Biggest Winners and Losers From Day 1 of NBA Free Agency
By Will Fowler
The opening evening of NBA free agency is traditionally the most exciting one, and that was no different this time around. With so many big names coming off the board and so many gigantic contracts agreed, who emerged as the foremost winners on day one-- and who totally blew it? Let's get to the bottom of this.
1. Winner: Brooklyn Nets
Maybe the most obvious one of the day. The Nets reeled in not one, not two, but THREE big fish as they locked down the talents of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and even got DeAndre Jordan to come along. On top of it all, they found a good landing spot for D'Angelo Russell. Durant is going to need a year to recover from his Achilles injury, but regardless, Brooklyn has its most talented roster since moving to Kings County, and figure to be a serious force in the East in the coming years.
2. Loser: New York Knicks
No Kyrie. No KD. Oh, yeah, and they didn't get to draft Zion (if you had already forgotten about that for some reason). The grand plans for the Knickerbockers fell through quickly, and to make things worse, their top two targets went to their crosstown rivals. Julius Randle is a nice piece, but he's not even a max player. This team struck out so badly that they even admitted their own defeat in record time.
3. Winner: Kevin Durant
Durant wanted out of Golden State. He also wanted a max deal despite an Achilles injury that will keep him off the court for the entire upcoming season. He ultimately got a max contract from a team that has one of the highest potentials in the NBA, not only giving him financial security while he rehabs, but putting him in a terrific position to compete when he does see the floor again.
4. Loser: Basketball in Los Angeles
Both the Lakers and Clippers were intending on competing for the biggest name free agents, and while Kawhi Leonard is still available, most of the top talents and useful role players are already off the board. With both teams suddenly in "Kawhi or Bust" mode, there's no way both of them exit free agency feeling fully satisfied. Based on how hyped both teams were as offseason destinations for a ton of high-profile targets, that's a major disappointment.
5. Winner: Kawhi Leonard
Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Kawhi turned himself from just another superstar free agent to the most sought-after player on the board by an incredibly wide margin simply by refusing to sign in the first few hours of free agency. Now, with a number of teams gunning for his services, he has all the power in the world.
6. Loser: Adrian Wojnarowski's Family
Yes, please bear with us here. Poor Woj! The man we all rely on to bring us breaking news as it happens probably didn't have a free second today. This man has a family! He needs to eat! And sleep! Hopefully, free agency dies down a bit in the coming days so this guy has a chance to take a breath and spend time with his loved ones, but for now, he'll be lucky to catch a quick nap before he has to go back in front of the ESPN cameras. We salute you, Woj. Hang in there.