Winners and Losers After Day 1 of NBA FA

Winner: Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers got off to a fast start in free agency signing P.J. to a 3-year $33.2 million deal. Tucker should be the perfect veteran 3 and D player the 76ers have been looking for. Not only is Tucker a gritty veteran but he’s also a familiar face to 76ers President Darryl Morey who previously signed Tucker with the Rockets in 2017. While Harden is still unsigned, after opting out of his $47 million player option, all reports indicate that he will be resigning under a more team friendly deal which is great news for Philly.

Loser: Brooklyn Nets

Just days after Kyrie Irving opted into his $37 million player option, the Nets offseason got turned on its head as Kevin Durant requested a trade. The news shocked the NBA world and is simply devastating for the Nets. While he’s still a Net for now the situation is only going to get uglier and Nets championship window appears to be coming to a close.

Winner: Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson may be the biggest winner from day 1 of free agency, signing a 4-year $104 million deal with the Knicks. While it wasn’t the biggest deal of the day, it’s still a hefty penny for a 25-year-old point guard that has never been an all-star let alone average 17 points per game. I’m sure Brunson will be a really good player for the Knicks, but that’s a big contract for a non-all-star.

Loser: Dallas Mavericks

Our next loser is the team that lost Jalen Brunson. While I can’t entirely blame the Mavs for not wanting to pay over $100 million to their second-best player, they did have the option last year to sign Brunson for only $55 million but instead chose to take a gamble. That gamble has clearly failed as they now lose their starting point guard. This could change if they find the right replacement but for now the Mavs are losing in free agency.