Day 1 of NBA Free Agency saw some teams knock it out of the park.
The first day of 2020 NBA free agency is officially in the books, and the usual flurry of deals led some teams to get desperate and overpay for players that will have a hard time living up to their price tag.
Some of the more shrewd franchises, however, managed to land some of the most treasured prizes in this free agency cycle on comparatively economical contracts, with these three signings standing out as the clear best deals struck on Friday night.
Here are the three deals stand out as the smartest from Day 1 of 2020 NBA free agency.
3. Danilo Gallinari, Atlanta Hawks: 3 years, $61 million
Danilo Gallinari was expected to look to join a contending team after leaving the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder, but he instead agreed to sign a short-term deal with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, who are looking to finally break through after making four top-10 draft selections in the last three seasons.
There wasn’t a better stretch-4 on the market, as Gallinari’s crisp passing, ability to run the floor, and knack for nailing contested 3s should serve him well in an Atlanta offense that wants to push the pace and shoot as many 3s as possible.
Atlanta’s defense is still suspect on the perimeter, and adding Gallinari to a frontcourt that already had Clint Capela, John Collins and 2020 first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu means one of those players might be on the move. However, the Hawks clearly sensed that they have the ability to sneak into the postseason this year after several seasons in the lottery. Adding a veteran big man with lights-out shooting ability coming off the two best scoring seasons of his career, all for less money than Davis Bertans, is a good move. If they add one more defensive stopper, don’t be surprised if Atlanta ends up in the playoffs.