Best Ever Free Agents

Last year, when Rashard Lewis signed that contract with the Orlando Magic postingup.co.uk looked at some of the biggest free agent flops in NBA history. Lewis’s numbers this season were 18.2PPG and 5.4RPG hardly worthy of the maximum contract the Magic hierarchy spent on him.

This year, the big name in free agency is Baron Davis. The All Star point guard opted out of $17m for a final year as a Warrior to join the Clippers in a $65m five-year deal. If Elton Brand does as expected and re-signs with the Clips, the signing of the movie-making BDiddy could help get LA’s less fashionable team back into the playoffs.

Bearing that in mind we take a look at the best ever free agent signings. Let us know if you think Davis, who lost this game of Waste Paper Basket, will make our five next year.

1. Shaquille O’Neal: The game’s most dominant force became a free agent after four years in Orlando. The centre attracted a lot of attention but it was a big offer from a big team that brought the big man to LA. A seven year contract worth a cool $122m made him the most expensive free agent ever. Shaq spent eight seasons in Los Angeles and the team never missed out on the play-offs. He won three rings alongside Kobe and was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2000.

He and Kobe could and should have won more; their personalities got in the way. Despite that Shaq is still the best free agent signing ever.

2. Chauncey Billups: Despite being drafted third overall in 1997, Billups had never really settled at an NBA team. Indeed, Detroit was his sixth team in as many seasons. Many raised eyebrows when in 2002 the Pistons offered the inconsistent journeyman $35m over six years but he was to reward Joe Dumars for his faith. Billups went from one of the league’s most inconsistent players to one of the league’s most consistent clutch shooters and he was the play-offs Most Valuable Player when Detroit secured the title in 2004.

3. Steve Nash: Before Nash re-joined the Phoenix Suns, who drafted him in 1996, he was a solid NBA point guard and the Suns were coming off a 29-53 season. Sports writers (and Mark Cuban) were convinced the Suns has massively overpaid when they gave Steve Nash, then 30, a six-year deal worth more than $60m in the summer of 2004. The deal will go down in the history books as an absolute steal.

The Suns were immediately transformed, going from a 29 win team to an incredible 62 win team and Steve Nash became not only the league’s premier point guard but the league’s premier player, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. The Suns never got that ring (or even made the finals) which is why he is just behind Mr Big Shot on this list.

4. Gilbert Arenas: Second round picks do not get the guaranteed four year contracts first rounders do. If they are successful, it gives them the chance to get paid earlier and that is what happened to Gilbert (and Marquis Daniels for that matter - but he wasn’t nearly as successful). After two impressive years at Golden State, the former Arizona point guard was able to hit free agency in 2003. The Wizards wasted no time snapping up Gilbert to a multi-year deal worth more than $60m.

Arenas became Agent Zero in Washington and his team have made the playoffs each of the last four seasons. Although he missed much of last season Arenas has yet to average under 19PPG at Washington and the All Star managed as many as 29.3 in 2005-06.

5. Dikembe Mutombo: The 42-year-old finger wagger with six middle names signed a five-year $50m deal with Atlanta in 1996. Already 30, he was switching from the Western Conference, where he had begun his career with Denver. The 7ft 2in center had no problems with the conference change and was named Defensive Player of the Year twice while in A-town. He helped the Hawks make the Eastern Conference semis twice but they never progressed any further. In 2001 he was traded to the Sixers for Theo Ratliff.

Honourable mentions

It is not just superstars that can make a difference, as James Posey and co. showed this year, signing the right roleplayer can be equally significant. Posey, Eddie House and Derek Fisher are all good examples from the teams in this year’s finals but this theory goes back, for example Brian Williams made a big difference come playoff time in 1997 for the Chicago Bulls and Robert Horry has hit a few crucial shots for the Spurs since joining them in 2003.

It looks good for Davis and the Clippers that three of the top five free agent signings were point guards.