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Almost as soon as 2021 NBA free agency officially began, reports of teams signing players started coming in, with the LA Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans among the busiest ball clubs.
On Monday, the league opened the floodgates for teams to negotiate deals with players, including free agent signings, re-signings and sign-and-trades. And that’s just for starters as the NBA heads into its second day of free agency. Along the way, several surprise signings occurred on Day 1.
2021 NBA Free Agency: Teams didn’t waste time to sign players
As has been the case the past few years, NBA free agency kicked off with a bang, almost not giving fans time to process where players were headed this summer. Day 1 alone had many teams agree to terms with free agents they coveted this offseason.
Teams from both the Eastern and Western Conference scrambled to get the best available free agents for fear of opposing clubs snatching them up ahead of them.
Here are the 5 biggest surprises during the first day of 2021 NBA Free Agency:
5. Dwight Howard back with the L.A. Lakers
Who would’ve thought Dwight Howard would be back in a purple and gold uniform for the third time in his career? He came off the bench at center for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, but is now back in Tinseltown on a minimum deal.
After winning an NBA title with the LA Lakers in 2020, last year’s free agency discussion between Howard and the team ended awkwardly. The former Defensive Player of the Year tweeted then that he was re-signing with the Lakers, but had to delete it following a miscommunication.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, the Lakers had a “deal concept” and not a formal offer to Howard. Howard then went with the Sixers, who aggressively sought him.
But Howard is back in L.A. and there is no miscommunication about how the Lakers truly wanted him, inking him on a veteran minimum deal from the first day alone.
4. Evan Fournier goes to New York Knicks, Boston Celtics lose him for nothing
Evan Fournier is still busy playing for France in the 2021 Olympics but that didn’t stop him from agreeing to play for the New York Knicks. According to reports, the Boston Celtics weren’t willing to pay him more than $15 million to re-sign with them.
The New York Knicks swooped in to give Fournier a deal, one that the Celtics didn’t want to match or surpass on the first day of NBA free agency. The nine-year vet agreed to a four-year deal worth $78 million which averages out to $19.5 million a year. Unfortunately, the Celtics weren’t willing to take that on even if they had his Bird rights.
The problem is, they let him go for nothing after acquiring him at the NBA trade deadline last March. Boston was expected to re-sign Fournier, but as it turned out, they wanted him at a lower price point in free agency.
3. Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade to Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans missed out twice
Lonzo Ball had been attached to rumors that he would sign with the New York Knicks, LA Lakers or Chicago Bulls in NBA free agency this summer. There was also a chance that he could return to the New Orleans Pelicans to run the Zion Williamson show for the next few years.
But the Bulls and Pelicans agreed to a sign-and-trade that sends Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple and a second-round pick to New Orleans on Day 1 of NBA free agency.
Interestingly, it’s a similar offer to what was reported at the trade deadline by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, which was Satoransky and a couple of second-round picks for Ball. Other than Temple being included in the deal, it’s surprising how similar that offer is, although the Bulls have Ball’s services secured for a few years.
The Pelicans lost twice in NBA free agency as they didn’t get Kyle Lowry (Miami Heat) and lost Ball in one day.
2. P.J. Tucker leaves Milwaukee Bucks after winning ring
After playing a crucial role last season in helping the Milwaukee Bucks win the franchise’s second championship, P.J. Tucker left them to sign with the Miami Heat in 2021 NBA free agency. It was a surprising move for the veteran forward, who appeared to be a happy camper with the Bucks, who traded for him midway through last season.
According to The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Chrania, his reported deal with the Heat was for two years at $15 million. It's a shame that Milwaukee couldn’t match or give Tucker a better deal to keep him considering how valuable he was to the Bucks in guarding the best swingmen from opposing teams.
Perhaps the Bucks are looking to sign someone else at that price range, but losing Tucker to an opposing team that will be gunning for them next season is a tough pill to swallow.
1. Alex Caruso leaves LA Lakers for Chicago Bulls
Almost everyone believed that Alex Caruso was coming back to the LA Lakers and that he was the one player they would try hard to keep among their many free agents. Unfortunately, the Carushow is now over in Los Angeles.
Caruso is going to the Bulls for a very reasonable four-year, $37 million deal that the LA Lakers could have easily matched as they owned his Bird rights in NBA free agency. The 27-year-old guard from Texas A&M clearly wanted to stay in L.A. but The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that the Lakers didn’t make a counteroffer to try and retain him.
Knowing that the Lakers lost Caruso and hearing that they allegedly didn’t fight to keep him is just about the most shocking news in Day 1 of NBA free agency. Caruso was the heart and soul of their perimeter defense, helping them to get the No. 1 ranking in defensive rating in the entire league last season.
Simply put, this was the most baffling, surprising and shocking development on the first day of NBA free agency.
Also Read: Listing all 4 of LA Lakers' reported signings on Day 1 of 2021 NBA Free Agency
