Bernucca: The Biggest Winners of the NBA Offseason

Free agency has died down, the FIBA World Cup is in full swing and training camps open in less than a month, which makes it as good a time as any to look back at the NBA offseason and determine who were the biggest winners and losers.

We didn’t limit ourselves to a round number. The list includes teams, coaches, players and even an executive. It is in alphabetical order and doesn’t have some secret analytic formula that determines the biggest winner.

Think we overlooked someone? Use the Comments section and let us know. But you will have to admit that everyone here did their fair share of winning this offseason. 

DAVID BLATT: Despite 30-plus years of unbridled success overseas – he has won titles in Israel, Italy, the Adriatic League and the Euroleague, a gold medal in EuroBasket and a bronze in the Olympics – Blatt appeared destined to be the best coach never to work in the NBA. That was until this spring, when new Cavaliers GM David Griffin took a huge risk, eating the final four years on Mike Brown’s contract and hiring Blatt while still in pursuit of LeBron James. Now he is the coach of the best player in the world and an NBA title contender with a threesome of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving that may be better than the Heat threesome of 2010-14.

AVERY BRADLEY: A year ago, he turned down a four-year, $24 million contract extension offer from the Celtics that seemed like plenty of money and decided to take his chances as a restricted free agent with a team that clearly was rebuilding and willing to move any asset if the right deal came along. That was a big gamble for an injury-prone player who already had shown he was not a point guard and a bit small for shooting guard, but Bradley responded with the best season of his career by far. GM Danny Ainge looked like he was leveraging negotiations with Bradley by using one of his first-round picks on shooting guard James Young, then offered Bradley $32 million over four years before he even met with any other team. He now makes more money than Arron Afflalo.

KENNETH FARIED: His name surfaced in trade rumors last season, when a rash of injuries saw the Nuggets take a step back and consider making moves. He received a somewhat surprising invitation to Team USA training camp, given that fellow power forwards Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis were locks to make the 12-man roster. But when Griffin dropped out, Faried saw an opening and made the World Cup squad simply by outworking everyone else. He rescued Team USA from an embarrassing loss to Turkey on Sunday and has positioned himself for a nice contract extension between now and Halloween – or an even nicer offer as a restricted free agent next summer.

LIONEL HOLLINS: One of the more inexplicable coaching dismissals in recent memory when let go by the Grizzlies, Hollins spent a season in TV before jumping into the void in Brooklyn created by Jason Kidd’s failed power play, providing an instant upgrade as the new coach of a veteran group. Hollins got $20 million over four years (the fourth year is a team option), while the Nets got a guy who understands that the NBA game is about the players. Before Deron Williams begins contemplating any more of his diva crap, he should keep in mind that Hollins (a) cultivated Mike Conley into a star point guard and (b) told Allen Iverson to take a walk.

LeBRON JAMES: Although agent Rich Paul met with a handful of teams, there were really only two options for The King: Stay where he was, or go back home. Anything else would have branded him as a scorched-earth mercenary and resuscitated all of the bad vibes from “The Decision” four years ago. Older and wiser this time, he did a much better job of controlling and presenting the narrative, both literally and figuratively. He also made the right choice, because one championship in Cleveland – without a title in any sport for 50 years – will be worth five anywhere else when it comes to his legacy. Did I mention that we kind of knew what he was going to do?

STEVE KERR: He has great experience as a player, GM and TV personality and seemed content in the latter role. So when his name surfaced as a potential coach, there were some raised eyebrows because Kerr had never even been an assistant. When new Knicks head honcho Phil Jackson expressed interest with a lowball offer of $13 million over three years, Kerr acted as if he were considering it until the Golden State Warriors offered $25 million over five years. That’s insane money for a first-time coach; predecessor Mark Jackson also came from TV and got $6 million for three years. Plus, Kerr inherits a 50-win team with a rabid fan base.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: The offseason began with a 10th straight trip to the draft lottery and their best player vowing not to re-sign. But GM Flip Saunders didn’t panic and held out for the best offer for Kevin Love, weighing several before deciding on Cleveland’s package that included Andrew Wiggins, who will be better than any other player offered by any team. A roster that had been rife with overpriced veterans now has six guys on rookie contracts. They could be good again very soon, and they will be fun to watch.

CHANDLER PARSONS: He made less than $1 million last season and appeared to be headed for another season as one of the game’s most underpaid players. But when Rockets GM Daryl Morey rolled the dice and tossed him into restricted free agency one year early, he cashed in huge with a three-year, $46 million deal from Dallas, which has a much more creative offense than Houston. As if that weren’t enough, the contract has a trade kicker and an opt-out after two years. And he stayed in a state with no income tax.

MICHELE ROBERTS: It’s a great story, a woman breaking through one of the many glass ceilings in sports and becoming the voice, face and lead negotiator for a labor force of 500-plus testosterone-fueled, super-sized men who collectively showed during Billy Hunter era that they had no idea how much sway they really hold over the sports world. And it will be nearly impossible for Roberts to be more disingenuous and less trustworthy than her predecessor. But let’s be honest: If it wasn’t for the dysfunction that pervaded and undermined the NBPA while Hunter was calling the shots, she would still be at Skadden Arps.

LANCE STEPHENSON: “Born Ready” proved he was ready for the free agency game, ignoring the bells-and-whistles presentation the Pacers made him, looking solely at the offer and correctly deciding that the guy who led the NBA in triple-doubles was worth more than $8 million per season. The Hornets agreed and gave him $27.5 million over three years. He will have a much bigger role for fast-rising Charlotte, and when that deal expires in 2017, Stephenson will be just 26 – and probably the best two-way shooting guard in the NBA.

ISAIAH THOMAS: I’m usually not a big fan of guys who compile big numbers for bad teams, and Thomas certainly has fit that mold. But he escaped the perpetual doldrums of Sacramento and got paid in the process, landing a four-year, $27 million deal with the Suns, a perfect fit for his style of play. Some may wonder why Thomas signed with a team that already has two very good point guards, but he is best suited long-term as an energy changer off the bench. Besides, this summer has shown that there is no guarantee Eric Bledsoe will be staying in Phoenix, either.

STAN VAN GUNDY: He deserved combat pay for what went down in Orlando, because no one put up with more of the residual crap swirling around Dwight Howard – including Howard himself – and no one was shown the door more quickly. A staggering 20 teams have changed coaches – some more than once – since Van Gundy last worked the sidelines. Some wondered if he would ever coach again, and no one envisioned him in the dual role of coach and GM that he bagged from the woebegone Pistons, raking in $35 million over five years. He did an okay job buying the groceries for the first time this summer. But we know he can cook the dinner.

NICK YOUNG: As part of the Romper Room in Washington, he didn’t get an extension as a first-round pick and didn’t get any bites as a restricted free agent, taking his qualifying offer. Ensuing one-year deals from Philadelphia and the LA Lakers made it look like he would be re-signed to veteran minimum offers as a hired gun for the rest of his career. But when GM Mitch Kupchak couldn’t land Carmelo Anthony, he had some money to spend and threw $21 million of it (over four years) at Young, who gets to do his Swaggy P thing in his Southern California backyard. No one on the Lakers roster has a longer deal than Young, who isn’t as bad as everyone thinks.

Looking for the NBA offseason’s biggest losers? They’re right here.

Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His column appears every Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.