With the first week of free agency over, the signings are slowing down to a crawl. Most teams have a rough outline of what their rosters will look like, barring the addition of a potential top-five player that will undoubtedly shake up the entire league.
Kevin Durant trade aside, five teams stood out for what they did in the first week. Here are my biggest winners from the NBA’s 2022 free agency period.
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The Clippers' wing depth makes them Western Conference Finals favorites
Major transactions:
- Signed John Wall to two years, $13 million
- Signed Nicolas Batum to two years, $22 million
- Signed Amir Coffey to three years, $11 million
- Signed Ivica Zubac to three years, $33 million
NBA analyst Danny Leroux likes to say that ownership is the biggest competitive advantage in the NBA. The Clippers’ Steve Ballmer is proving that adage true. Per Spotrac, his team is estimated to pay $144 million into the luxury tax this season. That’s close to the entire payroll for any of the non-taxpaying teams in the league.
Ballmer is putting that money to good use. John Wall is a nice low-risk addition that can still provide some scoring punch. Nicolas Batum has given the Clippers great production, and Amir Coffey might be the best completely unknown wing in the league.
While other teams are scrambling to find any wing that can play, the Clippers now have an embarrassment of riches with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Terance Mann, Batum and Coffey on their roster.
The Clippers did lose big man Isaiah Hartenstein to the Knicks (they couldn’t bring him back because of the Wall addition), but they locked up Zubac to a long-term deal. They might not need much depth behind him at center – they will have one of the most killer small ball lineups in the league come playoff time.
They’re my very early pick to make it out of the Western Conference this season.
The Jazz won big in the Rudy Gobert trade
Major transactions:
- Traded Rudy Gobert in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, four first-round picks (unprotected in 2023, 2025, 2027, and top-five protected in 2029), first-round pick swap in 2026
- Traded Royce O’Neale for a first-round pick
The Rudy Gobert trade was a good one for both teams, but it was outstanding for the Jazz. This type of draft compensation – four first-round picks, a pick swap in 2026 and Walker Kessler, the No. 22 pick in this year’s draft – is outrageous from a historical perspective.
The Wolves are making a bet that Gobert will keep them out of the lottery through that 2027 window. But the NBA is an unpredictable league. The Nets made that same gamble when they traded for James Harden. Ask them how that’s working out for them now.
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Lost in the shuffle of all of the draft equity, including another pick that the Jazz got by moving Royce O’Neale, is that they also got some nice veterans back from the Wolves.
Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt were most of the reason why the Wolves formed a respectable No. 13 defense last regular season. Those guys will have trade value if the Jazz want to completely tear their team down to the studs. If they decide to hold onto them, then that immediately addresses the Jazz’s massive Achilles heel of perimeter defense that has led them to playoff disappointment in the Gobert-Donovan Mitchell era.
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The Celtics plugged all of their holes with Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari
Major transactions:
- Received Malcolm Brogdon in exchange for Daniel Theis, Aaron Nesmith, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, 2023 first-round pick
- Signed Danilo Gallinari to a two-year deal with the taxpayer midlevel exception
The Celtics were a fantastic team last season, but their two most glaring weaknesses were a lack of playmaking from a lead guard that could take care of the ball and consistent 3-point shooting.
If Malcolm Brogdon can stay somewhat healthy, then he addresses that first need perfectly.
That’s a big if, as he’s averaged only 55.5 games played per season in his career and was healthy enough for just 36 last season. Brogdon is a heady pick-and-roll player that can save the Celtics from themselves when their offense experiences dreaded lulls during games.
Danilo Gallinari is a nice bench addition that addresses that second need. He turns 34 in August and can’t stay in front of anyone anymore on defense, but he can still shoot the heck out of the ball. He connected on 38 percent of his 4.5 attempts per game last season for the Hawks.
The Celtics have added some offensive punch to what should be the league’s best defense next season. They’re my early pick to come out of the East, barring a Durant trade to one of the other contending teams.
The Lakers found a potential trade for Russell Westbrook with Kyrie Irving
Major transactions:
- Signed Lonnie Walker for a one-year deal, $6.5 million
- Signed Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Troy Brown Jr. to minimum deals
- Signed Damian Jones to a two-year, $4.9 million contract
The Lakers are the big winners here not for what they did in free agency, but for potentially finding a massive upgrade over Russell Westbrook. The Westbrook for Kyrie Irving swap hasn’t happened yet. But even the possibility of that deal is a big win. The Lakers had zero serious title aspirations before that trade opened up. Now, they have a viable pathway.
Westbrook was obviously a terrible fit for the Lakers as soon as that trade became announced last year. They badly need some shooting to put around Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Westbrook was the opposite – a ball-dominant non-shooter that clogged the lane for everyone.
Irving solves so many of those same issues. He’s a fantastic 3-point shooter and can provide way more efficient offense.
The rest of the Lakers' free agency moves were a mixed bag. Their biggest acquisition was bringing in Lonnie Walker with their taxpayer midlevel exception. He’s a busted prospect that the Spurs gave up on. It’s a move somewhat at the margins, but I thought that they could have done better. Juan Toscano-Anderson is a nice add. He won’t have major impact, but he’s solid in a bunch of different areas. Thomas Bryant is an extremely efficient young big man who, if healthy, can provide some stretch shooting. Damian Jones is another decent young big with some athleticism. And Troy Brown Jr. is another busted prospect that I don’t believe in, but they’re not risking anything with a flier on the minimum.
The Kings got better by adding Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk
Major transactions:
- Acquired Kevin Huerter in exchange for Justin Holiday, Mo Harkless, 2025 protected first-round pick
- Signed Malik Monk for a two-year deal, $19 million
Everyone likes to clown the Kings, but they made some nice under-the-radar moves this offseason.
I loved their pickup of Kevin Huerter. He has a lot more playmaking ability than what he got to show alongside Trae Young with the Hawks. And his career 38 percent 3-point shooting is obviously immensely valuable, particularly considering that many of them came off movement.
Huerter is a tough, heady player who turns 24 in August. He still has room to improve, and the cost to get him was shockingly low. The Kings aren’t missing much by losing two veterans on expiring contracts and a protected future first-round pick.
Malik Monk was another very nice addition. Monk was one of the rare bright spots on the Lakers last season. He’s another great 3-point shooter that has improved defensively and, also at 24, still has room to improve.
Monk and Huerter are perfect pieces to put alongside the De’Aaron Fox-Domantas Sabonis duo that is going to control most of the action on offense. The Kings got better both in the present and for their future. They deserve some credit for that.
