A Big Day in NBA Free Agency
- Jun 26, 2015
- 3 min read
It was quite a busy 24 hours for NBA teams; an audacious trade from the Blazers and some big news for the Cavs and other teams interested in Kevin Love.
Monta Ellis Has it All! #TheStarters
Monta Ellis has opted out of his contract with Dallas Mavericks by declining his player option for the upcoming season. Over the past two seasons with the Mavs, he averaged 19pts and 4asts and will be giving up $8.72m as he tests the free agency market over the offseason. Reports suggest that the Pacers and Heat are interested in signing the 29 year old shooting guard. He would bring a scoring punch and some speed to the Pacers while his mid-range game would fit right in with the Miami Heat. His below-average 3pt shooting is probably the only downside of signing Ellis, as he shot 28.5% this season while attempting 3.5 per game. His shot selection isn't always the best but has certainly improved since his Golden State/Milwaukee days. At 29, Ellis still has the potential to start for most teams but could easily develop into a Jamal Crawford-esque sixth man for a playoff team.
Nicolas Batum to the Hornets
In what was a very perplexing trade for the Blazers to complete, they have sent small forward Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets in return for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson. Batum's production dropped off last season, averaging 9pts, 6reb and 5asts but a healthy Batum is the equivalent of a Swiss Army knife and can work wonders for any team in the NBA. His versatility would have to be his best asset with his outside shooting and height at the small forward position, standing at 6'8". Prior to this season, Batum was avergaing 13-6-6, so you can expect production and solid defence from the wing player. In return for Batum, Henderson and Vonleh can be somewhat productive for the Blazers. Henderson averaged 13-4-4 this season but on a Hornets team that needed scoring, his stats might be a bit more inflated. Vonleh meanwhile hasn't seen much playing time since being picked 9th in the draft last year.
Henderson is probably best known for this dunk on Dwight Howard.
Cavs Potentially on the Move
Some bigs developments from the Cleveland camp, as both J.R. Smith and Kevin Love have opted out of the respective contracts for the coming season. Furthermore, the Cavs have decided to pick up Matthew Dellavedova's team option for the season, keeping him on the roster as Kyrie Irving's backup at the point guard spot. J.R. Smith is set to give up $9m for this season and will definitely be looking for more money to fund his hoverboard. While is still inconsistent in regards to scoring and will probably never return to the New York Knicks season where his form won him the NBA 6th Man of the Year, he is still a valuable asset for any team. Whether it is off the bench of starting on the court, Smith is more than happy to put up shots until the cows come home.
In bigger news, Kevin Love opted out his contract as well, making him a free agent. Where he chooses is up in the air, but there's no guarantee that it is in Cleveland. After the Cavs made the NBA Finals without him at PF and he was subject to much malignment throughout the season, he may look to greener pastures which will benefit his game. Love can expect a plethora of max contracts to be thrown his way, wil suitors in Houston, Dallas and potentially Portland if LaMarcus Aldridge decides to walk. While it was certainly wasn't the most productive year for Love, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds, there is the potential for Love to bounce back and be the superstar that he was with the Timberwolves. Houston and Portland would be ideal fits, as they both could have potential space at the PF spot and be more than willing to let Love go to work in the low post.
Goodbye and Farewell
Both Shawn Marion and Andrei Kirilenko have decided to hang up the boots after illustrious careers in the NBA. Both were journeymen and while they may not end up in the basketball Hall of Fame, they will certainly be remembered for their various on and off court antics; Marior with possibly the ugliest jumpshot in NBA history and Kirilenko with one of the ugliest tattoos in NBA history.
Who gets a tattoo like that? C'mon.
UPDATE
David West also opted out of his contract, looking likely that he joins the Knicks.
Hornets trade Barnes to Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeremy Lamb.
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