NBA free agency may not be officially over, but the marquee dominoes are off the board and we can start to evaluate what has happened.
Kevin Love turned out to be telling the truth all along when he said he would return to Cleveland, while LaMarcus Aldridge opted for a return to his home state of Texas to play for San Antonio. Plenty more happened, though, so let’s take a look at the winners and losers of free agency sweepstakes 2015. If you missed it, here is my pieceon the draft’s winners and losers.
WINNERS
Spurs
Hardly a free agency fixture under Gregg Popovich, this is an organization that has largely done its damage through the draft. Inking Aldridge, a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection with endless offensive ability, to a sparkling new max contract worth $80 million over four years sustains the Spurs’ championship window that much longer. He allows Tim Duncan — perhaps in his final year — to play fewer minutes and the opportunity to be defended without the slew of double teams.
Moreover, Aldridge, an elite pick-and-pop big man, can run it from anywhere on the floor with Tony Parker, who excels under Popovich’s side pick-and-roll action and spread out floor full of shooters. That’s where Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard come into play. Signing Aldridge was huge, but retaining Green and Leonard, two of the premier perimeter defenders and corner 3-point shooters in the league, is equally significant. San Antonio now ensures itself of being competitive for at least another four years, and in addition will be buoyed by the 34-year-old former All-Star David West taking the veteran’s minimum and turning down $10 million from Indiana. Frontcourt depth for the Spurs now goes from being a legitimate concern to a strength.
