Post by Majic on Sept 8, 2020 21:00:23 GMT
Welcome to our inaugural Free Agency Retrospective!
Me and Druce plan to do a few of these over the coming days/weeks, so keep a look out for more.
The article is pretty simple, we wanted to look at previous years Free Agency results and review the top 10 deals that were given out. To establish our top 10 we used the overall dollar value of the contracts signed. We then offer a little breakdown of how things panned out along with some analysis from both Druce and myself.
Hope you all enjoy, and in no particular order here are the 10:
Top 10 Signings 2041:
1) Globetrotters Sign PG Magic Johnson for $137,200,000 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Still playing on the signed contract, entering the 4th year of the deal, still with the Globtrotters.
Druce Analysis: Pretty obvious full max here. Can’t see this one being a regret short of an unforeseen auto immune virus...
Majic Analysis: This was a no-brainer offer and anyone with max space offered him as well. Magic has been a star since he entered the league and his game should age nicely into this contract. He gives you good scoring, great rebounding and overall strong defensive play. They won a title in the second year of this contract and it continues to be a great signing. With the addition of Murray, who is also on this list, I expect this team to continue to be at the top of the leaderboard.
2) Spurs Sign PG Jamal Murray for $120,312,500 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 4 of the signed contract. Was traded last season from the Spurs to the Globetrotters. Package included an older Beal and Serge Ibaka along with 2 first round picks, a 1.10 and a 1.3.
Druce Analysis: There was definitely a bit of risk involved, but not a ton in maxing Murray. I’d be really interested to see some upgrade points reset and thrown at his handling to see if he could be a super dominant PG. Don’t see the Globes making that move due to Magic, and had I traded for him that would have been my play. Will be interesting to see who the Spurs are able to nab with the #3 pick they acquired for him. Murray and Magic is the best backcourt in the league and I’m not sure there's much argument elsewhere. We’ll see if they can carry the Globes to a title here soon.
Majic Analysis: Murray was an intriguing prospect coming off an up and down first 4 years. He didn't do much his first 2 years in the league and then had a big 3rd year. He followed that up with a strong 4th year but still had some question marks, mainly his TO’s. His scoring was strong, good defense and solid rebounding for a PG. he looked like he might slide in nicely as a SG but signing him to a max was a bit of a risky situation given the unknown. Luckily for PointyEgg and the Spurs Murray really took another step once he was moved to the 2. Overall this ended up being a great signing and in my opinion well worth the money.
3) Bobcats Sign SF Purvis Short for $120,312,500 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 4 of the signed contract, all completed with the Bobcats.
Druce Analysis: Pretty easy to like this contract as well. Any time you can retain a talent like Short you have to do whatever you can to make that happen. Apparently this year was the year of relatively no brainer full maxes. Honestly a little surprised to see these 3 all retained. His scoring is great but what really sets him apart is how he hits the boards. Just a monster on the glass for a wing. Not much else to say about the contract here.
Majic Analysis: To me, Purvis looked like a really strong SF that could compete with just about anyone. Given positional scarcity in the FA market every year for good SF’s it seemed absurd to not offer him a max. Purvis has really grown and is now considered an elite player. His scoring is great, elite rebounding and solid defense, there’s really not a hole in his game. In addition, the Bobcats have fielded one of the best rosters over the last several years and alot of their success comes from the ability Purvis has. In short, great signing and one I think Odin would do over 100% of the time.
4) Mavericks Sign SG Buddy Hield for $63,977,117 over 6 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 2 he was selected by the Chicago Stags in the expansion draft. Was then Amnestied a season later and signed to a contract by the Amigos. Entering into year 2 of the new contract earning 5 million per year.
Druce Analysis: I’ve gotta think this one was almost an instant regret for Delap. Hield looked really good as a rookie, and had he grown any from that rookie year this wouldn’t be a bad deal. However it doesn’t appear he really grew at all. I think an outside offense is the only saving Hield at this point. He looked like shit last year for the Amigos but would be a solid piece in an outside offense with his small contract now. I see what the Stags were doing taking him in expansion, but there was little to no way for him to be as effective as he should be given his price unless the offense was tailored to his strength, and I think we’ve kinda determined that winning w/an outside offense is next to impossible right now.
Majic Analysis: Now we start getting into the players that got big contracts but may not have been at the top of everyone’s list. Hield had a really solid 4 years with Atlanta, but it never seemed like he was set to make this much money. There wasn't much that Hield did terribly, it more so felt like he never excelled, or made the team better, in those 4 years. To me, it seemed like he had already peaked and he wasn't going to get better, that viewpoint seems to have been proven true since the signing. Delap seemed to refret the signing almost immediately and left him unprotected for expansion. He was then selected but only made it another year before he was amnestied. BK was able to pick him up at a modest 5 million per year, and at that price point I think he is a steal. Overall it was a huge overpay for a player that is likely destined to live on the fringes of the league.
5) Bullets Sign PF Aaron Gordon for $49,500,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Played out all 3 years of the contract with the Bullets. Was signed this in this last FA period to a 1 year, 1 million deal.
Druce Analysis: To the naked eye, Gordon’s scoring numbers look really good. Then you look at his supporting cast and his turnover numbers and you just wonder why he got paid so much. Love kn but this looks to be a case of just looking at a guy surface level and tossing out money. He stinks.
Majic Analysis: Aaron Gordon has always been a player that does one thing really well, scoring, and not much else. He has always been the epitome of a “good stats bad team” guy as I don't think he has ever been a part of a winning team. The scoring is great, but if you are paying a guy $15+ million a year to only score, it's unlikely your team will be able to compete. There are way too many big men in the league that can both score and rebound/play defense. This helps offset Gordon’s overall value. It seems the entire league has come to this understanding as well, as he will be playing on a minimum contract this upcoming season. Even going back to the contract prior to this one, he has always been overpaid.
6) Magic Sign SG Malik Beasley for $98,437,500 over 6 years.
Where is he now: Entering the 4th year of the signed contract, all with the Magic.
Druce Analysis: This is probably the worst contract in the league. Like a Dyson vacuum it never loses suck-tion. He doesn’t score well, he doesn’t rebound. Ok he plays some defense, but good lord it just gets worse and worse as the yearly amount escalates. As of right now he’s the 17th highest paid player in the league. Paid more than double (!!) what defensive stopper Michael Cooper makes. Not sure what skrouse was thinking when he offered this deal, but I assume it’s one he’d happily get off the books.
Majic Analysis: If I am being honest, I loved Beasley and thought he would grow into a star. He had been a TC star and continued to show great growth through his first 4 years in the league. This all came together in his 4th year as he put up some really good numbers. Scoring was good but it was his defense that really shined. I went back and forth on what a second contract would look like for him, even before I did the trade, and I can't say I expected him to receive a max offer. While he did a few things really well, and was elite defensively, his scoring still needed to take another step up in order to justify the money being spent, and that hasn't happened. I understand the logic, Skrouse has traded a lot of assets to acquire him and Van Vleet, so he couldn't afford to lose him. He hasn't been able to continue the growth you would have hoped for and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the waiver wire sometime this season or next. Overall this was a big overpay for a guy that showed a lot of promise and potential. Unfortunately it didn't end up working out.
7) Stags Sign SG Brandon Roy for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Stags bought out the remaining amount of the contract in the 2nd year of this deal. Was then claimed by the Amigo’s for a salary of 2 million for the remaining 2 years on the contract. Signed on an LLE this past offseason to return to the Amigos.
Druce Analysis: This offer had to be based on name alone. He sucks. Not sure what else to say here. Not nearly as bad as the Beasley deal, but still just eating cap space like a fucking pirhana with no regard for anything else.
Majic Analysis: This deal was a bit of a head scratcher at the time, and honestly I am not sure it makes much sense even now. Roy had shown very little in his first 5 years in the league, so I am not sure what the Stags saw by offering him this much. Sure, he had a solid year as a backup wing for the Bulls, but even that wasn't overly great.
8) Grizzlies Sign C Bill Cartwright for $36,000,000 over 2 years.
Where is he now: Was traded in the first year of the deal to the Hawks for Patrick O’Bryant and first round pick. Was again traded in year 2 of the deal to Amigos for a package that included Adrian Dantley and Alex English. Then signed to play on an MLE for the Kings in 43 before agreeing to a 1 year, 10 million deal this offseason.
Druce Analysis: Cartwright? Cartwright? Seinfeld reference for you guys. Bill is a pro’s pro. Just a solid player who you can count on night in and night out. Yeah he was expensive, but at the time a top tier big, and really hasn’t fallen off much in the years after. When I offered this deal I wanted to make sure I brought him back to the Couv.
Majic Analysis: In my opinion this was a good deal. Cartwright continues to play at a high level even now, so the 18 million he got back in 41 made sense. He still scored efficiently and was a monster at rebounding. His defense took a small step back but it made sense at the time. Also important to consider Druce had just traded for him the year before, so there was an investment. The fact that a 35 year old Cartwright can still make 10 million a year three years later shows this was a good contract.
9) Stags Sign SF Jake Layman for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Traded to the Magic in the 3rd year of the deal for a package centered around Austin Carr. Resigned with the Magic on a 2 year deal worth 10 million per year this last offseason.
Druce Analysis: Another contract that I just don’t get. Did he shoot 48% the year before this deal? Yes. Did he do anything else of note? No. Were the previous 3 years unplayable? Yes. If I’m a team that's just starting like the Stags I’m saving my cap to make a big splash, or take on money for assets. Guys like Jake Layman aren’t winning you titles. It’s like popping a tylenol for a broken femur and trying to walk it off. Just not going to do enough. If I’m using hard cap space for this deal, it’s much easier to swallow but I still honestly don’t love it for what he’d shown to this point.
Majic Analysis: The first year of this contract was rough for all involved, even if the salary number wasn't extremely high. Layman’s scoring that first year was horrendous and this looks like a disaster of a contract. However, Layman was able to bounce back from that poor scoring season and play decently well, enough to justify keeping him. He was then traded his 3rd year of the deal to the Magic where he seemed to improve even more so. I really like the rebounding numbers he put up and the scoring is good enough. Rough start, but overall probably worth the contract given the positional scarcity in FA every year for SF’s.
10) Stags Sign C Kosta Koufos for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Completed all 3 years of the contract with the Stags. Signed a 1 year, 12.5 million contract to remain with the Stags this last offseason.
Druce Analysis: Made a lot of money to be a dog shit big. Remember when no one had room to max Kevin Garnett? It’s deals like this that make things like that possible. Let's take notes folks. No need to offer this scrub anything over LLE money. A turd in the salary cap punch bowl of the Stags. It does seem like Troy Barnes has learned from this string of really bad contracts.
Majic Analysis: Looking at his year over year stats, it's sort of astonishing he has continued to make as much money as he has. He has had 1 “good” year out of 6, and that's stretching it a bit. There is nothing he does well, so I have never understood how he gets anything more than an MLE. Overall bad contract.
Me and Druce plan to do a few of these over the coming days/weeks, so keep a look out for more.
The article is pretty simple, we wanted to look at previous years Free Agency results and review the top 10 deals that were given out. To establish our top 10 we used the overall dollar value of the contracts signed. We then offer a little breakdown of how things panned out along with some analysis from both Druce and myself.
Hope you all enjoy, and in no particular order here are the 10:
Top 10 Signings 2041:
1) Globetrotters Sign PG Magic Johnson for $137,200,000 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Still playing on the signed contract, entering the 4th year of the deal, still with the Globtrotters.
Druce Analysis: Pretty obvious full max here. Can’t see this one being a regret short of an unforeseen auto immune virus...
Majic Analysis: This was a no-brainer offer and anyone with max space offered him as well. Magic has been a star since he entered the league and his game should age nicely into this contract. He gives you good scoring, great rebounding and overall strong defensive play. They won a title in the second year of this contract and it continues to be a great signing. With the addition of Murray, who is also on this list, I expect this team to continue to be at the top of the leaderboard.
2) Spurs Sign PG Jamal Murray for $120,312,500 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 4 of the signed contract. Was traded last season from the Spurs to the Globetrotters. Package included an older Beal and Serge Ibaka along with 2 first round picks, a 1.10 and a 1.3.
Druce Analysis: There was definitely a bit of risk involved, but not a ton in maxing Murray. I’d be really interested to see some upgrade points reset and thrown at his handling to see if he could be a super dominant PG. Don’t see the Globes making that move due to Magic, and had I traded for him that would have been my play. Will be interesting to see who the Spurs are able to nab with the #3 pick they acquired for him. Murray and Magic is the best backcourt in the league and I’m not sure there's much argument elsewhere. We’ll see if they can carry the Globes to a title here soon.
Majic Analysis: Murray was an intriguing prospect coming off an up and down first 4 years. He didn't do much his first 2 years in the league and then had a big 3rd year. He followed that up with a strong 4th year but still had some question marks, mainly his TO’s. His scoring was strong, good defense and solid rebounding for a PG. he looked like he might slide in nicely as a SG but signing him to a max was a bit of a risky situation given the unknown. Luckily for PointyEgg and the Spurs Murray really took another step once he was moved to the 2. Overall this ended up being a great signing and in my opinion well worth the money.
3) Bobcats Sign SF Purvis Short for $120,312,500 over 7 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 4 of the signed contract, all completed with the Bobcats.
Druce Analysis: Pretty easy to like this contract as well. Any time you can retain a talent like Short you have to do whatever you can to make that happen. Apparently this year was the year of relatively no brainer full maxes. Honestly a little surprised to see these 3 all retained. His scoring is great but what really sets him apart is how he hits the boards. Just a monster on the glass for a wing. Not much else to say about the contract here.
Majic Analysis: To me, Purvis looked like a really strong SF that could compete with just about anyone. Given positional scarcity in the FA market every year for good SF’s it seemed absurd to not offer him a max. Purvis has really grown and is now considered an elite player. His scoring is great, elite rebounding and solid defense, there’s really not a hole in his game. In addition, the Bobcats have fielded one of the best rosters over the last several years and alot of their success comes from the ability Purvis has. In short, great signing and one I think Odin would do over 100% of the time.
4) Mavericks Sign SG Buddy Hield for $63,977,117 over 6 years.
Where is he now: Entering year 2 he was selected by the Chicago Stags in the expansion draft. Was then Amnestied a season later and signed to a contract by the Amigos. Entering into year 2 of the new contract earning 5 million per year.
Druce Analysis: I’ve gotta think this one was almost an instant regret for Delap. Hield looked really good as a rookie, and had he grown any from that rookie year this wouldn’t be a bad deal. However it doesn’t appear he really grew at all. I think an outside offense is the only saving Hield at this point. He looked like shit last year for the Amigos but would be a solid piece in an outside offense with his small contract now. I see what the Stags were doing taking him in expansion, but there was little to no way for him to be as effective as he should be given his price unless the offense was tailored to his strength, and I think we’ve kinda determined that winning w/an outside offense is next to impossible right now.
Majic Analysis: Now we start getting into the players that got big contracts but may not have been at the top of everyone’s list. Hield had a really solid 4 years with Atlanta, but it never seemed like he was set to make this much money. There wasn't much that Hield did terribly, it more so felt like he never excelled, or made the team better, in those 4 years. To me, it seemed like he had already peaked and he wasn't going to get better, that viewpoint seems to have been proven true since the signing. Delap seemed to refret the signing almost immediately and left him unprotected for expansion. He was then selected but only made it another year before he was amnestied. BK was able to pick him up at a modest 5 million per year, and at that price point I think he is a steal. Overall it was a huge overpay for a player that is likely destined to live on the fringes of the league.
5) Bullets Sign PF Aaron Gordon for $49,500,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Played out all 3 years of the contract with the Bullets. Was signed this in this last FA period to a 1 year, 1 million deal.
Druce Analysis: To the naked eye, Gordon’s scoring numbers look really good. Then you look at his supporting cast and his turnover numbers and you just wonder why he got paid so much. Love kn but this looks to be a case of just looking at a guy surface level and tossing out money. He stinks.
Majic Analysis: Aaron Gordon has always been a player that does one thing really well, scoring, and not much else. He has always been the epitome of a “good stats bad team” guy as I don't think he has ever been a part of a winning team. The scoring is great, but if you are paying a guy $15+ million a year to only score, it's unlikely your team will be able to compete. There are way too many big men in the league that can both score and rebound/play defense. This helps offset Gordon’s overall value. It seems the entire league has come to this understanding as well, as he will be playing on a minimum contract this upcoming season. Even going back to the contract prior to this one, he has always been overpaid.
6) Magic Sign SG Malik Beasley for $98,437,500 over 6 years.
Where is he now: Entering the 4th year of the signed contract, all with the Magic.
Druce Analysis: This is probably the worst contract in the league. Like a Dyson vacuum it never loses suck-tion. He doesn’t score well, he doesn’t rebound. Ok he plays some defense, but good lord it just gets worse and worse as the yearly amount escalates. As of right now he’s the 17th highest paid player in the league. Paid more than double (!!) what defensive stopper Michael Cooper makes. Not sure what skrouse was thinking when he offered this deal, but I assume it’s one he’d happily get off the books.
Majic Analysis: If I am being honest, I loved Beasley and thought he would grow into a star. He had been a TC star and continued to show great growth through his first 4 years in the league. This all came together in his 4th year as he put up some really good numbers. Scoring was good but it was his defense that really shined. I went back and forth on what a second contract would look like for him, even before I did the trade, and I can't say I expected him to receive a max offer. While he did a few things really well, and was elite defensively, his scoring still needed to take another step up in order to justify the money being spent, and that hasn't happened. I understand the logic, Skrouse has traded a lot of assets to acquire him and Van Vleet, so he couldn't afford to lose him. He hasn't been able to continue the growth you would have hoped for and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the waiver wire sometime this season or next. Overall this was a big overpay for a guy that showed a lot of promise and potential. Unfortunately it didn't end up working out.
7) Stags Sign SG Brandon Roy for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Stags bought out the remaining amount of the contract in the 2nd year of this deal. Was then claimed by the Amigo’s for a salary of 2 million for the remaining 2 years on the contract. Signed on an LLE this past offseason to return to the Amigos.
Druce Analysis: This offer had to be based on name alone. He sucks. Not sure what else to say here. Not nearly as bad as the Beasley deal, but still just eating cap space like a fucking pirhana with no regard for anything else.
Majic Analysis: This deal was a bit of a head scratcher at the time, and honestly I am not sure it makes much sense even now. Roy had shown very little in his first 5 years in the league, so I am not sure what the Stags saw by offering him this much. Sure, he had a solid year as a backup wing for the Bulls, but even that wasn't overly great.
8) Grizzlies Sign C Bill Cartwright for $36,000,000 over 2 years.
Where is he now: Was traded in the first year of the deal to the Hawks for Patrick O’Bryant and first round pick. Was again traded in year 2 of the deal to Amigos for a package that included Adrian Dantley and Alex English. Then signed to play on an MLE for the Kings in 43 before agreeing to a 1 year, 10 million deal this offseason.
Druce Analysis: Cartwright? Cartwright? Seinfeld reference for you guys. Bill is a pro’s pro. Just a solid player who you can count on night in and night out. Yeah he was expensive, but at the time a top tier big, and really hasn’t fallen off much in the years after. When I offered this deal I wanted to make sure I brought him back to the Couv.
Majic Analysis: In my opinion this was a good deal. Cartwright continues to play at a high level even now, so the 18 million he got back in 41 made sense. He still scored efficiently and was a monster at rebounding. His defense took a small step back but it made sense at the time. Also important to consider Druce had just traded for him the year before, so there was an investment. The fact that a 35 year old Cartwright can still make 10 million a year three years later shows this was a good contract.
9) Stags Sign SF Jake Layman for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Traded to the Magic in the 3rd year of the deal for a package centered around Austin Carr. Resigned with the Magic on a 2 year deal worth 10 million per year this last offseason.
Druce Analysis: Another contract that I just don’t get. Did he shoot 48% the year before this deal? Yes. Did he do anything else of note? No. Were the previous 3 years unplayable? Yes. If I’m a team that's just starting like the Stags I’m saving my cap to make a big splash, or take on money for assets. Guys like Jake Layman aren’t winning you titles. It’s like popping a tylenol for a broken femur and trying to walk it off. Just not going to do enough. If I’m using hard cap space for this deal, it’s much easier to swallow but I still honestly don’t love it for what he’d shown to this point.
Majic Analysis: The first year of this contract was rough for all involved, even if the salary number wasn't extremely high. Layman’s scoring that first year was horrendous and this looks like a disaster of a contract. However, Layman was able to bounce back from that poor scoring season and play decently well, enough to justify keeping him. He was then traded his 3rd year of the deal to the Magic where he seemed to improve even more so. I really like the rebounding numbers he put up and the scoring is good enough. Rough start, but overall probably worth the contract given the positional scarcity in FA every year for SF’s.
10) Stags Sign C Kosta Koufos for $26,480,000 over 3 years.
Where is he now: Completed all 3 years of the contract with the Stags. Signed a 1 year, 12.5 million contract to remain with the Stags this last offseason.
Druce Analysis: Made a lot of money to be a dog shit big. Remember when no one had room to max Kevin Garnett? It’s deals like this that make things like that possible. Let's take notes folks. No need to offer this scrub anything over LLE money. A turd in the salary cap punch bowl of the Stags. It does seem like Troy Barnes has learned from this string of really bad contracts.
Majic Analysis: Looking at his year over year stats, it's sort of astonishing he has continued to make as much money as he has. He has had 1 “good” year out of 6, and that's stretching it a bit. There is nothing he does well, so I have never understood how he gets anything more than an MLE. Overall bad contract.
