(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
These 30 players significantly altered the fortunes of the franchises they signed with in NBA free agency, be it unprecedented consistency or championships.
For even the most well-run NBA franchises, team building can be a challenge. Even if a team’s front office successfully develops a strong core of young talent or swing the trade to end all trades, they could still need a little extra oomph to become a legitimate contender through NBA free agency.
Starting with Tom Chambers in 1988, free agency has become not only one of the quickest ways for a team to improve, but also the primary avenue for players to take control over their careers in terms of where they want to play.
While people on the side of the labor (i.e.: decent people) see free agency as an overall positive — even with the restrictions of max salaries, salary caps, and the luxury tax in place to depress players’ earning power — others like to hem and haw over how creating an open market for players within the NBA confines has led to superteams that “destroy the league” or “hurt small market teams” (despite the fact that superteams have existed since the league’s infancy).
Whichever side of the fence you sit on, there’s no denying free agency’s impact on the overall NBA landscape.
If you google “NBA free agency” right now, you will find no shortage of lists not unlike the one you’re about to read now that rank the five or 10 best signings based on whichever arbitrary reasoning the author chooses to employ.
But there’s no need to go through the trouble of opening another tab on whichever web browser you use when there’s a perfectly good list that will give you the best 30 free agency signings — based on individual and team performance — right here.
(Photo by Don Grayston/NBAE via Getty Images)
Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 30. Steve Kerr- Chicago Bulls, 1993
If you’re under the age of, 25 or so, you probably know Steve Kerr as the man who turned the Golden State Warriors into a league-altering dynasty, but before he became an all-time great coach, or before his stints as Pheonix Suns general manager and color analyst on TNT, Kerr was a six-time NBA champion as a player with the Spurs and the Chicago Bulls.
After spending his first five seasons with the Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic, Kerr signed with the Bulls in 1993, where he first served as B.J. Armstrong’s backup. Kerr entered the league at a time when most teams still viewed the 3-pointer as a novelty act, particularly as the NBA transitioned from the high-octane “Showtime Era” to the slog that was iso-heavy 1990s basketball.
As such, Kerr made his money as a “3-point specialist” who was a safety valve for the star players. Much like Horry, he wasn’t a player who would keep opponents awake at night, but he often benefitted from the gravity that the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen drew.
In five seasons with the Bulls, Kerr finished with .172 WS/48, higher than with any other team. His crowning achievement in the red and black — other than the titles, a 3-point contest win, and punching ultra competitive maniac Jordan — was this game-winner against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, which secured the fifth championship for the Bulls.
NBA franchises, team building can be a challenge. Even if a team’s front office successfully develops a strong core of young talent or swing the trade to end all trades, they could still need a little extra oomph to become a legitimate contender through NBA free agency.</p>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.nba.com/suns/history/impact-tom-chambers-and-unrestricted-free-agency#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starting with</a> Tom Chambers in 1988, free agency has become not only one of the quickest ways for a team to improve, but also the primary avenue for players to take control over their careers in terms of where they want to play.</p>
<p>While people on the side of the labor (i.e.: decent people) see free agency as an overall positive — even with the restrictions of max salaries, salary caps, and the luxury tax in place to depress players’ earning power — others like to hem and haw over how creating an open market for players within the NBA confines has led to superteams that “destroy the league” or “hurt small market teams” (despite the fact that superteams have existed since the league’s infancy).</p>
<p>Whichever side of the fence you sit on, there’s no denying free agency’s impact on the overall NBA landscape.</p>
<p>If you google “NBA free agency” right now, you will find no shortage of lists not unlike the one you’re about to read now that rank the five or 10 best signings based on whichever arbitrary reasoning the author chooses to employ.</p>
<p>But there’s no need to go through the trouble of opening another tab on whichever web browser you use when there’s a perfectly good list that will give you the best 30 free agency signings — based on individual and team performance — right here.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 30 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Don Grayston/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 30. Steve Kerr- Chicago Bulls, 1993</h2>
<p>If you’re under the age of, 25 or so, you probably know Steve Kerr as the man who turned the Golden State Warriors into a league-altering dynasty, but before he became an all-time great coach, or before his stints as Pheonix Suns general manager and color analyst on TNT, Kerr was a six-time NBA champion as a player with the Spurs and the Chicago Bulls.</p>
<p>After spending his first five seasons with the Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic, Kerr signed with the Bulls in 1993, where he first served as B.J. Armstrong’s backup. Kerr entered the league at a time when most teams still viewed the 3-pointer as a novelty act, particularly as the NBA transitioned from the high-octane “Showtime Era” to the slog that was iso-heavy 1990s basketball.</p>
<p>As such, Kerr made his money as a “3-point specialist” who was a safety valve for the star players. Much like Horry, he wasn’t a player who would keep opponents awake at night, but he often benefitted from the gravity that the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen drew.</p>
<p>In five seasons with the Bulls, Kerr finished with .172 WS/48, higher than with any other team. His crowning achievement in the red and black — other than the titles, a 3-point contest win, and punching ultra competitive maniac Jordan — was <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7XCwLHIPLY%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">this game-winner</a> against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, which secured the fifth championship for the Bulls.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 29. Rajon Rondo- Chicago Bulls</h2>
<p>Much like another signing that we’ll get to shortly, the Bulls decision to sign Rajon Rondo to a <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/16741892/bulls-reach-two-year-deal-guard-rajon-rondo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-year deal in 2016</a> was a baffling one. After all, Rondo was a notorious malcontent whose lack of shooting and diminished athleticism inhibited whatever value he brought as a passer. Basically, the Bulls weren’t getting this guy:</p>
<p>In a vacuum, the move was a headscratcher. Add in the fact that he was brought in to partner up with fellow ball-dominant wings Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, and you had a recipe for disaster.</p>
<p>As far as the regular season went, fans’ concerns proved to be accurate. Rondo unsurprisingly struggled to fit into Fred Hoiberg’s pace-and-space offense, averaging 7.8 points and 6.7 assists on only 46.1 percent true shooting.</p>
<p>The analytics weren’t kind to him either; his 13.6 PER and .060 WS/48 were nothing to write home about and the Bulls net rating jumped from -2.2 to +2.2 when he sat on the bench.</p>
<p>Despite that, teammates seemed to like him, especially the young guys he defended after Butler and Wade passive-aggressively criticized them mid-season (sure, Rondo did so with his groan-inducing “I won a title with the Celtics” flex, but it’s the thought that counts). Plus, he once again donned his “Playoff Rondo” persona when he helped the Bulls take a surprising 2-0 series lead over the top-seeded Celtics in the first round of that year’s playoffs.</p>
<p>Of course, it all came crashing down once Rondo missed the rest of that series with an injury and he would eventually get released once the Bulls began their rebuild. But it wasn’t a complete waste of time.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 28. Al Jefferson- Charlotte Bobcats, 2013</h2>
<p>After a couple of listless seasons as a role player with the Celtics, center Al Jefferson got a chance to refine his game with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz, eventually becoming a solid second-tier star big man, as his 21.3 PER and .130 WS/48 attest.</p>
<p>Jefferson parlayed that success into a three-year, $40.5 million deal with the then-Charlotte Bobcats in 2013. The decision to sign with the Bobcats — a perpetual Eastern Conference jobber — was a peculiar one, but Jefferson apparently <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/9467516/charlotte-bobcats-announce-signing-al-jefferson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">couldn’t wait to put pen to paper</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>“I can’t express how happy I am to be here,” said Jefferson, who was introduced at a press conference on Wednesday. “The Charlotte Bobcats did a great job coming at me (in free agency) and made me feel like they were a team that really respected my game and made me feel like a part of the family.”</p></blockquote>
<p>It took a little while — Jefferson missed the entire preseason and the first 12 games of the season with an ankle injury — but he eventually settled in as the Bobcats’ primary scoring option. Despite employing a post game that was slowly dying out, Jefferson thrived under Steve Clifford’s grind-it-out, low-risk philosophy. He averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds on 53.2 percent true shooting with a 22.7 PER and .146 WS/48.</p>
<p>The big man’s efforts helped the Bobcats reach the playoffs for the what was the second time in franchise history (since changing their names to the Hornets, the Bobcats franchise absorbed the original Hornets’ records and history, so it was really their ninth).</p>
<p>There, they met the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round. Despite Jefferson’s best efforts — which included playing through a plantar fasciitis injury he suffered in Game 1 — the Heat swept Charlotte in four games.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 27. Hedo Turkoglu- Orlando Magic, 2004</h2>
<p>The Sacramento Kings’ dissolution in the mid-to-late-2000s meant the rest of the league had a chance to benefit from the fruits of those great Rick Adelman-led teams. One such team was the Orlando Magic when they signed Turkish combo-forward Hedo Turkoglu prior to the 2004-05 season.</p>
<p>Turkoglu’s first three seasons in Florida saw him improve his scoring numbers from 7.9 with the Kings and the Spurs to 14.1 with the Magic between 2004-2006, though his uptick in playing time contributed greatly to that increase in production. After all, his advanced stats didn’t change much between those two periods (15.7 PER and .115 WS/49 in those three years with the Magic, 13.3 PER and .128 WS/84 with Sacramento and San Antonio).</p>
<p>After years of flashing his versatility in slightly smaller sample sizes, Turkoglu reached his peak during the 2007-08 season. There, Turkoglu finished with career bests in points (19.5), rebounds (5.7), assists (5.0), PER (17.8), win shares (9.0) and WS/48 (.143) en route to winning Most Improved Player. Most impressively, Orlando’s net rating skyrocketed from +1.1 to +7.3 when he was on the floor, making Turkoglu a vital element in Orlando’s 52-win concoction (with 56 Pythagorean Wins).</p>
<p>Following that breakout season, Turkoglu’s traditional and advance numbers dipped, but he still remained a valuable floor spacer that feasted off of the attention defenses paid to Dwight Howard.</p>
<p>Anyone who watched Turkoglu in Sacramento knew he had potential as a switchable wing who could shoot and facilitate the offense as a point forward. Those skills became fully realized in Orlando, even if the best version of him only manifested in that one season.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3482px;">(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 26. Dwyane Wade- Chicago Bulls, 2016</h2>
<p>Much like Rajon Rondo, the Bulls brought in Dwyane Wade in 2016 as part of Gar Forman and Jon Paxson’s master plan of giving pace-and-pace head coach Fred Hoiberg a bevy of…players who were useless without the ball in their hands.</p>
<p>In Wade’s case, his two-year, $47 million pact came after he felt that Miami Heat team president Pat Riley shortchanged him in contract negotiations. I know, it’s shocking that Riley wouldn’t want to commit most of his cap space to an aging wing with knee problems. He needed to save that money for underachieving big men!</p>
<p>On the surface, Wade’s numbers looked decent enough, as he averaged a respectable 18.3 points with a .434/.310/.794 shooting line in his lone season with his hometown team. However, those numbers obfuscated his ho-hum advanced numbers; his 18.5 PER and .090 WS/48 were a far cry from his days as one of the top five players in the NBA during his prime.</p>
<p>Simply put, Wade wasn’t the player he once was. Years of mileage via those deep playoff runs with LeBron James in Miami took a toll on his health and those ailments slowly sapped the athleticism that made him so special. This made him an inefficient, high-volume shooter who couldn’t get to the line, make 3’s, or get other teammates involved because of the diminished focus from opposing defenses. This was probably why the Bulls net rating dropped from +2.3 to -2.5 when Wade played.</p>
<p>Thanks to the Bulls’ far-too-tardy decision to start from scratch following the team’s loss to the Celtics in the first round of the 2017 playoffs, the Wade-Bulls marriage didn’t last long, as they bought him out of the second year of his deal to let him play for a contending team.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 25. Dwight Howard- Houston Rockets, 2013</h2>
<p>Following his disappointing stint with the Lakers, which included clashes with Kobe Bryant and head coach Mike D’Antoni, All-Star center Dwight Howard decided to take his services to Houston with a four-year, $88 million deal. The results were, uh, let’s say mixed.</p>
<p>While Howard wasn’t quite the dominant two-way force he was in Orlando — a lot of that had to do with his declining athleticism due to his back injuries — he still put up All-Star level numbers playing alongside emerging superstar James Harden.</p>
<p>In three seasons with the Rockets, Howard averaged 16.0 points, 11.7 boards, and 1.6 blocks on 60.1 percent “shooting” (most of his attempts were inside of three feet). The analytics also shined a reasonably favorable light on his game, as his 20.0 PER and .148 WS/48 framed him as a fringe All-Star.</p>
<p>However, there were some underlying issues that the numbers obstructed, namely as it pertained to Howard wanting touches in the post as if he were Hakeem Olajuwon in his prime. Leaving aside the fact that the league was moving away from the molasses-paced offenses that dominated the 90s and the 00s, Howard wasn’t even that good at it.</p>
<p>Even in Howard’s prime, he was more Dikembe Mutombo than Olajuwon or David Robinson — a defensive star with a restricted offensive game. But this didn’t keep Howard from begging for a number of touches that were reflective of his star power.</p>
<p>Eventually, this torpedoed the Rockets’ team chemistry; in Howard’s final season with the team, the Rockets went from darkhorse title contender to a 41-41 mess that the Warriors mercifully put out to pasture in the first round.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 24. Amar’e Stoudemire- New York Knicks, 2010</h2>
<p>Quick question: what happens if you’re an executive for the New York Knicks and you come up short in the LeBron James sweepstakes? If you answered “overspend on an aging, injury-prone star”, then congratulations. Your prize is the knowledge that the Knicks are a garbage organization.</p>
<p>To be fair to them, the Amar’e Stoudemire seemed like a success at the start. Through the first 53 games of his Knicks career, he averaged 26.1 points and 8.6 boards on 50.7 percent shooting. Stoudemire thrived as Raymond Felton’s pick-and-roll dance partner running a version of Mike D’Antoni’s “seven seconds or less” offense.</p>
<p>Then, the Knicks traded for Carmelo Anthony. Again, to be fair to them, it was a move that any team would make at the time — Anthony was a bonafide star and players of his skill level don’t come around often.</p>
<p>However, it didn’t take a genius to figure out how a potential Anthony/Stoudemire pairing would struggle to mesh. See, even at his healthiest, Stoudemire was at his best rolling to the rim and finishing at the basket. Basically, he needed a guard who could and would feed him the rock.</p>
<p>Anthony, well, wasn’t that type of player. Instead of getting other teammates involved, Melo preferred to isolate and grind possessions to a halt. Add this to Stoudemire’s deteriorating health led to Stoudemire’s role on the team shrinking with each passing year. He was still fairly productive — as his .138 WS/48 in his final four seasons in New York suggest — but he wasn’t the gamechanger New Yorkers thought he would be. To be fair, no one really is when it comes to the Knicks.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-306960 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"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%2F2017%2F07%2F954761482.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/954761482.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/954761482-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 23. Rajon Rondo- New Orleans Pelicans, 2017</h2>
<p>Before Elfrid Payton and Lonzo Ball became the New Orleans Pelicans’ non-shooting point guards of choice, the team brought in Rajon Rondo because this franchise apparently loves spending money on players who defenses know to sag off of and slide under every screen defensively.</p>
<p>New Orleans took a one-year flyer on Rondo in 2017, figuring his playmaking and defense would pair well with their all-world frontcourt of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins and emerging two-way star Jrue Holiday.</p>
<p>For the most part, it worked. Rondo returned to his usual dime-dropping ways, averaging 8.2 assists to go with his 8.3 points on improved efficiency, and his value as a passer showed up in some of the analytics, as his .101 WS/48 was the highest since his last All-Star season in Boston.</p>
<p>Additionally, Rondo once again ginned up the talking head discussion of “Playoff Rondo”, as his passing and defense helped the Pelicans score an upset sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2018 playoffs.</p>
<p>These days, adding Rondo to your team can be a bit of a gamble. His lack of shooting and aversion to the free throw line distills his amazing passing ability in the sense that he doesn’t draw extra attention from defenses, so adding him always comes with the risk of running offenses without much spacing.</p>
<p>That said, Rondo is considered to be one of the smartest players in the game by his peers, so his insight can be a boon in ways that won’t show up in some numbers, to use an old sportswriter’s cliche. Surely, that made his time with the Pelicans more beneficial than detrimental.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 22 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-356849 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F519697416.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/519697416.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/519697416-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 22. Pau Gasol- Chicago Bulls, 2014</h2>
<p>When the Bulls signed future Hall of Famer Pau Gasol to a three-year, $22 million deal in 2014, they thought they got the final piece of the championship puzzle. With the disappointing Carlos Boozer gone thanks to the amnesty provision and with Derrick Rose presumably healthy following devastating knee injuries in consecutive seasons, the highly-skilled Gasol hope to be the guy who could give the team the final push they needed to get to the Finals.</p>
<p>Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. For his part, Gasol continued to put up All-Star numbers; his 18.5 points and 11.8 boards per night paired well with his 22.7 PER and .187 WS/48. Unfortunately, aside from Jimmy Butler’s breakout season, everything else around him began to crumble.</p>
<p>Sure, the Bulls won 50 games that year — a year that ended in the second round thanks to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs — but their regular season success was a tarp that covered some underlying issues. Among the problems: Joakim Noah started showing the signs of wear and tear, Rose never returned to his MVP self and suffered <em>another </em>knee injury towards the end of the season, and Tom Thibodeau finally <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/tom-thibodeau-dismissed-bulls-head-coach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wore out his welcome</a> as head coach.</p>
<p>This being the GarPax-era Bulls, things got <em>worse </em>under Thibs’ replacement, Fred Hoiberg, the next season. With virtually the same roster, albeit one that was antithetical to Hoiberg’s offensive philosophy, the Bulls dropped to 42-40 and missed the postseason for the first time in seven seasons. Again, Gasol put up solid numbers, finishing with a 21.7 PER and .149 WS/48, but there’s only so much one person can do.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 21 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-330991 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1042,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F577924756.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1042" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/577924756.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/577924756-768x500.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 21. Gilbert Arenas- Washington Wizards, 2003</h2>
<p>In some ways, the Gilbert Arenas story is one of overcoming expectations to reach unbelievable highs. In another, it’s yet another sterling reminder of the evergreen incompetence of a franchise that hasn’t won 50 games in my 28 years of living and breathing.</p>
<p>Let’s start with the good: after a pair of seasons with the Warriors that can be best described as “meh”, the Wizards swooped in and signed Arenas to a six-year, $60 million deal in 2003. Washington got lucky with the Arena deal in two way.</p>
<p>First, Arenas reportedly flipped a coin to determine whether he would sign with the Wizards, Warriors, or the Los Angeles Clippers. Second, due to NBA rules at the time, teams couldn’t go over the salary cap to match offer sheets for second-round picks, meaning the Warriors had to let him go.</p>
<p>At first, this appeared to be a coup for the Wizards. Within two years, Arenas blossomed into not only an All-Star but arguably one of the best score-first point guards in the league. His quick first step, underrated handles, ability to finish around the basket and get to the free throw line, and his deadly pull-up game helped him become the star Washington needed in the wake of Michael Jordan’s third and final retirement.</p>
<p>The stats speak for themselves: Arenas put up 27.7 points, 5.7 assists, a .432/.361/.826 shooting line, a 23.0 PER, and .180 WS/48 between 2004-2006, earning three All-Star nods and three All-NBA selections in the process.</p>
<p>But as is always the case with the Wizards, you always wait for the other shoe to drop. In this case, aside from the yearly playoff beatdowns at the hands of the LeBron James’ Cavs, it was Arenas’ health that did him in.</p>
<p>Thanks to persistent knee problems, Arenas played in no more than 32 games per season between 2007-2009 and when he did play, he looked like a shell of his former self (.073 WS/48). Not to mention the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.si.com/nba/2018/08/07/gilbert-arenas-card-game-guns-details-javaris-crittenton-wizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">infamous gun incident</a> in 2009.</p>
<p>Of course, the knee problems didn’t keep this team from handing Arenas a six-year, $111 million contract extension in 2008, right as the knee problems were taking their toll.</p>
<p>In a way, Arenas’ time in D.C. perfectly encapsulates the Wizards franchise: lots of promise that ultimately wastes away.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-211859 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1530,w_2136/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F08%2F450526156-2014-nba-finals-game-four.jpg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="2136" height="1530" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/08/450526156-2014-nba-finals-game-four.jpg 2136w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/08/450526156-2014-nba-finals-game-four-768x550.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 2136px) 100vw, 2136px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2136px;">(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 20. Ray Allen- Miami Heat, 2012</h2>
<p>Whether he wanted to try something new or if he simply wanted to get away from the curmudgeons that were the late-2000s Celtics, Ray Allen’s decision to sign a two-year, $6 million deal with the rival Miami Heat proved to be a smart one.</p>
<p>First, let’s get to the pettiness, which seems to center around Allen feeling underappreciated by the Celtics. Reportedly, Allen wanted a three-year, $24 million deal to stay in Boston, but general manager Danny Ainge felt otherwise, offering only a two-year agreement worth $12 million. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/ray-allen-celtics-news-rumors-book-kevin-garnett-paul-pierce-rajon-rondo-relationship-heat-trade/8ff8ps2z45om1rxr5z8zti32a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is how Allen responded</a>, per his autobiography (h/t Sean Deveny of The Sporting News:</p>
<blockquote><p>“So let me see if I got this straight,” he wrote. “You want to pay me less money. You want to bring me off the bench. You want to continue to run the offense around Rondo. Now tell me again exactly why I would want to sign this contract?”</p></blockquote>
<p>In his two seasons with the Heat, the future Hall of Famer occupied a floor spacer role more than anything else. His minutes dipped from 34.0 in his final year with the Celtics to 26.1 in his two with the Heat. Still, Allen was at the higher end of what most teams expect from a role player, especially for one that was approaching 40.</p>
<p>In his two seasons in South Beach, which ended up being the last two of his career, Allen averaged 10.3 points with a .446/.398/.894 shooting line and .114 WS/48. Of course, Allen his best known for this somewhat important 3-pointer in this kinda meaningful game against the Spurs:</p>
<p>Yeah, Allen made the right decision.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 19 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-356844 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2561,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1128240390.jpeg" alt="New Orleans Pelicans" width="3200" height="2561" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1128240390.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1128240390-768x615.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1128240390-600x480.jpeg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 19. Julius Randle- New Orleans Pelicans, 2018</h2>
<p>Once the Laker nabbed their white whale in LeBron James, they had a bevy of salary cap space to adequately mold the rest of the roster around him. Their choices were…Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley.</p>
<p>Clearly, the Lakers would’ve been better served using that money to retain guys like Julius Randle.</p>
<p>Sure, he would’ve been an odd fit next to LeBron, but so were those aforementioned names. At the very least, it would’ve been easier for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka to justify that move as opposed to invoking Dennis Rodman to explain the acquisition of that motley crew.</p>
<p>Instead, Randle signed with the Pelicans for $18 million over two years in an attempt to give Anthony Davis a suitable big man in hopes that it would convince him to stay.</p>
<p>Of course, we all know how that went. Despite Davis requesting a trade out of New Orleans and the subsequent saga that revolved around the team not wanting to play Davis, Randle put up career numbers, at least as far as his per game stats go, as he averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 boards in his first season with the club.</p>
<p>With the anticipated arrival of Zion Williamson via the number one overall pick, Randle likely figured his days as a top option with the Pelicans were running out, which is why he declined the $9 million player option for 2019-20. If he receives a heftier payday from another team, it will be because of the resurgent play he flashed in New Orleans in what was a strange season for the organization.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 18 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357027 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1320,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51637853.jpeg" alt="Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="1320" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51637853.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51637853-768x634.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 18. Ron Harper- Chicago Bulls, 1994</h2>
<p>This probably goes without saying: every player on a championship team needs to be the primary scorer in order to impact the game. There are so many aspects and unappreciated nuances to the game to just ignore them in favor of the dudes who score most of the points.</p>
<p>It’s this sort of outlook that allows most sensible sports fans (read: not Skip Bayless) to credit Kyrie Irving for driving the stake through the Golden State Warriors’ collective hearts while also acknowledging that LeBron James’ block a couple of possessions prior softened up the chest cavity. In short: there’s room to credit multiple teammates for making plays that help win a <em>team</em> achievement.</p>
<p>In that vein, let’s talk about Ron Harper. Prior to signing with the Jordan-led Bulls in 1994, though he signed while Jordan was still working on his baseball career, Harper was something of a second-tier two-way star. He always filled out the points part of the box score to go along with sterling defense — peaking out at .171 WS/48 with the 88-89 Cavs — but it was pretty clear he wasn’t going to be the best player on a championship team.</p>
<p>So, as he aged, Harper reinvented himself as a high-value role player on the Bulls. His explanation for his philosophical change was succinct: “In my early days I could score with anybody, I felt,” he says, his mouth backfiring momentarily. “But I want to win.”</p>
<p>In the process, Harper arguably became a more productive player in his reduced role with the Bulls than he ever was as the lead scorer for the Clippers and Cavs, as his .128 WS/48 in Chicago easily trumps the .092 he amassed in the front nine of his career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 17 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357042 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"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%2F139921542.jpeg" alt="NY Knicks" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/139921542.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/139921542-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NY Knicks (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 17. Allan Houston- New York Knicks, 1996</h2>
<p>If you imagined what a typical 1990s NBA wing would resemble — a player who wasn’t Michael Jordan but was still a prominent scorer — you’d probably come up with Allan Houston. The former All-Star is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to evaluating him.</p>
<p>He was a consistent 20 points per game scorer and unlike most wings not named Reggie Miller, he wasn’t afraid to take and make 3-pointers. However, his blind spots as a playmaker and his affinity for pull-up twos rather than getting to the charity stripe dulled his value.</p>
<p>Still, it’s safe to say that that the Knicks don’t regret signing Houston to be the successor to John Starks as the team’s starting shooting guard. The 11th overall pick in the 1993 draft showed some early promise in Detroit, but with Grant Hill seemingly set to carry the Pistons for the foreseeable future, he decided to step out of that long shadow and sign with the Knicks in 1996.</p>
<p>Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, Houston proved to be deadly with his step-back jumper and a handful of post moves, showing off a slightly more advanced skill set than his predecessor.</p>
<p>I could go through Houston’s per game production (18.5 ppg, .444/.399/.872 shooting line with New York) or even dissect his mediocre advanced numbers (15.1 PER, .101 WS/48), but it would probably be better to show you the moment that earned Houston a place in Knick fans’ icy hearts:</p>
<p>The less said about the final two years of Houston’s Knicks run — including the decision to hand him a six-year, $100.4 million deal knowing he was in decline, which led to the “Allan Houston Rule” or the amnesty provision — the better.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 16 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357122 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1043,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1939692.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1043" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1939692.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1939692-768x501.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 16. Michael Jordan- Washington Wizards, 2001</h2>
<p>Most Jordan fans would like to forget that his stint with the Wizards never happened. It was like watching Patrick Ewing play for the Orlando Magic or Hakeem Olajuwon play for the Toronto Raptors. It was like watching an episode of <em>The Twilight Zone </em>or <em>Black Mirror </em>without the cool technology.</p>
<p>Jordan, who served as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Wizards, made his second comeback to the hardwood prior to the 2001-02 season. While his decision to donate his player earnings to relief efforts for the victims of the September 11th attacks, the feel-good stories would end there for the most part.</p>
<p>As far as his on-court performance went, Jordan would show glimpses of what made him the GOAT, but more often than not, he looked like a more famous version of Latrell Sprewell or, to use a modern example, DeMar DeRozan.</p>
<p>Even though his numbers were still more than respectable — most players knocking on the door of 40 would love to average 21.2 points with a 19.9 PER over a two-year period — Jordan had clearly lost a step, and even a lesser version of Jordan wasn’t enough to take a Wizards team that win only 19 games prior to Jodan’s arrival back to the playoffs. This also made his less admirable behavior, such as allegedly driving Kwame Brown to the point of tears, harder to ignore.</p>
<p>Again, this is the chapter of Jordan’s career that everyone seems fine with pretending didn’t happen, even if some of his issues with the team were self-inflicted.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 15 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357134 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"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%2F98914220.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/98914220.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/98914220-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 15. Carlos Boozer- Utah Jazz, 2004</h2>
<p>Gather round and listen to a tale of front office idiocy courtesy of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This particular case will focus on power forward Carlos Boozer and what led to his departure from the organization.</p>
<p>Following the 2003-04 season, the Cavs had a $695,000 team option for Boozer, who was coming off a 15.5 point, 11.4 rebound season and at 22 years old, seemed like the ideal star to partner up with that LeBron James fellow for the next decade.</p>
<p>However, the Cavs elected not to pick up that option due to some sort of handshake agreement with Boozer that he would sign a team-friendly, six-year, $39 million deal. Of course, it would’ve made more sense to simply pick up the option and work on an extension if Boozer wanted to stay anyway, but this is the Cavs we’re talking about.</p>
<p>Not long after this, the Jazz swooped in with a six-year, $70 million offer and since he was a second round pick, the Cavs couldn’t go over the cap to match. Naturally, Boozer took the money in Utah and Cleveland was left without a secondary star to pair with James.</p>
<p>They became a perennial playoff team anyway thanks to James’ greatness, but the Boozer slip up could have drastically affected the Cavs championship aspirations and James’ future decision making.</p>
<p>As for Boozer, he blossomed into a solid second-tier star alongside star point guard Deron Williams, which led to regular trips to the postseason in a rugged Western Conference. They weren’t exactly the second coming of John Stockton and Karl Malone, but Boozer’s .160 WS/48 mixed well with Williams’ .143.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 14 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357139 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F141969267.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/141969267.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/141969267-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 14. Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks, 2011</h2>
<p>For the most part, point guard Jeremy Lin has settled into a relatively mundane NBA existence. He’s bounced around quite a bit over his nine-year career, but wherever he’s landed, Lin has always provided an offensive spark for his teams, even at the cost of good defense (I hope no Lin fans read this and give me flack for stating the obvious about his defense).</p>
<p>But I’m not here to get into what Lin did with the Atlanta Hawks or the Brooklyn Nets. I’m here to discuss two weeks in November 2012 where Lin looked like one of the best point guards in the NBA.</p>
<p>Let’s start with his origins. After going undrafted in the 2010 draft, the Warriors decided to take a chance on him. With Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry healthy for most of the season, Lin didn’t receive much playing time outside of blowouts, producing only 2.6 points in 9.8 minutes. He probably spent more time bouncing around the D-League (now G League) than anything else, until the Warriors waived him in December of the following season.</p>
<p>The Knicks picked him up a couple of weeks later and while it looked like Lin would once again be stuck at the of the bench. In fact, the team actually considered waiving him to look for another guard when Baron Davis struggled with injuries and Carmelo Anthony went down.</p>
<p>Needing a spark, then-Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni went with Lin and what followed was something no one could have predicted; he averaged 23.9 points and 9.2 assists with a .500/.361/.732 shooting line, helping the Knicks win nine of their next 11 games.</p>
<p>Lin was named the starter for the rest of the season and while he cooled off a little bit — thanks mostly to Anthony returning to dominate most possessions — he still aided the Knicks in reaching the playoffs, where they lost in five to the Miami Heat.</p>
<p>Of course, the Knicks found a way to screw it up when they let him sign with the Rockets. But they’ll always have those two weeks in February 2011.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 13 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357194 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1513,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51643373.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1513" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51643373.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51643373-768x726.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo credit MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 13. Dikembe Mutombo- Atlanta Hawks, 1996</h2>
<p>Prior to signing with the Hawks, Dikembe Mutombo seemed ready to spend the rest of his career with the team that drafted him: the Denver Nuggets.</p>
<p>When Mutombo reached free agency, he sought a 10-year contract to stay with the Nuggets but, according to former Nuggets GM Bernie Bickerstaff, both sides struggled to come to terms on finances:</p>
<blockquote><p>“[Mutombo’s agent] David Falk and those guys, they tried to work with us because Mutombo, he wanted to stay,” Bickerstaff said. “Falk tried to work with us in terms of trying to acquire other players (to clear money). The organization at the time just didn’t have the resources. It’s that simple. Because if we could have kept that group together, that was a pretty good team.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Bickerstaff also expressed some regret over failing to retain one of the best defensive centers in league history:</p>
<blockquote><p>“That’s something we should have done,” he said. “We tried. We offered it, but ownership didn’t want to go that far out, in terms of a 10-year deal. It’s like when Magic got that long deal, everyone was asking ‘Why would you do that?’ That was a terrific deal when you start talking about the present value of money. But that’s really the only regret you had, that you didn’t (re-sign) him.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Instead, Mutombo took a five-year, $55 million deal to play in Atlanta. There, he became the most valuable piece (.171 WS/48) of a Hawks team that ranked in the top 3 in defensive rating in two of Mutumbo’s five seasons there, seasons in which the Hawks won 50 games twice and 31 out of 50 in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 12 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357206 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2156,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F85949768.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2156" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/85949768.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/85949768-768x517.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 12. Rick Barry- Golden State Warriors, 1972</h2>
<p>If you’ve reached this part of the slideshow, you’re probably asking “I thought you said that free agency didn’t start until 1988?” Well, for the most part, that’s true, but things were a little murkier when the American Basketball Association (ABA) was around.</p>
<p>The Warriors took Barry with the second overall pick in the 1965 draft and he quickly became of the leagues most lethal scorers, averaging 30.6 points in his first two seasons (this was during the much faster-paced 60s, so Barry had more possessions get his buckets).</p>
<p>However, Barry believed that Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli was shortchanging him on incentives, giving him the ammunition he needed to jump to the ABA and play for the Oakland Oaks under head coach Bruce Hale, who was Barry’s father-in-law.</p>
<p>Oaks owner Pat Boone attempted to make Barry one of the highest paid players in the sports, but thanks to the reserve clause, he was barred from playing for the Oaks in 1967-68 season. The dispute garnered Barry plenty of criticism, as he was labeled selfish and only in it for the money (apparently, the owners are only in this for charity).</p>
<p>Following that debacle, Barry became one of the biggest stars in the upstart league, scoring 30.5 points with .183 WS/48 in four seasons with the Oaks/Washington Caps and New York Nets.</p>
<p>Once his time in the ABA ended, Barry was forced by a U.S. District Court judge to “sign” the team that drafted him once his Nets contract expired, making his return to the Warriors all but an inevitability. While he wasn’t quite the same player due to knee injuries (.160 WS/48), he was still good enough to lead the Warriors to the franchise’s first championship since relocating from Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Barry’s situation was messy, to say the least, but it was a precursor for players across all sports to fight for their agency as employees, even if he was a jerk.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 11 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-342809 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F509277466.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/509277466.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/509277466-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 11. Chris Bosh- Miami Heat, 2010</h2>
<p>One word best describes Chris Bosh’s run with the Miami Heat: sacrifice.</p>
<p>Like the other All-Stars he teamed up with, Bosh sacrificed more money and more security for a chance to win a championship in Miami. He also sacrificed the possibility of being the focal point of the Toronto Raptors or any other team to become a tertiary option beside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.</p>
<p>Ultimately, Bosh made the right decision; while his touches dropped a bit as the third wheel of the big three, he still put up All-Star numbers, averaging 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds with a 19.4 PER and .168 WS/48 during the “Heatles” era, an era which saw the Heat reach the NBA Finals four straight years and win two titles.</p>
<p>When he was in Toronto, Bosh was basically paying a mortgage in the post, but since LeBron and Wade needed that space to drive to the rim and finish/draw fouls, he also needed to rent out some space behind the 3-point line to help space the floor. When playing with ball-dominant wings like James and Wade, players have to find ways to contribute off-ball to take advantage of those two’s gravitational pull on offense, and Bosh did just that.</p>
<p>Once James left and Wade began to decline, Bosh seemed primed to step back into his lead dog role, but unfortunately, his health had other plans. Out of a possible 164 games in his final two seasons, Bosh only played in 97 of them due to recurring issues with blood clots, which forced him to end his career in 2017.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-275787 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_3652,w_5478/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F861051776-san-antonio-spurs-v-houston-rockets.jpg.jpg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="5478" height="3652" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/10/861051776-san-antonio-spurs-v-houston-rockets.jpg.jpg 5478w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/10/861051776-san-antonio-spurs-v-houston-rockets.jpg-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 5478px) 100vw, 5478px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:5478px;">(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 10. LaMarcus Aldridge- San Antonio Spurs, 2015</h2>
<p>Historically, the San Antonio Spurs, who are situated in the league’s smallest market, have struggled to attract top free agents. Fortunately, the team has maintained its spot among the NBA’s elite with two decades worth of smart trades, shrewd drafting, and finding quality players along the margins.</p>
<p>The one exception came in 2015 when they signed Texas native LaMarcus Aldridge away from the Portland Trail Blazers.</p>
<p>Fresh off of a season in which he averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds with the Blazers, Aldridge was viewed as an heir apparent to the aging Tim Duncan, as they had similar offensive styles (though Duncan was a much better defender in his prime).</p>
<p>Statistically, Aldridge put up his usual stats: as of 2019, Aldridge has averaged 20.0 points and 8.4 boards with a 22.3 PER and .184 WS/48, substantially better than what he did in Portland. Despite those numbers, however, Aldridge has often grumbled about not being the focal point of the Spurs offense and has even requested trades out of San Antonio because of his perceived diminished role.</p>
<p>Here’s the thing, Aldridge has pretty much hit his ceiling as a player. He always seemed like more of a supplementary star than a player that you build your franchise around, so the idea that he was going to be the next Spurs big man who would keep the championship train rolling was always a bit preposterous.</p>
<p>Still, he has helped the Spurs maintain their standard of excellence in terms of playoff appearances over the last few years and he is the first man to bring up whenever someone says that small market teams can’t nab big free agents.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 9 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-349561 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2000,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F1140512374.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="3200" height="2000" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1140512374.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1140512374-768x480.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/1140512374-1440x900.jpeg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 9. Al Horford- Boston Celtics, 2016</h2>
<p>If you ever want to find out how much someone knows about basketball, just ask them how good they think Al Horford is. If this strawman basketball fan answers with something in the ballpark of “He’s not that good, he only averages 12-14 points a game”, chances are that this hypothetical fan also likely thinks that Andrew Wiggins isn’t good because he lacks “heart” or a “killer instinct”.</p>
<p>If “Fan B” says something to the effect of “if anything, he’s a bit underrated, he does so many things well”, then that person is probably on to something.</p>
<p>I could sit here all day and gush about Horford’s game, but I’ll keep this brief: Horford is the quintessential “Jack of All Trades” player. His post game is surprisingly smooth, he can occasionally put the ball on the floor against slower bigs, he spaces the floor with his 3-point set shot, he’s a great passer for his position, and is a strong, smart, switchable defender. I think that’s everything. If not, here’s a nifty compilation video:</p>
<p>Obviously, the Celtics found his diversified skillset alluring, which is why they gave him a four-year, $113 million deal in 2016. The numbers speak to how well that worked out for Horford and Boston: 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, .498/.382/.800 shooting line, 18.4 PER, .161 WS/48, and an All-Star nod.</p>
<p>In a league where we often celebrate the players who get the gaudy counting stats, a player like Horford can get overlooked. But taking everything into account, he’s one of the best bigs in the game and the Celtics will miss him when he’s gone.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 8 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-357219 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1600,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F76027592.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1600" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/76027592.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/76027592-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/76027592-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/76027592-400x400.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 8. Tom Chambers- Phoenix Suns, 1988</h2>
<p>I could use this space to talk about Tom Chambers’ three All-Star appearances as a member of the Phoenix Suns. I could talk about his 20.6 scoring average, or his 17.9 PER, .136 WS/48, or his minor role in helping the Suns reach the NBA Finals (though that had more to do with league MVP Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, and Dan Majerle).</p>
<p>But in the grand scheme of things, that pales in comparison to the impact he had on player empowerment.</p>
<p>Taken eighth overall by the then-San Diego Clippers in the 1981 draft, Chambers spent two seasons with the Clippers before they traded him to the Seattle SuperSonics. He played in Seattle for five seasons, earning one All-Star appearance in that time, but following the 1987-88 season, Seattle appeared to be moving in a more youthful direction.</p>
<p>Seeing the writing on the wall, Chambers figured he would be re-signed and traded by the team. After all, he <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.nba.com/suns/history/impact-tom-chambers-and-unrestricted-free-agency#gref" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn’t have many choices at the time</a> (h/t Matt Peterson, NBA.com):</p>
<blockquote><p>“There was no such thing as free agency,” Chambers said. “If a team had you, then you had to sign with that team unless they traded you. You really couldn’t move. There was no movement at all. Therefore, contracts were kind of locked into what you could make.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Before Chambers agreed to any sort of terms with the Sonics, then-NBA Players Union head Larry Fleisher called Chambers’ agent and had him advise Chambers to hold off on inking a new deal as they, according to Chambers, were “going to get this unrestricted free agency thing done”.</p>
<p>Shortly thereafter, it became official: players who accrued at least seven years of service time and played through at least two contracts were eligible to hit the open market and sell their services to the most suitable bidder. For Chambers, that was the Suns, making him the first beneficiary of this new NBA marketplace.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 7 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-354683 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1070,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F56634568.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1070" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56634568.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/56634568-768x514.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 7. Chauncey Billups- Detroit Pistons, 2002</h2>
<p>If by chance you only know Chauncey Billups from having to endure Paul Pierce’s awful takes on ESPN, here’s a small sampling of what made him so great. At the end of it, you’ll probably think he’s the most clutch man to ever walk the earth:</p>
<p>Of course, there was more to Billups than a bunch of game-winning buzzer beaters. He also burned defenses with his ability to create space off the dribble and either finish at the hoop or stop on a dime and elevate for a jumper. He could also punish the defense for paying too much attention to him by finding an open teammate or by creating an opening with head fakes and other deceptive moves.</p>
<p>It took a while for Billups to optimize his game, as suited up for five teams in four years before the Pistons signed him in 2002 after he showed some promise in his final year with the Timberwolves.</p>
<p>From there, Billups took off. He averaged 18.5 points and 4.4 assists in his first season in Detroit, helping the Pistons win 50 games and reach the Eastern Conference Finals.</p>
<p>That turned out to be the appetizer to what would come for Billups and the Pistons in 03-04; he posted averages of 17.2 points and 5.8 dimes with a 55.0 true shooting percentage, but he increased his WS/48 from .198 in the regular season to .203 in the playoffs as he and the Pistons smothering defense guided the team to its first Finals appearance since the “Bad Boy” era.</p>
<p>Once they got there, they were tasked with taking down the supercharged Lakers. But thanks in part to Billups’ 21.0 points and .509/.471/.929 shooting line, the Pistons dispatched of LA in five games to claim the franchise’s third championship with Billups taking home Finals MVP. Altogether, Billups averaged 16.5 points and 6.2 assists with a 20.7 PER and .217 WS/48.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 6 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-355533 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1088,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F105967841.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1088" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/105967841.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/105967841-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 6. Steve Nash- Phoenix Suns, 2004</h2>
<p>Believe it or not, there are still plenty of Kobe stans who think that Steve Nash robbed their lord and savior Kobe Bryant of at least one MVP trophy, presumably because Nash didn’t launch a ton of contested 2-pointers and instead opted to pass the ball to open teammates (gasp!).</p>
<p>Needless to say, this is hogwash. Not only was Nash as effective an isolation scorer as Kobe was — albeit in a much smaller sample size — he also bested Bryant in WS/48 (.208 to Bryant’s .188). Bryant is great and there was an MVP argument for him given the lack of talent around him, but he in no way got the shaft from voters in favor of Nash.</p>
<p>Plus, the argument detracts from how awesome Nash and the Suns were in the mid-2000s. The Canadian-born floor general returned to the team that originally selected him 15th overall in 1996 after the Mavs brass were concerned about Nash’s back — even Mavs owner Mark Cuban questioned whether Nash would be able to walk after his career was over.</p>
<p>Everything considered, the move worked out for the Suns and Nash, who flourished as the conductor of Mike D’Antoni’s “Seven Seconds or Less” offense. This philosophy helped nudge the NBA into the fully-evolved pace-and-space game most fans enjoy today.</p>
<p>All in all, Nash’s second stint in Arizona lasted eight seasons and was a bit more productive than his first: 16.3 points, 10.9 assists, .510/.437/.912 shooting line, .181 WS/48 and those two MVP trophies. Oh, and he helped push NBA offenses into the 21st century.</p>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-428165" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F05%2F1306416509.jpeg" alt="Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1306416509.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/05/1306416509-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 5. LeBron James- Los Angeles Lakers, 2018</h2>
<p>Even before the 2017-18 season, many fans speculated that the upcoming season would be LeBron James’ last in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey (again). After the Cavs got swept in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors with mediocre-at-best players around James, the four-time MVP’s departure from his hometown team became a foregone conclusion.</p>
<p>Thanks to James helping the Cavs win their first NBA Title in 2016, the end of James’ second stint with the franchise that drafted him first overall in 2003 wasn’t met with nearly the same amount of animus that many expressed towards him in 2010.</p>
<p>Of course, the original outrage over “The Decision” was always ridiculous, particularly in hindsight, but it was still nice to see James receive a warm reception from the Cleveland fans when he returned to “The Land” with his new team in 2018.</p>
<p>That new team was the Los Angeles Lakers.</p>
<p>James signed a four-year, $154 million pact with the Lakers prior to the 2018-19 season, with the franchise finally reeling the big free-agent signing it had been fishing for since Kobe Bryant’s retirement.</p>
<p>In that first season, LeBron — despite being mostly surrounded by non-shooters — led the Lakers to a 20-14 record, and the team seemed destined to return to the postseason for the first time since 2014. However, a groin injury and 27 missed games hindered those plans.</p>
<p>When L.A. traded for Anthony Davis prior to the following season, things got back on track for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. With a younger co-star, James led the Lakers to their first 50-win season since 2011 and in the Orlando bubble, James guided the franchise to its first NBA title since 2010.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-310618 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1083,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F51549493.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1083" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51549493.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/51549493-768x520.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 4. Shaquille O’Neal- Los Angeles Lakers, 1996</h2>
<p>Considering how the Orlando media and Orlando Magic fanbase treated Shaquille O’Neal prior to his impending free agency, his decision to spurn them in favor of the Los Angeles Lakers was more inevitable than it may have been at the time.</p>
<p>The Orlando Sentinel and fans who voted in their polls ran the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://books.google.com/books?id=cIXaWfTsc5YC&pg=PA151#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full “hold water for management” gambit</a>, including running polls in which most of the fans believed the team should choose then-coach Brian Hill over O’Neal and that O’Neal wasn’t worth a max salary, and suggesting that having a child with his girlfriend before marriage made him a bad role model.</p>
<p>Combine that with O’Neal’s deteriorating relationship with Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, and his departure was an easier slam dunk than any he made on the court for his entire career (even the one in which he snatches Chris Dudley’s soul out of his chest).</p>
<p>So, Shaq signed with the Lakers for $121 million over seven years. After signing O’Neal made sure to let us know that money wasn’t the driving factor in his decision while subtly poking holes in the idea that max contracts will entice superstars to stay with one team:</p>
<blockquote><p>“I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money,” O’Neal said after signing for a reported $121 million. “I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok [two companies O’Neal had endorsement deals with.”</p></blockquote>
<p>As a Laker, O’Neal continued to live up to his “Diesel” moniker, as he pulverized through his contemporaries to the tune of .241 WS/48. Once Kobe Bryant emerged as a viable co-star, LA built a dynasty around those two, as they won three straight championships (Shaq won Finals MVP in all of them) and reached four in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the Magic are <em>still </em>looking to win their first title.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-354695 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"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%2F1087944098.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1087944098.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1087944098-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 3. Kevin Durant- Golden State Warriors, 2016</h2>
<p>It’s easy to chide Kevin Durant for joining a Golden State team that won a record-setting 73 wins the previous year, housed two of the greatest shooters of this or any generation, and were on the precipice of winning their second straight NBA Title, particularly because of Durant’s own insecurities on the subject.</p>
<p>But here’s the thing, the Warriors lost the NBA Finals that year. Blame it on whatever you want — Harrison Barnes’ sudden aversion to accurate shooting, Draymond Green’s Shinsuke Nakamura impression coming back to haunt him, Andrew Bogut’s injury, Steph underachieving — but the fact is they didn’t have enough to get the job done.</p>
<p>Enter Kevin Durant, who announced his intention to sign with the Warriors via the thinly-veiled native advertising site The Players Tribune. The 2014 league MVP’s ability to create his own shot and punish defenses as an off-ball floor spacer made for a seamless transition into Steve Kerr’s free-flowing, pass-happy scheme, in theory.</p>
<p>In practice? The Warriors were arguably better in 2016-17 than their 73-win outfit — if you go by Basketball-Reference’s Simple Rating System (SRS) — and Durant put up another MVP-caliber season, averaging 25.1 points, 8.3 boards and 4.8 assists with a .537/.375/.875 shooting line, 27.6 PER and a league-leading .278 WS/48. Of course, the Warriors capped this off by avenging their loss to the Cavs by steamrolling them in the 2017 Finals.</p>
<p>2017-18 was pretty much a repeat of 2016-17 and 2018-19 looked to follow the same trajectory until Durant injured his leg in the conference semis and exacerbated it to a torn Achilles in the Finals against the Toronto Raptors. After that, the Warriors became a bit more human.</p>
<p>Remember this the next time a talking head or fan calls Durant’s decision a “weak move”.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-354615 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F629325120.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/629325120.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/629325120-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 2. LeBron James- Cleveland Cavaliers, 2014</h2>
<p>When LeBron James initially left his hometown Cavs for South Florida in 2010, they became the worst franchise in the NBA. That’s not hyperbole; the Cavs literally had the worst record in the NBA in James’ four-year absence. Keep in mind that in three of those years Cleveland held the number one overall pick, though they scored a star player with two of those selections (Kyrie Irving, and using the 2014 selection, Andrew Wiggins, to get Kevin Love).</p>
<p>None of that mattered when James returned home, as his presence alongside Love and Irving made the Cavs instant championship contenders.</p>
<p>As was the case in Miami, it took a while for the three stars to adjust to each other’s styles and tendencies (read: for Irving and Love to adjust their styles and tendencies around LeBron’s game), but they eventually figured it out, became one of the best offenses in the association, won 53 games, and reached the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, injuries and the somewhat surprising ascent of the Golden State Warriors did them in.</p>
<p>However, the 2016 Finals went a bit differently. Down 3-1 in best-of-seven to those same Warriors, LeBron and the Cavs completed the greatest comeback in Finals history as this block and Kyrie Irving’s clutch 3 gave the Cavs their first title.</p>
<p>LeBron’s second run in Cleveland went about as you would expect, he averaged .221 WS/48 in four years. Most importantly, he helped brim his city its first major sports championship since 1964.</p>
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<img class="wp-image-308842 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1157,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F141131068.jpeg" alt="NBA Free Agency" width="1600" height="1157" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/141131068.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/141131068-768x555.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">(Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Greatest free agency signings in NBA history: 1. LeBron James- Miami Heat, 2010</h2>
<p>Rick Barry’s standoff with the Warriors in the 1960s and the advent of free agency in 1988 led us the culmination of player empowerment: <em>The Decision </em></p>
<div class="embed embed-video"><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Afpgnb_9bA4?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>This was one of the biggest powerplay moves that a player has made in regard to holding some level of power over the historical ruling class of sports: the owners.</p>
<p>As we all know, this television special brought a heavy amount of derision and vitriol toward the previously likable James. Of course, had James simply announced he was re-signing with the Cavs, chances are the venom wouldn’t have been that strong. Some people — mostly Knicks fans — would’ve been annoyed that he strung them along for a predictable announcement.</p>
<p>Everyone from Michael Jordan (who played with other stars in his prime), Magic Johnson (who didn’t have access to free agency in his prime and played with superstars), Charles Barkley (who was traded to a superteam toward the end of his career), and Dan Gilbert (who’s a terrible owner) lambasted James for his “selfishness” (much like Rick Barry) and for “taking the easy way out” by forming a superteam with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (ignoring that most championship teams had more than one star player).</p>
<p>On the court, the move paid off; James averaged .281 WS/48 in his four years in Miami, earning two MVP trophies and two championships (he was Finals MVP for both). But this move did more than add a few more accolades to James’ resume.</p>
<p>It also subverted the idea of “team loyalty”, truly ushering in an era where players aren’t at the whims of an owner and front office that fights to stymie their income with a salary cap and promises career-long devotion only to trade or release them when they have outlived their usefulness. It provided a gateway for players to take ownership of their own career and no matter how LeBron’s original decision made you feel, you have to appreciate how it gave some level of strength to the NBA’s working class.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Each team's greatest free agent signing" data-url="http://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/19/nba-teams-greatest-free-agent-signing-franchise-history/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/24/nba-free-agency-30-greatest-free-agent-signings-nba-history/"http://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/19/nba-teams-greatest-free-agent-signing-franchise-history/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Each team's greatest free agent signing </a> </div>
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