The new NBA calendar is fully underway after Night 1 of free agency.
Expectedly, a lot has happened that will change how we view teams as they head into the 2025-26 season.
Naturally, there are a lot of things to sort through regarding teams, players and contracts. Some thoughts are still brewing, some are pretty straightforward, and some might be overly optimistic and/or pessimistic.
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(And in the case of the Bucks, who just shocked the NBA world, all of those thoughts are probably there at the same time.)
Let’s get into it.
The Bucks go big!
The Bucks did return four of their guys in Bobby Portis (three years, $44 million), Gary Trent Jr. (two years, $7.5 million), Kevin Porter Jr (two years, $11 million) and Taurean Prince (two years, $7.1 million), but they also lost longtime center Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers.
No matter, apparently, as they somehow swung a deal for Myles Turner, one of the league’s best 3&D big men.
Turner (four years, $107 million) gives the Bucks new life, and he may have ended any speculation about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s satisfaction in Milwaukee because Turner represents a significant upgrade.
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This is a wonderful get for the Bucks, who looked as if they were dead in the water late Monday night.
Now, the Bucks paid a huge price here, as the way they found the available money was by waiving and stretching the contract of Damian Lillard.
Lillard’s contract, with $113 million remaining, will be spread out over the next five seasons, which is a significant amount of dead salary to carry.
This is truly a move made for the present, with very little concern given to the future. At the very least, this took enormous guts by the Bucks’ front office.
The Rockets confirm they are indeed going for it
When you spend Day 1 of free agency signing Dorian Finney-Smith (four years, $53 million) and Clint Capela (three years, $21.5 million), it’s pretty clear you’ve reached a point as an organization in which you’re bringing in veterans to help make a real run.
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While I still think the Jabari Smith Jr. extension was rich and premature, the fact the Rockets are just paying out the nose for a winner is commendable.
It does leave me asking questions, in particular about some of the team’s young players. Are they planning to give Cam Whitmore a bigger role? What about Tari Eason? Are those players suddenly fair game in trade talks if the team is attempting to make a push?
Furthermore, they now have a lot of centers. Jock Landale almost has to be on his way out, given the flexibility of his contract, which is non-guaranteed until July 7.
If not, surely the Rockets aren’t expected to roll with all of Alperen Şengün, Steven Adams, Capela and Landale. That seems like a bit of overkill.
The Hawks are finally committed to putting size around Trae Young. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images)
The Hawks keep doing good things
It’s tough to be mad at the Hawks for, well, anything this offseason.
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They took a calculated risk on Kristaps Porziņģis and signed Nickeil Alexander-Walker (four years, $62 million) and Luke Kennard (one year, $11 million) last night.
This is a team that has seemingly — and finally — understood that putting legitimate size next to Trae Young is utterly crucial.
The Alexander-Walker signing gives the Hawks a necessary defensive injection at the wing spot, and the 26-year-old should make for a seamless fit with Zaccharie Risacher and Jalen Johnson on that end.
Kennard, an elite shooter who has canned 43.8% of his career 3-point attempts, will function as an offensive plug in the second unit, especially since there isn’t a ton of guard creation outside of Young.
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This team looks much improved, which, given the assets they came into the summer with, should be considered a win.
Memphis certainly made moves
While I’m not exactly thrilled about the $240 million renegotiate-and-extend decision by Memphis on Jaren Jackson Jr. — a player who struggles in the postseason and to rebound — I am very much thrilled with the Santi Aldama and Ty Jerome contracts.
Aldama has been underrated for years. He’s a 6-11 big who can pass on the move, work on the interior and score at a good level (12.5 points) — all for a price tag of just $52.5 million over three years.
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Jerome (three years, $27 million) just adds to their group by being a big combo guard who can start in place of Ja Morant when needed and otherwise play a ton of off-guard.
Overall, I like what Memphis did, but I remain iffy on their long-term vision.
Not crazy about the Luke Kornet deal
Right off the bat, I’d like to preface all this by saying I genuinely like Luke Kornet, and I think he does offer a team positive production, particularly as a rim-protector with his 7-foot-2 frame coming in handy.
But $41 million over four years just seems unnecessary for a guy who’ll likely be a backup center and isn’t exactly young enough to warrant an “upside label.”
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The Spurs have tried the dual-big thing before with Victor Wembanyama, when they paired him with Zach Collins. We all know how that turned out. Both played a lot better as the lone big man on the court.
Over $10 million per year for Kornet, 29, suggests the Spurs are planning to use him quite a bit, which does make you wonder: Are they actually trying to give the dual-big look another chance?
If so, Kornet needs to return to his 3-point shooting days, so the floor is optimally spaced for Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. If he does, this could look better.
Generally, I would have felt a lot better with this deal if it’d been $20 million over two years (in case the Spurs insisted on paying Kornet a high annual salary), as it then would have aligned with Wembanyama’s future rookie extension.
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Why not just retain Sandro Mamukelashvili and call it a day at the center position? That way, you could have spent money elsewhere on the roster to plug holes, such as finding another wing-big to replace Harrison Barnes next year. Trendon Watford signed for peanuts with the Sixers, so he was right there, as well.
Perhaps the Spurs have something up their sleeve. But as of right now, I’m not sure about the vision here.
Speaking of Watford …
I was planning on writing a piece identifying some of the players in free agency who flew under the radar. I thought I had time, as I didn’t expect Watford to become a Day 1 signing.
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But the fact that he was is good news. It means he was a priority, even if his salary ($5.3 million over two years) remains modest.
This is a great get for Philadelphia, especially at that price. Watford isn’t a star, but he’s someone who just makes stuff happen when he’s on the floor.
At 6-9, Watford is an underrated grab-and-go guy who can push the ball in transition and he’s a solid playmaker (2.6 assists) and scorer (10.2 points).
With the Sixers being guard-heavy, and the fact that you can’t rely on Paul George anymore, there’s a potential opening for a lot of minutes on the Sixers, and Watford has the raw talent to make the most of it.
