Enjoy Basketball: Day one of free agency doesn't disappoint

Welcome back everyone.

It's the beginning of free agency season, one of the best times of the year to be a basketball enjoyer. After a long day of refreshing Twitter with Shams and Woj's notifications turned on, why don't we all just take a minute to rehash what went down on one of the most hectic NBA news days in a while.

The Biggest Deal: Brunson to New York

The Knicks have been looking for a franchise point guard for decades, and they may finally have gotten their wish in Jalen Brunson. Brunson is headed to NYC on a 4 year/104 million dollar contract, which might seem like a hefty price on paper, but isn't quite as eye-popping compared to other point guards salaries. His $26,000,000 yearly salary ranks just 14th among all PG's.

Brunson is just the type of point guard New York have been looking for. A solid passer who is also, most importantly, a top-level shot creator. They thought they had found that combination in Kemba Walker last season, but a disappointing year from him left the door open for this deal. Brunson proved in the Mavericks first round matchup with Utah that he has the potential to be one of the premier scoring guards in the league. It's the biggest step yet in the Knicks plan to return to relevancy, and one that is probably more likely to pay off than not.

The day was ruled by re-signing's

Brunson might have been the biggest name to move yesterday, but a full lineup of stars got over a billion dollars combined to re-sign with their teams. Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Ja Morant, Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic all signed long-term max (or supermax) deals to keep them in Washington, Phoenix, Memphis, Minnesota and Denver respectively. The latter four were more of a foregone conclusion than anything, but it's certainly interesting to see Beal re-sign long-term considering the sheer volume of trade rumors swirling around him over the past year.

Plenty of other high-priority free agents joined the big stars in quickly re-signing on day one. Players like Anfernee Simons (4yrs/$100m), Bobby Portis (4yrs/$49m), Luguentz Dort (5yrs/$87.5m), Chris Boucher (3yrs/$35m), Tyus Jones (2yrs/$30m) and Victor Oladipo (1yr/ $11m) all were quick to return to their previous teams.

Best signings of the day

Now for the real interesting ones, the free agents who actually switched teams that weren't telegraphed days in advance (sorry Jalen Brunson). Here are some of the best/most impactful new signings on the chaotic first day of free agency.

JaVale McGee - Dallas Mavericks (3yrs/$20m)

The Dallas Mavericks started off their offseason with a well-executed trade for Christian Wood that cost them little more than a late first-round pick, and they're continuing a strong showing with this JaVale McGee signing. McGee was arguably the best backup big in the league last year for Phoenix, and even though he's already 34, is showing no signs of slowing down. For a team strapped for cash and in need of a reliable center who can protect the rim, he's a great option who is now locked in on a team-friendly deal.

P.J. Tucker - Philadelphia 76ers (3yrs/$33m)

Just weeks after being praised by Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid for his defensive effort in their second-round playoff matchup, P.J. Tucker is joining him in Philadelphia on a three-year deal. Tucker is just one of those guys who always seems to find his way to winning teams thanks to his nearly impossible-to-replicate skillset. He's one of the few players in the league who can truly guard every position, brings a level of defensive hustle that's second-to-none, and while his offensive game is limited, there are few better at knocking down corner threes. For the Sixers, he'll be an important cog in their system who can help anywhere on defense and space the floor on offense for Embiid down low.

Malik Monk - Sacramento Kings (2yrs/$19m)

The King's guard pairing of D'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, as talented as they are, are not exactly the best shooters, and few guards over the last two seasons have been more efficient shooting the rock than Monk. He's shooting nearly 40% from long range during that span on over five attempts per game. And one aspect of Monks, that should especially matter for a team like Sacramento, is his consistent improvement. He's still only 24 and has shown marked improvements in both his overall scoring and efficiency each year he's been in the league. As the Lakers floundered around him down the stretch this year, Monk played the best ball of his career, averaging 16-4-4 after the All-Star break. He should get plenty of minutes on a Kings team in need of a perimeter floor spacer and, dare I say, could be a sneaky candidate for next years Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Oh, and who couldn't love the classic Kentucky backcourt getting back together.

Gary Payton II - Portland Trail Blazers (3yrs/$28m)

Massive shout out to Shams for breaking the news on this one right as we were wrapping up the newsletter for the night, but it's too interesting of a signing not to at least talk about for a second.

The Trail Blazers defensive woes have almost become the stuff of legend they've been going on for so long, so signing one of the best young defenders in the league to a team friendly deal is logically a sound move. But what makes this signing even more interesting is the implication that more moves are coming for Portland.

Adding GPII to an already-crowded Portland backcourt doesn't make a lot of sense unless some other assets are on the way out, the most logical answer being Josh Hart. Look out in the coming weeks for the Blazers to make a move for an impact forward in the vein of OG Anunoby or maybe even ... Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant asks out of Brooklyn despite Kyries intention to stay

After Kyrie announced his intention to stay in Brooklyn for another season, it seemed like the Kevin Durant trade rumors would slowly simmer out. But apparently KD had other ideas. The superstar forward has had enough of the Big Apple and decided to ratchet up the stakes this offseason by requesting a trade.

Durant's reputation precedes itself. At his best, he's an MVP level player, a multiple time champion, and one of the best all-around scorers the game has ever seen. Any team who's lucky enough to acquire him will catapult themselves into championship contention and, with blood in the water, plenty of teams will be circling.

The early frontrunners were almost immediately established as Miami and Phoenix. As the NBA's top two seeds last year, they've already proven themselves as talented squads with the right combination of talented prospects and picks to make a deal happen.

Miami can use Kyle Lowry's contract as the financial centerpiece of a Durant trade. The veteran PG dealt with some injury breaks last year, and didn't look great in the playoffs when healthy. From there, the trade will be all about reigning Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro, and as many picks as Miami can manage. There might be some teams who can put together a better package, but very few have the high appeal for both Durant and the Nets.

But it's Phoenix who like the likeliest team to get KD if they want to pull the trigger on a trade. DeAndre Ayton is set to get a max contract this offseason, and they can leverage the former first overall pick in a sign-and-trade. Alongside him, the Suns have a war chest of draft picks and young role players like Mikail Bridges and Cam Johnson to get the deal over the line. It would be a high price to pay, but if the Suns want to cash in on this core with a championship, this might be their best option.

Dejounte Murray moves to Atlanta for Gallinari and picks

The Spurs are licking their chops at the thought of drafting French phenom Victor Wembanyama in next year's NBA draft and this trade is a good move to increase their odds of doing just that. Not only does Murray heading out the door give them a better chance at a high pick, but the 2023 first rounder from Charlotte could end up being extremely valuable as well if things don't go to plan for them this season. Tack on a couple more first round picks (and Danilo Gallinaris contract) and San Antonio made off with a decent return considering their long-term goals.

As for the Hawks, they certainly have to feel like winners in this scenario. Three first round picks is a lot but, as the Jrue Holiday trade showed a couple years ago, that's about the going rate for talented defensive guards like Dejounte Murray. Murray checks nearly every box for what you would want in a guard next to Trae Young. He's a long and randy defender, a top drawer playmaker, and has solid chops as a finisher and a mid range shooter. But with Murray needing the ball in his hands at least to an extent to thrive, the question is how will Trae Young do operating more off-ball. Early sample sizes are more than encouraging as Trae hit over 48% of his catch and shoot threes last season.

Overall, it's a trade that has potential to work out for both teams but the advantage has to go to Atlanta. They've immediately catapulted themselves back among the Eastern Conference elite (at least on paper) while making a big step towards fixing their greatest weakness (perimeter defense).

Miles Bridges arrested on domestic violence charges

On the eve of free agency, Charlotte Hornets player Miles Bridges was arrested and charged with domestic violence in Los Angeles, CA.

"The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the situation involving Miles Bridges. We are in the process of gathering additional information. We will have no further comment at this time," the team said in a statement.

While the law may have not passed judgement yet, it's certainly a damning allegation against Bridges, especially after his wife released a statement on Instagram last night along with graphic photos of the abuse.

What does Jalen Brunson's new contract mean for the New York Knicks? - Joe Maresca (Basketball News

The Best Potential Kevin Durant Trade Packages - Rohan Nadkarni and Michael Pina (Sports Illustrated)

Inside the Hawks’ pursuit of Dejounte Murray and what might come next - Chris Kirschner and Sam Amick (The Athletic)

That's all for this edition of the Enjoy Basketball newsletter! We hope everyone has a great weekend and that your favorite team makes all the right signings. Join us again on Monday for more free agency coverage!

- Spencer Poole

Last Trivia Answer: The answer to Wednesdays trivia question was the Atlanta Hawks! They came into free agency with the most money on the books of any team.

Trivia Question: On the first day of 2022 free agency, how many players switched teams? (including trades)