NBA Free Agency: 5 Biggest Winners from Week 1 

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Who's No. 1?

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder v Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder v Miami Heat

The Oklahoma City Thunder were a big winner right from Day 1 when Paul George announced his intent to stay with them. PG-13 signed a 4-year, $137 million deal with a provision to extend it to 7 years, $290 million at the end of his second year. This means he will likely play in Oklahoma City till the end of his prime, given that he's currently aged 28.

Sam Presti brought back Jerami Grant on a 3-year, $27 million deal. Raymond Felton re-signed for the veteran's minimum, while Presti snagged the signature of Nerlens Noel for a 1-year minimum deal of $1.6 million. All of these moves addressed the need to keep their good bench players while strengthening it with new signings - Noel has the potential to be a really good backup center in the right circumstances, and as a vertical spacer, he could be the perfect replacement for Steven Adams in pick-and-roll situations.

Their most important move, however, and one that will save them over $100 million from their wage bill, will be to reach a buyout agreement with Carmelo Anthony. Melo has stated the need to start, but that wasn't what the Thunder wanted, resulting in this state of affairs.

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Edited by Yash Matange