The NBA season is now in full swing after the draft last Wednesday and free agency going into high gear over the weekend. Dozens of players already changed threads over the weekend, so to help you wade through the mess, we’ve gathered all of the biggest signings and trades over the past few days into one place! (Note: Odds shown next to team names are to win the 2021 NBA title via 10bet.)
- Atlanta Hawks (+12,500): Atlanta added a sweet-shooting big man in Danilo Gallinari (three-year, $61.5 million), a defensive hound in Kris Dunn (two-year, $10 million), a savvy veteran and winner in Rajon Rondo (two-year, $15 million), and an emerging scorer in Bogdan Bogdanovic (four-year, $72 million) over the weekend.
The Hawks have filled some needs nicely (depth, defense) and though they’re still a couple of years from contention, they should be in line for a playoff berth this season. Odds for a Hawks to make the playoffs NBA future bet could offer some great value when those markets are released.
- Boston Celtics (+1,200): The most important move the C’s made was locking up future MVP candidate Jayson Tatum (five-year, $195 million) to a lucrative, long-term contract. Boston also added rebounding ace Tristan Thompson (two-year, $19 million) and veteran guard Jeff Teague (one-year, undisclosed).
General manager Danny Ainge was left with egg on his face once again, however, as he botched the Gordon Hayward situation, acquiring nothing as the former All-Star left to sign with Charlotte. It is reminiscent of last offseason, when Ainge also lost big-time acquisition Al Horford without receiving anything in return and no evident backup plan. The Celtics will have their work cut out for them to reach the ECF again.
- Brooklyn Nets (+550): The Nets got their number one priority taken care of: signing three-point marksman Joe Harris to a four-year $75 million deal. While it may seem steep, the Nets now look all set for a run to the Finals. They also added Landry Shamet in a multi-team trade to boost their spacing and depth while also snagging veteran Jeff Green, who can still hoop despite this being his 10th different team in 13 NBA seasons. The Nets are poised to run the table in the East, so taking a gander at their +225 odds (888sport) to win the Eastern Conference could prove profitable.
- Charlotte Hornets (+30,000): First, Charlotte drafted the heir to the Ball Family Fortune, LaMelo Ball, who is sure to bring some much-needed excitement and scoring to the team. Then, they swindled Gordon Hayward away from the Celtics and into their outfit, albeit on an almost offensively pricey four-year, $120 million deal. There’s nothing like finishing ninth in the East year in and year out, eh Michael Jordan?
- Dallas Mavericks (+2,400): The Mavericks picked up jack-of-all-trades Josh Richardson in a trade, and they added to that by picking up veteran tough guy James Johnson. Richardson does all the dirty work and should make it easier on phenom Luka Doncic to run the offense. Johnson should make opponents think twice before putting a hard foul on the Slovenian as well.
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($19 million player option) and Trey Burke (three-year, $10 million) will return, and Dallas also picked up big man Willie Cauley-Stein (two-year, $8.2 million). The Mavericks are only going to get better from here as they’re led by Doncic, who is now the favorite to win MVP at very attractive +450 odds (888sport).
- Detroit Pistons (+30,000): The Pistons signed solid passing big man Mason Plumlee (three-year, $25 million), and underachieving former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor (two-year, undisclosed). Their big splash came with the signing of defensive stopper Jerami Grant to a surprising three-year $60 million deal that is almost certain to come back and bite Detroit in the butt.
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Golden State Warriors (+2,200): After losing Klay Thompson for the year, the Dubs had to get involved in the free agent frenzy. Their biggest get was up-and-coming swingman Kelly Oubre Jr., who should relieve some of the scoring pressure that Thompson’s absence would have put on Steph Curry. They also came out with small deals for solid backcourt depth pieces in Brad Wanamaker (one-year, $2.3 million) and Kent Bazemore (one-year, undisclosed), but the Warriors’ championship chances likely went out with Thompson’s achilles.
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Houston Rockets (+3,000): The Rockets picked up Ariza and a pair of draft picks for Robert Covington, then flipped Ariza and a first round pick for a future protected first round pick and the sign-and-trade rights to big man Christian Wood (three-year, $41 million). Houston also snagged former perennial All-Star and current injury magnet DeMarcus Cousins on a one-year deal as the franchise attempts to convince James Harden to stay with them. These are some solid moves to improve a frontcourt that was a wasteland last season, but whether they’re enough to keep the Beard happy remains to be seen.
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Los Angeles Clippers (+600): The biggest busts in the NBA last season made a big splash when they won the Serge Ibaka sweepstakes over their defending champion crosstown rivals, inking the eclectic Congolese forward to a two-year, $19 million deal. The Clips also picked up Luke Kennard in a deal that saw them lose Landry Shamet and they re-signed Marcus Morris (four-year, $64 million) with one of the biggest overpays of this free agent frenzy. The Ibaka signing was big, but the Clippers definitely came out of this period looking worse than the Lakers.
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Los Angeles Lakers (+325): Though they didn’t get Ibaka, the Lakers did get reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell (two-year, $19 million), sharpshooting role player Wesley Matthews (one-year, $3.6 million), depth piece Markieff Morris (one-year, bet minimum), and playmaking big man Marc Gasol (two-year, undisclosed) on what seem to be very team-friendly deals.
The Lakers also re-signed guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year $40 million deal. The Lakers would seem to have filled the few needs that they had with high-quality replacements. If you’re going to bet on any team to win it all this season, LeBron, AD, and these Lakers would seem to be the safest bet as +325 odds favorites.
- Miami Heat (+1,600): The Heat had a swarming and opponent-frustrating defensive unit last season on their way to the Eastern Conference title, and now it’s even better. The Heat lost Jae Crowder to the Suns, but they replaced him with Mo Harkless (one-year, $3.6) and also picked up defensive stalwart Avery Bradley (two-year, $11.6 million) from the defending champs. Miami also brought back Bam Adebayo (five-year, $163 million), Kelly Olynyk (player option, $13.6 million), Meyers Leonard (two-year, $20 million), and Goran Dragic (two-year, undisclosed). As the main competition for the Nets, the Heat are offering great value at +650 odds (888sport) to win the Eastern Conference again.
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Milwaukee Bucks (+550): The Bucks are the only team other than the Nets and Heat that has a realistic shot at making the Finals from the East, and they have made some solid moves since flubbing on the Bogdan Bogdanovic signing last week. The Bucks brought in Bryn Forbes (two-year, undisclosed) to space the floor better, Torrey Craig to bolster the wing defense, Bobby Portis (two-year, $7.5 million) to add some quality front court depth, and underrated veteran point guard DJ Augustin (three-year, $21 million) to set the table and help with the scoring burden on the bench.
With the earlier trade that netted them stud Jrue Holiday, the Bucks now have a good-looking group that will be a top team in the East, but the question is, will this be the group that finally meshes perfectly with reigning MVP Giannis Antetkounmpo to put Milwaukee over the top and into an NBA Finals?
- New Orleans Pelicans (+6,000): With all of the recent turnover in New Orleans, their top pick last season, Zion Williamson, all of a sudden finds himself as the longest-tenured player on the Pelicans. Joining him and Brandon Ingram is seven-footer Steven Adams (two-year, $35 million), who becomes the final member of those Durant Thunder teams to make the exodus out of OKC. The Pelicans seem like they are still a fringe playoff team, but getting an unselfish and defensively adept veteran big man like Adams to help lead this group of youngsters seems like a shrewd move.
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New York Knicks (+50,000): The Knicks basically unloaded all of the atrocious contracts they signed last offseason and re-signed only one, Elfrid Payton (one-year, $5 million), to a much cheaper contract. The laughingstocks of the league also somehow landed quality bench scorer Austin Rivers (three-year, $10 million).
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Oklahoma City Thunder (+15,000): After being traded for the third time in one week, Trevor Ariza finally ended up in Oklahoma City where he will be surrounded by draft picks as general manager Sam Presti continues to hoard. They added to their stockpile with 2021 first and second round picks (Oubre trade), as well as a first and second in 2023 and a second in 2024 (Adams trade). Is there such a thing as too many draft picks? Presti is sure as heck about to find out.
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Philadelphia 76ers (+2,500): After unloading the ugly Al Horford and Josh Richardson contracts, the 76ers now have a lot more breathing room as well as vastly improved spacing with the additions of Seth Curry and Danny Green. Philly also supplemented their frontcourt defense by picking up Dwight Howard (one-year, $2.6 million). The Sixers should be a quality playoff team, but challenging the likes of the Nets, Bucks, or Heat doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Philly this season.
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Phoenix Suns (+4,000): After picking up point god Chris Paul in a multi team trade last week, the Suns continued to fill out a roster that is really starting to take on the look of a contender. They signed quality swingman Jae Crowder (three-year, $30 million) and a solid three-point shooting big man in Dario Saric (three-year, $27 million) that could pair well with DeAndre Ayton. The Suns have been abysmal for some time, but it seems 2021 will be the year that they finally ascend to true contention in the West. Any future bet on the Suns to make the playoffs should still be offering solid value.
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Portland Trailblazers (+4,500): The Blazers made a few decent roster moves over the weekend, but it was really the acquisition of premiere defender and sharpshooter Robert Covington from the Rockets that was the big win for this franchise. Portland also picked up Enes Kanter in a multi team trade, re-signed Rodney Hood (two-year, $21 million) and Carmelo Anthony (one-year, undisclosed), and picked up Derrick Jones Jr. (two-year, $19 million) and Harry Giles (one-year, undisclosed). Look for the Blazers to make a playoff run much deeper than their first round exit this past year.
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Sacramento Kings (+15,000): The Kings are likely to let Bogdanovic walk, but they extended their franchise player, speed demon De’Aaron Fox, on a huge five-year $163 million deal that should make Kings fans very happy.
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Toronto Raptors (+2,000): The Raptors can’t have been happy to see both Ibaka and Gasol head to Hollywood, but they were able to replace them with a decent platoon of Aron Baynes (two-year, $14.3 million), Canadian youngster Chris Boucher (two-year, $13.5 million), and Alex Len (one-year, $2.3 million). Toronto also broke the bank to keep fan favorite Fred VanVleet (four-year, $85 million) in the North for the foreseeable future. The Raptors will be a playoff team and a tough out this year, but their days of competing for the Eastern Conference crown seem to be behind them. At least for now.
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Utah Jazz (+3,700): The Jazz kept most of their action in-house over the weekend, bringing back power forward Derrick Favors (three-year, $30 million), who had previously played nine seasons in Utah. They also re-signed crafty scorer Jordan Clarkson (four-year, $52 million), and locked up superstar Donovan Mitchell (five-year, $195 million) on a rookie max extension. The Jazz should be back in the playoff mix and hungry as ever in a competitive Western Conference in 2021.
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Washington Wizards (+20,000): The Wizards have indicated that there hasn’t been any trade request from John Wall, and that they look forward to the star playing for them soon. The Wiz also shelled out an arm and a leg on a deal for Davis Bertans (five-year, $80 million) that I can’t imagine they won’t regret. They did pick up seven-foot three-point sharpshooter Robin Lopez, who could help them remain a fringe playoff team in the East, but nothing more.
