Winners of NBA Free Agency So Far
It has officially been over two days since the 2024 NBA free-agency period started so it is time to talk about who the winners of free agency are. Three teams have stood out early on, which may come as a surprise to some. Without a doubt, the Philadelphia 76ers are the team that has caught the eye of most fans with their recent improvements, but free agency is just getting started. The other two teams covered below are the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors as they have both seemed to go in different directions, but have both still come out as winners in free agency as well, alongside the 76ers.
Winners
1. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have undoubtedly made the biggest move in free agency so far as they signed forward Paul George to a four-year, $212 million maximum contract. George is coming off a season with the Los Angeles Clippers where he averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game and maintained shooting splits of 47.1% from the field, 41.3% from behind the arc, and 90.7% from the free throw line. George, a nine-time All-Star, will take the court in a few months alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid in their chase of the Philadelphia 76ers' fourth NBA Championship in NBA history and first since 1983.
While signing George has been the move for the 76ers that has gotten the most media attention, it is important to note it is not the only significant move they have made so far this summer. Philadelphia’s next biggest move they have made so far in free agency is re-signing shooting guard Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year, $16.3 million deal. Oubre, who spent this past season with the 76ers, averaged 15.4 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 assists a night with shooting splits of 44.1% from the field, 31.1% from the three-point line, and 75% from the free throw line.
On top of re-signing Oubre, the 76ers also re-signed point guard Tyrese Maxey to a five-year, $204 million maximum contract extension and signed center Andre Drummond to a two-year, $10-million plus deal. Sixers fans can now rest in the fact that Maxey, who is coming off a season where he averaged 25.9 points and shot 45% from the field, will be a star in Philadelphia for the foreseeable future. Drummond, who spent the 2021-2022 season with the Sixers before being traded to Brooklyn and then signing with Chicago, is coming off a season where he averaged 8.4 points and nine rebounds a night for the Bulls, so he will be sure to help Philadelphia down low when Embiid needs rest or is out due to injury.
2. Dallas Mavericks
It’s been over two weeks now since the Dallas Mavericks 2023-2024 NBA season came to a close as they lost in the 2024 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics in five games. While the Mavericks might hang their head at the fact that they were so close and were not able to finish the job, they should be very proud of what they accomplished this past season. No one expected them to make the finals considering they missed the playoffs in 2023, but they proved everyone wrong as the Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving duo has turned out to be better than anyone could have ever imagined.
However, if the Mavericks want to win their second NBA Championship in franchise history and first since 2011, there is still a lot of work to be done. The Mavericks took the first step into making their 2023-2024 runner-up team better earlier this week when they signed shooting guard Klay Thompson to a three-year, $50 million deal. Thompson, who has spent the entirety of his 11-year NBA career with the Golden State Warriors, has an insane resume that includes being a four-time NBA champion, a five-time NBA All-Star, and holding the record for the most made three-pointers in an NBA game with 14. While Thompson, who averaged 17.9 points and shot 38.7% from behind the arc this past year, is coming off his worst season since his sophomore year in the NBA, he will be sure to give Dallas all the three-pointers they needed when they faced the Celtics in the Finals last month.
Signing Thompson is not the only important free agency move the Mavericks have made so far this week. They also signed Naji Marshall to a three-year, $27 million deal. Marshall, who has spent the first four years of his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans averaged 7.1 points a game and shot 46.3% from the field this past season, will be a much-needed piece for the Mavericks this coming year after they lost to Derrick Jones Jr. to the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency earlier this week. While the Mavericks have made fewer moves than the 76ers this summer, the addition of Thompson and Marshall is the perfect fit they needed for next year.
3. Golden State Warriors
Some readers may question why Golden State is listed as one of the three winners in free agency thus far. With long-time Warriors player Klay Thompson heading to Dallas on a three-year deal, there have been a multitude of questions about where the Warriors are heading next. To try to answer these questions the Warriors have signed Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to contracts in free agency. There are also reports that say that the Warriors are close to signing Buddy Hield in a sign-and-trade with Philadelphia.
Despite losing Thompson, the Warriors have added depth to a team where there wasn’t much of it. With Klay leaving, it opens the door for rookie standout Brandin Podziemski to have an increased role. The Warriors aren’t missing out on too much shooting either with Hield likely on the way to Golden State. Hield knocked down 219 three-pointers last season, despite his lack of role at times.
Although Melton didn’t have the best season shooting the ball at 38.6% from the field, he is a really solid fit at point guard off the bench for the Warriors. Melton is also known for his defense, which is another plus for Golden State, who could use some more of it. It was time for the Warriors to move on from Thompson and they did a solid job of replacing him with solid bench depth. Despite the moves, the Warriors aren’t competitive enough to compete in the Western Conference, but if they add Lauri Markannen then there might be a discussion.
