2021 NBA Free Agency: 5 teams that have made the best signings so far
The 2021 NBA free agency has been a whirlwind of moves and roster adjustments as teams begin their summer preparations. After disappointing campaigns, the LA Lakers, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls have all been extremely active in the market. Meanwhile, other franchises who were expected to make similar moves have been quiet, such as the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans.
Although several players who were set to hit NBA free agency this summer chose not to last year, there were still a number of stars available to either re-sign with their current teams or move elsewhere. In this article, we will take a look at which teams have made the best moves so far in free agency and who can expect to have a successful campaign.
5 Teams that have made the best moves in the 2021 NBA Free Agency
#1 LA Lakers
No team has seen more change in the 2021 NBA free agency window so far than the LA Lakers. Coming into the new campaign determined to win another title while LeBron James is still performing at an unbelievable level, the Lakers have made wholesale changes to their roster.
Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Montrezl Harrell and Andre Drummond have all left while point guard Dennis Schroder is expected to depart in the coming days.
Headlining the Lakers' new-look lineup is nine-time All-Star and former MVP of the league Russell Westbrook. Bringing in the 32-year-old will help take the ball-handling duties away from LeBron and form a big three to challenge that of the Brooklyn Nets were they to get to the NBA Finals.
Since signing Westbrook left the Lakers with little room to make any more moves, the front office has had to use the franchise's status to bring in players on minimum deals. Carmelo Anthony finally got to team up with his long-time friend LeBron, while former Laker players Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza also came in.
They were also able to sign athletic guard Malik Monk from the Charlotte Hornets, Kendrick Nunn from Miami and Kent Bazemore from their California rivals, the Golden State Warriors.
If teams weren't already afraid to face the LA Lakers, they certainly will be.
#2 Miami Heat
Miami Heat President Pat Riley wasted no time putting his franchise back into contention in the East after a disappointing campaign that saw them swept in the first round of the playoffs.
Within 39 minutes of the NBA Free Agency window opening, he had secured the most highly-sought after unrestricted free agent on the market, Kyle Lowry. Another shrewd piece of business saw them re-sign sharpshooter Duncan Robinson to a four-year deal.
Later in the night on Monday, the Heat also pulled off one of the surprise moves of the summer so far when they acquired PJ Tucker from their playoff nemeses, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The debate will rage on prior to the start of the NBA season about whether a core of Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo can challenge the Bucks and Brooklyn Nets in the East. But the Heat have certainly given themselves the best opportunity to do so.
With a full summer of preparation this time, too, Miami are going to be extremely hard to beat again. They have tenacious defenders throughout their starting five and also signed Markieff Morris from the LA Lakers to a one-year deal in NBA free agency.