With nearly $3 billion worth of new contracts handed out on the first day of NBA free agency alone, it’s been a whirlwind of a summer; even without knowing which teams a couple of the league’s biggest stars will ultimately land with once the dust settles.
So with all that in mind, let’s break down the five best theoretical free-agent fits in the association to this point.
Grant Williams joining the Mavericks
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Dallas surprisingly reached the conference finals back in 2022 because the team had a solid defense in addition to its efficient offense.
So, after a campaign in which the defensively porous Mavs missed the postseason entirely, it always made sense that Dallas was cooking up ways to improve on that end. Dante Exum is a low-risk gamble from that standpoint. But Grant Williams, who can likely play some as a smallball center in addition to serving as a stretch four, is exactly the sort of player the Mavs needed. He found himself in Joe Mazzulla’s doghouse at times for not pulling the trigger from deep. But he figures to get an abundance of looks alongside high-usage players like Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, just like he often had when next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And his defense figures to be even more valuable on a team like the Mavericks.
Bruce Brown landing with the Pacers
It’s always interesting to see a key contributor—in this case, a star role player—from the champions with a decision to make. Does he stay with his title-winning club to chase more rings? Or does he strike while the iron is hot and take the payday instead?
Brown, as someone who’d earned just over $15 million over his five seasons in the league, was more or less in this predicament. He could have stayed in Denver for $7.8 million next year, or, as we saw with what he eventually took from the Pacers, he could take $45 million total over the next two seasons.
After watching Brown, perhaps last summer’s best bargain signing, it’s hard to argue he doesn’t deserve the cash-in. He’s a good ballhandler, shooter, cutter and defender. And as he showed frequently with Brooklyn, he can play up a position or two if need be. With Indiana, specifically, he should be able to get out in transition frequently alongside other speedsters Tyrese Haliburton and Obi Toppin. Over the past two regular seasons, those three have been the most efficient transition players in the sport, according to data from Synergy Sports.
Taurean Prince becoming a Laker
Los Angeles would’ve had a solid summer even without this pickup, but Prince seemingly put it over the top. The LeBron-and-Anthony Davis-led Lakers have always been more dangerous when they have shooters to distribute to and space the floor with. It makes for more driving lanes for not only them, but also Austin Reaves, who’s a free throw-drawing savant.
Prince, still just 29 years old, figures to open things up for the Lakers given that he’s shot 40%, 37.6% and 38.1% from deep on 3.5 attempts per game over the past three seasons. More specifically, he shot 43.6% from outside on 101 attempts last season when left wide open (at least six feet of space between him and the closest defender). And none of this even gets at the fact that he’s a solid defender, making him close to a perfect fit for a group that jelled quickly at the end of the season, but didn’t have enough to take down eventual champion Denver.
Yuta Watanabe signing with the Suns
Phoenix lacks a high-level point guard, but based on all the top ballhandlers the club possesses—Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker—it may not feel a need to invest in one.
As long as Watanabe gets his looks from someone, the offense should be fine. He’s dynamite from the corners, and he absolutely knows it. A whopping 53% of his three-point attempts come from there, and he drills 51.4% of those tries when he gets them. He figures to give defenses nightmares from a spacing standpoint, leaving stoppers with the choice of leaving him, a knockdown shooter, or leaving one of the three All-Stars with single coverage.
Georges Niang heading to the Cavs
Among the biggest pitfalls Cleveland had last season was the lack of scoring production from its bench, which ranked dead last among teams that qualified for the playoffs. It made the decision to waive experienced reserve Kevin Love—who had far more postseason reps than anyone on the young club—look even more strange from afar.
But the 30-year-old Niang, perhaps the best young analog to a late-career Love, should serve as a pretty good replacement for him. No, he isn’t the rebounder that Love is. Not even close. (In fact, his 7.2% rebound rate is less than half that of Love’s 18.9%.) But he shot 40.1% from three last year on almost five attempts per night, a percentage that’s almost identical to his career average on just over 1,400 tries. And he’s coming off the most efficient campaign of his pro career.
