NBA: 10 biggest Free Agency winners (pre-KD trade edition)
By Dan Knitzer
Chicago Bulls – big winner
It seems that Goran Dragic isn’t hell-bent on playing with Luka Doncic, after all. But seeing him sign a one-year veteran minimum was still a surprise, and thus a huge win for the Chicago Bulls. Likewise, signing Andre Drummond and Derrick Jones Jr. to just over the minimum represent great deals that will undoubtedly bolster the team.
Furthermore, the Dragic and Drummond signings make Coby White and Nikola Vucevic more expendable, and should either offer the opportunity for players or picks.
Utah Jazz – big winner
A week and change later and the Rudy Gobert trade package still feels unreal. The Jazz now has more picks than any other 2022 playoff team west of the Big Easy, and optionality, should they want to “retool” rather than rebuild.
There’s a very real chance that this team still makes the 2023 playoffs without any further moves. Of course, if a rebuild is the decided course of action, the team could end up with a collection of quality picks exceeding the Pelicans.