The biggest moves that have happened in the 2021 NBA free agency period
The 2020-21 NBA season officially ended when Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the NBA finals. With that chapter formally coming to a close, a new chapter of NBA history is being written as we are officially in the free agency period. With roughly more than 48 hours past, let’s dive into some of the most significant moves of the 2021 NBA free agency.
A new dynasty has been formed In Chicago
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During the 2020-21 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls made arguably the most significant trade during the deadline and traded for 2x All-Star Nicola Vucevic. Unfortunately, the Bulls were unable to capitalize on the trade and barely missed the play-in tournament.
Fast-forward to the present day, the Chicago Bulls have made some significant signings/ trades to make their first playoff appearance since 2016. These signings/ trades include,
Free Agency Signings from the Chicago Bulls
Lonzo Ball agrees to a 4-year $85 million contract.
Alex Caruso agrees to a 4-year $37 million contract.
Trades that the Chicago Bulls have made
San Antonio receives- Thadeus Young and a first and second-round pick.
Chicago receives- DeMar DeRozan.
Tomas Satoransky and Garett Temple have also been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
In just one season, the Bulls have managed to add two All-Star calibre players alongside Zach LaVine while also adding solid rotational pieces. A big four has been formed in Chicago, and while this team is still nowhere near the Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Lakers, they have made terrific strides and are headed in the right direction. Offensively, the Chicago Bulls have the potential to become one of the best scoring teams in the league. While their defence might be a question mark, the Bulls have solid perimeter defenders, including Alex Caruso, Troy Brown Jr, and Patrick Williams.
The Bulls have had an impressive first 48 hours of free agency. While they have made some dramatic changes to their roster, the Bulls are far from done as they still have Lauri Markkenan as a valuable sign and trade asset. Suppose the Bulls can trade Markennan for defensive depth. In that case, the Bulls have the potential of being a top-three franchise in the Eastern Conference next season!
A new big 3 has been formed in South Beach
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The Miami Heat have been one of the newer franchises in NBA history, and they have already made their mark. The Heat have already won three championships while reaching the NBA Finals six times in their franchise history. While the 2020-21 season for the Heat was abysmal, Miami has made changes in hopes to fix their regular-season and playoff struggles. These changes include,
Free Agency Signings from the Miami Heat
PJ Tucker agrees to a 2-year $15 million contract.
Markieff Morris agrees to a 1-year $2.6 million contract.
Trades that the Miami Heat has made
Toronto receives- Goran Dragic, Precious Achiuwa
Miami receives- Kyle Lowry
The Miami Heat losing Goran Dragic is a big blow to the organization as he has been loyal to them since 2015. In addition, losing players such as Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica and Kendrick Nunn via free agency is also unfortunate. However, the Heat could quickly replace those positions except for the point guard position.
The idea of Kyle Lowry on the Miami Heat has been entertained for more than a year and to finally see it happen is incredible. Miami has finally formed a serviceable big three in the Eastern Conference while adding some tough and gritty players to their rotation. However, the most significant aspect about their free agency period is that all of their new additions have championship experience. This is important to highlight considering that the Heat needed that type of experience,
Miami are once again championship contenders with their new additions. Adding Kyle Lowry’s gritty defence and terrific playmaking will only elevate the Heat’s potential. While the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are currently the top favourites in making it out of the Eastern Conference when healthy, the Miami Heat should also be in the conversation.
Journey to #18
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This season, the Los Angeles Lakers shocked the world by being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs against an inexperienced Phoenix Suns team. With this loss being the first time LeBron James has ever been eliminated in the first round, significant moves needed to be done to return to championship status.
To give credit to the Lakers organization, they had the shortest off-season in sports history to start the 2020-21 season. Their short off-season was the root cause as to why the Lakers struggled this season. From devastating injuries to evident fatigue from the Lakers roster, it made sense why they struggled to barely make the play-in tournament this season.
This off-season, the Lakers have been one of the most active organizations in making moves this season. Some of the moves the Lakers made so far this off-season include,
Free Agency Signings from the Los Angeles Lakers
Kendrick Nunn agrees to a 2-year $10 million contract.
Carmelo Anthony agrees to a 1-year $2.6 million contract.
Trevor Ariza agrees to a 1-year $2.6 million contract.
Wayne Ellington agrees to a 1-year $2.6 million contract.
Dwight Howard agrees to a 1-year $2.6 million contract.
Kent Bazemore agrees to a 1-year $2.4 million contract.
Malik Monk agrees to a 1-year $1.7 million contract.
Trades that the Los Angeles Lakers have made
Washington receives- Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 2021 first-round pick (22nd pick)
Los Angeles receives- Russell Westbrook, 2024 & 2028 second-round pick.
The Lakers have signed the most players in this free agency while also losing most of their rotational pieces through trades or free agency. The most notable losses that the Lakers have faced include Alex Caruso to the Bulls and Markieff Morris to the Heat.
Los Angeles is trying to go all-in for a championship next season. With most of their free agency signings being veteran players, the Lakers, in theory, should be the most experienced team entering next season. However, this could also hurt the Lakers as they are the oldest team in the NBA. Considering how fast the game is played today, it will be interesting to see how some of these players will keep up with the rest of the league.
Next season, the Lakers will be an exciting team to look out for, especially after their trade for Russell Westbrook. Another big three is formed in the NBA. With their free-agent signings, the Lakers are currently the favourites in winning the 2021-22 Larry O’Brien trophy.
While it has only been roughly more than 48 hours of free agency, a lot has happened as certain teams have made significant changes to their roster. More is yet to come as players such as Kawhi Leonard, Dennis Schroder, Victor Oladipo and Kelly Oubre have yet to sign. Free agency has just started and is far from over. The only question to ask is, how will the NBA look when free agency comes to an end?