monta8curry
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and we're back.
Jelan Kendrick signs with the Suns for $3,378,844 over 2 years.
GRADE: A
Solid, low-risk/high-reward signing for a young point guard who has shown flashes of potential especially on the defensive end. Suns coaches have raved about him in training camp so far. We'll see how he performs in the regular season.
Saddi Washington signs with the Bucks for $8,265,000 over 3 years.
GRADE: B
Although it is a 3-year deal for an aging wing, the average salary is makes this a low-risk move for a team in desperate need for wings with the departure of Ramar Smith.
Sebastian Koch signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
I'm going to give Houston the benefit of the doubt and assume this was to have the ability to match contracts if they were to pursue a trade for an upgrade somewhere. However, Koch is certainly not worth the $13M normally.
Evaldas Zabas signs with the Trail Blazers for $16,400,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Zabas is another solid point guard in this class, who can defend and handle the ball. However, he doesn't have the ability to create a shot for himself consistently enough to be a starter.
Worthy De Jong signs with the Jazz for $45,360,000 over 3 years.
GRADE: A-
Well-done by the Jazz not to overreact and bring back De Jong for a rather team friendly deal on day 2 of FA. A couple years removed from a Finals appearance, De Jong will try to help lead a Utah team back to the top.
Sean Mosley signs with the Jazz for $16,650,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: C+
Mosley is a decent wing off the bench, but he doesn't provide consistent enough scoring to warrant a 4-year deal in my opinion.
Kerry Kittles signs with the Bucks for $44,000,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: D+
While Kittles certainly will help the Bucks on the wings, signing him long-term for 4-years is pushing it. He can do a little bit of everything, but definitely doesn't possess the scoring punch he used to.
Deniz Kilicli signs with the Bulls for $1,567,007 over 1 years.
GRADE: A
No surprise in the Bulls finding another player for the low. Kilicli has turned heads in preseason, and will look to play a major role off the bench behind Michael Foster and Malik Rose.
Enzo Ruiz signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C
Another one of those 1-year deals for the Rockets. Ruiz can shoot the lights out, but struggled last year in the playoffs. We'll see if a team bites on him if he is on the trade block like.
Don Nelson signs with the Timberwolves for $1,621,415 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
The former lottery pick signed a one-year minimum with Minnesota, where he likely won't see much playing time behind several other bigs, but it's a decent flyer on the talented young man.
Killian Hayes signs with the Warriors for $16,640,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: A
Very nice signing by the Warriors in bringing the veteran point guard back to the Bay. It'll be interesting how he'll play alongside Mark Price and Juwan Staten, but expect him to play an important regardless if he's starting or coming off the bench.
Todd Blanchfield signs with the Nuggets for $7,145,134 over 1 years.
GRADE: N/A
Clear move to sign a guy to a one-year expiring to get a trade done.
Yancy Gates signs with the Pacers for $2,165,481 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
He won't play much, but Gates is a solid 6th/7th big man.......
Lorenzen Wright signs with the Heat for $6,764,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Lorenzen looks like he'll play a rather large role in Miami, a team lacking quality bigs. While he never lived up to his draft-day potential, the 30-year old big man can still score a little bit.
Jaden McDaniels signs with the Timberwolves for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
It's amazing how long McDaniels has lasted in the league and he continues to collect checks as he signs a one-year deal in Minnesota. He likely won't play much, but will provide spot minutes and veteran leadership.
Brandon West signs with the Trail Blazers for $6,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
Brandon West likely is what he is, but the Bucks will take a flyer on a relatively young big who has shown scoring and rebounding potential. If he performs well, he'll hit the market next year and likely sign a multi-year deal.
Maik Zirbes signs with the Warriors for $19,130,700 over 4 years.
GRADE: B
The Warriors are getting a quality reserve big man who can score down low and is a solid low post defender. The problem is GSW will likely have to start him next to Brad Daugherty due to their lack of frontcourt players. Zirbes will likely be exposed some nights, but can hold his own too.
Igor Josipovic signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C
After a couple seasons in Minny, Josipovic gets a large payday of one year in Houston. The Rockets have overpaid a lot of players this season to one-year deals, but Josipovic can score a little bit.
Brandon Ingram signs with the Bulls for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: A
Ingram is not the superstar he once was, but he can certainly still light it up from deep when he gets hot. The Bulls need cheap depth off the bench and Ingram fits that bill perfectly.
Simi Shittu signs with the Warriors for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
Can't really criticize a minimum one-year deal on a veteran big, but Shittu is going to see a lot of playing time in a thin GSW frontcourt. His defense has fallen off dramatically since his younger days so expect teams to attack the paint plenty against the Dubs this season.
Guy Manning signs with the Grizzlies for $11,492,758 over 1 years.
GRADE: D-
Donkey gonna Donkey.
Maksym Kozlovets signs with the Nets for $23,650,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: C
I'm surprised Kozlovets got a four-year deal, and don't think a player of his caliber is worth the long-term investment. Coming into the league as a promising stretch-big, Kozlovets has failed to put it all together as he struggles to play through contact and doesn't do much on the defensive end. The money isn't horrible, but for his skill level, a shorter deal would have sufficed.
Samuell Williamson signs with the Timberwolves for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
Timberwolves need wing help and more shooting to surround Amaree Abram and whoever is going to start at point guard. Williamson won't play a lot, but he can shoot the rock.
Enis Murati signs with the Jazz for $11,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
This was probably the most noteworthy signing out of day 2, and its the Jazz bringing in the talented, yet supremely flawed Enis Murati. Coming off a championship season where he played a crucial scoring role off the bench, Murati will likely see more time on a Utah team that isn't as stacked. However, there have already been grumblings that his defense is actually worse than initially perceived. We'll see how much playing time he is allowed if he can't hold his own defensively.
Dar Tucker signs with the Warriors for $4,907,468 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Tucker is a classic defensive specialist and will help relieve some of those duties off of their undersized guards. Personally I think a one-year deal would have been better as he is getting up there in years.
Derrick Nix signs with the Timberwolves for $8,641,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C+
Granted, it's an overpay for a big who doesn't do much else besides score the basketball, but the Wolves were in desperate need for a bench big. Nix struggles defensively, but does good enough on the boards to play a factor in games.
Ung Heo signs with the Jazz for $4,864,245 over 3 years.
GRADE: B-
The 21-year old product from Japan gets a three-year deal, which is somewhat surprising for a player as unproven as he is. Heo has shown he can stripe it from deep, but is a liability on defense. Not sure how he'll fit into the Utah rotation, but the Jazz are hoping he has room for development.
Hamady Ndiaye signs with the Nuggets for $27,219,150 over 3 years.
GRADE: C-
Granted Ndiaye was one of the best bigs remaining in day 2 and was the best shot blocker by far, he provides to little to no additional value beyond that. Additionally, being 32 years of age, Ndiaye won't be improving on his game any time soon and giving him a three-year contract locks the Nuggets in for likely the downturn of his career.
Charlie Hardnett signs with the Nets for $12,900,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: B
Although not a big name or proven commodity, Charlie Hardnett is a solid young big who can rebound the ball extremely wall. While he may not be a great starter, he will help the Nets or another contending team (if they trade him) off the bench.
Devon Collier signs with the Trail Blazers for $6,845,475 over 2 years.
GRADE: B-
Decent, young big man who had some potential on draft day (former lottery pick). Collier has yet to put it together, but Portland is willing to take a two-year flyer on him as they're in no rush to compete immediately.
Djordje Micic signs with the Pistons for $3,500,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C-
I'm going to assume this was for trade purposes, because Djordje Micic is an awful basketball player.
Gary Trent signs with the Nets for $11,767,709 over 3 years.
GRADE: A
Not sure how or why Gary Trent settled for this deal, but for one or another he waited until almost the end of FA to sign a rather small three-year deal to return to Brooklyn. Trent is as solid as it gets for a backup/rotational big man as he is a great post and help defender, and rebounds and finishes in the paint when needed.
Bonzi Wells signs with the Warriors for $4,907,468 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Bonzi Wells is a Dar Tucker clone, hence the same grade for the same deal. We'll see how the Warriors wing rotation shakes out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them shipped off because they're so redundant.
June Mar Fajardo signs with the Knicks for $13,609,575 over 3 years.
GRADE: B
The Knicks traded him almost immediately to the Spurs for Curtis Kitchen, but Fajardo is a solid rotational big who can help on the boards. While he will struggle defensively, he does enough on the court to warrant such a contract.
Jelan Kendrick signs with the Suns for $3,378,844 over 2 years.
GRADE: A
Solid, low-risk/high-reward signing for a young point guard who has shown flashes of potential especially on the defensive end. Suns coaches have raved about him in training camp so far. We'll see how he performs in the regular season.
Saddi Washington signs with the Bucks for $8,265,000 over 3 years.
GRADE: B
Although it is a 3-year deal for an aging wing, the average salary is makes this a low-risk move for a team in desperate need for wings with the departure of Ramar Smith.
Sebastian Koch signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
I'm going to give Houston the benefit of the doubt and assume this was to have the ability to match contracts if they were to pursue a trade for an upgrade somewhere. However, Koch is certainly not worth the $13M normally.
Evaldas Zabas signs with the Trail Blazers for $16,400,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Zabas is another solid point guard in this class, who can defend and handle the ball. However, he doesn't have the ability to create a shot for himself consistently enough to be a starter.
Worthy De Jong signs with the Jazz for $45,360,000 over 3 years.
GRADE: A-
Well-done by the Jazz not to overreact and bring back De Jong for a rather team friendly deal on day 2 of FA. A couple years removed from a Finals appearance, De Jong will try to help lead a Utah team back to the top.
Sean Mosley signs with the Jazz for $16,650,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: C+
Mosley is a decent wing off the bench, but he doesn't provide consistent enough scoring to warrant a 4-year deal in my opinion.
Kerry Kittles signs with the Bucks for $44,000,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: D+
While Kittles certainly will help the Bucks on the wings, signing him long-term for 4-years is pushing it. He can do a little bit of everything, but definitely doesn't possess the scoring punch he used to.
Deniz Kilicli signs with the Bulls for $1,567,007 over 1 years.
GRADE: A
No surprise in the Bulls finding another player for the low. Kilicli has turned heads in preseason, and will look to play a major role off the bench behind Michael Foster and Malik Rose.
Enzo Ruiz signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C
Another one of those 1-year deals for the Rockets. Ruiz can shoot the lights out, but struggled last year in the playoffs. We'll see if a team bites on him if he is on the trade block like.
Don Nelson signs with the Timberwolves for $1,621,415 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
The former lottery pick signed a one-year minimum with Minnesota, where he likely won't see much playing time behind several other bigs, but it's a decent flyer on the talented young man.
Killian Hayes signs with the Warriors for $16,640,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: A
Very nice signing by the Warriors in bringing the veteran point guard back to the Bay. It'll be interesting how he'll play alongside Mark Price and Juwan Staten, but expect him to play an important regardless if he's starting or coming off the bench.
Todd Blanchfield signs with the Nuggets for $7,145,134 over 1 years.
GRADE: N/A
Clear move to sign a guy to a one-year expiring to get a trade done.
Yancy Gates signs with the Pacers for $2,165,481 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
He won't play much, but Gates is a solid 6th/7th big man.......
Lorenzen Wright signs with the Heat for $6,764,000 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Lorenzen looks like he'll play a rather large role in Miami, a team lacking quality bigs. While he never lived up to his draft-day potential, the 30-year old big man can still score a little bit.
Jaden McDaniels signs with the Timberwolves for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
It's amazing how long McDaniels has lasted in the league and he continues to collect checks as he signs a one-year deal in Minnesota. He likely won't play much, but will provide spot minutes and veteran leadership.
Brandon West signs with the Trail Blazers for $6,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
Brandon West likely is what he is, but the Bucks will take a flyer on a relatively young big who has shown scoring and rebounding potential. If he performs well, he'll hit the market next year and likely sign a multi-year deal.
Maik Zirbes signs with the Warriors for $19,130,700 over 4 years.
GRADE: B
The Warriors are getting a quality reserve big man who can score down low and is a solid low post defender. The problem is GSW will likely have to start him next to Brad Daugherty due to their lack of frontcourt players. Zirbes will likely be exposed some nights, but can hold his own too.
Igor Josipovic signs with the Rockets for $13,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C
After a couple seasons in Minny, Josipovic gets a large payday of one year in Houston. The Rockets have overpaid a lot of players this season to one-year deals, but Josipovic can score a little bit.
Brandon Ingram signs with the Bulls for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: A
Ingram is not the superstar he once was, but he can certainly still light it up from deep when he gets hot. The Bulls need cheap depth off the bench and Ingram fits that bill perfectly.
Simi Shittu signs with the Warriors for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B-
Can't really criticize a minimum one-year deal on a veteran big, but Shittu is going to see a lot of playing time in a thin GSW frontcourt. His defense has fallen off dramatically since his younger days so expect teams to attack the paint plenty against the Dubs this season.
Guy Manning signs with the Grizzlies for $11,492,758 over 1 years.
GRADE: D-
Donkey gonna Donkey.
Maksym Kozlovets signs with the Nets for $23,650,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: C
I'm surprised Kozlovets got a four-year deal, and don't think a player of his caliber is worth the long-term investment. Coming into the league as a promising stretch-big, Kozlovets has failed to put it all together as he struggles to play through contact and doesn't do much on the defensive end. The money isn't horrible, but for his skill level, a shorter deal would have sufficed.
Samuell Williamson signs with the Timberwolves for $2,393,887 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
Timberwolves need wing help and more shooting to surround Amaree Abram and whoever is going to start at point guard. Williamson won't play a lot, but he can shoot the rock.
Enis Murati signs with the Jazz for $11,000,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: B
This was probably the most noteworthy signing out of day 2, and its the Jazz bringing in the talented, yet supremely flawed Enis Murati. Coming off a championship season where he played a crucial scoring role off the bench, Murati will likely see more time on a Utah team that isn't as stacked. However, there have already been grumblings that his defense is actually worse than initially perceived. We'll see how much playing time he is allowed if he can't hold his own defensively.
Dar Tucker signs with the Warriors for $4,907,468 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Tucker is a classic defensive specialist and will help relieve some of those duties off of their undersized guards. Personally I think a one-year deal would have been better as he is getting up there in years.
Derrick Nix signs with the Timberwolves for $8,641,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C+
Granted, it's an overpay for a big who doesn't do much else besides score the basketball, but the Wolves were in desperate need for a bench big. Nix struggles defensively, but does good enough on the boards to play a factor in games.
Ung Heo signs with the Jazz for $4,864,245 over 3 years.
GRADE: B-
The 21-year old product from Japan gets a three-year deal, which is somewhat surprising for a player as unproven as he is. Heo has shown he can stripe it from deep, but is a liability on defense. Not sure how he'll fit into the Utah rotation, but the Jazz are hoping he has room for development.
Hamady Ndiaye signs with the Nuggets for $27,219,150 over 3 years.
GRADE: C-
Granted Ndiaye was one of the best bigs remaining in day 2 and was the best shot blocker by far, he provides to little to no additional value beyond that. Additionally, being 32 years of age, Ndiaye won't be improving on his game any time soon and giving him a three-year contract locks the Nuggets in for likely the downturn of his career.
Charlie Hardnett signs with the Nets for $12,900,000 over 4 years.
GRADE: B
Although not a big name or proven commodity, Charlie Hardnett is a solid young big who can rebound the ball extremely wall. While he may not be a great starter, he will help the Nets or another contending team (if they trade him) off the bench.
Devon Collier signs with the Trail Blazers for $6,845,475 over 2 years.
GRADE: B-
Decent, young big man who had some potential on draft day (former lottery pick). Collier has yet to put it together, but Portland is willing to take a two-year flyer on him as they're in no rush to compete immediately.
Djordje Micic signs with the Pistons for $3,500,000 over 1 years.
GRADE: C-
I'm going to assume this was for trade purposes, because Djordje Micic is an awful basketball player.
Gary Trent signs with the Nets for $11,767,709 over 3 years.
GRADE: A
Not sure how or why Gary Trent settled for this deal, but for one or another he waited until almost the end of FA to sign a rather small three-year deal to return to Brooklyn. Trent is as solid as it gets for a backup/rotational big man as he is a great post and help defender, and rebounds and finishes in the paint when needed.
Bonzi Wells signs with the Warriors for $4,907,468 over 2 years.
GRADE: B
Bonzi Wells is a Dar Tucker clone, hence the same grade for the same deal. We'll see how the Warriors wing rotation shakes out, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them shipped off because they're so redundant.
June Mar Fajardo signs with the Knicks for $13,609,575 over 3 years.
GRADE: B
The Knicks traded him almost immediately to the Spurs for Curtis Kitchen, but Fajardo is a solid rotational big who can help on the boards. While he will struggle defensively, he does enough on the court to warrant such a contract.
