NBA Free Agency is 11 days old, and many of the big names have already agreed to deals. With only a few impact players remaining on the open market, we have a good idea of which teams are the biggest winners - and the biggest losers - of free agency. All moves during the past few weeks have been considered, including some blockbuster trades. Here are the biggest winners from the offseason:
Boston landed the best free agent available (Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry weren't exactly "available") in Gordon Hayward, strengthening a team that had the Eastern Conference's best record last season. Their struggles in the playoffs showed they weren't really a contender, but with the addition of Hayward puts them in that category. Many still think they're the second best team in the East behind the Cavs, but Hayward has made the gap much, much smaller.
The surprising winners of the Paul George sweepstakes, OKC certainly won the trade market that surfaces around free agency. Not only did they land another superstar in George, they got rid of one of the worst contracts in the game in Victor Oladipo. Even if George is only there for one year (though it looks like OKC may be able to keep him around), the trade at least gave them future cap relief and makes them one of the top teams in the West this coming season.
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The Kings didn't do anything super splashy in free agency, but made several surprisingly smart signings in George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter. Following a successful draft in which they added some young core pieces, they got the veteran trio on contracts that allow them to serve as mentors for that young core over the next few seasons. Furthermore, those contracts are also short enough to where they won't inhibit cap space when those rookie contracts are up.
Another trade winner by landing Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves also improved in free agency by signing Jeff Teague to take over the starting point guard role from Ricky Rubio, who they traded to Utah. While Teague doesn't help Minnesota's defensive problems, he's a huge upgrade over Rubio on the offensive end, which they wanted to address this year. And, of course, adding a superstar like Butler immediately makes the Timberwolves a playoff team and a contender in the West.
To help cut down on the load times, the biggest losers of free agency can be found here!
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