NBA free agency: The 5 biggest steals so far this offseason

big free agents on the market have found new homes</a>.</p> <p>There are signings that make complete sense for both the team and player involved, but also plenty of deals that do not seem like the right fit. Only time will tell whether the risks, including some significant overpays, will work out.</p> <p>But on the surface, it appears that several teams have certainly managed to bolster their rosters with the hope of cementing their place as title contenders next season, including the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat to name a few. Teams like the Chicago Bulls have also strengthened in the hope of becoming more of a playoff contender than in previous seasons.</p> <p>And after a hectic week of signings, plenty of teams will rightly feel extremely confident in what they&#8217;ve been able to do, while others will feel less than satisfied with their activity when it comes to meeting their goals.</p> <h2>The first week of NBA free agency is over, but who did the best business? Here are five of the biggest steals so far this offseason.</h2> <p>But among all the deals that have been reported so far, there are a few which stand out as bargains for the team involved. Overpaying is always a feature of the offseason, but this year has also seen several high-quality players go underpaid and teams have secured big talent on deals that represent incredible value.</p> <p>Here are the five biggest steals of NBA free agency so far.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Otto Porter Jr </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_413246" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-413246" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1211550224.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1211550224.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1211550224-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA free agency (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA free agency biggest steals: 5. Otto Porter Jr.</h2> <p>The Warriors have not been among the most active teams in NBA free agency so far, but the business the team has done has been very shrewd, and smart. This includes the addition of <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/porteot01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Otto Porter Jr</a>.</p> <p>Porter has been in a tricky spot these past few seasons. The contract he was handed by the Washington Wizards was far too big at $106 million over four years, which contributed to him eventually being traded to the Chicago Bulls and then the Orlando Magic at the deadline last season.</p> <p>It means the perception of him has been somewhat skewed. Porter did not live up to the expectations of a contract of that size, but he is still a very valuable role player in the NBA thanks to his excellent three-point shooting.</p> <p>Remarkably, Porter Jr. has gone from being an almost $30m a year player to someone who will be earning the minimum contract next season. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Porter turned down the mid-level exception elsewhere to team up with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.</p> <p>This is an excellent move from Golden State, given the way it plays. The 28-year-old shot 40.0 percent from three for the Bulls last year and made a remarkable 44.1 percent from behind the arc across 77 games for Washington in 2017. He is particularly effective off the catch and shoot and will benefit from the talented playmakers around him.</p> <p>Much of the focus from teams playing the Warriors will be on stopping Curry and Thompson, and Porter will not only provide another scoring threat but will ensure opposition teams have to guard him at the arc, spacing the floor for the team’s superstar guards to work their magic.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Malik Monk </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_425110" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-425110" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1303241084.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1303241084.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1303241084-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA free agency (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA free agency biggest steals: 4. Malik Monk</h2> <p>The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everybody on draft night when a deal to pair Russell Westbrook with LeBron James and Anthony Davis <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/">was agreed with the Wizards</a>. And since then, the team has gone even further to add to the roster in order to put a disappointing last season behind them.</p> <p>Of all the free agency signings the Lakers have made so far, bringing in <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/monkma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Malik Monk</a> jumps out as a real steal.</p> <p>At 23, he is a lot younger than most of the roster and still has significant untapped potential and room to grow. Last year he made big strides, averaging 11.7 points per game and more impressively, boosting his three-point percentage from 28.4 percent the year before to 40.1 percent.</p> <p>If Monk can sustain his jump in three-point shooting, given he is on a roster that, despite being extremely talented, has a lack of shooters, then he could prove to play an important role on the team next season and will be a big help in addressing one of the Lakers’ few weaknesses.</p> <p>It’s a risky move for him, given he has only signed a one-year minimum deal, but for the Lakers, it represents incredible value. Whether starting or coming off the bench, his explosiveness and newfound shooting ability represents incredible value for the deal he signed.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Blake Griffin </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_434312" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/16305345.jpeg">Kyle Lowry has arrived in South Beach</a> along with PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris, while <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oladivi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Victor Oladipo</a> has returned to the Heat on a one-year veteran minimum deal.</p> <p>Oladipo has found his time on the court limited in recent seasons due to various injury problems, including last year when he only played four games for Miami due to needing surgery to repair his quadriceps tendon. But while his inability to stay healthy is no doubt a concern, bringing him back on a low-risk deal was well worth it.</p> <p>It wasn’t that long ago that Oladipo was one of the best two-way guards in the league, and while he has not been able to get near his career-best 2017-18 season for the Indiana Pacers, there were some signs of encouragement during his time in Houston when he averaged 21.2 points over 20 games.</p> <p>He might never get near his best again, but on a minimum deal, Oladipo has the potential to provide incredible value for money. Miami has built a team full of guys with reputations for playing hard on both ends of the court and Oladipo is no different. He fits perfectly with the culture the team has built and can be a valuable player next season.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Analyzing a hypothetical Simmons/Lillard trade" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/12/nba-trades-ben-simmons-damian-lillard/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/13/nba-free-agency-5-steals/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/08/12/nba-trades-ben-simmons-damian-lillard/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Analyzing a hypothetical Simmons/Lillard trade </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">