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Day 2 of NBA free agency gave us some shocking news. Not only did a title contender lose a key player, but we saw a star tandem get surprisingly broken up.
We’ll dive into that and everything else that happened. We’ve got the big moves, the expected re-sign agreements, head-scratchers, things we’re on the fence about and a lot more below. We’ll get through all of them from Day 2 with grades for some and emojis for others. Remember: Deals only become official July 6 when the moratorium is over. Let’s start with that shocking news of the day we mentioned.
Bucks to waive Damian Lillard, sign Myles Turner (four years, $107 million)
When the news broke Tuesday morning that the Milwaukee Bucks were plucking Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers, it was stunning. The assumption was that after a run to the NBA Finals, and being a Tyrese Haliburton Achilles injury away from possibly winning a Game 7 and championship, the Pacers would keep everybody together and run it back for when their star guard was healed. They openly spoke about the priority of retaining Turner this summer. They privately spoke about doing what it took to have Turner come back to the team — his only NBA home since he was drafted in 2015.
That wasn’t the case. He agreed to a four-year contract for $107 million with a player option and a trade kicker in Milwaukee. It seemed like a reasonable contract for the Pacers to not only match but possibly exceed. That apparently wasn’t the case. The more curious part of this whole ordeal, though, was wondering how the Bucks, in their extreme financial constraints, could swing this deal. And then the other sneaker dropped on Bobby Bonilla Day.
The Bucks are planning to waive Damian Lillard and stretch the remaining $113 million left on his deal over the next five seasons. It’s an extreme decision and a creative risk financially, but this is also an extreme situation for the Bucks. There is a looming assumptive threat that Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the verge of re-evaluating whether this franchise is still for him. And having one-third of the salary cap taken by a player rehabbing an Achilles injury just didn’t make sense for a team that has been knocked out of the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons.
The Bucks didn’t have much wiggle room to improve the roster. They swung for an improvement at the February trade deadline, moving an aging, kind of broken Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, and Kuzma was a dud. They desperately need him to have a resurgence this season. They don’t have playmaking guards on the roster and need the returning Kevin Porter Jr. to harness all of the immense talent he possesses into the consistency that has Euro stepped around his career to this point.
They’ve made small moves within the margins so far with agreements to bring back Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Jericho Sims. They jettisoned Pat Connaughton to create more cap room to fit Turner’s deal. They’ve persuaded Gary Harris to join on a small deal. These are all solid, but the biggest switch they’re hoping makes a difference is essentially swapping out Brook Lopez (recently departed for the LA Clippers) for Turner.
The change allows the Bucks to play a more versatile defensive system. They were forced to play drop coverage exclusively with Lopez, and Turner can do a lot more on that end of the floor. But Turner isn’t much of a playmaker, is an inconsistent scorer and is a poor rebounder. He can stretch the floor, so that will help, but he’s not some dynamite All-NBA guy.
It’s still a much more significant move than anybody thought the Bucks could pull off this summer. Does it place them with the Cleveland Cavaliers or New York Knicks? No. What about the Orlando Magic or Detroit Pistons? No. Can they hang with what’s left of the Boston Celtics? What about Atlanta as the Hawks make more moves? What about a theoretically healthy Philadelphia 76ers squad? These Bucks are still asking Giannis to be Superman every night and pull them to victory.
Turner helps, but he also costs roughly $50 million. Yes, his annual salary works out to an average of about $27 million, but you also have to factor in the $22.5 million of dead cap space for Lillard’s stretched deal. That’s about 15 percent of the cap toward dead money each year for the next five seasons. But the Bucks are taking a swing with Turner by Giannis’ side. We’ll see how long they’re actually side-by-side in Milwaukee.
Big moves
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agrees to supermax extension (four years, $285 million)
We knew this deal was coming, and we knew the number would be historic. It’s a projected average annual salary of $71.25 million that will pay Gilgeous-Alexander roughly $80 million in the final year of his contract. The Thunder had to do it, and he’s one of the few players you justify doing it for. He’s the reigning league MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a champion. The Thunder will eventually be forced to make some tough decisions, and this contract will be a part of forcing those tough decisions — whether that means getting rid of a Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams down the line or consistently having a revolving door of role players by using all those first-round picks. SGA is worth it, though. And the Thunder have him locked into one of the smallest markets in sports until at least 2031. Grade: A
Jakob Poeltl agrees to extension with Raptors (four years, $104 million)
There was some concern going into the draft that Poeltl might bail in free agency next year. It had people wondering if center Khaman Maluach might be Toronto’s pick at No. 9. Instead, the Raptors have locked Poeltl into the starting role for another four years beyond this season, and at a very reasonable rate for a center of his caliber. He’s essentially getting the same money as Turner. He’s excellent on both ends of the floor, and the Raptors need that stability in the middle. Grade: A-
Expected returns
Tre Mann agrees to re-sign with Hornets (three years, $24 million)
Mann has only played 181 games in four seasons, and he looked like he was going to have a breakout campaign last season. But he only played in 13 games before a disc herniation in his back kept him out for pretty much the entire season. He looks like he can be a real sixth-man-type of weapon off the bench for Charlotte, so getting him for this type of money is a solid signing. Just need to make sure his back is fine. Grade: B+
Eric Gordon agrees to re-sign with 76ers (one year)
Not sure what kind of market was there for Gordon after he had the least productive season of his career, but the 36-year-old guard is coming back to provide some depth on the perimeter. Jared McCain coming back from his injury and drafting VJ Edgecombe make this one-year deal a depth play for Gordon and the Sixers. Grade: B
On-the-fence deals
Guerschon Yabusele agrees to sign with Knicks (two years, $12 million)
I know everybody freaked out about how Yabusele played in the Paris Olympics, and he was really good. He even dunked on LeBron James. I just didn’t think he moved the needle much on Philadelphia last season, although that was a tough situation. We’ll see if he provides actual depth for the Knicks, or if he’s just a big-man mascot type of bench player. The fact that he’s sporting a 3-point shot in this NBA stint makes it far more palatable. Grade: C+
Duncan Robinson agrees to sign with Pistons (three years, $48 million)
This seems like a lot of money for a shooter who doesn’t do much else on the court. Robinson flashed a bit of a handle in the last season or two, and creating for himself against hard closeouts would help his game. Defensively, he can’t provide much stability in the individual or team concept. He’s still a great 3-point shooter, hitting 39.4 percent of his 3-pointers over the last two seasons. If I were Detroit, I would’ve liked that money to go to more of a 3-and-D guy. Grade: C+
Great values
Gary Harris agrees to sign with Bucks (two years, $7.5 million)
If the Bucks get the Harris from the Denver days, it’s a great signing. If the Bucks get the Harris from the Orlando days, it’s a fine signing. Either way, he’s a cheap signing with a solid ceiling as a role player and 3-and-D option. Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili agrees to sign with Raptors (two years, $5.5 million)
I think this is a great play for the Raptors for their backup center behind Poeltl. In fact, I probably would’ve rather the San Antonio Spurs stuck with him at this price than add Luke Kornet at $41 million over four years. Grade: A
Tim Hardaway Jr. agrees to sign with Nuggets (one year, minimum)
The Nuggets continue to have a great offseason with this one. They needed veterans to round out the bench, and he’s going to be a nice shooter for Nikola Jokić to pass to. Grade: A
Larry Nance Jr. agrees to sign with Cavaliers (one year, minimum)
The Cavs don’t necessarily need Nance in their rotation, but he’s a solid veteran and a nice option to have in case of emergency. Great for a veteran minimum deal. Grade: A
Head-scratchers
Dennis Schröder agrees to sign with Kings (three years, $45 million)
We wrote about this as a head-scratcher on Tuesday, but I wanted to update it with the money known. Schröder for midlevel exception money on a three-year deal doesn’t feel like the best option. The Kings didn’t want to throw this deal at Tyus Jones? Maybe he only wanted the Magic with what they have going and their path in the East. The third year is partially guaranteed for Schröder, but now it feels like the Kings have a point guard to battle DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine for shots. Grade: C+
Trades of the day
Kings trade Jonas Valančiūnas to Nuggets for Dario Šarić
This is a phenomenal trade for the Nuggets. Perhaps the non-Jokić minutes won’t be so disastrous moving forward. That’s been the biggest problem for Denver in the past. And all they had to give up was Šarić? They didn’t even want him on the roster in the first place, as he didn’t work out as a signing last season. They’re still under the luxury tax with this move, and they’ve filled a massive need. No longer do they have to “Weekend at Bernie’s” DeAndre Jordan in that role.
As for the Kings, they save about $5 million to make the Schröder signing easier. Maybe Šarić can be a backup four or five for them. In theory, he could fill the Trey Lyles role if Lyles exits in free agency. Or he can battle Drew Eubanks for some backup center minutes. He just can’t be as bad as he was last year. Grade: A for Denver | C+ for Sacramento
Bucks trade Pat Connaughton, two seconds to Hornets for Vasilije Micić
The Bucks needed to pull off this trade to acquire Turner. Stretching the Lillard contract alone wasn’t going to pull that off. Connaughton was going to be a cap casualty this summer no matter what, as they found guys to fill that role already. Maybe he can help out Charlotte with its wing depth, although the Hornets drafted Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley this summer.
If Milwaukee keeps Micić, he could provide a little bit of depth in the backcourt for a playmaking guard. The Bucks also rescinded their qualifying offer to Ryan Rollins, so they’re pretty bare in lead guard options. Grade: B for Charlotte | C+ for Milwaukee
Small deals: Quick-hit edition
Jericho Sims agrees to re-sign with Bucks (two years)
Big-man depth, and he can really leap out of the gym. I’m just not certain you’ll want him playing a lot. Yay or nay? 👍
Josh Minott agrees to sign with Celtics (two years, $5 million)
He was a casualty of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ financial clamps, but Minott is a good development option for the Celtics. Yay or nay? 👍
Drew Eubanks agrees to sign with Kings (one year)
The Clippers waived Eubanks to make room for Lopez, and he’s a decent backup center option for the Kings on a minimum. Yay or nay? 👍
Names to keep an eye on
Big names: Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Al Horford, Ben Simmons
Restricted free agents: Cam Thomas, Josh Giddey, Christian Koloko, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, Isaiah Jackson
Veteran lead guards: Malcolm Brogdon, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cameron Payne, Monte Morris, Delon Wright, Elfrid Payton, Jordan McLaughlin
Important veterans: Gary Payton II, Trey Lyles, Amir Coffey, De’Anthony Melton, Dante Exum, Markelle Fultz, Malik Beasley
Young guys to take a chance on: Bol Bol, Bones Hyland, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bryce McGowens, Wendell Moore Jr., EJ Liddell, JT Thor, Brandon Boston Jr., Jared Butler, Caleb Houstan
Mentors: Kyle Lowry, Patty Mills, Tristan Thompson, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, DeAndre Jordan
Big men: Chris Boucher, Thomas Bryant, Marvin Bagley, III, Moe Wagner, Jaxson Hayes, Bismack Biyombo, Alex Len, Kai Jones, Charles Bassey
Forwards: Markieff Morris, Vlatko Cancar, Dominick Barlow, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
Wings and shooters: Doug McDermott, Alec Burks, Torrey Craig, Jae Crowder, Seth Curry, Landry Shamet, Lonnie Walker IV, Damion Lee, Garrison Mathews, Javonte Green, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dalano Banton
Plumlees and Zellers: Marshall, Miles, Cody, Tyler, Luke
(Top photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Myles Turner: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
