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NBA: How the 2016 free agency period continues to impact today’s market

By Steve Zavala

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Golden State Warriors 2017 NBA Championship ring ceremony at ORACLE Arena on October 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Golden State Warriors 2017 NBA Championship ring ceremony at ORACLE Arena on October 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Taking a look back at the 2016 NBA Free Agency period and how it continues to impact today’s market

The NBA undoubtedly has the most thrilling free agency period in all of sports and it is for good reason. In the NFL and NHL, there are certainly unexpected moves but not many surprises during their free agency periods.

In MLB, the free agency period is prolonged as it can take months before some of the biggest available talents make a final decision on which team to sign for.

In the NBA, it is complete mayhem. It is full of unpredictable trades and shocking signings that has fans talking about for weeks. And most importantly, it can have a significant impact on teams for years to come.

Most notably and recently, the craziness that took place during the 2016 offseason has had a resounding effect on the NBA today.

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General managers across the NBA were signing players to enormous contracts like it was a video game. Players and their agents were taking advantage of the inflated market. Fans across the NBA were flabbergasted at the deals being negotiated at the time.

This was all due to the historic salary cap spike. Months before the start of free agency in 2016, the NBA announced that the salary cap would increase to a whopping $94.1M, which was by far the highest it had ever been in the NBA.

In the previous season, the salary cap mark was set at $70M. Thus, the luxury tax rose up to $113.9M, which was also a new all-time high.

Owners and NBA officials were not shocked at the salary cap increase due to the multi-billion dollar television deals that the NBA negotiated with ESPN, Turner Sports and Fox Sports affiliate networks but no one saw this massive increase coming. NBA officials hoped that the salary cap would gradually increase instead of having a sudden $24.1M rise but the NBPA had no interest in that proposal.

The unprecedented $24.1M increase was much anticipated by teams across the NBA. Small market teams saw this as a landmark victory as the free agency period would allow them to re-sign some of their own talent to long-term deals while also signing new players to huge contracts that they simply could not resist.

What ultimately ensued was pure chaos and pandemonium. Here are some of the biggest and most questionable signings of the 2016 free agency period:

  • Kent Bazemore: 4 years, $70.5M with Atlanta
  • Allen Crabbe: 4 years, $75M with Brooklyn
  • Nicolas Batum: 5 years, $120M with Charlotte
  • Marvin Williams: 4 years, $54.5M with Charlotte
  • Harrison Barnes: 4 years, $94M with Dallas
  • Dwight Powell: 4 years, $37M with Dallas
  • Jon Leuer: 4 years, $42M with Detroit
  • Ryan Anderson: 4 years, $80M with Houston
  • Luol Deng: 4 years, $72M with the Lakers
  • Timofey Mozgov: 4 years, $64M with the Lakers
  • Mike Conley: 5 years, $153M with Memphis
  • Chandler Parsons: 4 years, $94M with Memphis
  • Hassan Whiteside: 4 years, $98M with Miami
  • Miles Plumlee: 4 years, $52M with Milwaukee
  • Joakim Noah: 4 years, $72M with the Knicks
  • Bismack Biyombo: 4 years, $72M with Orlando
  • Evan Turner: 4 years, $70M with Portland
  • Meyers Leonard: 4 years $41M with Portland
  • Moe Harkless: 4 years, $40M with Portland

It was a wild free agency period that had fans questioning GMs across the NBA for their ludacris decisions to give near max money type contracts to subpar players. In any other off-season, many of these players would not even receive offers anywhere close to what they ended up signing for.

When reminiscing on the long-lasting impact that the 2016 free agency period had on the NBA, its impact on teams and the market has benefitted some while created a major burden for others.

For starters, the 2016 free agency period was a blessing in disguise for the Warriors. After a 73-9 season where they failed to defend their title, the salary cap spike allowed them to sign Kevin Durant on a two-year, $54.3 million dollar deal. The Warriors were also able to maneuver themselves into signing six other players on a one-year deal. Had it not been for the historic salary cap spike, the Warriors would likely not have been able to sign Durant and then eventually afford to sign DeMarcus Cousins in the current free agency period.

Several other teams were also winners due to the fact that they did not go overboard and sign players to huge contracts. The Celtics were able to sign Al Horford to a 4 year, $113 million dollar max contract deal but the team did not throw away money at a subpar player as they hoped to sign another star player in the following free agency period – which they did with the signing of Gordon Hayward.

Teams such as the Cavaliers and Thunder also took a simple, conservative approach to free agency as they each had long-term plans to invest in the following free agency periods rather than just go all out on players that will receive overvalued contracts.

Now of course, there were losers from the 2016 free agency that not only hurt them during the 2016-17 season but also in the current free agency period. Among them, the Lakers were forced to trade D’Angelo Russell in order to move Timofey Mozgov and the Luol Deng signing has restricted the team from making any major free agency or trade moves beyond LeBron James. The Rockets signing of Ryan Anderson essentially eliminated them from the LeBron free agency sweepstakes.

Memphis is now in rebuild mode… even though they still owe an estimated $146.7M to both Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons. Portland’s disastrous free agency signings of Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless has restricted the team from adding to a star talent to team up with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

And this goes on and on with so many regrets and what ifs.

Now while there have been numerous complaints as of late due to the lack of parity in the NBA, credit should also be given to the front offices that have been smart with their free agent signings and trades. The Celtics or Warriors did not spend a combined $136 million on Deng and Mozgov but rather signed a star player in 2016 and have built around their core.

Must Read: NBA Trade Rumors: 3 Moves That Could Help Rebuild The Cavaliers

Owners and team management officials across the league have learned a valuable lesson since the 2016 free agency period – think long-term and be wise. A skyrocketing salary cap spike should not warrant a mindless free agency spending spree. It takes smart signings and investments to win championships in the NBA. 

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