Free agency winners and losers: Thunder's time is now, Clippers fading

The NBA’s first week of free agency hasn’t played out in its traditional, roller-coaster manner, so what?

As teams watch their pockets ever more closely due to the potential impact of becoming a second apron team, it’s certainly made for fewer transactions but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been enough to chew on.

Since June 30, we’ve seen the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder bolster their title credentials, the Los Angeles Clippers’ aspirations disintegrate, and the Denver Nuggets take a serious dent to their contention hopes.

The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James tried to woo the likes of Klay Thompson but to no avail, the New York Knicks may have some rejigging to do, and the Boston Celtics just gets to sit back and watch.

Here are the biggest winners and losers of NBA free agency thus far:

WINNER: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

There’s a new sheriff in town, folks, and it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.

At the trade deadline in February, GM Sam Presti took some criticism for not making a move to address the team’s most glaring weakness: a lack of size. While experts theorized over the different centre options who could potentially be available, Presti went out and got oft-injured veteran wing Gordon Hayward. A former star with the Utah Jazz, Hayward logged a total of 46 playoff minutes.

Presti, as always, had the long game in mind and didn’t want to pick up a Band-Aid solution when it might come back to bite them a few months later. By being patient, he and the Thunder organization were reportedly able to snag Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks and address their need for a bruising centre in much better fashion than they could have at the trade deadline.

While not a free agency transaction, trading disgruntled guard Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for one of the best defenders in the league in Alex Caruso has the Thunder in better shape when it comes to defending the likes of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Oklahoma City finished 57-25 last season, tied with Denver for the best record in the conference. With the new additions, sole possession of top spot looks probable, and that means a Canadian winning MVP may be on the horizon, too.

LOSER: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS AND KAWHI LEONARD

Let’s start here: When Kawhi Leonard decided he was going to leave the Toronto Raptors for the Clippers, it was he who wanted Paul George as a teammate and was adamant L.A. do whatever was necessary to acquire him.

What ended up being necessary? Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks, two pick swaps and veteran Danilo Gallinari.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting this past season, one of those first-round picks has already yielded rising star Jalen Williams, and now George has reportedly left the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers. For the five years he and Leonard teased the idea of being the best two-way wing pairing in the league, the team finished with one Conference Finals appearance, a pair of first-round exits and an embarrassing collapse against the Nuggets in 2019-20 after leading the West semis 3-1.

Derrick Jones Jr. will be a nice addition, but he’s nowhere near George’s stratosphere. With the picks owed to Oklahoma City, a new $2 billion arena that will require the team to be competitive, and no tantalizing young players on the roster, this could be the start of a long, frustrating rebuild.

Leonard and James Harden as a duo — with little else surrounding them — likely won’t be enough to compete for a championship, so how long will it be before they seek greener pastures?

It’s felt this way for some time now, but there’s no doubting that from a purely basketball standpoint, Leonard made the worst free agent decision in league history.

WINNER: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Speaking of the Sixers, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was also patient at the trade deadline. He knew he had set the team up with cap space for a major acquisition this summer and didn’t want to do anything to get in the way of that. Philadelphia did acquire Buddy Hield, but that was only because he was an upcoming free agent. Hield wouldn’t impact the money available this summer and didn’t cost much, either.

George was the primary target and now they reportedly have him. A Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George is certainly intimidating, and the newly acquired 34-year-old should not only fit like a glove on the offensive end but instantly becomes the team’s best defensive option on the perimeter.

Philadelphia was sitting pretty at 29-13 last season and Embiid bettering his MVP-winning season the previous year while Maxey showed he was more than capable of being Robin to Embiid’s Batman. After an injury to Embiid’s lateral meniscus in his left knee, the big man’s absence sent the Sixers into a 10-22 tailspin that left the Sixers scrambling to avoid the Play-In and missing out on home court for the playoffs.

George is the calibre of player who should help Embiid manage his body through the regular season without worrying about having to see his team plummet in the standings. This, of course, is presuming George himself can stay on the court. Prior to last season where he played 74 games, George played 56, 31, 54 and 48 games in each of the four prior seasons.

With more subtle additions in Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond as well, Philadelphia should feel good about being the second-best team in the East.

LOSER: DENVER NUGGETS

Denver is a prime example of just how fast the night changes. Sitting pretty on the throne a year ago, the losses of Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and now Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have put a damper on their title chances.

Nikola Jokic still stands as the best player in the game and his pairing alongside Jamal Murray is as elite as it gets. However, depth has become increasingly crucial with the increasing cap constraints and a big reason the Nuggets lost Game 7 of the West semis to the Minnesota Timberwolves despite being up 20 on their home floor is because Jokic and Murray’s combined 69-point output was outdone by getting just 21 points from the rest of the team.

Caldwell-Pope has been a poised floor spacer as well as a strong perimeter defender over the years. His two championship rings — one with the Lakers in 2020 — make him one of the most coveted role players in the league currently. With the way player salaries have increased, it was certainly a surprise to see Denver not compete with the Orlando Magic's reported three-year, $66 million offer. Alas, this is an ownership group that has made it crystal clear it won’t incur tax penalties regardless of having a generational talent at the top of its roster.

It’s disappointing to see, and Nuggets fans are now left hoping the youth brigade of Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther make massive strides for next season.

WINNER: DALLAS MAVERICKS

Jones was an extremely impactful player for Dallas last season. Imagine, though, telling Mavs fans that a year after the team found gold with Jones on a veteran minimum contract, the team was going to acquire Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson struggled last season and there are real signs the ACL tear from 2019 and Achilles rupture in 2020 have left a player who is a shadow of himself. It’s also possible that this was the perfect time for Thompson to find a change of scenery.

Dallas reportedly got themselves some insurance, too, in the form of Naji Marshall. A plus-defender who can handle the ball and offer some floor spacing, the Mavs offence showed last season that they need a bit more variety than a bunch of guys who are either going to catch-and-shoot or rim run.

P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford proved to be great additions, and the two newest faces will help keep the Mavs a serious contender in the West.

LOSER: NEW YORK KNICKS

Hartenstein was a revelation for the Knicks after Mitchell Robinson went down with injury. His rebounding, screen setting and touch around the basket made him invaluable to New York’s rotation and now he’s gone.

Robinson is far too injury prone to be relied upon as a starting centre, and trading Julius Randle almost seems necessary at this point. Again, life comes at you quick in the NBA and despite reportedly making an important acquisition in Mikal Bridges, you wish for more when sacrificing five first-round picks and a pick swap to do so.

Bridges and OG Anunoby will be a nightmare defensive wing duo to go up against, but how consistently will Anunoby be healthy playing Tom Thibodeau minutes? Good for Anunoby securing the bag, but a five-year extension worth $212.5M is going to take some living up to, and we know how New York fans can get if things go south.

The Knicks were certainly a better team after the acquisition of Anunoby, but it’s worth remembering that part of what aided their ascent to the No. 2 seed was the injury to Embiid and a down year for Damian Lillard and Milwaukee. Orlando has improved its roster, has better paths to further upgrades, and were just three wins behind New York last season. The Pacers just took the Knicks out of the playoffs, and you can never underestimate Heat Culture™.

Was last season lightning in a bottle and a high point or genuinely the start of something? Let’s see if and how the Knicks dig out of this big man hole first.