Grading the Big 2023 Free Agent Signings One Year Later

feel like every year NBA free agency creeps up on us it's a couple days after the NBA draft and literally players can start agreeing to deals at like 6:00 at night and we're approaching that period this year so I want to take a look at last year's biggest free agency signings and see how well they have aged and give a letter grade for them so if you guys do enjoy these videos I'd appreciate you dropping a thumbs up and like always if you agree or disagree with any of these selections please let me know in the comments and let's get into this so we're going to start off with Cam Johnson resigning with the Brooklyn Nets on a 4-year $18 million extension Johnson was coming off half a season playing for the Brooklyn Nets when he was included in the Kevin Durant trade he went on average 16 and 12 points on good efficiency in that half season after the deal then he got this deal from the Brooklyn netson free agency it was 25.5 million this past season then 23.5 million 21.5 million and then 23 half million again in 2027 Johnson would go on average 13 1 12 points for the Brooklyn Nets this season he shot 44 half% from the field 39% from three and 78% from the line as the Nets were one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference missing out on the play tournament with a relatively competing roster and I'm going to give this letter grade A B minus I mean 235 million relatively isn't too much nowadays for someone that's an elite three-point shooter but that's pretty much all cam Johnson really is and he hasn't really lived up to the contract so far in just one year after getting extended by Brooklyn next up we're going to talk about Kyrie Irving a former Brooklyn Net who resigned with the Dallas Mavericks on a three-year deal worth $126 million and as a player option on the final season so relatively this could have been a 2-year deal just this this year which kyrio re has helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals as the number two he's under contract fully next year then a player option so there's a chance he resigns with them this off season once again but this contract has definitely been an A+ for Dallas I mean they bought low at the perfect time for Kyrie Irving who did have some question marks around him on the floor and off the floor during his time in Boston and in Brooklyn but Dallas really didn't give up too much for him I mean Spencer dwy Dorian F Smith and a first round pick down the line for someone that averaged 25 and a half points this season and like I said is the number two on the Dallas Mavericks a team that is playing in the NBA Finals so this is an A+ resigning next up we got Fred Van Ved of the Houston Rockets where he kind of got a shocking deal last summer three years $130 million which was 4.8 million this past season then it's $42.5 million next year but there is a team option during the 2026 season which will most likely not get picked up so relatively $80 million over two years for Fred Van F he put up 17 12 points four rebounds and eight assists last year for the Houston Rocket shot 38% from three 41% from the field honestly a solid Fred Van bleach season giving you above average defense and was facilitating for their younger guys I don't expect him to score 17 plus points per game this year I feel like he's going to be more of a facilitator as well so I'm going to give this a B+ I like the terms for this deal I mean having a team option on the third year is great someone that is changing that environment in Houston after they were a disaster post Harden trade just when you're getting paid top five point guard in the league money it's kind of hard to justify find an a contract for somebody like Fred Van Ved but I think a B+ is a fair grade Draymond Green was a free agent last year and he got a 4year $100 million extension by the Golden State Warriors but it is ascending so in 2027 he's going to be making $27 million as a 38-year-old and right now I'm giving this contract extension AB they kind of had to resign Draymond so I'm not going to fault them for that and Draymond when he was on the Flor this year was still one of the better defenders in the league but unfortunately he wasn't on the floor a ton due to suspensions this year he was kind of all over the place I do about how his offensive game is going to age as well obviously he's not much of a score more of a facilitator and complimentary piece but that just may be kind of expensive in 2027 if he's not this Elite Defender he is today so I'm going to give it a b but also take into account the off the court issues as well next up we got Jeremy Grant of the Portland Trailblazers I'm giving this a sa Jeremy Grant got an eye popping 5year $160 million extension by Portland last off season and they gave him that contract when they found out that Damen Millard wanted to request a trade so I really didn't see the reasoning for bringing back Jeremy Grant someone that was 29 years old you're giving $160 million to for him to be your highest paid player post Damen Lillard I mean Grant had a fine statistical season 21 points three half rebounds shot 45% from the field and 40% from three but in my opinion he can't do that as a number one or number two or maybe even a number three scoring option on a really good team he hasn't made it to the playoffs since the bubble when he was the number four scoring option on that nuggets team when they lost to the Lakers in the Conference Finals and I think if they were able to get maybe a first round pick or two if they do move Jeremy Grant this off season I would bump this great up cuz then you got some draft picks in return but for now if we think he's going to play out this contract on the Trailblazers I'm going to give it a c I do think he's overpaid uh next up we got the Chicago Bulls extending Nia vuvi they gave him a threeyear 60 million do extension last June and for Chicago and what they were trying to build as a team right now I'm going to give this a d vich averaged 18 points 10 half rebounds last year and shopped 48% from the field and 29% from three but he's also not a good Defender whatsoever not a good rim protector and Chicago basically signed themselves up for NBA Purgatory with this extension and maybe they are able to move him but I don't think that they're going to get equal value than what they could have got if they maybe did a sign and trade with him last summer because you're just getting an above average offensive Center in vuvi but a well below average defensive Center and I don't really know the market for that right now so next up we got Kyle kzo who resigned with the Washington Wizards on a 4year $12 million extension I'm actually going to give this an a because unlike Jeremy Grant this contract is very tradable it's actually descending over time where he made $25 million his past season then he makes 23 million 21 million and then $19 million and teams that want a FL spacing power forward could get Kyle kma for almost half the price of Jeremy Grant and Washington definitely could have lost Kyle kma for nothing he was a main piece they got in the Russell westbr trade with the Lakers so job well done by Washington they can keep him around throughout their rebuild or they can look to move him for a first- round pick or two now I definitely question this signing at the time and Bulls fans I just dunked on you for the vuich signing but I'm going to to give them an A+ for the Kobe white signing last summer it was a three-year $33 million extension for a player that ended up finishing runner up and most improved player voting this year Kobe averaged 19 points 4 and a half rebounds five assists shot 45% from the field 38% from three 84% from the line stepped up in the absence of Zack LaVine throughout the year and really broke out to be a foundational building block for this Bulls team going forward he's still just 24 years old yeah it's an A+ we're going to talk about Jordan clar and him resigning with the Utah Jazz next it was a 3year $55 million extension which honestly isn't too much money for a small Market team like Utah someone that has been a good jazz for a couple Seasons after getting traded to them back in 2020 but I'm going to give this a C+ Clarkson did not have a good year last season I don't know if there's really a market for him right now to trade him he's kind of also blocking some of the progression for guys that have gone through there like o agbaji last year I'm hoping it's not guys like Bryce sensar or Keon George and I don't think it will be but I'm just not a fan of the Jordan Clark maybe Caris vert archetypes where you're going to get scoring for sure but when they are not on they're either going to shoot you out of games not going to play good defense and maybe at times have subpar playmaking so I'm going to give this a C+ I may be kind of harsh here the Lakers reigned dandro Russell on a 2-year $37 million extension last year and I'm going to give this an A minus honestly DLo was underpaid this past season compared to the rest of the guys making some more amounts to him he put up 18 points 6 and a half assists three rebounds a night shot 46% from the field 42% from three and 83% from the line l in 2024 and for $17 million yeah that's a bargain but it has a player option on the second year so d'angel Russell is most likely going to be a free agent once again here in 2024 and he didn't play well in the playoffs but for $17 million it was a really good contract for just one year the New York Knicks used their midlevel exception last year on former Villanova guard and warriors Wing Dante dienzo it's an A+ here they Ed the full mid-level on him he's making $10.9 million this year 11.5 million next year $12 million in 2026 and $12.5 million in 2027 he's playing well below that based off his season last year he should be making north of $20 million a year for what Divan chenzo does with his outside shot his good hustle and rebounding for a guard he could pass as well he could defend he's quick this was a phenomenal signing by the Knicks and he's on such a bargain for the next 3 years giving it an A+ we'll go back to the Lakers here where they resigned Austin Reeves on a 4-year $56 million extension he was a restricted free agent and Reeves being an undirected free agent when he entered the league really limited the amount he could have made in free agency and I was honestly just surprised the Lakers really didn't have to bid with any higher offers out there like a team like the Spurs could have given him more money but around $ 13.5 million a year for the next three years for someone that averaged 16 points 5 and a half assists four rebounds a night on good efficiency yeah that is a great deal and I know he didn't really break out to be like a third star that Lakers fans would have hoped but he's still a really good player on a great contract going forward the last year does have a player option though so it's not going to be three more full years most likely two I'm giving it an a Houston Rockets spent a lot of money last year they went out and got Fred Van vet we talked about him before they also paid a lot of money to Dylan Brooks gave him a 4-year $80 million contract that descends over time I'm going to give this an a Dylan Brooks was the perfect wing for Houston this year under eme OD DOA Brooks is a very good defender on the perimeter in the post can guard other team's number one scoring option and he was an above average shooter as well the knock on Brooks he was too inconsistent at times from three in Memphis he shot 30 6% from three he was well above his career free throw percentage as well by 4 percentage points in 2024 and I think it's going to be a great complimentary piece for Houston over the deration of that contract and it's also a perfect amount if they wanted to leverage it in a trade later on Sacramento resigned Harrison Barnes to a 3year 54 million contract extension last year and the Kings had notable cap space I'm going to give this a B minus I'm not the biggest fan of Harrison Barnes as a player you know he does a lot of things well but I don't think he's really going to elevate you and I thought the kings were going to use their cap space somewhere else he's still a good player that's why I'm giving this A B minus he was a good three-point shooter this year but I feel like he's never really elevated his playmaking at all someone that could actually set up his teammates he's not really going to crash to the glass and be in an outstanding rebounder which is very valuable in a playoff series yeah that contract could be leveraged for a bigger deal later on but he's already 32 years old I don't really see the appeal in trading for Harrison Barnes so he's kind of stuck there in Sacramento giving it a B minus the Milwaukee Bucks had to bring back Brook Lopez so I'm giving this contract extension a b two years $48 million which is a little bit much for some somebody like Brook Lopez who's now 36 years old but like I said the Bucks didn't have any other option they had to bring him back and he wasn't terrible this past season put up 12 points five rebounds shot 37% from three 49% from the field and it's still one of the better shop walkers in the league but yeah you pretty much know what you're getting at of Brook Lopez giving it a beat I think it's a good grade Mony box also had to resign Chris Middleton as well they could not afford to lose him because they were going to have a very hard time replacing him so they gave him a three years $12 million extension I'm going to give it a B+ I mean if you look at the numbers from the regular season 15 point point five rebounds five assists 49% from the field 38% from three you'd say making $31 million a year is kind of an overpay for that production but Middleton is still a fine number three option for this team that actually played well in round number one in the absence of Giannis and Dame so shout out to the 2012 draft Quest man still getting big contracts almost a decade after they were drafted into the league guys like Harrison Barnes Draymond Green Chris Middleton Toronto gave up a future first round pick to acquire yakob purle back at the trade deine last year that ended up being the eighth overall pick in this year's draft that s anonio was going to get and yaka perto was a free agent last year so Toronto had to bring him back given what they gave up for him and they sent him to a 4year $80 million extension I'm going to give this a C+ I'm just not the biggest fan of yaka purle as my leading Center I don't know how he's going to impact a playoff series at all so I do feel like there's a ceiling on what he could be for you as your starting center he's a fine offensive player he's never going to create his own shot doesn't have the greatest post game in the world someone that's really just going to score inside is a solid Defender though I don't think he's Elite by any means he's no Miles Turner or even Brook Lopez but for $195 million it's not the craziest amount it just sucks they had to give up the eighth overall pick to get him and then extend him Cleveland used their full Midville exception on Max stru last year and I'm going to give that signing a B+ they desperately needed someone that could create their own shot and come off the dribble Off the Bench for them and I think with the injuries that they had this year and really not the steps that they would have liked Isaac aoro or even Evan Moy to take offensively Shu was asked to step up and he shot the ball well throughout the regular season but maybe not up to shu's standards shot 35% from three 80% from the line and he didn't play all that well in the playoffs was inefficient at times as well I'm still going to give it a B+ cuz I do think it's a good value contract for sh going forward herb Jones was a second round pick back in the 2021 draft and he was going to be making nothing this year but New Orleans did a great thing they did what like OKC did with L dor they made sure he wasn't going to be making that rookie money this year and extended him to a 4-year $54 million extension and for someone that was one of the better defenders in the League this year was an all defensive first team wing and is only going to get better on that end of the floor and improved his outside shot this is an easy eight plus the B shocked everybody when they gave Bruce Brown a massive annual value of $22.5 million when they signed Bruce Brown to a 2-year $45 million deal with the second year being a team option but Indiana being a small Market had cap space to use and Bruce Brown was one of the better role players in 2023 and helped weed the Denver Nuggets to being an NBA champion and off his production last year like this probably would have been a b a b minus but the fact that they leverag Bruce Brown's contract to include and get to the salary matching to get Pascal cakam back in January is going to earn this in a minus cuz seak helped lead them to the Conference Finals that's why you do these deals I really don't know how to grade the Grant Williams signing here for the Dallas Mavericks they had to give up some assets to go out and clear the cap space to get Grant Williams and he was not good for Dallas they traded him at the deadline to get PJ Washington who's helped lead them as a great stretch forward to the NBA finals so for the Grant Williams signing like it probably would have been just a c but the fact that they were able to flip him and a first round pick to get PJ Washington I'm going to give a B+ so yeah that's going to be me grading the biggest free agency signings from the 2023 off season let me know what you guys think of these down below do you agree with my grades do you disagree with them we going to have another collab mock draft coming out on Tuesday so make sure you're subscribed and drop like if you do enjoy I would appreciate it and I'll catch you on the next one peace [Music]

Channel: SROS

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Keywords: NBA, LIVE, MY, LEAGUE, GM, EXPANSION, SROS, SIXRINGSOFSTEEL, SERIES, DRAFT, FANTASY, OFFSEASON, TRADES, FREE, AGENCY, SIGNINGS, MYGM, NBA TRADES, NBA RANKINGS, NBA TIER LISTS, NBA MOCK DRAFT, NBA QUIZ, NBA REACTION, NBA ARTICLES, NBA RANTS, NBA ANALYSIS, Grading the Biggest 2023 Free Agent Signings One Year Later

Id: s4cmhhDoHLE

Length: 14min 24sec (864 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 02 2024