nets here as they’re in the middle of their championship window and they bring back the face of their franchise for a well-deserved max contract. Hristo will look to run it back with Hondo and Malone in an attempt to get over the hump in a wide open East.
G9: The absolute maximum that Hristo was eligible for, but I expect him to be worth it. We’ve seen way worse players get similar contracts, and Hristo is still only 28 years old. “A-” outside is becoming rather common in the league, but A- outside paired with A- defense is rather rare. I expect Scott to keep taking good care of Hristo as he continues to lead this Brooklyn team to it’s most successful years in ... a while.
Jaedo Lee signs with the Suns for $37,156,300 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: C+
Monta: After losing Maxey to retirement, and dealing away Sitnik, the Suns fill the void at point guard with the facilitator Jaedo Lee. This is a very solid signing as the Suns needed a true floor leader. Jaedo runs a team as well as anyone in the league, and while he's not much of a scorer, he can provide stable play game in, game out.
G9: I mean, I guess? This will certainly be a blow to the Hornets, as Jaedo is coming off an insane 11.3 assist year. Although, I’m not sure if they had birds. Anyways… as for the Suns… If Nihad came in at PG (I think he did?)… that is a 7 point guard roster. AIR will be forced to hit the trade market and convert some of these guys into 3/4/5’s. This contract is… OK. Jaedo is… OK. The fit is… questionable.
Evaldas Zabas signs with the Grizzlies for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: The Grizzlies add Zabas to anchor their second unit behind Martin Cuello. They’ve shown they don’t really trust Axel Julien by putting him on the trade block, and Zabas can help stabilize this spot. He sees the floor and defends opposing point guards extremely well, which makes up for his lack of shooting.
G9: Cannot argue with A- defense at < ½ an MLE. Zabas is an absolute joke on the boards (1.3 rebounds in 14 minutes) and he cannot really shoot (31% from 3), but he’ll provide a defensive spark off the bench and veteran leadership for the Grizzlies young PGs. Don’t think you can get much better value than this with a BAE, so this gets an A.
Federico Aguerre signs with the Trail Blazers for $50,335,989 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B
Monta: Solid signing for a 3-and-D wing, something that is hard to find nowadays. It’ll be interesting where he’ll play, since he and Bouldin can both defend the wings equally well. Portland’s perimeter defense looks impressive.
G9: For some reason I keep thinking that Federico is like, 34 years old. At 31 years old this isn’t a bad contract. It isn’t far over the MLE and even with scouted “D” potential, I think we can expect Aguerre to provide the caliber of 3&D that is required on a championship winning roster. Yrtb should have fun moving him around the lineup as a starter/sub.
Dontrez Styles signs with the Pistons for $17,425,000 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Styles has shown signs of slowing down the last few years, but he’s still very valuable for a playoff team like the Pistons in his ability to knock down outside shots and defend the wings reasonably well. His ability to rebound the ball as a wing is also invaluable.
G9: Rather similar to the Aguerre signing, except Styles actually is 34 years old. Of course, this is also only a 2 year contract. I’d say at worst – Styles dies in 2 TC’s and mngopher gets him cutback. Looking at Detroit’s roster, I think Panic! would freak if he saw how many guys are over 30. Not to say they aren’t good – expect Styles to contribute off the bench for a Pistons team that looks to win 60 this year.
Bobby Fields signs with the Rockets for $34,020,000 over 3 years.
Monta: B-
G9: A+
Monta: This is an interesting signing, as Fields has shown his ability to be a sniper and score in bunches, but he’s also very one-dimensional in that he can’t facilitate, struggles around the rim, and doesn’t play much defense. Most of his scoring is probably a product of Houston having little to no other options offensively, but Fields has undoubtedly scored the ball with impressive splits.
G9: This contract is the result of one of those crazy combinations. A combination that, had anything been different, would’ve prevented this Fields’ signing. Dwight 1) finally has his picks back. 2) has cap space. 3) took a swing on a player last FA that was about to be deleted from the league 4) that player averaged 20 points on 44/87/42 splits. Let us not dog Dwight too much. Let the man have some fun. Houston can tank in peace with their tank commander Bobby “Steph Curry” Fields leading the way for a few years.
Hunter Mickelson signs with the Timberwolves for $10,250,000 over 2 years.
Monta: C-
G9: F-
Monta: They really didn’t need Mickelson back since acquiring Behanan and with Lindeman coming back from the D-League. This move only puts them over HC, so not great.
G9: Chris has had a successful string of trades as he entered FA with a new core of (TMG/Wilbert/Castle) / (Sitnik/Ivanovic) / Kittles but he stood in desperate need of rotational bigs and a backup 3. Mickelson doesn’t provide anything that Behanan already was, but he is better than Lindeman. Had Minny not signed Makur Maker further down this list, this signing may have been necessary. Yet – they did sign a better big down the line. And now Mickelson eats up space (over the hard cap) as Chris searches for a way to dump him.
Joseph Uchebo signs with the Trail Blazers for $78,300,000 over 5 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B+
Monta: Portland needed to bring back Uchebo to keep their front court intact, and make another run in the playoffs. While he doesn’t play much defense, he is an effective low post scorer and rebounder, and the trio of Uchebo/Chappell/Ben Wallace has proven to be good enough to win playoff games.
G9: I think yrtb has done a fantastic job keeping Uchebo at bay while he was on his rookie deal. I only wish I had kept a similar player in Kourtney Roberson under the wraps – as I doubt I’m able to retain him at the contract that Portland retained Uchebo at. I could easily see Joseph as a 15/11 staple for the next 5 seasons.
Renardo Sidney signs with the Rockets for $63,000,000 over 3 years.
Monta: C-
G9: A
Monta: Sidney is a versatile scoring big who can do a bit of everything, but $63M over 3 years is a little much for him. He doesn’t do anything well enough to warrant that kind of money, but with Houston trying to lure any talent, they had to overpay.
G9: See: Bobby Fields. Sidney should be fun to run with Beniusis, Parks, Glenn with Fields chucking away. Literally zero risk signing. Shame someone had to lose him though.
Karl Malone signs with the Nets for $61,500,000 over 2 years.
Monta: D+
G9: C
Monta: I don’t think anyone came close to offering Malone $30M/year, as he's nowhere near a max level player. Granted, it’s just a two-year deal, but this puts the Nets way over the hard cap. It’ll be interesting to see how they get under.
G9: Not really sure this was the move? Perhaps should have opted for a longer, lesser offer. The Hristo max was a must. This whopping offer – not so much. I’m hoping Scott has a sign and trade or something already planned about his current cap situation. Pros: retained Malone. Cons: everything else?
Melvin Ejim signs with the Kings for $143,750,000 over 5 years.
Monta: B
G9: A
Monta: The Kings had to 5-year max Ejim, despite him not improving as much as they would have liked. Bringing back the face of the franchise ensures that they’ll be back in the thick of things in the West, with Ellington/Weaver/Ejim/Hardrick/Bojan.
G9: In a league that often finds itself with rather dry wings – Ejim is a tough case. He’s better than most, but worse than best. His build isn’t what you’d want, but something about it entices you. Tyfreak saved a tiny, tiny bit of money going under the full max for his 20/8 small forward. Personally, I would love Ejim for 5 years. As I said, he’s better than most. And if tyfreak can surround his ‘better-than-most-SF’ with good pieces, they’ll surely be in championship contention.
Michel Diouf signs with the SuperSonics for $4,194,944 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Another calculated, solid signing by Seattle in adding a versatile bench big for cheap. Diouf has a solid offensive skillset, and can rebound well enough. After trading away Koshwal, the Sonics will look to more of a platoon in their front court.
G9: Fairly certain Cloud has a plan to get under the hardcap (unlike Minny and Mickelson) – so we’ll let that part pass. Diouf has been playing significant minutes on contending teams for 6 seasons straight now and that streak will continue in Seattle. Michel has made a name for himself as a rotational big, and we can expect him to mesh well next to a player that knows that role all to well in Harper Kamp. Definitely worth a min.
Jelan Kendrick signs with the Bucks for $3,922,910 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Not a lot of money for a backup wing, nothing much to see here, solid player who isn't great at anything in particular.
G9: Similar to the Diouf deal right above – but with a wing. Kendrick’s offense is piping hot trash (career 42/65/29 splits) but he provides effective defense and rebounding off the bench. Two year mins are very low risk – especially on 26 year olds.
Deryk Ramos signs with the Kings for $6,962,816 over 4 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: After initially taking a flier on him a couple years ago, the Kings continue to try and develop their project in an undersized two-guard who can shoot a little bit. The four years are interesting, but the money isn’t a lot, so this is a low-risk medium/high reward move if he does pan out.
G9: Ramos popped off in college a few years ago, fell through the draft, hit tyfreak in RFA for a 1 year min, spent the year in the DLG, and finds himself back in Sacramento for 4 more years. Is tyfreak developing the next _________? Time will tell. Keep your eye on this interesting story as it develops (with more summer league, d-league, height, weight, coaching to come!?).
Shannon Scott signs with the Kings for $3,378,844 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: D
Monta: Another flier on a young player who can play a little. Wouldn’t be surprised if Scott plays a decent role off the bench behind Bruce Ellington.
G9: A few years ago tyfreak and I said we would stop signing 2 year mins to players who had never gotten meaningful minutes. It is one thing with guys like Diouf and Kendrick – guys who have been playing ~15 to 20 minutes a game. But ty – Scott has played 80 minutes in his BSL career. One year min him at most. Now you’re stuck with an extra year of 0.0 minutes per game eating up a roster spot and valuable hard cap space.
Jeff Hornacek signs with the Grizzlies for $17,302,379 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B+
Monta: Hornacek can shoot the ball, as his splits are pretty ridiculous at 45/92/40 last season. He’ll likely play a decent role backing up Rakim Sanders, and maybe an even larger role after that. Vancouver with a very savvy move in quietly offering for Hornacek after he was cut.
G9: Guess I wasn’t paying attention because I didn’t see Hornacek get cut. Oh well. Certainly a solid pick-up for Vancouver. The man has had a weird career but his shooting his coming around and he’ll instantly be one of the Grizzlies best shooters. He could also teach a thing or two to Rowan Barrett’s C+ outside looking ass.
Lorenzen Wright signs with the Heat for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B+
Monta: Lorenzen has stuck around the league for a while and will join a pretty packed front court in Miami. We’ll see if he’ll stick or get shipped elsewhere.
G9: BAE, just above the min. I take Wright just over Michel Diouf who just signed a two year min up there, so this signing makes sense. B-/B/B- inside/def/reb is about all you can ask for off the bench.
Makur Maker signs with the Timberwolves for $17,714,050 over 2 years.
Monta: B+
G9: C
Monta: Makur has a lot of game left, and needing front court help the Timberwolves brought back an old friend. While he doesn’t defend or rebound particularly well anymore, he is still a walking bucket. This hater below me thinks he won't produce at 36 years of age. Barring a catastrophic Wayne Chism-like TC, he'll be putting up numbers next year too.
G9: Probably should have gone 1 year so he could get cutback (given the HC situation…). Makur Maker is way better than Hunter Mickelson so this is a great pick-up, but Chris will have to work some magic to get under the hardcap. “A” signing if it was 1 year and a cutback was immediately lined up. “C” signing for the second year on a 35 year old who’s immediately causing you problems.
Cazzie Russell signs with the Hawks for $37,156,300 over 4 years.
Monta: D-
G9: F
Monta: One of the more questionable deals of free agency so far, as Cazzie has shown no signs of improvement since he’s come into the league. Pairing Russell and Bias seems like a spacing nightmare.
G9: I think Atlanta is just having some fun for a bit? Looks like they got Len Bias. Cazzie had a high B inside in FA. Is it time… for the inside offense? Well, maybe not. He still has Jelani Hewitt and Scottie Barnes. We’ll see. All I know is, nobody – and I mean nobody, was looking at Cazzie Russell.
Ivan Almeida signs with the Supersonics for $168,083,850 over 5 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: Like most of the maxes, this was a no-brainer and Seattle will look to get redemption this year after losing to the Knicks in the finals. The West would have been very interesting if Almeida left, but with him back in the fold, the West still goes through Seattle.
G9: I mean, what else do you pay 23/7 all-defensive team with low turnovers? It literally does not get much better than Ivan Almeida on the wing, and now Seattle has him locked up locked up. Expect Ivan to find himself in a few more Finals with the Sonics over the next few seasons as his best basketball may not be completely behind him yet.
Dylan Andrews signs with the Celtics for $40,000,000 over 2 years.
Monta: A
G9: A
Monta: The Celtics are the clear winners of free agency, as they snag both Andrews and Eric Flor away from playoff teams. Andrews will either see 6th man minutes behind Flor, or possibly start at SG. Celtics also have the flexibility to make some trades if they want to.
G9: Fuck. Eric Flor AND Dylan Andrews? Andrews, like Flor, is coming off a career year. The man just shot 47/45 with 18 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds in 1.3 turnover per game. Great pick-up by Boston. The contract isn’t too long, and even though it doesn’t give them bird years, it gives them the option to offer just over $20M starting when he does hit the market (should they decide to bring him back for a crucial 3rd year on a big expiring). Boston is gearing up for some __ years of dominance. Get ready.
Seth Tuttle signs with the Bucks for $3,188,422 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Not sure how or why we keep seeing Tuttle stick around in the league, but he seems to switch teams every year. He’s like a sixth big at best, so not a great signing, but not bad either.
G9: Former Maverick! Tuttle is alright. His pot is dead, but if he can improve even marginally he’s something similar to Michel Diouf or Harper Kamp. Worth a shot as Milwaukee is desperate for rotational big men.
Adrien Moerman signs with the Mavericks for $8,641,000 over 1 years.
Monta: C
G9: A+
Monta: Normally this would be a fine signing, but already being strapped up against the hard cap, bringing back Moerman on an MLE makes little sense. They’ll likely get him cutback, but they have several other moves to make to get under the cap as well.
G9: Another team over the hardcap! Yikes! Can you imagine if we had a rule that made it so you could not go over the hardcap in free agency? Would make things a little more interesting. Moerman was a key piece for me at 3, 4, and 5 last year. I am very glad to have him back. Hopefully I can find a way to get under the hardcap though.
Kevin Dillard signs with the Clippers for $85,500,000 over 5 years.
Monta: A
G9: B+
Monta: Great signing by the Clippers in bringing back Dillard for a 5-year, declining deal. Risky move, but it definitely paid off as they won't be paying him a ton of money later on in his career. Dillard will likely be the leading scorer for the Clips again, unless Moser makes a huge leap in TC. Clippers are in the middle of things in the West but have yet to find a way to get over the hump.
G9: There has been a lot of talk around what point guards are worth - as many of them are very similar and the position has become rather “plug and play.” Some will neg the Clippers for signing Dillard to a hefty deal at the “plug and play” position – but I don’t think we should lump Dillard in with those guys plug and play guys. B+ defense with below average steals is representative of a good perimeter defense build, and the Clippers hope to repeat their top 5/10 OFG%/O3PT% yearly team performance next year. Dillard was a key part of that. So while his 23/9 on 2 turnovers might be plug and play, his defense isn’t. Declining contract to boot?
Dick Nemelka signs with the Clippers for $18,000,000 over 4 years.
Monta: B
G9: C+
Monta: Gotta love Dick and Dong. The combo that can’t be defeated. Dick defends the perimeter well and does enough offensively to warrant a contract like this and is a quality bench guard.
G9: Err. A little more questionable than the Dillard one. See: “plug and play.” Nemelka, similar to Dillard, does have B+ defense going for him. Perhaps he’s more crucial to this team than us outsiders can see? Think he could have gone lower on the contract, or opted for fewer years in case Nemelka drops to C+ C+ C+ again.
Enis Murati signs with the Bucks for $7,175,000 over 2 years.
Monta: B-
G9: C
Monya: Murati’s defense is horrendous. Feel like I write that sentence after every free agency, but he’s an undeniable bucket. It’ll be interesting what role he’ll play in Milwaukee this year. Bucks fans better hope he's not in the starting lineup or they'll be in trouble.
G9: Can you imagine? Teams know that you play literally 0 defense – and they still sign you. Like – there is tape. You do not even cross half court. Still signed. Enis Murati’s inside was high B, making him a near B+ A- scorer. B+ A-? Of course people are signing him! His offense is electric. He is not efficient. He cannot rebound. He will not pass the ball. But man, is he fun.
Brad Daugherty signs with the Jazz for $58,250,006 over 4 years.
Monta: B+
G9: D+
Monta: Love this signing for Utah, as they now have one of the strongest front courts in the league with Kuminga, Wang, and now Daugherty. Their perimeter play is very lacking, so we’ll see what they do about that.
G9: Brad Daugherty is sneakily just Lorenzen Wright. Or maybe Lorenzen Wright is sneakily just Brad Daugherty. I did not see fringes for Brad, so maybe he’s much better than I am seeing here. But as it stands – the man got 55 million more than Wright did, and they are the same player.
Jeronne Maymon signs with the Bucks for $4,194,944 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Former draft bust Jeronne Maymon is somehow still in the league, and is somehow still only 27 years of age. He is a decent scorer, I’ll give him that I guess.
G9: Re: Seth Tuttle. I’m not in the business world, so I do not email often. Did I do that right? Re:? See: Seth Tuttle? (see, Seth Tuttle). Anyways. Same thing as Tuttle. Bit more experienced. Slightly different build. Same level of play. Same level of worth.
Myles Mack signs with the Pelicans for $86,218,305 over 5 years.
Monta: C
G9: F+
Monta: Definitely an overpay, but it’s not horrendous given his age and possible upside. Mack can score for sure, but he gets tunnel vision when he has the ball in his hands, and doesn’t defend the perimeter very well either. However, Mack's shooting splits are undeniable and with further polishing, could develop into a good scorer, but his game isn’t developed enough to warrant that kind of money.
G9: I was not lying when I said I had not heard of Mack. I mean, I am sure I had seen him on the Pelicans roster before. I often browse the league rosters looking for deals. And still -never seen the guy. I wrote a whole article about upcoming Point Guards in Free Agency. Did not see Mack. I guess some other people saw him, and there were some competing bids – but god damn. It isn’t like he is a sneaky triple double threat – or has some defensive niche like thrifty stealing. He’s just … plug and play. For 17M AAV. Odd.
Brad Miller signs with the Heat for $17,109,180 over 2 years.
Monta: C+
G9: B
Monta: Don’t think Miller is worth an MLE. Yeah he puts up decent numbers and provides rare floor spacing out of a big man, but he doesn’t defend well enough to warrant a full 8.6M.
G9: I had Miller for a bit a few years ago, and again last year. Man can ball. He plays better than his ratings. Does tend to turn it over a bit, but it looks like he kept them in check last year. Will immediately get big minutes in Miami. Worth the two year MLE.
Franck Kepnang signs with the Heat for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Kepnang for 1-yr/2.4M is solid. Defends and blocks shots well enough to give him some minutes.
G9: Insurance. Decent blocker. I dig it.
Brandon West signs with the Warriors for $3,650,876 over 2 years.
Monta: B
G9: B
Monta: Decent bench big who can rebound the ball and give energy off the bench.
G9: The Warriors played a C rebounder in their front court for 16 minutes a game last season. Brandon West’s B rebounding are a huge addition and will make an immediate impact. The Warriors still need a lot of other rotational pieces (PG, SG, PF/C) to fill out, but West was a good start on the two year min.
Deuce Bello signs with the Nuggets for $15,050,000 over 4 years.
Monta: C+
G9: C
Monta: Meh. I see what Denver is hoping Deuce can become, but don’t really see it. After four seasons in the league, Bello has failed to make any real impact.
G9: Kind of random. Was he fringe outside? Doubt he has pot. Career splits don’t exactly paint a telling picture. Denver is tanking. For-fun signing?
Jalen Williams signs with the Heat for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
Monta: B+
G9: A
Monta: Solid deal for a guy who can still score and shoot the ball at a high level. Williams’ rebounding stinks, but hopefully his shooting makes up for it.
G9: Much better than that contract Williams got a few years ago. Definitely worth noting that last year in Detroit – Williams scored a whopping 8 points per 13 minutes of play on 45/98/47 splits. If he can do anything, he can shoot. He’ll fit in great next to Blackshear, Harrow, and Di.
Darko Jukic signs with the Grizzlies for $17,302,379 over 4 years.
Monta: A-
G9: C+
Monta: Another really good signing by the Grizzlies as Jukic goes for less than half of the MLE. The euro-wing can score the ball and shot 41% from deep last year. He’ll likely be their sixth man on the wings.
G9: Like Brad Miller up there ^, I had Jukic for a bit. Did not enjoy him a much as Brad. Looks like his splits were a bit better last year, but for me he was ice cold. I hope he stays hot for the next 4 years as Vancouver decided to lock up the 29 year old SF.
Eric McWilliams signs with the Timberwolves for $6,933,100 over 2 years.
Monta: B-
G9: C+
Monta: It’ll be interesting to see how the Wolves utilize McWilliams as he plays more like a 4 than a 3. This move however put them further over the HC.
G9: Chris asked me what I thought about Eric McWilliams before he sent his offers. I had no idea who he was. I looked him up last night and told Chris he was not much. Completely forgot about him. Saw this signing, had to look him up again. Sneaky Zane Hicke? McWilliams could provide some needed versatility at the ¾ for Minnesota, but it is a shame there weren’t better options for the BAE.
Jaden Hardy signs with the Pistons for $4,700,000 over 1 years.
Monta: B+
G9: B
Monta: Bringing back Hardy for cheap on a one-year deal should pay dividends as they needed a guy to stabilize the guard position off the bench. Hardy should have a similar that he had last season for Detroit. Hardy's last couple seasons reminds me of Skylar Mays at the end of his career when he jumped from contender to contender making an impact off the bench.
G9: Hardy ended last year in Detroit and made his presence immediately known. The 35-year-old is still a top tier defender and is only 2 years removed from making the All Defensive First Team. In a recent interview, Hardy said “if I was still a starter, I would make All-D First Team every year.” We will see if slows down at 36, but a 1-year contract brings little risk.
