The modern NBA free agency system took shape in 1988, and in the last 25 years we have seen some monumental player movement that has changed the course of the league.
In advance of this year's silly season that begins Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, we reflect on the biggest free agency signings of the last quarter century that saw a player moving to a new team.
1. Shaquille O'Neal to the Lakers: After four seasons with the Orlando Magic that included an NBA Finals berth, Shaq signed a seven-year, $120 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. The No. 1 pick in the 1992 NBA draft, O'Neal was only 24 at the time and instantly elevated a solid Lakers team that was lacking a true superstar. He would win his lone MVP award in 1999-2000, a season the Lakers capped with the first of three consecutive championships; O'Neal would be named Finals MVP all three of those years. While he departed the Lakers in 2004 with some acrimony, he averaged 27 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over eight seasons. His No. 34 has since been retired by the Lakers and he has a statue outside of Staples Center.
2. Steve Nash to the Suns: Nash was 30 when he signed a six-year deal worth at least $65 million with Phoenix in the summer of 2004. While he was a productive all-star with the Dallas Mavericks alongside Dirk Nowitzki, his game jumped a level when he rejoined the Suns – the team that had drafted him in the first round in 1996 – thanks to a perfect combination of player, coach and team. With Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire in the frontcourt, Mike D'Antoni on the sidelines and Nash running the show, the Suns became modern pioneers of pace. The "Seven Seconds or Less" teams never did break through to the Finals, but Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in his first two seasons in the Valley of the Sun. Nash would average 16.3 points and 10.9 assists per game for the team from 2004-2012.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during a welcoming ceremony at American Airlines Arena in 2010. (Photo: Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
3. LeBron James to the Heat: "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." With one sentence James flipped the NBA on its head in the summer of 2010. The Decision, which was broadcast live, was James' announcement that he would be leaving his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers and signing a six-year, $110.1 million contract with the Heat to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
The move made James an enemy in Cleveland and much of the NBA world at large, but there's no denying the success the Big Three experienced. The Heat made four straight NBA Finals, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. James was Finals MVP each time, and he took home the regular-season MVP awards those years, as well. He would average 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in four seasons in Miami before he exercised his opt-out clause in 2014, setting the stage for his next shocking free agent move.
4. Ray Allen to the Heat: Allen was in the twilight of his career when he signed with the Heat in the summer of 2012 and he didn't start a single game in 2012-13. But few free agent signings so directly helped a team win a title. His clutch 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals forced overtime, which Miami won before claiming their second consecutive championship with a Game 7 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Allen signing with the Heat – after years spent battling James in the playoffs – is also notable for the animosity it created between himself and his former teammates with the Boston Celtics, particularly Kevin Garnett.
5. James to the Cavaliers: In an almost equally stunning move, James returned to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014 on a two-year deal worth about $42 million. The announcement this time was revealed in a Sports Illustrated interview, and the initial wounds The Decision created (remember Dan Gilbert's infamous letter written in comic sans?) were healed between James and the team that drafted him first overall in 2003.
James' Cavs 2.0 were extremely successful, making four consecutive NBA Finals and winning the 2016 title. That championship, over the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, was the first for the Cavaliers and Cleveland's first in the major sports since 1964. The 3-1 comeback victory "made me the greatest player of all time," according to Finals MVP James.
While that point will surely be debated for the rest of time, James' second stint with the Cavs saw him average 26.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8 assists per game while he ran his personal Finals appearances streak to eight. He would depart Cleveland again for the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $154 million deal in the summer of 2018. This time, he was rightfully welcomed back to Cleveland as a hero.
Kevin Durant poses for a photo with his jersey during a press conference after signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. (Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
6. Kevin Durant to the Warriors: James might have ended up with even more titles in Cleveland if this move never happened. In 2016, fresh off the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss in the Western Conference finals after holding a 3-1 lead, Durant signed a 2-year, $54 million deal with the Warriors, who had just blown a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The move has been criticized by many NBA fans over the past three years, but it has produced results: Golden State took home NBA titles with wins over the Cavaliers in 2017 – the Warriors' Game 4 loss in the Finals was their only one of the entire playoffs – and 2018, which they took in a sweep. Durant was named Finals MVP both years.
Durant's future lingered over this past Warriors season – and those questions became even more pronounced after he suffered an Achilles injury in the NBA Finals that is likely to keep him out all of next season. Will he be on the move again? We'll have to wait a few days and see.
Follow Jace Evans on Twitter @JaceTEvans
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