The calendar flipped to July and the NBA free agency period began. All eyes are on the prized possessions like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, and seeing what happens with the Big 3 in Miami. Teams cannot officially sign players until July 10th but contracts can be negotiated and agreed upon until then. Here’s a recap of day one of the NBA free agency period with the headline deal being Kyrie Irving signing a max contract with the Cavs.
Cleveland Cavaliers and PG Kyrie Irving agree to 5-year, $90 million deal
Is Kyrie Irving worth a max deal? Probably not. Did the Cavs have any option but to offer him that deal? Probably not. Irving hasn’t truly grasped the role of team leader but he is still very talented and young so rather than delaying any contract extension, it makes sense for Cleveland to get this out of the way now since he and Andrew Wiggins are clearly the team’s future.
Grade: B+
Washington Wizards re-sign C Marcin Gortat to 5-year, $60 million deal
Quality big men always deals a little larger than they are deserved and that’s what happened here with Gortat. In his first season in our Nation’s Capital, the 30-year old played a major role in helping the Wizards make their first playoff appearance in six years. He and Nene form a solid one-two punch up-front and Washington needed to outbid other candidates in order to retain Gortat’s services.
Grade: B-
Golden State Warriors sign PG Shaun Livingston to 3-year deal, $16 million deal
With Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake both free agents, the Warriors had to address their need for backcourt depth and signing Livingston accomplishes just that. He was the primary backup for Deron Williams last season in Brooklyn and will play that role behind Stephen Curry in Golden State. First year head coach Steve Kerr will also have the flexibility to play Curry and Livingston in the same backcourt when needed. Giving Livingston their entire mid-level exception is a little rich for my blood but this is still a solid signing.
Grade: B
Detroit Pistons sign SG Jodie Meeks to 3-year, $20 million deal and SF Cartier Martin to a one-year deal
Are we sure Joe Dumars isn’t still running things in Detroit? Jodie Meeks is coming off a career-year with the Lakers but for him to be the Pistons’ off-season priority is just bizarre. With Rodney Stuckey a free agent and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope still developing, Detroit did need a veteran shooting guard and one who can knock down three-point shots. I just don’t love giving Meeks nearly seven-million per year.
Cartier Martin has been a journeyman during his six-year NBA career and could become a solid role player in Detroit but really nothing more.
Grade: C-
Orlando Magic claim SG Willie Green off waivers
In search of depth at the two guard since trading away Aaron Afflalo, the Magic claimed Willie Green after he was waived by the Clippers. Green is a short-term fix behind Victor Oladipo and comes with a reasonable $1.4 million price tag.
Grade: B
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.