NBA Free Agency Round-Up: July 3 - Dwight Howard & Jeff Green to Wizards, OKC re-sign Raymond Felton
Unlike previous years, most of the major dominos in the 2018 Free Agency fell early, leaving fans with insignificant deals being announced even a day before the 4th of July.
The only real big-name player, which still has a lot of buzz around him is Kawhi Leonard who isn't even a free-agent. The players that agreed to contracts on July 3rd might be insignificant in the big picture but were quite important to the teams that signed them up to fill up roster spots. You might not see a round-up tomorrow given the July 4th holiday in the United States but before we let go off that, it's time to take a quick recap of all the deals agreed to on July 3rd.
On Day 3, it was the Washington Wizards which made key moves:
#1 Washington Wizards sign Dwight Howard and Jeff Green
In 2018-19, the Washington Wizards owe three players (John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr.) $70 million while also needing to play $15 million to a non-contributing center in Ian Mahinmi. So it was key for them that whatever move they make, it does not hurt them financially. Well, their front office nailed that.
Giving out deals to Dwight Howard and Jeff Green.
While Howard will most likely be their starting center, replacing Marcin Gortat who the team traded to the LA Clippers prior to Free Agency. In turn, Jeff Green also proves to be a handy pickup given the price, as he only bolsters the team's wing and bench depth, something they were lacking in previous years.
Fit and financially, these moves meet the demand.