Worst Moves
Travis Outlaw to the Nets: Outlaw signed a 5-year, 35 million dollar deal with the New Jersey Nets. This was the supposed to be the offseason that was going to put the Nets back on the map and show everyone the Nets are a serious contender and they have the money and strong ownership to compete and succeed. So they signed....Travis Outlaw, okay. No Lebron, no Wade, no Bosh, no Lee, no Boozer, no Johnson, but you can get Travis Outlaw. This is a guy that may not even be a starter for the Nets, this is the epic fail signing of the 2010 summer.Joe Johnson stays with the Hawks: Johnson signed a 6-year, 123.7 million dollar deal to stay with the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson is a definite All-Star, but he's not a max player on the level of a LeBron or Wade and the evidence lies in the way he performed in that Orlando series in the playoffs. This is not a guy you build a team around, he's a guy you add to a good nucleus. Atlanta has a good nucleus and it'll be interesting to see how Johnson steps into the role of having to be that number one guy, because I can see this being an awful signing for the Hawks that could set them back years.
Moves that go either way
David Lee going to the Warriors: Lee got a 6-year deal worth 80 million dollars in the sign-and-trade deal that made him a Golden State Warrior. This is an interesting deal because the centerpiece of this deal for the Knicks is Anthony Randolph, a 20-year-old forward with loads of talent, but is coming off a injury-plagued season. This could be a potential steal for the Knicks, if Randolph gets healthy and matures a little bit. And the Warriors picked up the second or third best big man on the market (depending on how much you like Boozer) and he fits Don Nelson's style of play perfectly, so it's a good move for the Warriors. We'll see how well this move turns out for the Knicks. The Celtics signing Jermaine O'Neal: O'Neal's going to get the mid-level exception over two years with Boston. I initially hated this move, but then I realized that the C's more often than not make good moves. Since the joining of the Big Three, Boston has made the most of their signings and with the exception of maybe Rasheed Wallace (who proved his worth late), the front office has been on the ball and that's the reason why this might work out. On the other hand, O'Neal is clearly on his last legs and last season he struggled with his shot and on defense, something the Celtics take seriously. This is a tough Celtics team and if he's gonna effectively replace Kendrick Perkins until he returns next season he's gonna have to be much better than he was while with the Miami Heat.
Amare Stoudemire to the Knicks:Stoudemire agreed to a five-year, 99.7 million dollar deal with New York. This signing led to talks about how Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony would want to play with the Knicks and how Amare's been talking to them and there's mutual interest and it makes for a nice fantasy, but back here in reality Stoudemire is actually playing alongside guys like Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas, and now equipped with Ronny Turiaf. I gotta be honest, this team still sucks.
Best Story
Best Moves
The Big 3 in Boston remaining together: Sure, the Boston Three Party may be starting to down a little bit, but coming within four points of a second ring in three years proves that this team isn't done. And if you want a snapshot of what has stopped the Celtics the last two years, it's been injuries. Two years ago, the Celtics lost Kevin Garnett and without the Big Ticket they couldn't close out the Magic and this year, the loss of Kendrick Perkins made Game 7 a tough up hill climb. As long as the Celts starting lineup stays intact for the postseason, look out for Boston again next season.
Carlos Boozer to the Bulls: Boozer agreed to a 5-year, 75-million dollar deal with Chicago. This move will make a definite impact for the Bulls and will make them significantly better in 2010 as Boozer fits this team like a custom-made glove. The Bulls were also able to get their hands on Kyle Korver who will perfectly replace the sharp-shooting of Kirk Hinrich, as the Bulls were able to prevent themselves from being shutout from the important players this 2010 offseason.
Dwyane Wade bringing the best of the '03 Draft Class to Miami: This is clearly the best move for the Heat, since Miami has had some trouble making noise in the playoffs since the 2006 championship. South Beach is now the center of the NBA Universe and this trio will be the biggest thing the NBA have ever experienced. There has never been a one-two combo like Wade and James, let alone a one-two-three combo like this. How fitting is it that the three biggest free agents aligning with the Miami Heat concluded the fun part of the 2010 postseason.
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