Day two of the free agency saw Carmelo Anthony visiting both the Rockets and Mavericks, Pau Gasol getting serious interest from the Thunder, and the Cavs reportedly weighing a max offer to Jazz restricted free agent Gordon Hayward. The biggest actual contract agreement came when Kyle Lowry decided to stay with the Toronto Raptors rather than sign elsewhere. Here’s a recap of Wednesday’s signings.
Toronto Raptors re-sign PG Kyle Lowry to 4-year, $48 million deal
This was huge for the Raps to bring back their most important player and not have to break the bank in doing so. The Heat were one of many teams in hot pursuit of Lowry and let’s be honest, Toronto isn’t exactly a desirable destination for free agents so I kind of figured Lowry would jump ship. The $48 million is very reasonable for Lowry and the Raptors would have taken a big hit if he just left via free agency.
Grade: A-
Boston Celtics re-sign SG Avery Bradley to 4-year, $32 million deal
Even though the Celtics just added guard depth by drafting Marcus Smart and James Young, signing restricted free agent Avery Bradley to an extension was a priority. Bradley is coming off the best season of his career and is only 23 years old but has battled nagging injuries during his four years in the league which is a bit of concern. With Rajon Rondo’s days in Boston likely coming to an end though, Bradley’s return ensures versatility in the backcourt.
Grade: B
San Antonio Spurs re-sign PG Patty Mills to a 3-year, $12 million deal
If Mills was 100% healthy, this would be a steal of a deal for the Spurs. However, it was just announced late Tuesday night that Mills needs shoulder surgery that is expected to sideline him until at least January. That makes this signing a bit riskier. If Mills comes back with no side effects and plays like he did this past season, this will a slam dunk signing. If Mills cannot get back to full strength, San Antonio might regret this decision though it is still worth the risk.
Grade: B
Indiana Pacers sign G/F C.J. Miles to 4-year, $18 million deal
With both Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner free agents, the Pacers needed to add some options on the wing. Miles is a scoring threat but not somebody that should be starting for a title contender like Indiana. I would expect Indy to still make a push to re-sign Stephenson and don’t mind them giving Miles $4.5 million per year but also don’t love it.
Grade: C+
Orlando Magic sign SG Ben Gordon to 2-year, $9 million deal
Huh? How Gordon received anything more than the league minimum is baffling to me. His agent deserves a raise. Granted, the second year of his contract is not guaranteed but still, dude played in 13 games last year and was waived by the Bobcats. Plus, Orlando just picked up Willie Green off waivers from the Clippers and both guys are pretty similar.
Grade: F
DAY ONE FREE AGENCY RECAP (IRVING, GORTAT, MEEKS)
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.