The NBA Free Agency period is upon us with a number of players wasting no time in putting pen to paper. Many of the anticipated moves were confirmed quite quickly, however, there were plenty of surprises. There remain a number of dominos yet to fall and lineups are certainly far from certain. There were definitely winners and losers with the Nets, Pelicans, Jazz, 76ers, and Pacers all making a splash. On the flip side, the Knicks and Hornets would appear destined for the tank, although, could provide sneaky fantasy value. Fantrax will deep dive into a number of the player moves over the coming days. For now, let’s look at the immediate impact of every fantasy relevant deal that went down.
Reported Player Deals
— Kyrie Irving plans to sign a four-year, $142 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
Fantasy Value – Hold
This deal was about as certain as they come and Irving is finally a member of the Nets. He finished last season as a top-10 player and while that could be his ceiling, he should remain a solid second-round guy, especially with Kevin Durant on the shelf.
— Kemba Walker plans to sign a four-year, $141 deal with the Boston Celtics.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Walker ended last season as the 18th ranked player on what was a terrible Hornets team. He is certainly not going to need to be as ball dominant as he has been over the past few seasons. His pure numbers could take a small hit but his floor almost definitely increases being on a competing squad.
— Klay Thompson plans to sign a five-year, $190 deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Thompson is going to remain a Warrior for the foreseeable future but will, of course, miss a large portion of the upcoming season. He is worth grabbing with a late pick if your league has injury spots.
— Kristaps Porzingis plans to sign a five-year, $158 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Porzingis inked a five-year deal and should be fully healthy come opening night. His value remains a little uncertain, however, given he will be 18 months removed from the injury, there will be no excuses. Fantasy managers are going to likely have to use a third-round pick to secure his services, although, there is a chance he is hyped as draft season progresses.
— Nikola Vucevic plans to sign a four-year, $100 million deal with the Orlando Magic.
Fantasy Value – Hold
After rumblings Vucevic would be traded last season, he turned in a spectacular campaign. He was rewarded with a lucrative contract and should come close to replicating his numbers. He finished the season as a fringe first-round player but could certainly be underrated in many drafts. Managers could sneak him onto their roster with a pick in the mid-twenties, a number he should be able to maintain throughout the season.
— Harrison Barnes plans to sign a four-year, $85 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Barnes had very little fantasy value in 2018-19, ending the season as the 145th ranked player. There is no reason to think that will change and he is really only worth a look late in most standard formats.
— Brook Lopez plans to sign a four-year, $52 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Much like Nikola Vucevic, Lopez has been rewarded with a long-term deal after a solid season. He is a perfect fit for the Bucks and should basically fill the same role once again. He ended last season as the 55th ranked player and will likely flirt with top-50 value once again.
— Kevin Durant plans to sign a four-year, $164 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets, via sign-and-trade.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Much like Kyrie Irving, this one came as no surprise once free-agency kicked off. Durant is likely going to miss the entire season and so is going to have no value in redraft leagues at this stage. Managers in dynasty formats could look to cash in if someone is trying to offload him as they push for the championship.
— Rudy Gay plans to sign a two-year, $32 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Gay will remain on the Spurs and will once again be one of the more reliable fantasy players. His ceiling is not the highest but his solid floor should ensure he finishes as a top-100 player.
— Terry Rozier plans to sign a three-year, $58 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Rozier is arguably the biggest winner in terms of fantasy value, landing in an ideal situation. The Hornets lost their two most talented players meaning Rozier should basically have the green light moving forward. Despite the increased role, Rozier has yet to prove himself as a regular starter and there is a very real possibility he is over-drafted in many spots. This rings very similar to when Dennis Schroder was starting for the Hawks, and managers should tread carefully.
— Khris Middleton plans to sign a five-year, $178 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Middleton has signed on long-term and is likely to maintain his current role. Coming off what was a bit of a down season, Middleton could be a bit of a bounce-back option for this upcoming campaign. Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic are both gone which could mean Middleton can return to being a top-40 player.
— JJ Redick plans to sign a two-year, $26.5 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Redick will leave the 76ers, moving to what is going to be an extremely fun Pelicans team. It is unclear whether he will come off the bench or start alongside Jrue Holiday, but either way, his value appears as though it will take a small hit. He finished last season just inside the top-100 but really only offers upside in scoring, three-pointers, and free-throw percentage. All numbers that could be impacted by a reduced role.
— Derrick Rose plans to sign a two-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Pistons.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Rose shifts to yet another team, penning a two-year deal with the Pistons. He turned his career around during his time with the Timberwolves and should get run at both guard spots next season. He could be worth grabbing with a late pick, although, his skill set is certainly limited.
— Thaddeus Young plans to sign a three-year, $41 million deal with the Chicago Bulls.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
In one of the more curious moves, Young moves to a Bulls team where he may find himself coming off the bench. Young had himself a solid 2018-19, ending as the 77th ranked player. That came on the back of high efficiency and his solid defensive numbers. This seems like a situation where he could lose playing time, however. Who really knows with the Bulls.
— Dewayne Dedmon plans to sign a three-year, $41 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Dedmon is coming off what was a bit of a breakout season in which averaged a triple-one. The Kings would appear to be moving forward with a young core, however, Dedmon could still have late-round value in many formats.
— Jonas Valanciunas plans to sign a three-year, $45 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Valanciunas clearly enjoyed his finish to the season in Memphis, moving quickly to secure a long-term deal. His value is capped somewhat by the drafting of Brandon Clarke, however, he should still be a solid mid-round player moving forward.
— Terrence Ross plans to sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the Orlando Magic.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Ross has been sought after by a number of teams but ultimately elected to remain with the Magic. He will likely maintain his role as the sixth-man and should, therefore, produce similar numbers moving forward. He is someone to consider with a late-round selection given his ability to score in high-volume as well as collect steals.
— Al-Farouq Aminu plans to sign a three-year, $29 million deal with the Orlando Magic.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Aminu is unlikely to see an increase in production on a Magic team with a lot of depth in the frontcourt. He was barely a standard league play last season and is more of a streaming option, as opposed to a regular rotational piece.
— Trevor Ariza plans to sign a two-year, $25 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Ariza is likely to see a dip in his playing time but could still hold relevance in standard formats. His value comes almost entirely from his three-point shot and defensive abilities. With the more offensive talent around him, an increase in efficiency is not out of the question.
— Ricky Rubio plans to sign a three-year, $51 million deal with the Phoenix Suns.
Fantasy Value – Increase
The Suns finally have a point guard with the ability to deliver on both ends of the floor. His passing skills had taken somewhat of a backseat over the past two seasons with the Jazz. However, he has the reigns now and with Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton both improving all the time, Rubio could be a value pick in the middle rounds of many drafts.
— Jeremy Lamb plans to sign a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Lamb is coming off the best season of his career and moves to a contending team, intent on making a deep push. Malcolm Brogdon was also signed by the Pacers, giving them one of the more exciting backcourts. Victor Oladipo is likely to miss at least the first two months of the season meaning Lamb will figure heavily from the outset. His numbers could take a hit as the season progresses but managers should still view him as a target in the middle rounds.
— Bojan Bogdanovic plans to sign a four-year, $73 million deal with the Utah Jazz.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Despite what was a magnificent season, Bogdanovic finished as just the 93rd ranked player. The Jazz would appear as though they want to give him time at the power forward position and his shot attempts will almost certainly take a hit. Given his value is basically tied to his scoring, his value is at best, a hold.
— Malcolm Brogdon plans to sign a four-year, $85 million deal with the Indiana Pacers via sign-and-trade.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Much like Terry Rozier, Brogdon figures to be one of the big winners after free agency. He moves to the Pacers on a long term deal and is almost certainly going to open up as the starting point guard. Darren Collison recently announced his retirement meaning Aaron Holiday is the only other point guard on the roster. Brogdon had an impressive playoff run and is going to be mentioned in a lot of sleeper discussions for this upcoming season.
— Thomas Bryant plans to sign a three-year, $25 million deal with the Washington Wizards.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Bryant is in a curious position with Dwight Howard still on the roster for the Wizards. The fact they made him a priority speaks volumes but there is certainly a good chance his value takes a hit. He could be worth grabbing with a last pick as the upside is there for him to finish the season strongly.
— Rodney Hood plans to sign a two-year, $16 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Hood finished outside the top-200 last season and his role appears unlikely to change moving forward.
— Tobias Harris plans to sign a five-year, $180 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fantasy Value – Hold
The 76ers lost Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick, however, managed to hold onto Harris while adding Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Harris certainly saw his numbers drop after moving from the Clippers last season and that would not appear likely to change. His ceiling is not where it was during his time in LA but he has a very solid floor making him an almost assured top-50 player.
— Nerlens Noel plans to sign a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Unless the Thunder offload Steven Adams, Noel remains a blocks and steals streamer in most leagues.
— DeMarre Carroll plans to sign a two-year, $13 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Carroll finished last season outside the top 200 and the move to the Spurs will not increase his value. The Spurs certainly run a system built for Carroll but his playing time will almost assuredly be insufficient to have any real value.
— Julius Randle plans to sign a three-year, $63 million deal with the New York Knicks.
Fantasy Value – Hold
This move is basically the best outcome for Randle, leaving him in a favorable situation. He ended last season strongly and was the eventual 56th ranked player. His defensive abilities are mediocre at best, however, that matters very little on this Knicks roster. Managers will be looking at securing him with a pick in the middle rounds of most drafts.
— George Hill plans to sign a three-year, $29 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Hill was also rewarded by the Bucks after a strong showing during the postseason. With Malcolm Brogdon on the way out, Hill stands to see an increase in his production. The veteran doesn’t have the highest ceiling but has shown he can still fill a role. He could be someone to target in the later rounds if you are in need of cheap points, threes, and assists.
— Al Horford plans to sign a four-year, $109 million deal ($97m guaranteed) with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Horford lands in Philadelphia, rounding out what was a big night for the 76ers. He will likely spend the majority of his time playing next to Joel Embiid at his preferred position of power forward. However, given Embiid’s injury history, Horford could very well find himself shifting up a position from time to time. Horford’s value is not typically tied to his scoring but rather his ability to put up numbers across the board. After finishing last season as the 39th ranked player, Horford could find it tough to maintain that as long as the 76ers are at full strength.
— Jimmy Butler plans to sign a four-year, $142 million deal with the Miami Heat via sign-and-trade.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Butler gets his wish and is on the way out of Philadelphia, landing with the Heat. He is certainly going to assume the alpha role and should have the ball in his hands a lot more. The upside is there for Butler climb back into the top-20 but the risk of injury does add an element of risk. This trade has hit a bit of a snag with Dallas potentially dropping out as the third team. As long as things do move ahead, managers are going to be looking at Butler as a second-round player.
— Josh Richardson has been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers
Fantasy Value – Increase
Richardson is an excellent pickup for the 76ers, although, he will see likely see a reduction in his offensive output. That being said, he could return to being more of a defensive oriented player which could, in fact, increase his overall value. He rounded out last season as the 72nd ranked player but managed just 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks. If he can get those numbers back up, he could have value if he falls in drafts.
— DeAndre Jordan plans to sign a four-year, $40 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
Fantasy Value – Hold
This one came out the blue and Jordan will join Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on a new-look Nets squad. This does not bode well for Jarrett Allen and the fact the Nets now have two starting caliber centers could impact both sets of fantasy value. Jordan is far from the elite defender he once was but could still have mid-round value as long as he is seeing the bulk of the center minutes.
— Ed Davis plans to sign a two-year, $10 million deal with the Utah Jazz.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Davis lands in Utah and will serve as the backup to Rudy Gobert. Davis is an elite rebounder but barring an injury to Gobert, will be limited to no more than 18 minutes per game.
— Mario Hezonja plans to sign a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Hezonja had no real value last season but does move to what could be a more defined role. He has upside but is yet to fond consistency making him a hard guy to trust in standard formats.
— D’Angelo Russell plans to sign a four-year, $117 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Russell is heading to Oakland in one of the more surprising moves of the day. The Timberwolves were rumored to have been his first choice but the lure of contending was clearly too much. Russell is going to have to share the ball with Steph Curry and eventually Klay Thompson, meaning a likely hit to his usage. That being said, Thompson is going to miss the majority of the regular season and Russell could be someone that managers sleep on. The Warriors play at a faster pace than the Nets and Kevin Durant’s 18 shots have to go to someone. While his value is unclear in the long-term, he could very well still have value depending on where he is available.
— Robin Lopez plans to sign a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Lopez joins his brother in Milwaukee, giving the Bucks a very serviceable backup at the center spot. Lopez is coming off a reasonably strong season but any value he had is going to basically disappear.
— Taj Gibson plans to sign a two-year, $20 million deal with the New York Knicks.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Gibson returns to New York where he will serve as the backup power forward. His role is unlikely to change too much despite the new team and he will have no real value outside of deeper formats.
— Bobby Portis plans to sign a two-year, $31 million deal with the New York Knicks.
Fantasy Value – Decrease
Portis joins the ever-growing list of power forwards on the New York roster, making value hard to come by. He should still get plenty of shots running with the second unit but the value is just not there at this stage.
— Patrick Beverley plans to sign a three-year, $40 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Beverley wound up back with the Clippers despite rumors to the contrary. His value is certainly capped and the bigger news here is that it impacts the upside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Beverley will likely fill the same role as previous making him merely a three-points and steals streamer.
— Reggie Bullock plans to sign a two-year, $21 million deal with the New York Knicks.
Fantasy Value – Increase
Bullock finds himself with an opportunity to carve out a more fantasy-friendly role in New York. The Knicks are in desperate of both perimeter shooting and perimeter defense, both of which Bullock can deliver. His defensive strengths are not typically reflected in the boxscore but could earn him a significant role. This would give him late-round value with a hint of upside.
— Cory Joseph plans to sign a three-year, $37 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Fantasy Value – Hold
Joseph will serve as the backup to De’Aaron Fox meaning his value should remain restricted to deeper formats only.
Got a question about today’s free agency snapshot? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax or @fantraxnba
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Adam King joined FantraxHQ in 2018. He also currently writes for Rotowire and has previously written for Locked on Fantasy Basketball and Locked on Timberwolves. He has played sports his entire life with fantasy basketball becoming a passion over the past six years. By day, Adam is the service coordinator at the Autism Centre in Canberra, Australia. Adam was born and raised in Queanbeyan, Australia and currently resides in Bungendore, Australia with his wife and two children.
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