Free Agent Grades Up to July 4th

Chris Paul Resigns with the Clippers for 5 Years 107 Mil
This was a no brainer for the Clippers. They knew Paul was going to command a max contract, but they were the only team who could sign him for five years. They brought in Doc Rivers for the sole purpose of keeping Paul. Paul's best option was to stay in LA because they were the only contender who could sign him besides Dallas if they got Dwight. He will be around familiar players on a team that got much better over the offseason. This was a no brainer move by the Clippers and they will have a top three point guard for the next four or five years.

Grade:

Mike Dunleavy Signs with Chicago for 2 Years x\6 Mil
The Bulls got a great deal here, considering Kyle Korver signed for 4 years 24 million. Dunleavy will give the Bulls an actual threat from three point range. Dunleavy is not just a spot up shooter either, he can make threes in a variety of ways. He will be a real threat coming off of off ball screens. The got rid of Rip Hamilton and he will replace him immediately and hopefully will stay healthy.

Grade: A

Andray Blatch Resigns with Brooklyn for Vet Minimum
Blatch may have his bad moments, but he played well for Brooklyn last season. He will be the backup behind Garnett, but will provide quality minutes, especially when he is only making the minimum. The reason he signed for the minimum was the fact that the Wizards still owe him a lot of money.

Grade: A

David West Resigns with Indiana for 3 Years 36 Million
This was a good signing for the Pacers in the short term, but it brings up financial problems in a couple of years. They will have limited flexibility to improve the team in the future. West is a good player, but he is in his mid 30's and could start a real decline at any moment. However, I wont dock Indiana too much for this signing because they needed him back in order to compete next season.

Grade: B-

Martell Webster Resigns with Washington for 4 Years 22 Million
Webster played very well last season and will add depth off the bench as a three point shooter. Webster has had problems with consistency in his past so a four year contract could be a little risky. This was probably the best season of his career and he could have just been playing for a contract,

Grade: B-

Tiago Splitter Returns to San Antonio for 4 Years 36 Million
Tiago played very bad in the NBA Finals, which makes this contract look silly, but he had a very solid regular season. Splitter is not particularly great at any one thing, but he fits in well in San Antonio. He was a big part of the reason why the Spurs had such a great season and ended up in the Finals. I think the Spurs got good value on this contract, considering Javale McGee will be cashing in 11 million next season.

Grade: B+

Chase Budinger Resigns with Minnesota for 3 Years 16 Million
Minnesota had the worst three point shooting team in the NBA, but it was not Budinger's fault. He shot 41% from the three point line, but he has shown the ability to shoot better from that range. They will be hoping that he will continue his good shooting and give Rubio a nice kick-out option. This is a good deal for the Timberwoves, considering Martell Webster received 22 million over four years.

Grade: A-

Kevin Martin Signs with Minnesota for 4 Years 28 Million
The Timberwolves are clearly looking to get much better from the three point line. Martin has played a lot under Rick Adelman, he started his career in Sacramento under him and played his best season under him in Houston. Martin will likely be starting again and will get a fair amount of shots. However, there is always the threat of injury. I think this provides a good chance for Martin to get his career back on track and it is also a good deal for the Timberwolves, assuming he stays healthy.

Grade: A-

Tony Allen Resigns with Memphis for 4 Years 20 Million
This is an awesome deal for Memphis. I thought he would sign for much more, even though if he does not bring much on the offensive end. He is one of, if not the best, perimeter defender in the NBA. Allen was a big reason why the Grizzlies reached the conference finals.

Grade: A

Manu Ginobli Resigns with San Antonio for 2 Years 14 Million
I think this is overpaying for Manu. He did not play well this season and has had injury problems for the past two seasons. He is clearly not the same player he was four or five years ago, but he still has the ability to take over every couple of games. The Spurs dont have much young talent behind him so I guess it was a necessity to resign him, even if they did over pay.

Grade: C+

Kyle Korver Resigns with Atlanta for 4 Years 24 Million
Korver was the best three point shooter, percentage wise, in the league last season. However, I know if a spot up three point shooter who cant play defense is worth six million a year. Korver is a great shooter and will provide the Hawks with a three point shooting threat, but I dont think this was a good value signing, especially since Mike Dunleavy was signed for just half of tis deal.

Grade: C+

JR Smith Signs with New York for 4 Years 24.5 Million
This is either a very good or very deal for New York, depending on how you look at it. I am not fond of this deal. He is the reigning sixth man of the year, but he is a very inefficient chucker and the deal is contingent on the chance that he continues his production from last season. I dont think he will.

Grade: C

Al Jefferson Signs with Charlotte for 3 Years 41 Million
This was a great deal for Al Jefferson, signing for almost 14 million a year. That is a pretty good deal for a center who doesnt play defense. If the Bobcats try to pair him up with Cody Zeller in the starting lineup, their interior defense will be a disaster. However, Jeffersons value will depend on the box score and there is a good chance that he will average 20 and 10. This deal includes a player option at the end of the second season, which will put Jefferson in good position for another big contract with a better team.

Grade: B-

Marco Belinelli Signs with San Antonio for 2 Years 6 Million
This deal signals the end of Gary Neal in San Antonio. Belinelli is a decent three point shooter, but his accuracy tailed off last season. Neal has had troubles creating his own shot. Belinelli has the ability to create his own shot off of the dribble. This will give the Spurs a better option off of the bench rather than Neal.

Grade: B

Pelicans, Kings and the Trailblazers agree on Three Team Trade
This trade sends Tyreke Evans and a four year $44 million contract to the Pelicans, who send Robin Lopez to the Trailblazers and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, while the Trailblazers send cash to the Kings.

 I dont know what to think of this move for the Pelicans. They now have Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans at the guard positions. I guess this means they will try to part with Eric Gordon via trade for a center. They could also try and move Evans to small forward, which is not a good idea. Evans needs the ball in his hands to be effective and I dont think there will be enough shots to go around.

The Kings got Greivis Vasquez in the deal, but I dont understand that move for the Kings. They have Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer at point guard and they drafted Ray McCallum. Vasquez will likely start, but they will have a lot of other point guards looking for minutes. They did part with Evans, which was good on their part, considering his production has declined every year.

The Trailblazers got the starting center they were looking for. They only had to part with cash and a second round pick to obtain Lopez. Lopez is a defensive minded center, who gives it his all every time he steps on the court. His defense will be welcomed by many in Portland. He does not do much on the offensive end, but that is what LaMarcus Aldridge is there for.