A quiet week in NBA free agency was interrupted by a couple of notable deals Thursday, including Josh Smith's defecting from the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Clippers team he helped defeat in the 2015 playoffs. Let's break down all the recent moves and what they mean.
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Josh Smith
Team: L.A. Clippers
Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million
What it means: The Clippers' charmed past 10 days continued Thursday as they signed Smith for the veterans minimum, the most they could offer him as a taxpaying team. According to ESPN's Calvin Watkins, the Rockets offered Smith $2.5 million to return -- the highest amount possible without dipping into their midlevel exception, which would have left them vulnerable to losing restricted free agent K.J. McDaniels. From Smith's standpoint, the difference in salary was just $500,000 because half of the amount he makes above the minimum salary for a one-year veteran is taken out of what he gets from the Detroit Pistons, who waived him last December.
This is a coup for the Clippers, adding to their newfound depth. L.A. has added Smith, Cole Aldrich, Wesley Johnson and Lance Stephenson to its bench this summer while subtracting Glen Davis and Hedo Turkoglu, who remain free agents. While not all of those additions will work out, they give Doc Rivers more options than he had a year ago. The downside is Smith's best position, power forward, is the same one played by Blake Griffin. We've seen the results when Smith plays small forward at this stage of his career. A better option would be occasional minutes for Griffin and Smith as a small-ball frontcourt, which could work because of Smith's rim protection and would give the Clippers a potentially devastating transition attack against second units.
What's next: Having also signed second-round pick Brandon Dawson this week, the Clippers now have 13 players under guaranteed contract, along with non-guaranteed Jordan Hamilton. That gives them one, maybe two spots to fill using the veterans minimum.
J.J. Barea
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Contract: 4 years, $16 million
What it means: Back when DeAndre Jordan had committed to sign with the Mavericks, Barea had agreed to take the team's room exception, which would have paid him $5.75 million over two years. Jordan's defection gave the Mavericks a chance to sign Barea for longer using cap space, but it came at a cost -- he'll now make $16 million over the next four years. That's a lot for a 30-year-old backup point guard who is heavily dependent on his quickness. Of the 11 players with a similarity score of 95 or better to Barea at age 30 per my SCHOENE projection system, just two were even still in the NBA four years later. Four of the 11 were still in the NBA in Year 3 of Barea's contract, and just one of those (Anthony Johnson) rated better than replacement level. Barea has been more effective in the Dallas system, but odds are the back end of this deal will end up a problem and Barea might not play it out.
What's next: The Mavericks still have about $4 million in cap space remaining, along with their now-uncommitted room exception, to spend before signing several players who have agreed to take the veterans minimum. Dallas will have 13 roster spots filled if the team keeps Dwight Powell, whose contract is non-guaranteed but who has played well this summer. The Mavericks could still use more size behind starting center Zaza Pachulia, and another backup wing.
Jordan Hill
Team: Indiana Pacers
Contract: 1 year, $4 million
What it means: The deal to make Jordan the third Hill on the Pacers -- joining George and Solomon -- was first reported last week, but it wasn't until this week that we got any contract numbers. There's still some discrepancy. The Indianapolis Star reported Hill will make $5 million, while the Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus indicated Hill's cap number is $4 million. Either price is a good one for what will likely be Indiana's starting center. Hill is basically trading spots with Roy Hibbert, his replacement with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's an enormous downgrade as a rim protector, and coach Frank Vogel might have to adjust his defensive scheme as a result. However, Hill will likely be an upgrade at the offensive end.
He's more of a threat in the pick-and-roll game and a far better finisher. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Hill's 2-point percentage tumbled from 55.0 percent to 46.2 percent last season because he spent more time on the perimeter, taking more than a third of his shots between 16 feet and the 3-point line. The Pacers, who won't need Hill to space the floor, should keep him closer to the basket.
What's next: After signing Hill and second-round pick Joseph Young, Indiana has up to about $3 million in cap space remaining, assuming Hill signed for the smaller amount, along with its room exception. The lingering question for the Pacers is how much Paul George will play power forward -- something he and team president Larry Bird have gone back and forth about in the media. As the roster is currently constructed, George is going to have to play regularly at the 4. If Indiana wants, it could reduce that need by signing a stretch-4. Dorell Wright is the best remaining candidate on the market.
Tibor Pleiss
Team: Utah Jazz
Contract: 3 years, nearly $10 million
What it means: Pleiss is the second former second-round pick the Jazz have brought over using draft rights this summer, joining guard Raul Neto. Pleiss got a more lucrative deal to leave Spanish power FC Barcelona. According to Pincus, he'll make $9 million over the next three seasons, though his 2017-18 salary is not fully guaranteed. The 7-foot-3 Pleiss will battle rookie Trey Lyles to be Utah's fourth big. My international translations suggest he's capable of competently stepping into an NBA rotation next season, when he'll be 26.
What's next: With 13 guaranteed contracts, the Jazz are almost certainly finished with their offseason work. The last two spots will likely be determined among four players from last year's team with no guaranteed money (Jack Cooley, Bryce Cotton, Chris Johnson and Elijah Millsap) during training camp.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Team: Sacramento Kings
Contract: voided
What it means: The Kings, who previously had Mbah a Moute for nine games at the start of the 2013-14 season before trading him for Derrick Williams, were set to bring him back on a one-year deal for slightly more than the veterans minimum. Alas, Mbah a Moute failed his physical and had the contract voided.
What's next: After officially signing guard James Anderson on Thursday, Sacramento has about $1 million in remaining cap space, not enough to offer appreciably more than the veterans minimum. The Kings do have their room exception available. VP of basketball operations Vlade Divac has indicated he'd like to add a stretch-4 and another contender to battle David Stockton for the role of third point guard. If Sacramento is looking for a player similar to Mbah a Moute, former Denver Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur might be the best facsimile on the market.
Matt Bonner
Team: San Antonio Spurs (re-signed)
Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million
What it means: The Spurs brought back the Red Mamba on a one-year contract for the veterans minimum. At 35, Bonner is probably playing year-to-year at this point. He might not see as much action as last season, when he started 19 games and played 935 minutes, with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West both in the mix at power forward along with Boris Diaw. Still, Bonner is a useful insurance policy and a good player to have around.
What's next: Believe it or not, San Antonio's roster is nearly full. Assuming the Spurs keep newly acquired guard Ray McCallum, whose contract is non-guaranteed, they've got 14 spots filled. San Antonio might save the last spot for a competition in training camp.
Pierre Jackson
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Contract: 4 years
What it means: Great news for Jackson, who suffered a ruptured Achilles in his first game with the Sixers in the Orlando Pro Summer League last July. Back on the court this summer in Las Vegas, Jackson presumably signed a trademark Philadelphia four-year contract for the minimum with some money guaranteed in early years. He'll battle for a spot at point guard in training camp and has an excellent chance of sticking if close to full strength.
What's next: The 76ers still have somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million in cap space, though it's hard to imagine them making a move in free agency at this point. Their attention is on adding more young prospects like Jackson.
Aaron Harrison
Team: Charlotte Hornets
Contract: 2 years, $1.3 million
What it means: After averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the Orlando Pro Summer League for the Hornets, the undrafted Harrison twin earned an opportunity to join the team for training camp. While he flashed surprising versatility this summer, Harrison will probably have to shoot better to stick. He made just 23.8 percent of his 3-point attempts in Orlando.
What's next: Charlotte still has at least one open roster spot and its full midlevel exception available after using the bi-annual exception to sign Jeremy Lin as a free agent.
Cristiano Felicio
Team: Chicago Bulls
Contract: Unknown
What it means: Felicio is a 6-foot-10, 275-pound Brazilian post player who was once headed to the University of Oregon before being declared ineligible by the NCAA because he had played professionally in his native country. Felicio spent the past two years playing in Brazil. He's just 23 and flashed enough potential while playing for Chicago's entry in the NBA summer league to earn a contract for training camp.
What's next: The Bulls will fill out their roster for camp, but the heavy lifting from their offseason is almost certainly complete.