2024 NBA Offseason Target Primer

Now that the draft is done and dusted, it only feels appropriate to dive into the next phase of team-building... and who doesn't like ranking stuff?

When it comes to the free agency period, perhaps even more than the draft, NBA decision-makers lose their jobs for bad decisions made in this realm every year.

And far too often we find out about players who were made available for trade and trades that were just barely turned down, ones that would have turned the league on its head. My goal here is to decipher what I would do in an ocean of potential moves this off-season, particularly with a free-agent lean.

Free Agents

1. Paul George, Wing

Age: 34.1

EPM 3-yr Avg: +5.1 (all EPM via dunksandthrees.com)

George is fast approaching the end, but, statistically, it would appear he is still playing some of the best basketball of his life. An absolutely elite scorer and above-average defensive player, perhaps the biggest worry for the next couple of seasons is falling back in games played again — he played 74 last season, but averaged 30 games missed per season the previous four.

His game should age fairly well as he goes into his senior years given that he is an elite shooter from every part of the floor and doesn’t overly rely on his athleticism to do anything particularly well. But his goodness could quickly evaporate through injuries and the like as it has Klay Thompson¹.

Of course, George would not a target for me unless I planned to be very competitive in the next two years, when he’ll still be a big time value at cost. He likely won’t be quite worth his contract AAV as he hits Age 36+, but should still be helping on the court all the same.

Prediction: George signs with the Philadelphia 76ers for 4 years, $212M

Projected actual value over 4 years: $250 million