Top 15 NBA players who switched teams on opening weekend of free agency
November 24, 2020
The NBA free agency began on Friday. There were a total of 15 players who changed teams and averaged a minimum of 10 points per game last season. Let us take a look at the list.
15) Bobby Portis–The 25-year-old power forward from Little Rock, Arkansas signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Milwaukee Bucks from the New York Knicks. In 2019-20, Portis averaged 10.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. He had a .450 field goal percentage, .358 three-point percentage, and .763 free throw percentage. Portis has previously played with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
14) Garrett Temple–The 34-year-old shooting guard from Baton Rouge, Louisiana signed a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Chicago Bulls from the Brooklyn Nets. In 2019-20, Temple averaged 10.3 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game, both career-highs. He had a .378 field goal percentage, .329 three-point percentage, and .805 free throw percentage. A journeyman, Temple has previously played with the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Los Angeles Clippers.
13) D.J. Augustin–The 33-year-old point guard from New Orleans, Lousiana, signed a three-year deal worth $21 million with the Milwaukee Bucks from the Orlando Magic. In 2019-20, Augustin averaged 10.5 points per game and 4.6 assists per game. He had a .399 field goal percentage, .348 three-point percentage, and .890 free throw percentage. Augustin has previously played with the Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver Nuggets.
12) Jae Crowder–The 30-year-old forward from Villa Rica, Georgia signed a three-year contract worth $30 million with the Phoenix Suns from the Miami Heat. In 2019-20 with the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies, Crowder averaged 10.5 points per game, and had career highs in rebounds per game (5.9), assists per game (2.5). He also had a field goal percentage of .401, a three-point percentage of .343, and a free-throw percentage of .776. In addition to the Grizzlies and Heat, Crowder has played for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Utah Jazz.
11) Jeff Teague–The 32-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics to backup Kemba Walker at the point guard position. In 2019-20, Teague, who wears number zero, shared his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks, and averaged 10.9 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. He had a .436 field goal percentage, a .368 three-point percentage, and a .873 free-throw percentage.
10) Aron Baynes–The 33-year-old center from Gisborne, New Zealand, and plays internationally for Australia, signed a two-year contract worth $14.5 million with the Toronto Raptors from the Phoenix Suns. Baynes has big shoes to fill as he is brought in to replace Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. In 2019-20, Baynes had a breakout year as he averaged career-highs in points per game (11.5) and rebounds per game (5.6). He had a .480 field goal percentage, a .351 three-point percentage (another career-high), and a .747 free throw percentage. In addition to the Suns, Baynes has played with the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics. In 2014, he was part of the Spurs team led by former Raptor legend Kawhi Leonard, that won the NBA Finals.
9) Tristan Thompson–The 29-year old center from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, signed a two-year deal worth $19 million with the Boston Celtics from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Known for his links to the Kardashian family, Thompson averaged a double double in 2019-20 for the second straight season. He had an average of 12 points per game, and 10.1 rebounds per game. Thompson also had a career-high of 2.1 assists per game. This past season the Canadian had a field goal percentage of .512, a three-point percentage of .391, and a free throw percentage of .615. In 2016, Thompson was an instrumental player on the Cavaliers team that won the NBA Finals.
8) Jerami Grant–The 26-year-old small forward from Portland, Oregon, signed a three-year deal worth $60 million with the Detroit Pistons from the Denver Nuggets. In 2019-20, Grant averaged 12 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .478, a three-point percentage of .389, and a free throw percentage of .750. In addition to the Nuggets, Grant has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
7) Christian Wood–Â The 25-year-old power forward from Long Beach, California, signed a three-year contract worth $41 million with the Houston Rockets from the Detroit Pistons. In 2019-20, Wood averaged 13.1 points per game, and had a career-high in rebounds per game (6.3). While coming mostly off the bench, Wood had a field goal percentage of .567, a three-point percentage of .386, and a free-throw percentage of .744. In addition to the Pistons, Wood has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, and New Orleans Pelicans. By acquiring Wood, the Rockets are trying to prove to their two stars–James Harden and Russell Westbrook–that they are serious of winning now.
6) Alec Burks–The 29-year-old swingman from Grandview, Missouri, signed a one-year contract worth $6 million with the New York Knicks from the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2019-20, Grant shared his time with the Golden State Warriors and 76ers, and averaged 15 points per game. He also had 4.3 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game. Burks had a field goal percentage of .418, a three-point percentage of .385, and a free-throw percentage of .887. In addition to the Warriors and 76ers, Burks has played for the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Sacramento Kings.
5) Bogdan Bogdanovic–The 28-year-old shooting guard from Belgrade, Serbia signed a four-year contract worth $72 million with the Atlanta Hawks from the Sacramento Kings. Due to the fact that Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent, the Kings have a chance to match the Hawks’ offer. Bogdanovic was temporarily traded to the Milwaukee Bucks last week, however, the deal fell through. In 2019-20, Bogdanovic averaged a career-high 15.1 points per game, alongside 3.4 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .440, a three-point percentage of .372, and a free throw percentage of .741.
4) Serge Ibaka–The 31-year-old center from Brazzaville, Congo could be considered as one of the best defenders in the NBA. At seven feet and 235 pounds, Ibaka has twice led the NBA in blocks per game. Now Ibaka has signed a two-year contract worth $19 million with the Los Angeles Clippers. There, Ibaka rejoins former Raptors teammate Kawhi Leonard. Ibaka and Leonard helped the Raptors win the 2019 NBA Finals. In 2019-20, Ibaka averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game and 1.4 assists per game. He also had 8.2 rebounds per game, a field goal percentage of .512, a three-point percentage of .385, and a free-throw percentage of .718. In addition to the Raptors, Ibaka has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Orlando Magic.
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3) Gordon Hayward–The 30-year-forward from Indianapolis, Indiana, signed a whopping four-year-contract worth $120 million with the Charlotte Hornets from the Boston Celtics. In 2019-20, Hayward averaged 17.5 points per game, a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game, and 4.1 steals per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .500, a three-point percentage of .383, and a free throw percentage of .855. While with the Utah Jazz in 2017, Hayward was an NBA All-Star as he averaged 21.9 points per game.
2) Montrezl Harrell–The 26-year-old from Tarboro, North Carolina signed a two-year contract worth $19 million with the Los Angeles Lakers from the Los Angeles Clippers. The sixth man of the year will not even have to move, as he will continue to play his home games at the Staples Center. In 2019-20, Harrell averaged 18.6 points per game, and 7.1 rebounds per game, both career-highs. He also had a field goal percentage of .580, and a free-throw percentage of .658. It should be noted that the six-year center who began with the Houston Rockets in his career, does not have a good three-point shot, as he has only made five three-pointers in 318 career games.
1) Danilo Gallinari–In addition to acquiring Bogdanovic, the Atlanta Hawks acquired forward 32-year-old Danilo Gallinari of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy to a three-year contract worth $61.5 million from the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2010-20, Gallinari averaged 18.7 points per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .438, a three-point percentage of .405, and a free-throw percentage of .893. In addition to playing for the Thunder, Gallinari has played for the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers.
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