Grading the Top 10 Biggest Money Deals of the Last Offseason
Oct 1, 2024 16:58:06 GMT
SpikeLee14 likes this
Post by zheld32 on Oct 1, 2024 16:58:06 GMT
I went through all of the resignings and signings and found the 10 top money deals of the offseason. They are in order of most total money spent. Enjoy.
1. 76ers Resign PG Tyrese Maxey: PG 29 6'2'' 200 B- A- B+ B C- C
The Deal: $369,140,625 Over 6 years
Grade: A
Maxey is averaging 28/10/5 on great shooting percentages. His contract gets a little scary towards the end of the deal at 64 and 69 Million in the last two years, but if he has this production level, I don't think the Sixers will care. They had to sign him, and they made it happen. They have had a bit of a skid in the rankings due to injuries, but Maxey and Barnes are combining to average 50ppg right now, so I have faith they will regain their mojo once Barnes returns. This has to be one of the most expensive deals in NBN history. Still, this contract made sense for a team like the Sixers, who were already over the cap and were able to combine this deal with a lot of very smart free-agent signings like Olbrich and Josiah-Jordan James. If you are going to give out this type of contract, those are the type of budget free agent signings you need to hit on.
2. Raptors Resign DJ Burns: PF 27 6'9'' 325 A- C C B B+ C
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: B
Burns was immediately traded to the Thunder and is averaging 18 and 11 for the surprising Thunder who are currently battling for a playoff spot. When I did my trade analysis, I talked about how I would have rather had Derrick Coleman on a rookie deal than Burns, but if he can make another small leap, this contract would probably be worth it. It makes sense, and someone probably would have maxed him, but for 18/11, I am not sure I would want to pay a rookie max. He is tradeable, as the Raptors showed, so if the Thunder want to move him again, they can do so. Because of this, I don't mind the deal.
3. Knicks Resign Rocco Zikarsky: C 24 7'3'' 245 C+ C C- A B+ B
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: C
This is the first of the Knicks three big-money deals this past offseason. They spent $782,888,185 on three players this past offseason, and they are pretty locked into their core for the foreseeable future. At 23, when he resigned, I can see how the Knicks felt they needed to keep him and hope he makes the leap, but a rookie max extension for 11/13 is a tough pill to swallow. They probably could have gotten similar production from a guy like Kevin Looney, who, although older, went for 3 years 33 million. Also, I would have loved to have seen what they could have gotten him for if they had let him test FA. I am not sure anyone would have maxed him there, especially during day 1.
4. Pelicans Resign Cody Williams: SF 27 6'8'' 200 B+ A- B A- B- C
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: A
Entering his prime at 27 years old and averaging 23/9/3, this made a lot of sense for the Pelicans, who do not have a lot of salary on their books and currently boast 75 million in cap space. They made a really smart signing by inking Avery Johnson to a 4-year deal at 14 million per year, and if they can resign McCain this offseason, they will be in good shape. I like this signing, and it makes sense for a team with a lot of cap room. They need to get a couple of bigs, but they are in good shape with McCain and Williams at premium positions.
5. Knicks Sign Josh Giddey: SF 28 6'8'' 210 B A- B- B C C
The Deal: $256,650,391 over 5 years
Grade: C *Would have been lower without the trade
This was probably the biggest head-scratcher of the entire free agency period. Giddey is a solid player but has only averaged about 21ppg once. He will make 57 and 64 million in the last 2 years of his deal, and the Knicks best young player, Dwayne Aristode, plays the same position. Combined with the cost of selling off Carlton Carrington, this signing did not make much sense. However, the Knicks stuck to their guns and were able to maneuver out of it. They can now start Luka, Jakobe, Aristode, Mara, and Rocco. I'm not sure that's a championship contender-type lineup, and they still have serious cap problems moving forward, but they are better off than before.
*The Knicks just traded Scoot and Giddey to the Cavs for Luka, which was a good consolidation trade, and now they don't have to worry about resigning Scoot, but we are just grading based on FA signings, not what they did after.
6. Spurs Sign Koa Peat: PF 23 6'9'' 240 B C+ C B+ A- C
The Deal: $225,000,000 Over 5 Years
Grade: C+
The first of the Spurs 2 big man signings, Peat is playing better than Tiller and averaging 14/12 as a 23-year-old. However, like Tiller, he only shoots 40% from the field. I like this signing more than Tiller, but I wonder if he will still be starting when Anicet Lavodrama comes over next year. The Spurs would have a very good big-man rotation with Lavodrama, Peat, and Tiller, but with 2 of those guys making the max, I am not sure it makes a ton of sense for them. I would expect the Spurs to look to deal one of their big signings for a PG or SF depending on how much Sprewell develops, and they may be able to get someone to bite, but these are big contracts for not a ton of production right now.
7. Knicks resign Jakobe Walker: SG 26 6'5'' 210 B- A- B B C
The Deal: $244,987,794 Over 6 Years
Grade: D+
The last of the Knicks 3 big free agent splashes. Jakobe Walker is still just 26. However spending a max deal on a guy who has never averaged more than 16/7/4 is a tough sell. The 76ers spent 25% of what the Knicks are paying Walker on Josiah-James Jordan and are basically getting the same stats at 15/6/4. He gets a little bit of a boost because the SG position is so down in the league, but I still wonder if the Knicks could have gotten him for less here. I also feel like Carrington could have easily given them his production if he had played him at SG. If we have seen anything in this league, it is that no contract is untradeable, but the Knicks have $188,149,524 committed to 4 guys next year and are $4,615,647 under the hard cap next year with 7 players on their roster. In 2 years, they are $5,000,000 OVER the hard cap with just 4 guys. The bottom line is they have a 1-2 year window, which would be fine if they were a championship contender, but they don't seem like they are there with this team.
8. Kings resign Aiden Sherrell: C 25 6'11'' 221 B- C C A B+ C
The Deal: $224,859,375 Over 6 Years
Grade: A-
Sherrell and Desi Barmore are the bridge to the next iteration of Kings teams, so it made sense that the Kings shelled out big money to keep him. They must have been pretty happy when he settled for a below max extension, and he is currently averaging 9/12 with 3 blocks per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range. He is not going to blow you away with stats, but at 6'11 he forms a huge frontline with Claxton and has proven to be a capable running mate. With no way to replace him if he left and a below max deal, this signing makes a lot of sense for both sides. I assume he would have gotten maxed by the Knicks or Spurs on the open market, so this is a nice get for the Kings. Eventually, their window will close, but when it is open, you have to go for it, and they did.
9. Spurs sign Bryson Tiller: PF 24 6'10'' 250 B C D+ B+ A- C
The Deal: $183,153,000 Over 5 years
Grade: B-
Finally, the last signing by ripkobebryant . On the one hand, considering he wanted 6 years, $281,250,000 from the Lakers, the Spurs must have felt like they won the lottery here. However, on the other hand, If you combine his biggest signings with Knicks and Spurs, he spent over 1.2BILLION with a B on 5 players between the 2 teams. Tiller is currently averaging 12/12 and shooting just 40% from the field. Again, while he is only 24, these are not the numbers you want to see for a max player. The Spurs are currently one of the worst teams in the West, and their best young player coming over next year from overseas is not currently blocked by 2 max players. The Spurs have some good young talent, including 22-year-old Nate Robinson, 22-year-old Alijah Arenas, 22-year-old Latrell Sprewell, and 21-year-old Anicent Lavodrama. I could see signing one of Peat and Tiller, but signing both doesn't make sense to me. They will have cap space this offseason with Sabonis coming off the books, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it after spending so much last season and needing to pay Arenas.
10. Warriors Sign Cameron Boozer: PF 23 6'10'' 220 B C+ C+ B+ A B
The Deal: $183,153,000 Over 5 years
The Grade: A
Another player who was traded to another team before he could ever play a game this year, Boozer was immediately traded to the Celtics for a package of young guys and a pick. Boozer is just 23 and a former number one overall pick. He is currently on pace to break the rebounding record for the league and is averaging 17/16. More importantly, since the trade, he has been shooting closer to 50% than the 20% he was shooting before the trade. I am on record saying I love the fit for the Celtics after this trade, and I wanted him in FA. At 23 on this contract, I think this was one of the best signings of the offseason. I could see him getting better in TC next year, and I think he was an excellent flyer signing by the Warriors here.
1. 76ers Resign PG Tyrese Maxey: PG 29 6'2'' 200 B- A- B+ B C- C
The Deal: $369,140,625 Over 6 years
Grade: A
Maxey is averaging 28/10/5 on great shooting percentages. His contract gets a little scary towards the end of the deal at 64 and 69 Million in the last two years, but if he has this production level, I don't think the Sixers will care. They had to sign him, and they made it happen. They have had a bit of a skid in the rankings due to injuries, but Maxey and Barnes are combining to average 50ppg right now, so I have faith they will regain their mojo once Barnes returns. This has to be one of the most expensive deals in NBN history. Still, this contract made sense for a team like the Sixers, who were already over the cap and were able to combine this deal with a lot of very smart free-agent signings like Olbrich and Josiah-Jordan James. If you are going to give out this type of contract, those are the type of budget free agent signings you need to hit on.
2. Raptors Resign DJ Burns: PF 27 6'9'' 325 A- C C B B+ C
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: B
Burns was immediately traded to the Thunder and is averaging 18 and 11 for the surprising Thunder who are currently battling for a playoff spot. When I did my trade analysis, I talked about how I would have rather had Derrick Coleman on a rookie deal than Burns, but if he can make another small leap, this contract would probably be worth it. It makes sense, and someone probably would have maxed him, but for 18/11, I am not sure I would want to pay a rookie max. He is tradeable, as the Raptors showed, so if the Thunder want to move him again, they can do so. Because of this, I don't mind the deal.
3. Knicks Resign Rocco Zikarsky: C 24 7'3'' 245 C+ C C- A B+ B
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: C
This is the first of the Knicks three big-money deals this past offseason. They spent $782,888,185 on three players this past offseason, and they are pretty locked into their core for the foreseeable future. At 23, when he resigned, I can see how the Knicks felt they needed to keep him and hope he makes the leap, but a rookie max extension for 11/13 is a tough pill to swallow. They probably could have gotten similar production from a guy like Kevin Looney, who, although older, went for 3 years 33 million. Also, I would have loved to have seen what they could have gotten him for if they had let him test FA. I am not sure anyone would have maxed him there, especially during day 1.
4. Pelicans Resign Cody Williams: SF 27 6'8'' 200 B+ A- B A- B- C
The Deal: $281,250,000 Over 6 Years
Grade: A
Entering his prime at 27 years old and averaging 23/9/3, this made a lot of sense for the Pelicans, who do not have a lot of salary on their books and currently boast 75 million in cap space. They made a really smart signing by inking Avery Johnson to a 4-year deal at 14 million per year, and if they can resign McCain this offseason, they will be in good shape. I like this signing, and it makes sense for a team with a lot of cap room. They need to get a couple of bigs, but they are in good shape with McCain and Williams at premium positions.
5. Knicks Sign Josh Giddey: SF 28 6'8'' 210 B A- B- B C C
The Deal: $256,650,391 over 5 years
Grade: C *Would have been lower without the trade
This was probably the biggest head-scratcher of the entire free agency period. Giddey is a solid player but has only averaged about 21ppg once. He will make 57 and 64 million in the last 2 years of his deal, and the Knicks best young player, Dwayne Aristode, plays the same position. Combined with the cost of selling off Carlton Carrington, this signing did not make much sense. However, the Knicks stuck to their guns and were able to maneuver out of it. They can now start Luka, Jakobe, Aristode, Mara, and Rocco. I'm not sure that's a championship contender-type lineup, and they still have serious cap problems moving forward, but they are better off than before.
*The Knicks just traded Scoot and Giddey to the Cavs for Luka, which was a good consolidation trade, and now they don't have to worry about resigning Scoot, but we are just grading based on FA signings, not what they did after.
6. Spurs Sign Koa Peat: PF 23 6'9'' 240 B C+ C B+ A- C
The Deal: $225,000,000 Over 5 Years
Grade: C+
The first of the Spurs 2 big man signings, Peat is playing better than Tiller and averaging 14/12 as a 23-year-old. However, like Tiller, he only shoots 40% from the field. I like this signing more than Tiller, but I wonder if he will still be starting when Anicet Lavodrama comes over next year. The Spurs would have a very good big-man rotation with Lavodrama, Peat, and Tiller, but with 2 of those guys making the max, I am not sure it makes a ton of sense for them. I would expect the Spurs to look to deal one of their big signings for a PG or SF depending on how much Sprewell develops, and they may be able to get someone to bite, but these are big contracts for not a ton of production right now.
7. Knicks resign Jakobe Walker: SG 26 6'5'' 210 B- A- B B C
The Deal: $244,987,794 Over 6 Years
Grade: D+
The last of the Knicks 3 big free agent splashes. Jakobe Walker is still just 26. However spending a max deal on a guy who has never averaged more than 16/7/4 is a tough sell. The 76ers spent 25% of what the Knicks are paying Walker on Josiah-James Jordan and are basically getting the same stats at 15/6/4. He gets a little bit of a boost because the SG position is so down in the league, but I still wonder if the Knicks could have gotten him for less here. I also feel like Carrington could have easily given them his production if he had played him at SG. If we have seen anything in this league, it is that no contract is untradeable, but the Knicks have $188,149,524 committed to 4 guys next year and are $4,615,647 under the hard cap next year with 7 players on their roster. In 2 years, they are $5,000,000 OVER the hard cap with just 4 guys. The bottom line is they have a 1-2 year window, which would be fine if they were a championship contender, but they don't seem like they are there with this team.
8. Kings resign Aiden Sherrell: C 25 6'11'' 221 B- C C A B+ C
The Deal: $224,859,375 Over 6 Years
Grade: A-
Sherrell and Desi Barmore are the bridge to the next iteration of Kings teams, so it made sense that the Kings shelled out big money to keep him. They must have been pretty happy when he settled for a below max extension, and he is currently averaging 9/12 with 3 blocks per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range. He is not going to blow you away with stats, but at 6'11 he forms a huge frontline with Claxton and has proven to be a capable running mate. With no way to replace him if he left and a below max deal, this signing makes a lot of sense for both sides. I assume he would have gotten maxed by the Knicks or Spurs on the open market, so this is a nice get for the Kings. Eventually, their window will close, but when it is open, you have to go for it, and they did.
9. Spurs sign Bryson Tiller: PF 24 6'10'' 250 B C D+ B+ A- C
The Deal: $183,153,000 Over 5 years
Grade: B-
Finally, the last signing by ripkobebryant . On the one hand, considering he wanted 6 years, $281,250,000 from the Lakers, the Spurs must have felt like they won the lottery here. However, on the other hand, If you combine his biggest signings with Knicks and Spurs, he spent over 1.2BILLION with a B on 5 players between the 2 teams. Tiller is currently averaging 12/12 and shooting just 40% from the field. Again, while he is only 24, these are not the numbers you want to see for a max player. The Spurs are currently one of the worst teams in the West, and their best young player coming over next year from overseas is not currently blocked by 2 max players. The Spurs have some good young talent, including 22-year-old Nate Robinson, 22-year-old Alijah Arenas, 22-year-old Latrell Sprewell, and 21-year-old Anicent Lavodrama. I could see signing one of Peat and Tiller, but signing both doesn't make sense to me. They will have cap space this offseason with Sabonis coming off the books, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it after spending so much last season and needing to pay Arenas.
10. Warriors Sign Cameron Boozer: PF 23 6'10'' 220 B C+ C+ B+ A B
The Deal: $183,153,000 Over 5 years
The Grade: A
Another player who was traded to another team before he could ever play a game this year, Boozer was immediately traded to the Celtics for a package of young guys and a pick. Boozer is just 23 and a former number one overall pick. He is currently on pace to break the rebounding record for the league and is averaging 17/16. More importantly, since the trade, he has been shooting closer to 50% than the 20% he was shooting before the trade. I am on record saying I love the fit for the Celtics after this trade, and I wanted him in FA. At 23 on this contract, I think this was one of the best signings of the offseason. I could see him getting better in TC next year, and I think he was an excellent flyer signing by the Warriors here.
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