Some big names have changed teams in the first rush of NBA free agency, including two Chicago Bulls.
After trading Alex Caruso in a questionable deal, the Bulls lost Andre Drummond for nothing and did a three-team sign-and-trade of DeMar DeRozan in which they got the worst return in the deal.
They are finally taking on a rebuild behind Coby White, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu, so fans should expect a step back in the standings, especially if the Bulls trade Zach LaVine before the season for pennies on the dollar.
But were the Bulls one of the big losers of free agency? And who were the winners? It’s not over yet, but here’s what it looks like so far.
Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
Phew.
The Thunder were already very good and were able to trade for Caruso while giving up their biggest roster weakness in Giddey. They added Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to a defense that was already good. They re-signed two quality role players in Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to team-friendly free-agent deals.
They have Nikola Topic in the pipeline along with a ton of draft picks including five next season. The Thunder plugged holes with quality role players, added more young talent and all they gave up was a guy they didn’t want anyway.
Right now, the Thunder look like the best team in a stacked Western Conference and should be contending for titles for the foreseeable future.
Loser: LA Clippers
The Clippers lost Paul George, Daniel Thies and Mason Plumlee in free agency. George is obviously the biggest loss and the Clippers did little to replace him.
They did sign Mo Bamba, Nic Batum, Derrick Jones Jr and Kevin Porter (puke), so who knows, maybe they will find chemistry, stay healthy and end up giving the Clippers a better overall team, but it doesn’t look like it on paper.
Then they signed James Harden to a two-year/$70 million deal, which looks like an overpay. Who else was going to give Harden that much? The teams that had cap space wouldn’t have wanted him and there really wasn’t a contender where he was a fit.
It’s hard to see how the Clippers are better without further moves.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
This could go either way, as the 76ers have had the biggest boom or bust offseason of any team in the NBA.
It’s wild that Paul George got that much more money than DeMar DeRozan, as they are the same age and DeRozan has been the far more durable player.
You can argue playing style but DeRozan’s numbers were better last season and the guy never misses games. I'd bet on three years of DeRozan at $74 million over four years of George for $212 million. Just a side rant there.
Theoretically, adding a third star with Embiid and Maxey makes Philly one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They signed good role players in Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin, who are nice fits with their three stars.
But they have no depth and are relying on historically injury-prone players not to be injured.
I like that they are trying to max their window with Embiid and if Philly can win a title in the next few seasons, it will have paid off. But Philly won’t have the depth to absorb injuries, so keeping George and Embiid healthy will be the priority.
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
Tick tock.
That’s the sound of the timer on the Damian Lillard/Giannis Antetokounmpo pairing.
All of Milwaukee’s biggest competition got better this summer while they did next to nothing.
They didn’t even take an NBA-ready player in the draft, instead using their picks on project guys in AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith.
The Bucks still have a chance to change their roster with a trade or low-level free-agent signing, but adding Taurean Prince in free agency wasn’t enough to keep up with Boston, New York or Philly and the young teams coming up may even overtake Milwaukee, who is getting old fast and has challenges to adding additional talent because they are a second apron team.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
I love that they got Chris Paul to throw lobs to Wembanyama for half a season until they flip him to a contender for more assets.
The Spurs were also the sneaky winners of the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade, somehow getting a better player and pick than the Bulls. The Kings could stink by 2031, so that swap might pay off big for the Spurs.
Those future picks should allow them to stack their roster around Wembanyama’s prime years, but they still added players who will help him now.
Loser: Chicago Bulls
I should say that I liked the signing of Jalen Smith, who is a good player on a team-friendly deal. Well done.
Other than that, it’s pretty much been a disaster for the Bulls. Andre Drummond left for nothing after the Bulls could have traded him for much-needed draft assets.
They got an always-injured player and two first-round picks for DeMar DeRozan, who they otherwise would have lost for nothing. This package barely clears nothing.
They overpaid for Patrick Williams, giving him a deal no other team was going to offer, that is not only too much but inexplicably has a player option at the end of it. How did Williams have leverage to get a player option? This is a guy coming off a surgery who hasn’t gotten any better in four years.
The Bulls bet big on potential and it may pay off but otherwise they lost two key players for nothing and have given a massive contract to a player that hasn’t earned it.
So, it was a mixed bag for the Bulls, who did sign two young players and are finally rebuilding, but they didn’t maximize their assets and still have big holes to fill.