The majority of big name NBA free agent signings happened in the immediate hours and days after the window opened but there were some notable signings this past week that will have both short and long term impacts. Here is a breakdown of those moves and what they mean.
Smith returns to Cleveland; Cavs also add Kaun
Free agent guard posted a picture to his Instagram account with a caption that confirmed his signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers and his ultimate goal to help the Cavaliers win an NBA championship. The decision was a very interesting one for both sides. Smith reportedly had a two-year, $10-million deal on the table for some time but elected to explore the free agent market to potentially see if there was a better offer out there. As the offseason went along and it became obvious that there was no other offer for Smith, he announced his return.
Meanwhile, Cleveland has largely brought back the same cast they had last year with the addition of veteran point guard Mo Williams with the hope that the healthy returns of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving can push them over the top and help them finally win an NBA championship. Smith was one of the catalysts for the team’s turnaround last season as he averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while helping the Cavaliers post a 34-13 record down the stretch.
He was forced in to an even bigger role with the team in the playoffs when Love and Irving went down and he delivered, for the most part. Separately, the Cavs also signed Sasha Kaun to a two-year deal and expect he will fill out the backup center role behind Timofey Mozgov and it appears as though they are done making moves for now after reloading for another potential championship run.
Valanciunas signs extension with Toronto
Toronto isn’t nearly as close to contending for an NBA championship but after last season ended with so much uncertainty, General Manager Masai Ujiri finally got a contract extension done with the player the team has groomed to be their franchise center.
Valanciunas is still only 23 years old and he averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season, but there are those around the league that have said they expected him to be further along as an NBA center. JV has sometimes been criticized for being too soft, which is never a good thing for a man who is 7’0, 255 pounds.
The Raptors signed Valanciunas to a four-year, $64 million deal that includes a player option entering the fourth year, so it’s clear the team is committed to making sure he remains a key piece of their franchise moving forward. There will be more pressure on Duane Casey to actually play him as there has been some kind of issue brewing where JV ends up sitting in fourth quarters. If he’s going to be getting primetime money, he’s going to have to be playing primetime minutes.
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Terry returns to Rockets
After a long offseason period, veteran guard Jason Terry finally decided to commit to the Houston Rockets with a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. Terry averaged only 7.0 points and 1.9 assists in 21.3 minutes per game over the course of 77 appearances for the Rockets last season.
He proved to be a very useful piece as Patrick Beverley went down midway through the season and the Rockets had to rely on Terry. He played just over 21 minutes in the regular season but those minutes jumped up to 28.6 in the playoffs. He proved to be a valuable asset, scoring 9.2 points per game while hitting 1.7 threes.
Terry had contemplated an offer from the New Orleans Pelicans before making the decision to return to the Rockets, which is a bit of a surprise. He would have had a bigger role in New Orleans because the Rockets are stocked at the position with Ty Lawson and Beverley. However, he must view his chances of winning a title that much better in Houston.
