The Best-Value Signings Of 2022 NBA Free Agency

NBA teams sprang into action as soon as free agency began on June 30, handing out nearly $3 billion dollars in the first 48 hours alone, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Bradley Beal signed one of the largest contracts in NBA history with the Washington Wizards (five years, $251 million), while Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine wasn’t far behind (five years, $215 million). The New York Knicks lured Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks with a four-year, $104 million deal, although most of the other biggest signings to date have been players staying with their own teams.

Only a handful of teams entered the offseason with any salary-cap space, which limited the market for free agents. Most of them had to decide whether to re-sign with their respective teams or take either the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($10.5 million), taxpayer mid-level exception ($6.5 million), room mid-level exception ($5.4 million), bi-annual exception ($4.1 million) or a minimum deal.

The leaguewide dearth of cap space allowed some teams to land free agents at below-market value. The following seven players could wind up being the biggest steals from the first week-and-a-half of free agency.

John Wall, Los Angeles Clippers

The terms: Two years, $13.3 million

John Wall has played only 40 games over the past three seasons combined. A torn Achilles sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season, and he and the rebuilding Houston Rockets mutually agreed that he wouldn’t suit up for them last year, either. Wall eventually wanted to play, but the Rockets only wanted him to come off the bench as they prioritized the development of young guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green.

Wall did play 40 games with the Rockets in 2020-21, though, and he averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game. While he wasn’t a nightly 20-10 threat like he was during his prime with the Washington Wizards, he showed that he can still make a positive impact in his minutes.

The Clippers have lacked a true table-setting point guard during their three-year tenure with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Rajon Rondo, whom they acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, was the closest thing to that, and he made an instant impact with 5.8 assists in only 20.4 minutes per game. Otherwise, Lou Williams (!) led the team with 5.6 assists in 2019-20, while George did this past season with 5.7.

Leonard and George will remain the Clippers’ primary offensive engines even with the addition of Wall, but Wall should allow them to operate off the ball more often. Wall is only a career 32.3 percent three-point shooter, but he’s willing to fire away from that range, and the Clippers can surround him with plenty of plus shooters in Leonard, George, Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum.

The New York Knicks made a similar gamble on Kemba Walker last offseason, but his longstanding knee issues and defensive struggles earned him a quick trip to head coach Tom Thibodeau’s doghouse. If Wall doesn’t get relentlessly targeted on defense, what he provides offensively could help make the Clippers one of the clear title favorites next year.

Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls

The terms: Two years, $6.6 million

Andre Drummond was an every-game starter for the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers from 2013-14 through 2020-21. He signed a one-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Philadelphia 76ers last summer to back up Joel Embiid, although he went right back into a starting role when the Sixers sent him to the Brooklyn Nets at February’s trade deadline.

In other words, the Chicago Bulls landed a starting-caliber center for $3.3 million per year.

Drummond has long been one of the league’s most prolific rebounders. He led the league in rebounds per game four times between 2015-16 and 2019-20, and he hauled in 9.3 boards in only 19.7 minutes per game this past season between Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old won’t provide much offensively outside of the paint. He’s shot only 15-of-114 (13.2 percent) on three-point attempts over his 10-year NBA career, and he went 0-of-11 from deep over the past two seasons. He’s best suited rolling to the basket, serving as a lob threat and scoring on putbacks after hauling in offensive rebounds.

Drummond may be more of a 82-game player than a 16-game player, as he isn’t quick enough laterally to switch onto guards and wings in pick-and-rolls. Then again, the Bulls aren’t paying him as though they expect him to play 30-plus minutes per game, especially in the playoffs. He’ll return positive value just by soaking up 15 or so minutes behind Nikola Vucevic and filling in as a spot starter when needed.

Considering what JaVale McGee (three years, $20.4 million) and Dewayne Dedmon (two years, $9.0 million) received from the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, respectively, Drummond is an outright steal in comparison.

Donte DiVincenzo, Golden State Warriors

The terms: Two years, $9.3 million

Two years ago, Donte DiVincenzo started 66 regular-season games for a Milwaukee Bucks squad that went on to win the NBA championship. He suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle during Game 3 of the Bucks’ first-round series against the Miami Heat and missed the rest of that playoff run, but he was an invaluable part of their regular-season rotation.

The Bucks wound up sending DiVincenzo to the Sacramento Kings at the February trade deadline as part of a four-team deal that landed them Serge Ibaka, as their offseason addition of Grayson Allen rendered him expendable. DiVincenzo went on to average 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game with the Kings across 25 appearances, although he shot only 36.2 percent overall.

The Golden State Warriors should position DiVincenzo to have a bounce-back season that could earn him a hefty payday, much like Otto Porter Jr. just did last year.

In Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, the Warriors have plenty of top-end guard talent. They won’t need to lean on DiVincenzo for 35-plus minutes per game. That trio will also attract a ton of defensive attention, which should leave DiVincenzo open along the perimeter for plenty catch-and-shoot looks.

Prior to his ankle injury, DiVincenzo shot 37.9 percent from deep overall and 38.1 percent on catch-and-shoot triples during the 2020-21 regular season. Spot-up looks made up the majority of his three-point attempts that year, which should be the case for him in Golden State as well.

After losing Porter and Gary Payton II in free agency, the Warriors do need to replenish their bench with playable depth. While recent lottery picks James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody could help fill that void, DiVincenzo and Poole will likely serve as Golden State’s top two reserves next season.

Bruce Brown Jr., Denver Nuggets

The terms: Two years, $13.3 million

Bruce Brown Jr. is a positionless enigma. Despite standing only 6’4″ and 202 pounds, he found his groove with the Brooklyn Nets over the past few seasons as a point-center.

Brown isn’t going to supplant two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic as the Denver Nuggets’ starting center, but his ability to carve defenses up on the short roll could allow the Nuggets to throw out some of the league’s most unconventional lineups.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old isn’t a high-volume three-point shooter, but he did knock down 40.4 percent of his looks from deep last year. Between him, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bones Hyland, Jokic will have no shortage of kickout options whenever opponents foolishly attempt to double-team him.

Brown is also a rugged defender. Armed with a 6’9″ wingspan, he finished in the 86th percentile among all forwards in block percentage, the 81st percentile in steal percentage and the 89th percentile in offensive rebounding percentage last season. He’ll bolster a Nuggets defense that finished 15th last year by allowing 111.5 points per 100 possessions.

John Hollinger of The Athletic had Brown ranked as the ninth-best free agent on the market at any position, and his proprietary BORD$ formula projected his 2022-23 value to be just over $19 million. The Nuggets got him at roughly one-third of that price. They might be one of the best values on the board at +2400 to win next year’s championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

Amir Coffey, Los Angeles Clippers

The terms: Three years, $11 million

Amir Coffey was a fringe rotation member for the Los Angeles Clippers over his first two NBA seasons, both of which he spent on a two-way deal. He signed another two-way contract with the Clippers last September, but they promoted him to the 15-man roster by converting him to a rest-of-season contract in March.

Coffey averaged a career-high 9.0 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.7 minutes per game for the Clippers last year, and he started in 30 of his 69 regular-season appearances. Since Kawhi Leonard missed all season to rehab from a partially torn ACL and Paul George played only 31 games because of a shoulder injury, Coffey had an unexpected opportunity to prove he deserved a full-time rotation spot.

The Minnesota product knocked down 41.1 percent of his three-point attempts in 2020-21, albeit on extremely low volume. He proved that wasn’t a fluke last year, as he shot 37.8 percent from deep on 3.7 attempts per game and drilled 38.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples.

The 6’7″, 210-pound Coffey is also a multipositional defender. Between him, Leonard, George, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum and Norman Powell, the Clippers have arguably the deepest rotation of versatile wings and forwards outside of perhaps Toronto. That’s among the reasons why they’re currently one of the front-runners to win next year’s championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

“Amir has shown he’s a rotation player in the NBA,” team president Lawrence Frank told reporters at his season-ending press conference. “For him to step in, regardless of the role of starter, off the bench, you’re really happy.”

Locking him up for only $11 million over the next three years could be a godsend for the tax-saddled Clippers, who are currently facing a projected luxury-tax bill of nearly $144.7 million. NBA teams can never have enough two-way wings, especially at the price that the Clippers were able to retain Coffey.

Jalen Smith, Indiana Pacers

The terms: Three years, $15.1 million

When the Phoenix Suns declined Jalen Smith’s $4.67 million third-year team option last November, they handcuffed their own ability to retain him beyond the season. As Forbes Sports colleague Tony East covered in May, they were limited to offering him no more than $4.67 million as the starting salary on a new deal, while any other team could offer more either via cap space or a salary-cap exception.

The Suns wound up trading Smith with a second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers ahead of the trade deadline for Torrey Craig. That meant the Pacers were under the same restriction in terms of how much they could offer him as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Rather than chase the biggest payday, Smith re-signed with the Pacers on a three-year, $15.1 million deal with a third-year player option. Head coach Rick Carlisle promptly declared he’d be the team’s starting power forward next season, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star.

“At the end of the day, I chose my future over instant gratification,” Smith said, per Boyd. “I feel as though that was the biggest part. You don’t want to take on such a big task so early on in your life rather than trying to work towards it and miss out on it in the future, and that was pretty much the main thing that was going through my head the whole entire time.”

During his 22 games with the Pacers last season, Smith averaged 13.4 points on 53.1 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in only 24.7 minutes. He also drilled 37.3 percent of his 3.8 three-point attempts per game, and he was in the 82nd percentile among all big men leaguewide in terms of foul percentage, which is often a weakness for young bigs in particular.

The Pacers are rebuilding around their young backcourt of Tyrese Haliburton and rookie Bennedict Mathurin. They already traded Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics this offseason, and veteran center Myles Turner might not be far behind. Betting on Smith’s upside—he was the No. 10 pick in the 2020 draft—at an inexpensive price for at least the next two seasons could help expedite that rebuild.

T.J. Warren, Brooklyn Nets

The terms: One year, $2.6 million

While the Brooklyn Nets sift through the fallout of Kevin Durant’s trade request, they’ve been busy filling out the rest of their roster. Perhaps their most impactful free-agent splash to date was signing former Pacers forward T.J. Warren to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Warren has played only four games over the past two seasons combined thanks to a pair of stress fractures in his left foot. Before those injuries derailed him, though, he was fresh off a career-best year in which he averaged 19.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 triples and 1.2 steals in 32.9 minutes per game.

Warren’s high-water mark came during the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida. He exploded for 53 points on 20-of-29 shooting in the Pacers’ first game against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he went on to average 30.3 points on 57.6 percent shooting overall and 45.8 percent from three-point range over his next four games.

Warren will likely need some time to knock off the rust from his nearly two-year layoff. It would be reckless of the Nets to throw him into the starting lineup and play him 35-plus minutes per game right away, even if they need a fill-in for Durant. With that said, the upside is undeniable.

If Warren regains anything close to his Bubble form, the Nets will have snagged a potential 20-points-per-game scorer on a minimum deal. They’ll only have non-Bird rights on him, so they’d have to re-sign him next summer using whichever version of the mid-level exception they wind up having, but that’s a problem for another day.

Until then, Warren might be the single best low-risk, high-reward signing of the offseason.