Free agency in the NBA started in earnest today, but don't tell Mark Cuban that. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks was swindled out of his biggest free agent catch in a ridiculous, emoji-laden saga that highlights the issues with the NBA's false-start free agency system.
In the NBA, contracts for free agents expire June 30, which means those players are allowed to start negotiating with teams at the stroke of midnight July 1 — but actual pen-to-paper contracts cannot be signed until July 9. That interim "moratorium" period proved to be quite the whirlwind this year, as free agent DeAndre Jordan reneged on a verbal commitment he'd made to Cuban's Mavericks to re-sign with the Clippers at midnight on July 9, following a series of ridiculous tweets from fully grown, incredibly rich men. Here's Clippers forward Blake Griffin alluding to Los Angeles' 11th-hour plea to Jordan, which consisted of a team contingent arriving at Jordan's Houston home and apparently barricading him inside:
Meanwhile, 22-year-old phenom center Anthony Davis inked the richest contract in NBA history Thursday after announcing he would re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans at the first possible minute back on July 1:
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As expected, Cleveland forward LeBron James re-signed with the Cavaliers, as did fellow Cavs forward Kevin Love, who many expected to change teams. Miami Heat star guard Dwyane Wade signed a one-year contract to stay in Florida, while coveted forward LaMarcus Aldridge met with several teams before choosing to leave the Portland Trail Blazers for the San Antonio Spurs, who also re-signed 39-year-old veteran forward and perpetual paycut-taker Tim Duncan to a two-year contract:
Aside from the Mavericks, other teams with high hopes like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are re-strategizing after being shut out by top-tier free agents. Lucky for them, former MVP and current Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant hits the market next summer, and we can do this all over again.
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