The winners and losers of the opening days of NBA free agency
Winner: Brooklyn Nets
After the New York Knicks hinted all year at the possibility of signing both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in the 2019 offseason, the Brooklyn Nets swiped both superstars from under their noses.
The Nets already had a talented core of young players, and the upgrade of Irving over D'Angelo Russell this season should at least keep them as a feisty team to watch in the East. Once Durant returns from injury next season, they might be considered the favorites to win the conferecen.
Winner: Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant's injury in the NBA Finals was a blow to the coming season, but it didn't keep him from signing a max deal with the Nets and joining Kyrie Irving in what could become the next superteam in the East.
Durant's time with the Warriors was dominant, but in Brooklyn, he'll have the chance to silence any doubters that remain.
Winner: DeAndre Jordan
Jordan, a close friend of Kevin Durant, received a four-year, $40 million contract from the Brooklyn Nets after they signed Durant and Kyrie Irving. Jordan's athleticism and production has declined since his peak years with the Clippers, but he's now on an eight-figure deal that will take him to age 34.
Loser: New York Knicks
The Knicks didn't land Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, or Kemba Walker. In fact, they didn't get meetings with them. They pivoted and signed veterans and young players to continue their rebuilds, but it's certainly not the path they preferred.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
Many fans hoped the Sixers would "run it back" and retain both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris on max deals after trading both players mid-season.
That plan didn't plan out, but the Philadelphia front office was still able to pull off some impressive moves in order to keep the team contending after Butler decided to take his talents to South Beach. Signing Al Horford to compliment Joel Embiid turns two fierce competitors in the Eastern Conference playoffs into teammates, and nabbing Josh Richardson from the Heat should help to ease the pain of JJ Redick's scoring leaving the team.
Winner: Ben Simmons
The Sixers offseason as a whole was a success, but there's likely no player happier about the changes to the team than Ben Simmons.
The departure of Jimmy Butler and the team's new composition heading into the season likely puts Simmons back to playing as a true point guard, rather than giving off some on-ball duties to Butler. Add to that the fact that he was offered a max extension worth $170 million, and it's hard to imagine a player in Philadelphia having a better summer.
Loser: Andre Iguodala
While other members of the Warriors core received max offers for their services after winning five straight Western Conference titles and three NBA championships, Andre Iguodala was dealt away to the Grizzlies so that the team could make room for incoming guard D'Angelo Russell.
Iggy is reported to be negotiating a buy-out which would allow him to possibly join another contender, so his story is likely not done yet, but it's still surely hurt to be seen as cap space by his former team.
Winner: Milwaukee Bucks
While the NBA world waits on Kawhi Leonard, the Bucks look like one of two Eastern Conference teams who will remain contenders next season.
The Bucks opted not to match the $85 million contract offer for Malcolm Brogdon, but did pay up to retain Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and George Hill while adding Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews. Milwaukee remains deep and versatile and are in good shape as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo continues his upward trajectory.
Winner: Miami Heat
The Heat have been locked in a middling, salary hell of their own making. They managed to escape it this offseason by trading for Jimmy Butler, which cost them Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside. Losing Richardson hurts, but the Heat at last have a true star, and they kept good young players like Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo and valuable role players like Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk.
Loser: Houston Rockets
The Rockets were reportedly aggressively shopping everyone not named James Harden on their roster after Harden and Chris Paul had a falling-out that has since been disputed. They did not land Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade as they desired, and didn't make any major upgrades to the roster. The vibe in Houston can't be too great after what's been a tumultuous offseason.
Winner: Utah Jazz
The Jazz may be the biggest winners of the offseason after trading for Mike Conley, then signing Bojan Bogdanovic. Both players give the Jazz the extra dose of shooting and playmaking that was missing in recent years and made them too reliant on Donovan Mitchell. In a wide open Western Conference, the Jazz look like contenders in 2019-20.
Loser: Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets lost their star guard Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics and got nothing in return after failing to offer him the max. Had the franchise known they didn't plan on paying him big money, they should have traded him away at some point and gotten some assets back in return. Instead, the team is left to regroup without any real chance of being competitive.
Winner: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers surprised everyone by hanging around the playoff race, even after Victor Oladipo went down with a season-ending quad injury. Losing Bogdanovic to the Jazz hurts, but in his place, the Pacers added Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, and T.J. Warren, giving them more depth on the wing and back-court.
If Oladipo returns to All-Star form, the Pacers will be back in the hunt for a top-four seed.
Winner: 6pm start time
When the NBA announced that free agency would start at 6 p.m. rather than midnight, it was a relief to sportswriters and die-hard fans across the country. As it turns out, it also made the first day of free agency absolutely bonkers, with new deals and rumors flying for hours on end.
It was a much better alternative than getting woken up throughout the night thanks to "Woj Bombs" on Twitter.
Unclear: Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have a chance to run it back and try to defend their title.
Keeping Kawhi Leonard, even if for one more season, would be a massive win. If Leonard leaves, the Raptors could be compelled to keep their core in tact for one year, until 2020, when many of their biggest salaries come off the books. Having Pascal Siakam, last year's Most Improved Player, is a nice way to begin the next era if Leonard does leave.
Unclear: Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers landed the first major deal of the NBA offseason when they traded for Anthony Davis, but the team's run in free agency has been mostly focused on the potential signing of Kawhi Leonard.
Should the Lakers land him, they would further cement their status as favorites in 2020, but should they strike out, Los Angeles could be left with slim pickings to fill out their roster with few assets left after the Davis trade to make a deal.
Unclear: Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers were seen as the front-runners to land Kawhi Leonard for a stretch of the season, but after Leonard won the title with the Raptors and the Lakers cleared cap space, suddenly the race to sign him became much more competitive.
Should the Clippers sign Leonard, they would immediately become contenders to win the 2020 title, but if their effort falls short, they might be left fighting to even reach the postseason, despite a roster filled with promising talent.
Only time will tell.
Winner: Kawhi Leonard
Regardless of where Kawhi chooses to sign, he's going to be in a great situation.
He just won a championship with the Raptors and could return to the team and try to defend that title, either on a long-term deal or on a one-year deal that would put him in position for a huge payday next offseason. He could also head to Los Angeles, where he has long been rumored to want to play, and join the Lakers or the Clippers.
Right now, momentum feels like it's turning in the Lakers favor, but whatever he decides, Leonard will be fine, and the future of the NBA will be altered.
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