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NBA free-agent market goes crazy on first day
Li Xiang
L-R: Kyle Lowry, Trae Young, Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler. /CFP

L-R: Kyle Lowry, Trae Young, Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler. /CFP

The NBA free-agent market officially opened on Monday, and a huge number of deals, both big and small, have already been reached between teams and players.

Trae Young (#11) of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 3, 2021. /CFP

Trae Young (#11) of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 3, 2021. /CFP

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks agree on five-year, $207-million contract extension

Twenty-two-year-old Young played his first NBA playoffs in his third season in the league and led the Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing the final champions Milwaukee Bucks 4-2.

Having averaged 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game in the regular season and 28.8 points, 9.5 assists in the playoffs, Young proved himself a top-five playmaker in today's NBA. His floater became one of the most powerful weapons against big men on the court.

Keeping Young means the Hawks will have a clear cornerstone to build their squad around in the coming years. But it's also the beginning of their front office's job. They already made a qualifying offer to John Collins to make him a restricted free agent. The question is, are the Hawks willing to match any number other teams provide to the 23-year-old power forward?

Chris Paul (#3) of the Phoenix Suns tries to penetrate in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., June 17, 2021. /CFP

Chris Paul (#3) of the Phoenix Suns tries to penetrate in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., June 17, 2021. /CFP

Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns reach four-year, $120-million deal

Paul had been very clear about his decision to opt out of the last year of his contract, which was worth $44.2 million, during the past season in Phoenix. He was a game-changer for the team, but he's also 36 years old. Should the Suns continue to trust him?

The team's answer is yes. $120 million for four years is definitely high stakes, even after Paul just led the Suns to the NBA Finals. Now it's Paul's turn to show the team that he's worth it.

The Suns also added JaVale McGee on a one-year, $5-million contract to enhance their biggest weakness, center position. They kept Cameron Payne too, with $19 million for three years. Considering Paul's age, Payne may shoulder more responsibilities in the new season.

Jimmy Butler (#22) of the Miami Heat looks on in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 29, 2021. /CFP

Jimmy Butler (#22) of the Miami Heat looks on in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 29, 2021. /CFP

Miami Heat extend Jimmy Butler's contract by four years, $184 million, and introduce Kyle Lowry via sign-and-trade on a three-year, 90-million deal

Many Heat fans still blame Pat Riley's decision not to put Tyler Herro in the package to trade for James Harden. Being knocked out by the Bucks in the first round further aggravated the discontent.

Finally, Riley made his move. Extending Butler's contract is generous but not as surprising as acquiring Lowry in such a decisive way. Despite being 35, Lowry still makes impressive improvements compared with Goran Dragic. The Heat need his toughness on both offense and defense.

Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors looks on in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 2, 2021. /CFP

Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors looks on in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 2, 2021. /CFP

Keeping Duncan Robinson is a no-brainer, but giving him a five-year, $90-million deal is open to question. It's nice to have a guy who can drain 3.5 triples at a 40.8 rate per game but not so nice when every player of your opponents tries to exploit him as a defensive dead weight.

Signing P.J. Tucker on a two-year, $15-million contract makes a similar bet. Winning the NBA Championship with the Bucks does not cover the fact that Tucker has almost nothing to contribute offensively. Neither does it seem wise to expect him to stop monsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid. However, he's better than nothing.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (#2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives toward the rim in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., February 21, 2021. /CF

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (#2) of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives toward the rim in the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., February 21, 2021. /CF

The following guys also received juicy deals, though for different reasons. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still on their way to rebuilding with more than enough draft picks; keeping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a five-year, $172-million contract extension will not hamper that process.

The five-year, $100-million deal may be the best blue-collar big men like Jarrett Allen can get in today's NBA. It may also be the smartest decision the Cleveland Cavaliers have made in years.

The Portland Trail Blazers are doing the right thing keeping Norman Powell with five-year, $90 million, but it's unclear what that means in the team's attitude toward Damian Lillard. As Portland's trade asset for Powell last season, Gary Trent Jr. also resigned a three-year, $54-million contract with the Toronto Raptors.

Mike Conley (#10) of the Utah Jazz looks on in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., May 29, 2021. /CFP

Mike Conley (#10) of the Utah Jazz looks on in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., May 29, 2021. /CFP

The Utah Jazz sent away Derrick Favors but kept Mike Conley with a three-year, $72.5-million deal, an acceptable number to both sides. The question is, what will they do with Joe Ingles, Royce O'Neal and Bojan Bogdanovic?

The Dallas Mavericks decided to continue to trust Tim Hardaway Jr. and his jumpers with four-year, $72 million. But keeping him won't solve their biggest problem of lacking the second star. Neither is acquiring Reggie Bullock on a three-year, $30.5 million deal the answer. Things won't get clearer until they make a move on Kristaps Porzingis.

Dwight Howard (#39) of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 8, 2021. /CFP

Dwight Howard (#39) of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 8, 2021. /CFP

Los Angeles Lakers sign back four veterans

Like we mentioned in Russell Westbrook's trade, the Lakers don't have much salary space to sign more players to fill up their lineup. Recruiting veterans will be one of the few options they can use. As a team that have "Big 3" and just won the championship one year ago, the purple and gold should be attractive to some old guys.

That explained why Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore all agreed to join the team on a one-year deal. Fun fact, all of them played for the Lakers before.

Derrick Rose (#4) of the New York Knicks shoots in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, May 28, 2021. /CFP

Derrick Rose (#4) of the New York Knicks shoots in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, May 28, 2021. /CFP

New York Knicks continue to play it safe

The Knicks kept Derrick Rose (three-year, $43 million), Alex Burks (three-year, $30 million) and Nerlens Noel (three-year, $32 million), partly because each of them made key contributions to the team on their way back to the playoffs. Moreover, the cost of their contracts won't cause too much trouble if they end up as bad decisions.

Resigning Evan Fournier a four-year, $78-million deal may seem risky, but the Knicks have been quite sharp searching for surprises.

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