The 2015 free agency period began at 12:01 AM Wednesday and the flurry of deals since then have barely given us a chance to catch our breath. Just over one week removed from the draft, the league will continue to move and shake in an attempt to catch up to Cleveland and Golden State. So, in honor of the period beginning, I decided to go back and look at the best free agent signings since 2000 for each team. Today, we look at the Eastern Conference and we’ll tackle the Western Conference next week.
First off, I should clarify a few things. For the sake of this exercise, I will be including sign and trades. Originally I considered excluding S&T’s but this would all seem ridiculous if I didn’t include the likes of LeBron James taking his …show more content…
After spending the first several years of his career between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix, the Arkansas product was not one of the hottest prospects on the market. A strong playoff performance for the Suns in the 2005 playoffs sold the Hawks on the restricted free agent. With Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and Shawn Marion, the Suns didn’t match and the Hawks landed a borderline franchise cornerstone.
BOSTON CELTICS:
James Posey, 2 years/$7 million (2007)
I looked over the last 15 years and thought, “James Posey? There has to be better” but in truth, the Celtics built their 2008 title winning team through trades (Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) and the draft (Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce). Posey provided depth and was a box score filler for his tenure with the Celtics including a steal per game during the playoffs while playing the role of 6th …show more content…
A handful of teams make this list without fail nearly every time: Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and for some reason, the Nets. The Nets believe their significant players in the free agent world as well, however, perception is not reality. When your best free agent signing over the last decade and a half is Andray Blatche—a man who was out of the NBA by age 28—you probably should reconsider where you stand as a heavy hitter in the NBA. Expect their name to surface as a possible Kevin Durant location next summer but don’t expect Durant to
First off, I should clarify a few things. For the sake of this exercise, I will be including sign and trades. Originally I considered excluding S&T’s but this would all seem ridiculous if I didn’t include the likes of LeBron James taking his …show more content…
After spending the first several years of his career between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix, the Arkansas product was not one of the hottest prospects on the market. A strong playoff performance for the Suns in the 2005 playoffs sold the Hawks on the restricted free agent. With Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and Shawn Marion, the Suns didn’t match and the Hawks landed a borderline franchise cornerstone.
BOSTON CELTICS:
James Posey, 2 years/$7 million (2007)
I looked over the last 15 years and thought, “James Posey? There has to be better” but in truth, the Celtics built their 2008 title winning team through trades (Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen) and the draft (Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce). Posey provided depth and was a box score filler for his tenure with the Celtics including a steal per game during the playoffs while playing the role of 6th …show more content…
A handful of teams make this list without fail nearly every time: Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and for some reason, the Nets. The Nets believe their significant players in the free agent world as well, however, perception is not reality. When your best free agent signing over the last decade and a half is Andray Blatche—a man who was out of the NBA by age 28—you probably should reconsider where you stand as a heavy hitter in the NBA. Expect their name to surface as a possible Kevin Durant location next summer but don’t expect Durant to