Who forced his way out of Los Angeles last summer after six seasons with the Clippers, is coming off a disappointing finish to a phenomenal season. He helped lead the Rockets to a franchise-best 65 wins and the No. 1 seed in the West, but his postseason was cut short after he suffered a hamstring injury in the conference finals. As elite as Paul is, will the Rockets regret giving the 33-year-old a long-term deal?
6. Nikola Jokic – Reportedly agreed to five-year, $146.5 million deal to stay with Denver. This was a done deal before free agency began. Jokic is one of the most talented young big men in the league and the Nuggets’ franchise centerpiece. He wasn’t going anywhere.
7. Clint Capela, Houston (Restricted) –
8. DeAndre Jordan – Reportedly agreed to one-year, approximately $24 million deal with Dallas. Jordan, who declined his player option with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, is headed to Dallas — again. We have a feeling this will be different than the summer of 2015, when Jordan changed his mind after agreeing to a deal with the Mavericks and returned to LA.
9. Julius Randle – Agreed to two-year, $18 million deal with New Orleans – player option on the second season. The fourth-year big man is coming off a career year (16.1 points, eight rebounds per game) and will be a welcome addition in New Orleans alongside Anthony Davis.
10. Aaron Gordon – Agreed to four-year, $82 million deal to stay with Orlando. Injuries limited Gordon to 58 games last season, but the 22-year-old still took a significant step forward in his development. He’s one of the most promising young power forwards in the league.
11. Zach LaVine, Chicago (Restricted) –
12. Tyreke Evans, Memphis (Unrestricted) –
13. Marcus Smart, Boston (Restricted) –
14. JJ Redick – Agreed to one-year deal to stay with Philadelphia. Keeping Redick is big for the Sixers, who again expect to be one of the top teams in the East. The 34-year-old sharpshooter averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game last season, his first in Philadelphia.
15. Jusuf Nurkic, Portland (Restricted) –
16. Derrick Favors – Agreed to two-year, $36 million deal to stay with Utah. Favors fits at power forward in a big lineup and center in a small lineup and, though he’s more of a traditional big man, he began to extend his range a bit last season, hitting 14 3-pointers.
17. Trevor Ariza – Agreed to one-year, $15 million deal with Phoenix. This is an interesting move for Ariza, who will go from key cog on a 65-win Houston team to a veteran presence on a rebuilding Suns squad.
18. Jabari Parker, Milwaukee (Restricted) –
19. Avery Bradley, Los Angeles Clippers (Unrestricted) –
20. Isaiah Thomas, Los Angeles Lakers (Unrestricted) –
21. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Agreed to one-year, $12 million deal to stay with Los Angeles Lakers. Caldwell-Pope, who averaged 13.4 points per game last season and shot a career-high 38.3 percent on 3-pointers, will be a nice fit alongside James.
22. Will Barton – Reportedly agreed to four-year, $54 million deal to stay with Denver. Barton has developed into one of the top sixth men in the league, and the Nuggets weren’t ready to let him walk. Of players who came off the bench in more than 40 games last season, Barton was tied for third with 13.7 points per game.
23. Fred VanVleet – Agreed to two-year, $18 million deal to stay with Toronto. The Sixth Man of the Year finalist shot 41.4 percent from 3-point last year, his second NBA season.
24. Luc Mbah a Moute, Houston (Unrestricted) –
25. Rajon Rondo – Agreed to one-year, $9 million deal with Los Angeles Lakers. Another interesting addition for the Lakers, Rondo, 32, reinvigorated his career during his lone season in New Orleans. This is a big loss for the Pelicans.
26. Rudy Gay – Reportedly agreed to one-year, $10 million deal to stay with San Antonio. Gay, who signed with the Spurs last summer after suffering a ruptured Achilles in January 2017, opted out of the final year of his contract last week, turning down $8.8 million. He’s not the 20 point per game scorer he once was, but he can still contribute.
27. Kyle Anderson, San Antonio (Restricted) –
28. Lance Stephenson – Agreed to one-year, $4.5 million deal with Los Angeles Lakers. Lance and LeBron in L.A.? This is just too good.
29. Brook Lopez, Los Angeles Lakers (Unrestricted) –
30. Wayne Ellington, Miami (Unrestricted) –
31. Rodney Hood, Cleveland (Restricted) –
32. Nerlens Noel – Agreed to two-year deal with Oklahoma City. Noel, the No. 6 overall pick in 2013, is coming off the worst season of his career, but this is a great opportunity for him to get back on track.
33. Seth Curry – Reportedly agreed to two-year deal with Portland. Curry didn’t play last season as a result of a stress fracture in his leg, but Steph’s younger brother had a stellar 2016-17 campaign with Dallas, especially after the All-Star break (averaged 16.2 points and made 45.3 percent of his 3-pointers).
34. Joe Harris – Agreed to two-year, $16 million deal to stay with Brooklyn. The Nets clearly saw the value in the 26-year-old forward, who shot a career-high 49.1 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from beyond the arc last season.
35. Greg Monroe, Boston (Unrestricted) –
36. Dwyane Wade, Miami (Unrestricted) –
37. Dante Exum, Utah (Restricted) –
38. Michael Beasley, New York (Unrestricted) –
39. Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers (Restricted) –
40. Elfrid Payton – Reportedly agreed to one-year deal with New Orleans. Payton, the No. 10 overall pick in 2014, averaged 12.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds with Orlando and Phoenix last season.
Other notable free agent deals
JaVale McGee – Agreed to one-year, $2.4 million deal with Los Angeles Lakers. A surprising addition to the LeBron-led Lakers, McGee is coming off two solid years with Golden State, where he provided the Warriors with some much-needed rim protection.
Doug McDermott – Agreed to three-year, $22 million deal with Indiana. The Pacers were one of the NBA’s biggest surprises last season, and adding McDermott only makes them better. He’s a career 40.3 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Ersan Ilyasova – Agreed to three-year, $21 million deal with Milwaukee. The 31-year-old journeyman will be a solid addition to Milwaukee, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds after signing with Philadelphia in February.
Ed Davis – Reportedly agreed to one-year, $4.4 million deal with Brooklyn. Damian Lillard wasn’t a fan of this, and we don’t blame him. At this price, this is a steal for the Nets.
Aron Baynes – Agreed to two-year, $10.6 million deal to stay with Boston. Baynes may not be as high profile as the Celtics’ stars or the members of their young core, but he still provides the team with some valuable energy and physicality.
Jerami Grant – Agreed to three-year, $27 million deal to stay with Oklahoma City. There’s a player option on the third year. Athletic and young, Grant is coming off a solid season with the Thunder, who clearly view him as a part of their future.
Marco Belinelli – Agreed to two-year, $12 million deal with San Antonio. Belinelli, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2014, shot 37.7 percent from 3-point territory last season with Atlanta and Philadelphia.
Derrick Rose – Agreed to one-year, $2.4 million deal to stay with Minnesota. He’s not the player he once was, but Rose showed some promise with the T-Wolves in their first-round playoff loss to Houston, averaging 14.2 points in five games.
