More than a dozen major free agent acquisitions this offseason have proven to be a major surprise.
There was the trade for Brandon Bass, who had been on the hot seat since the offseason, to the Miami Heat, who were already struggling to get off the ground after acquiring him from the Atlanta Hawks in a blockbuster deal in the summer of 2018.
Then there was the arrival of veteran swingman Justin Anderson, who was signed to a two-year deal to start next season.
All were considered big moves in the offseason.
Here’s a look at who the biggest moves have been.
1.
Brandon Bass The former Cleveland Cavaliers center spent the majority of his rookie season on the bench with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he played in 16 games in 2017-18 and averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Bass was a strong contributor for the Cavaliers, who missed the playoffs for the first time in three years due to injuries.
Bass is expected to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but it’s unknown if he will be able to re-sign with the Cavaliers.
2.
Justin Anderson Anderson signed a two year, $4.9 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Anderson is a versatile big man who was part of a dominant Thunder team in 2017.
He was the league’s second leading scorer (6.4 per game) in 2018-19 and averaged 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2019-20.
The Thunder were one of the top teams in the NBA for the next two seasons, but the team’s playoff run fell apart in 2020-21.
3.
Derrick White Derrick White had a breakout season with the Chicago Bulls.
He averaged 18.3 points, 8.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest in 2019, his first full season in the league.
In 2020-19, White struggled mightily for the Bulls, averaging 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per outing.
He then signed a four-year, $24 million contract in 2021.
He will be a free agent in 2019.
4.
Justin Patton Patton signed a one-year $3 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Patton was one of three All-Stars in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game after being named to the All-NBA first team.
He had career highs in points (27.7), rebounds (4.8), assists (4), steals (3) and blocks (2.6).
Patton played for the Falcons from 2015-17, but missed all but one game with a knee injury.
He played in just 13 games during his rookie year and averaged just 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.
5.
DeAndre Jordan Jordan’s first season in Chicago was an impressive one.
He finished the year with a career-high 31.3 percent field goal percentage and finished third in the Bulls’ scoring race.
The Bulls also finished third and fourth in the Eastern Conference in defensive efficiency, allowing just a league-low 113.5 points per 100 possessions.
Jordan was selected to his second All-Defensive Team and was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 as a first-team All-Pro.
6.
Tyler Ennis Ennis is one of four All-Americans who is coming off of a breakout year in Chicago.
Ennis was a consensus first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after averaging 10.3 Points, 6.8 Rebounding and 2 in 2.2 minutes per game last season.
He also made six 3-pointers per game and was a perfect 3-point shooter from behind the arc.
Ennes averaged 18 rebounds and 7 blocks per game this past season.
7.
Zach LaVine LaVines rookie season was a major one for the Orlando Magic.
LaVies season was marked by his development and improvement as a player.
He became the second rookie in franchise history to reach 3,000 career points, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and was named a first team All-American.
His shooting percentage was also up, shooting 44.9 percent from beyond the arc last season and making 39.4 percent of his 3-pt shots.
LaMines rookie numbers were boosted by his defensive presence.
He led the league with a team-high 10.7 steals per game, he was named an All-Rookie team member and led the NBA in steals per contest (8.3).
8.
DeMar DeRozan DeRuzan signed a three-year contract with Brooklyn.
DeRazan averaged 18 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4 assists per night in 2019 after leading the Nets to the league title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
The Raptors finished in the top three in defensive rating and were third in defensive box plus-minus.
DeBozan is entering his age-40 season and is the