NBA free agency winners and losers

NBA free agency, while only having begun a few days ago, has just about wrapped up all significant business. The theme this year seemed to be: teams are loading up, pushing their chips in, and aiming to win now. So with the dust settled, who were the winners and losers of free agency?

WINNER: MIAMI HEAT

After a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals just a year ago, the Heat flamed out in the first round against the eventual champions. Pat Riley is never one to rest on his laurels, so you knew he’d be busy upgrading the roster. 

Despite having suitors from seemingly every team with cap space, it was a sign-and-trade that eventually sent Kyle Lowry to the Heat, fitting him into their already-crowded cap sheet at the cost of Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa.

Lowry looks to be the missing piece that pushes the Heat over the edge into true contender territory, as his shooting, passing, and toughness makes him an ideal fit next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The addition of PJ Tucker gives them one of the best defensive five-man lineups in the NBA.

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LOSER: DALLAS MAVERICKS

At just 22 years old, Luka Doncic has proven that he is a tier-one superstar, the kind that can be the best player on a championship team that compels a franchise to build around them accordingly. The Mavericks went toe-to-toe with the L.A. Clippers in the playoffs, a team that might well have won the championship if not for Kawhi Leonard's ACL tear.

This offseason will be the Mavs' last chance to have cap space for a while, because Luka’s max extension is going to hit their books. To come away with no secondary ball-handler or creator to take pressure off Luka, when guys like Lowry, Dinwiddie, and Conley were on the market, is disappointing.

While Tim Hardaway played well in the playoffs, it seems like a stretch to suggest that he can be the third-best player on a title team. They added Reggie Bullock, who is a great shooter and defender, but he will also be completely dependent on Luka setting him up.

And add to that, they are going from having one of the league's best coaches, Rick Carlisle, to Jason Kidd, who was perhaps the NBA’s worst head coach during his previous tenure.

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WINNER: NEW YORK KNICKS

The Knicks entered the offseason in a precarious situation. They surprised last year and vastly outperformed expectations, but were faced with the prospect of having to retain their own free agents on more lucrative deals or risk regressing next season. But at the same time, if they locked up their own players to long-term money and didn’t improve, it was also quite possible that they’d find themselves struggling to contend for the playoffs in a revitalized eastern conference.

Luckily for the Knicks and their fans, Leon Rose managed to walk a third path.

After the first hours of free agency unraveled, it was announced that the Knicks had re-signed Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Derrick Rose all to three year deals. Both in years and dollars, it seemed like the Knicks were overpaying, at least in the case of Noel and Rose. Noel had a fantastic defensive season but has serious offensive limitations, and Rose is bound to face age-related decline after a renaissance season.

They also inked Evan Fournier to a four-year nearly $80 million deal. But the kicker? All these deals have team options in the last year, giving the Knicks real flexibility. That would have been a fine, if uncreative, use of resources. But the Knicks weren’t finished.

It was announced that the Oklahoma City Thunder were buying out Bronx native Kemba Walker, and that the Knicks would be fitting him into the remainder of their cap space. Suddenly the Knicks had a major upgrade at the point guard position, and Fournier would be closer to a fourth option than a second one. 

Then early on Thursday morning, the Knicks announced that Julius Randle had inked a four-year max extension, locking him up through his prime and giving the Knicks significant flexibility and security.

So New York got a lot better in the short term without giving up anything of value in the future - not too shabby.

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LOSER: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

As things stand right now, the Pelicans are the unambiguous losers of free agency.

As the franchise that squandered Anthony Davis by pursuing short-sighted upgrades at the cost of long-term flexibility, it seems cruel that they seem to be already succumbing to some of the same instincts with Zion Williamson. Pressure is clearly mounting from Zion’s camp to improve on the court after multiple fired coaches and losing seasons, and David Griffin responded with...what exactly?

New Orleans had set up their free agency plans prior to the draft by moving Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to the Grizzlies, apparently with the aim to sign Kyle Lowry. They paid in draft capital to do so. And Lowry didn’t even consider them for a moment.

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WINNER: WASHINGTON WIZARDS

In a two-year period, Washington managed to get off both John Wall and Russell Westbrook’s contracts without really paying the piper on either of them. And they’ve turned that into Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrez Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma. They’ve retooled around Bradley Beal, with greater depth, shooting, and versatility.

If Beal really is that rare bird who decides to stay on even if Washington can never push towards contention, they have a more flexible roster and cap sheet that allows them to build a level of sustainable success around him.

And because those players and contracts are all eminently moveable, if Beal does leave, they can go into a full-on fire sale. The Wizards could very well be better this season, and they’re no longer tied to an albatross contract.

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LOSER: PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Credit where it’s due, the Blazers made a couple of marginal signings that were nice when they added Tony Snell and Cody Zeller.

But this team had a clear imperative; make major improvements around Damian Lillard, or he walks. Instead, their only significant move was to retain Norman Powell for a rich and lengthy $90 million deal. Powell is a fine player, but this isn’t what you’d call a value deal.

It’s not obvious what they should have done, but it is clear this won’t be a compelling case for their superstar who’s developed wandering eyes.