Will Solomon and
Lorenzen Wright signed with the Raptors and the Cavs, respectively, for the minimum. They both are overpaid. Solomon washed out of the league five years ago, and his numbers from Europe have been unimpressive since; Wright was such a horrific bust with the Hawks that he didn't play even though they were desperate for frontcourt help. There's little evidence that either player belongs in the league.
Phoenix grabbed
Matt Barnes on a one-year deal for the veterans' minimum. He had a rough time at Golden State last season, but this is outstanding value for a tough combo forward who can handle the ball and space the floor.
Atlanta screwed up horribly by letting
Josh Childress leave for Greece, but inking
Maurice Evans for three years and $7.5 million was a nice recovery. He can defend wings and shoot 3s, and those were two areas in which Atlanta was shorthanded.
Eddie House earned his two-year, $5.6 million deal with strong shooting in the Finals, showing he's one of the league's better backup point guards, despite his inability to dribble against pressure.
Orlando inked
Anthony Johnson to a two-year, $3.97 million deal to be its backup point guard, but his game slipped in the latter part of last season. In all likelihood, he'll be a major dropoff from the
Keyon Dooling-
Carlos Arroyo pairing that held the job a year ago.
Sometimes teams look at things a little differently after they've had a few weeks to digest the draft. Second-rounders
Sean Singletary,
Kyle Weaver and
Patrick Ewing Jr. were traded before they ever suited up, while undrafted rookies
Anthony Tolliver from Creighton (Tolliver came out in '07 and played two games for the Cavs last season) and
Anthony Morrow of Georgia Tech earned contracts with the Spurs and the Warriors, respectively, after strong summer leagues. Weaver, a defensive specialist for Oklahoma City, and Morrow, a sharpshooter for Golden State, have the best chances of playing meaningful minutes this season.
