NBA Free Agent Signing Grades

Updated: Thursday, March 23, 2023.

By Mike Elworth. Follow Mike @MikeElworth24. For site updates follow @walterfootball.



Houston signs D.J. Augustin
It is very well known that this franchise needs leadership, and the long-time NBA point guard, at 35, can give it to them. He hasn't been in the NBA this season, but if he can provide just a bit of leadership, that's a win.

Grade: A

Nick Richards re-signs with Charlotte for three seasons, $15 million
The Charlotte Hornets have made the wise decision to re-sign reserve center Nick Richards, who has played well this season. He is an excellent shot-blocker and rebounder, as well as a very efficient scorer. He is just 25, and this is smart business by the Hornets.

Grade: A-

Hawks re-sign Bogdan Bogdanovic for four seasons, $68 million
This is a random, big, in-season deal, as the Atlanta Hawks have re-signed sixth man Bogdan Bogdanovic, the younger brother of Detroit star Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdan isn't the 20-point scorer that his brother is for the Pistons, but is averaging about 14-3-3, which are right at his career numbers, and is shooting 40.1 percent from three while taking 6.7 shots from there per game, which is incredible. He could start for a number of teams, and honestly, I think he would have signed for a four-year deal for as much $80 million if he made it to free agency, so this is simple.

Grade: A-

Brooklyn Nets sign Nerlens Noel
The Nets have signed veteran big man Nerlens Noel, who I've been a fan of since he was at Kentucky. He has been in the league for a while now, but is just 29 and still a valuable role player. The defensive center is strong rebounder and defends well in a reserve role. He is one of the elite second centers in the NBA, and should give the Nets 15 solid minutes when Nik Claxton is resting. I like this move for Brooklyn, but he could have found a role on a title contender.

Grade: A+

Milwaukee Bucks sign Goran Dragic
The Bucks needed to replace veteran George Hill off the bench, as he was traded to the Pacers, and they were able to grab veteran Goran Dragic, who the Bulls just waived. Dragic has aged, but he is still an excellent shooter, can run the reserves, and gives a lot of energy. He could easily see consistent minutes. I love this signing by the Bucks.

Grade: A+

Wizards sign Xavier Cooks to 2-year contract
Cooks is the reigning MVP in the NBLA, which is Australia's No. 1 league, and there are quite a few NBA draft prospects there. Cooks is a 6-foot-8 defensive big first, but he has some offensive skills and can help the Wizards, even though they have a lot more talent than people think. I love small-market teams making smart moves to find talents when we all know no big free agents will sign there. This is a solid signing.

Grade: B+

Sacramento Kings sign P.J. Dozier
The Kings have signed P.J. Dozier for the season after his two 10-day contracts, as K.Z. Okpala will miss the rest of the season. Dozier is a fringe NBA player who has made the league at some point in six straight seasons, three with Denver, which says a lot about his work ethic and heart - you have to love when that is recognized. This season, he has only been on the court for four games and scarce minutes. As for the signing, he won't play much and won't affect Sacramento making the playoffs.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors sign Will Barton
This is a home run for Toronto, but I have no idea why such a valued bench scorer would choose a team that has to work hard just to make the playoffs rather than a contender. Barton was just waived by the Wizards, but the former Nuggets scorer has been one of the strongest bench scorers for quite awhile and has started as well. With Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes and O.G. Anunoby, I simply cannot see many minutes available for Barton. It's odd that he isn't signing with the Warriors or Suns, or simple returning to the Nuggets.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons sign R.J. Hampton
This is a small move for Detroit, but I like it. The Pistons are spending this season trying to see who are keepers along with the excellent but injured Cade Cunningham, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, James Wiseman and more. Who knows? Hampton could prove to be a strong reserve.

Grade: B+

Chicago Bulls sign Patrick Beverly for remainder of year
You know, as a huge Bulls supporter, I was really rooting for Russell Westbrook to come and rescue our season. A player like him could have really helped us get a spot in the playoff, but I'm actually really fine with the Bulls getting Lonzo Ball lite - or as he probably prefers, Patrick Beverly.

Nobody seems to have a real clue what the actual issue is with the brother of Liangelo, but the Bulls have actually played all season with no point guard, as excellent young combo guard Ayo Dosunmu has technically started at point for most of the season. As I said, Dosunmu is no point guard, while Coby White is a shooter and scorer labeled a point guard and Goran Dragic is nearly 40, so point guard was a huge need. The problem? It still truly is. Beverly is the polar opposite of Coby White, as a small defensive ace labeled a point guard, but he isn't a point guard. Beverly should help the Bulls a lot though on the court and in the locker room, but this won't make the Bulls more than they are as for wins.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Clippers sign Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Clippers have signed Russell Westbrook, a former MVP and one of the best players of the century, who was just waived by Utah. He receives a lot of flack for his style and shot selection, but he was to me the Sixth Man of the Year for the Lakers. He no longer should start, but as a sixth man, he can still give you 15-6-6 and improve your bench in a big way. The Clippers traded away John Wall and Reggie Jackson, and although they have Terrance Mann and Bones Hyland, they needed another point guard, so Westbrook fits in theory.

As for the signing, this is a gamble, as the Clippers are contenders if Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are healthy, which they are, and the team already had arguably the most depth in the league, so the question is, does the organization need him? With his ball-dominant ways and personality, he could cause some issues, but he increases the roster's talent and helps solidify its only weak position, so this is a win. Also, if he causes issues, the Clippers can cut him, so there's very little risk.

Grade: A-

Miami Heat sign Kevin Love for rest of season
The Cavaliers and long-time star Kevin Love agreed to part ways, and Love has chosen to play for the Heat. Given that I am living in Tampa Bay and am from Chicago, my guess Love's move was either for the weather or to receive a huge role on a Heat squad that truly needed another big man. I still have no idea why they couldn't wait until Love was a free agent after the season to have him switch teams, more so as he signed with the current No. 7 seed in the East when the Cavs are at No, 4. Also, I know Love wasn't in Cleveland's rotation at the time, but why is a young team with title aspirations getting rid of a stud bench big man who has actually won one? Adding Love is huge for the Heat, as he should be a big part of their rotation and they really needed more depth.

Grade: A

Spurs re-sign Charles Bassey for 4-years, $10.2 million
Bassey made the most of his two-way contract - half the season in the NBA and the other portion with San Antonio's minor league squad -, parlaying that into more or less a first-round pick's four-season deal. The San Antonio Spurs are in their first season of a potentially long rebuild, but obviously they feel Bassey is a keeper at center, so there is no reason to not like this.

Grade A

Nuggets sign Reggie Jackson for remainder of season
The longtime Clippers point guard was traded for Mason Plumlee, as Terrence Mann became the starter for them at point guard. Jackson was traded to the Hornets, but they only cared about the pick that came with him and waived him. Now, Jackson is joining the West's best team, which needed a second point guard and scoring guard off the bench.

Grade: A

Suns sign Terrence Ross for rest of season
It was widely assumed that Ross, who was waived by the Magic, would be signing with the Mavericks, but it's hard to fault him for joining a true contender where there's a role for him. While the Suns have one of the best starting fives in the NBA, they have depth issues, so Ross should have a pretty solid role for the them.

Grade: A

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Danny Green
It's funny that Green is in the news for signing with the Cavaliers as he literally began his season a week or so ago due to a knee injury. He was actually in the three team trade that involved Luke Kennard going to Memphis, Eric Gordon going to LA and he joined John Wall with the Rockets. Now he has signed with the Cavaliers, which was his team as a rookie 14 years ago. I actually really like this move for non basketball reasons, as Green is simply a winner, as he has won multiple titled and was a trusted member of Greg Popovich's Spurs for a long time; that matters. If the young Cavaliers see themselves as a team that can compete for a title, he is someone you want in that locker room. I doubt he sees very much time, but he is still an excellent shooter.

Grade: A

Philadelphia 76ers sign Dewayne Dedmon
Dedmon was traded from Miami to San Antonio, waived and is now a 76er. Dedmon has been a solid reserve big in the league for awhile, as he is an excellent rebounder and efficient scorer, but they should have signed a shot-blocking defensive center.

Grade: B

Dallas Mavericks sign Justin Holiday
Many thought the Mavs were signing Terrence Ross, but he went to Phoenix and so they have signed a much older version in Justin Holiday. Holiday was traded from the Hawks to Houston, was waived and will now be a steady locker room figure for a team thst needs as much help there as they can get and although he is 35, he hasn't lost his shot. He's not as strong as Ross, but he is a solid get for them.

Grade: A-

Indiana Pacers re-sign Myles Turner for 2-year, $60 million deal
This confuses me. Myles Turner has seemingly wanted a trade for a long time, and most thought he would sign a big contract with a non-Indiana team in the offseason when he will be a free agent. Not only is he staying, but for only 2 seasons; it doesn't make sense. He would have been given a contract for likely four seasons and about $110 million in the offseason, but he must be gambling on still being a big signing candidate in two seasons, when he will be 29. As a player, Turner is one of the best shot-blockers in the league, has a solid offensive game, rebounds nicely and is an excellent shooter. I love this deal for the Pacers, as its lets them keep their center. The money is a bit much, but they have to keep their stars.

Grade: A-

Boston Celtics re-sign Al Horford for 2-year, $20 million contract
Whoops! Apparently, this happened quite a while ago, apologies. This was a brilliant move for Boston to keep its starting center for two more seasons after this season. Horford is a huge part of this team, which needed to keep him, although he has aged quite a bit and is quite overpaid now. He is 36 now but still an efficient scorer, an excellent shooter, a nice playmaker and a talented defender. He has a game that will still work nearing 40.

Grade: A

Dallas Mavericks sign Kemba Walker to a 1-year, minimum deal
Although the Mavericks already have Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie at the point, it seems they wanted some more scoring at the position on the bench, as they're signing Kemba Walker. The former Hornets star will give Dallas leadership, along with scoring, so he's a solid signing.

Grade: A-

Grizzlies re-sign Brandon Clarke for 4 seasons, $52 million
The Grizzly forward has signed one of my favorite deals of the offseason. With elite role players receiving monster contracts all offseason, the Grizzlies kept their third big man at a big discount. I love this.

Grade: A

Warriors re-sign Andrew Wiggins for 4 seasons, $109 million
This is a ton of money, but with far lesser players this week alone - Poole and Herro - getting bigger deals, I love the value. Wiggins is one of the elite scorers in the NBA, an athletic freak, and a strong defender.

Grade: A-

Heat re-sign Tyler Herro for 4 seasons, $130 million
Herro's mediocracy in the playoffs and lack of defense hurts his reputation, but he's just starting his prime, just won a Sixth Man trophy, and is one of the leagues elite scorers. It is a big contract, but I like it a lot.

Grade: B

Warriors re-sign Jordan Poole for 4 seasons, $140 million
Poole is a fantastic and productive young talent, but I wouldn't pay him a cent more than $25 million a season, which is still too much. The Warriors had to keep him long term to stay contenders as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are aging, but this is simply too much money. Grade: C-

Rockets re-sign Kevin Porter Jr. for 4 seasons, $82.5 million
Porter Jr. has become one of Houston's core guys, and is a fantastic scorer and distributor, plus he is still only 22. He's had on- and off-court issues, however, which makes this a little risky. Regardless, in today's league, this is a solid market deal that could be a steal.

Grade: B

Trail Blazers re-sign Nassir Little for 4 seasons, $28 million
The Trail Blazer's third big man has missed a lot of games because of injury, but he had a really nice season a year ago. He averaged similar numbers to Brandon Clarke, who signed for $13 million a season this week, but Clarke had much stronger advanced statistics and has'nt had the injury issues of Little.

Grade: A-

Hawks re-sign Deandre Hunter for 4 seasons, $95 million
When healthy, which has been problematic since being the fourth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hunter has been a starter for Atlanta. He's known for his defense, but he has a solid jumper and can score. Atlanta is paying for the star he could become, and I don't hate the contract, but for now, this is too much for him.

Grade: B-

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