2020 NBA free agency winners and losers: Recapping best and worst moves

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NBA free agency is always one of the most exciting times on the sports calendar and 2020 has been no different.The free agent market opened last Friday and tons of deals have been made, including plenty of surprise moves that will have a significant impact on the playoff races in both conferences during the 2020-21 season.Let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers from NBA free agency so far.

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1/12

The defending champs have done a great job making their roster even better than it was last season.

Veteran center Dwight Howard left and signed with the 76ers, but L.A. replaced him with an even better player in Montrezl Harrell on a team-friendly two-year deal worth $19 million.

The Lakers also added free agent center Marc Gasol, re-signed shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and forward Markieff Morris, and replaced point guard Rajon Rondo by trading for Hawks guard Dennis Schroder.

The only notable item left for the Lakers is re-signing superstar center Anthony Davis, which would put a wrap on a very successful offseason for L.A.

2/12

The Clippers are losers simply because their main competitor in the Western Conference -- the rival Lakers -- had such a strong offseason.

Not only did the Clippers lose center Montrezl Harrell to the Lakers, veteran wing JaMychal Green also departed for the Denver Nuggets, who beat L.A. in the playoffs last season.

The signing of forward Serge Ibaka was a good bounce-back move for the Clippers, but they have not made any significant improvements to a team that blew a 3-1 conference semifinals lead last season.

 

 

 

3/12

The 2017 NBA Draft was an impressive one, and several of the top players from that class cashed in over the first few days of free agency.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox all agreed to sign rookie max contract extensions. Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo figures to join that group at some point, too.

 

4/12

The Hornets are a horribly run franchise and gave out the worst contract of free agency to Gordon Hayward --  a four-year deal worth $120 million.

Paying $30 million per season to a player who's missed so many games in each of the last three years, including a horrific leg injury in 2017-18, is not a smart move. 

We really can't be surprised, though, because this is the same Charlotte franchise that overpaid center Bismack Biyombo (four years, $72 million), forward Nic Batum (five years, $120 million) and guard Terry Rozier (three years, $56.7 million) in recent years.

The Hornets were one of the league's worst teams last season, and they've tried to improve their situation by overpaying for Hayward and taking a huge chance on point guard LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft. These are risky gambles for a franchise that's made just three playoff appearances since 2005.

5/12

The Hawks have done a nice job surrounding Trae Young and John Collins with even more talent.

Atlanta was very active in free agency adding much-needed veterans, including Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn, Danilo Gallinari and potentially Bogdan Bogdanovic. These moves give the Hawks more playmaking, shooting and bench depth. The Hawks also added USC center Onyeka Okongwu with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 draft.

Atlanta now has a ton of talent, and the task for head coach Lloyd Pierce is finding a way to put it together. Expectations will be very high for the Hawks next season.

6/12

The Bucks weren't able to acquire talented forward Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign-and-trade with the Kings. They also gave up a king's ransom -- Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and five first-round picks (three picks, two swaps) to acquire star point guard Jrue Holiday, who's a good player but also has missed a lot of games with injuries in his career and is due for another huge contract after next season.

The additions of free agents Torrey Craig and Bryn Forbes were nice depth moves for Milwaukee, but not enough to make them significantly better.

The Bucks disappointed in each of their last two playoff runs, and they have done nothing in the offseason so far to take a huge step toward getting over the hump and reaching the NBA Finals.

7/12

Fred VanVleet's four-year, $85 million contract to stay with the Toronto Raptors is the richest deal for an undrafted player in league history. The Raptors guard has been betting on himself his entire life despite many doubters, and now he's an NBA champion and a very rich man. 

8/12

The Pistons have one of the least impressive rosters in the league, and that didn't change in free agency.

Overpaying for Jerami Grant (three years, $60 million) was an odd move. They also added several centers, including Mason Plumlee, Tony Bradley, Jahlil Okafor -- none of whom can stretch the floor as shooters and don't provide much offense overall.

Detroit also let free agent forward Christian Wood leave for the Houston Rockets.

The Pistons aren't good enough to make the playoffs but also not bad enough to get a top three pick. It's the worst spot to be in for an NBA team, especially one without any young players with star potential.

9/12

The Blazers didn't make any massive upgrades, but they strengthened the team's depth with several lower-tier moves. 

Portland brought back wings Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood, traded for forward Robert Covington, traded for center Enes Kanter and signed center Harry Giles.

The Blazers have a deep roster around star guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, and it wouldn't be surprising if Portland finishes as a top three or four seed in the West next season.

10/12

The Wizards overpaid quite a bit to keep forward David Bertans (five years, $80 million). The additions of center Robin Lopez and point guard Raul Neto don't make Washington much better, either.

The Athletic's Shams Charania recently reported that Wizards point guard John Wall "has made it clear he wants trade out of Washington to happen." Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard denied that report on Monday.

Washington isn't much closer to making the playoffs than it was last season, and unless Wall returns from injury and plays close to his previous All-Star level, don't expect much from the Wizards in 2020-21.

11/12

Surprised to see the Celtics on this list? They are actually better right now than they were after being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals a few months ago.

How so?

They upgraded at center by trading Enes Kanter and adding free agent Tristan Thompson. They upgraded at backup point guard by letting Brad Wanamaker leave and signing Jeff Teague.

The C's also locked up rising star Jayson Tatum for at least the next five years with a rookie max contract extension. 

Sure, losing Gordon Hayward -- possibly for nothing -- hurts to a degree. Hayward was an effective scorer and playmaker when healthy. But he just couldn't stay on the floor consistently in three seasons with the C's, and in two of those years the team reached the conference finals largely without him. His absence also opens the door for Tatum and Jaylen Brown to take even more shots, and it's not like the C's were hurting for offense last season -- they were the only team with three 20-plus points per game scorers.

Improving at center, backup point guard and adding much-needed shooting in the 2020 draft make the C's one of the winners of the offseason so far. 

12/12

The Raptors fell one win short of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, and they lost two key components of their frontcourt in free agency when forward Serge Ibaka and center Marc Gasol departed.

The addition of veteran center Aron Baynes was a solid move, but overall, the Raptors made no significant improvements to a team that currently isn't as talented as the Celtics, Heat, Bucks or a healthy 76ers.

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