Though the 2019 NBA free agency market is far from closing, most teams and players have already got what they wanted or failed to do so. CGTN will, based on the major signings and trades on the market, analyze each team's gains and losses division by division, starting with Pacific Division.

Applause for Jerry West and Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers biggest gains: Signing free agent Kawhi Leonard with a four-year, 142 million U.S. dollars deal and trading Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder still has three years of 106 million left with his contract

Los Angeles Clippers biggest losses: Keeping Patrick Beverley with a three-year, 40 million U.S. dollars deal maybe a little too big

We already talked about what a great unit the Clippers have established in the report about Leonard's signing. What made the team the biggest winner in this division was the fact that Jerry West, "Mr. Logo" of the league accomplished such franchise improvement without changing the team's core part, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.

Moreover, though the Clippers gave the Thunder five first-round picks and two swaps, they did not lose their future because part of these draft picks came from other teams via trade. The truth is, before the George deal, the Clippers had seven first-rounders and three second-rounders, thanks to the deals they had made previously. Even if the Clippers swap their picks with the Thunder in the future, the team will still keep two first-round picks and three second-round ones.

Warriors make the best out of the worst

Golden State Warriors biggest gains: Keeping Klay Thompson with a five-year, 190 million U.S. dollars maximum contract; introducing D'Angelo Russell through the sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets; keeping Kevon Looney with a three-year, 15-million contract

Golden State Warriors biggest losses: Losing Kevin Durant and sending Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies

Despite that the Warriors had offered a five-year, 221 million U.S. dollars deal to Kevin Durant, judging by the following reports, both the team and Durant himself knew the two-time NBA Finals MVP was determined to leave. Therefore, the only mission left for GSW's front office was how to minimize the loss led by Durant's departure.

The Warriors managed to get D'Angelo Russell, 23-year-old, 2015 No. 2-overall-select guard who just played his first NBA All-Star Game last season. This was the best return the Warriors could expect. Russell can shoulder great possessions and turn those possessions into production – he could drop 21.1 points, 7.0 assists, and 2.9 3-pointers at a rate of 36.9 percent.

More importantly, Russell is a playmaker which Golden State desperately need. He can share a great burden off Stephen Curry's shoulder, which is essential because the team cannot afford to see any more injuries. Russell is also one of the league's best screenplay launcher who should create good chemistry working with Willie Cauley-Stein.

The Warriors had no choice but to send Iguodala away. After the Durant-Russell trade, the team must keep their payroll under apron (luxury tax line+six million U.S. dollars). Under this circumstance, Iguodala's last-year 17-million salary must be dealt with.

Lakers implement their Plan B well

Los Angeles Lakers most significant gains: Introducing Anthony Davis via trade with the New Orleans Pelicans and signing the best players they can find after missing Kawhi Leonard

Los Angeles Lakers biggest losses: Failing to sign Kawhi Leonard; sending Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and four first-round picks to the New Orleans Pelicans to introduce Anthony Davis

The Lakers did well on the market. They beat the Boston Celtics to get Davis – at a high cost, but the truth is, Davis is worth the price, either paid by the Lakers or by others. As long as the front office finds a superstar at his best age (26) who does not need a lot of possessions with his game to work with LeBron James, we should call it a win.

Furthermore, the moment Leonard joined the Clippers, the purple and gold made the best use of their saved 32 million U.S. dollars space by signing Danny Green, JaVale McGee, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. In less than 24 hours, the Lakers added Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook, Alex Caruso, DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley to their roster. Along with Kyle Kuzma, Troy Daniels and Jared Dudley, the team already have a unit for the news season, with more shooters than before.

Of course none of the above can make the failure over Leonard. The Lakers grew better, but so did other teams in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, since they already betted their future on Davis, the team must win in the come one to two seasons, or they won't be able to make a change via draft because they are unlikely to have any first-rounder before 2026.

The Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns have different cases in this division. The Kings spent quite a long time among the top 8 of the Western Conference last season, remaining hopeful for the playoffs. Their core players are De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.

In this summer, the Kings kept Harrison Barnes with a reportedly four-year, 88 million U.S. dollars deal, which was a little expensive and added several quality role players like Trevor Ariza, Dewayne Dedmon, and Cory Joseph. In addition to the promising 20-year-old Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento's youngsters should be able to cause a stir in the West.

The Suns are still a confusing team, as their actions on the market. Signing Ricky Rubio was a good move – finally Devin Booker can work with a qualified orchestrator and focus on what he does best, scoring. Deandre Ayton can also count on the Spanish point-guard to pass the ball to him in the right timing.

However, the above were probably the only things they did right. You can defend the trade of sending Josh Jackson away by listing all the trouble Jackson had on and off the court, but making a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to exchange the No. 6 pick for the No. 11 and Dario Saric could raise some eyebrows. Moreover, the Suns selected Cameron Johnson, a 23-year-old (the oldest in the 2019 Draft) shooter with the No. 11 pick while most had not expected him to be chosen in the first round. The team also missed D'Angelo Russell reportedly because they worried that Russell might be a bad influence for Booker.

So far, the 2019-20 season does not seem likely to be any different for Phoenix.

(Top image: Photo by CGTN's Zhang Xuecheng)