Knicks and 76ers are the early winners in NBA free agency

The Warriors essentially decided to let 34-year-old Klay Thompson sign with the Mavericks, executing a sign and trade that would allow him to join the defending Western Conference champions for a three-year, $50 million deal. Golden State offered Thompson a two-year pact worth $48 million prior to last season and he was insulted.

Thompson may have a point. He watched the Warriors extend troubled forward Draymond Green to a four-year, $100 million deal to ensure he likely retires a Warrior. The club also signed Andrew Wiggins to a four-year, $109 million deal in 2023, although he’s been wildly inconsistent during his Golden State tenure.

The fact Thompson was willing to accept less money to play in Dallas is a prime example of his true unhappiness during his final Golden State years. The Warriors quickly pivoted and signed De’Anthony Melton and traded for Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield as replacements.

The Mavericks also added Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall to boost a roster that needed more shooting and defensive wings. The Nuggets have done little to add to their roster, despite losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic. The Nuggets, unlike the Celtics, are weary of approaching the second tax apron and are going to rely on holdovers Christian Braun and Peyton Watson to fill key roles.

The Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets and then signed OG Anunoby to an extension to provide capable defenders for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The free agency losers have been the Bucks, who have done little to boost their aging roster and will try to compete with the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton. Brook Lopez is entering the final year of his deal and could be trade bait. Malik Beasley, Jae Crowder, and Patrick Beverley are likely to leave via free agency.

The Heat drafted well with Indiana’s Kel’el Ware in the first round to provide a legitimate center next to Bam Adebayo. But they’ve done nothing else to a roster that was the eighth seed and needed shooting and athleticism. The Heat are relegated to hoping Jimmy Butler, who turns 35 in September and will make $100 million combined in the final two years of his contract, will return healthy and reemerge as a franchise cornerstone.

Miami is investing more than $49 million next season in Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, two players who have been on the trade block for the past two years. Indiana has ensured it will remain competitive by bringing back Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin and then signing former second overall pick James Wiseman to replace Jalen Smith, who went to the Bulls. The Pacers are banking on good health and experience to push the Celtics.

The Magic added Caldwell-Pope but are still seeking a front-line point guard. Second-year guard Anthony Black could take over, but Orlando still remains a team without a floor leader.

The Celtics have simply brought back the core of their championship team, while re-signing Luke Kornet, Neemias Queta, and Xavier Tillman, while also keeping Drew Peterson on a two-way contract. Boston has minimum contract to offer but are likely going to have to wait for the market to dry up and quality veterans to look for guaranteed contracts.

The Eastern Conference is becoming top heavy with the Celtics, 76ers, and Knicks leading the way with teams such as the Cavaliers and Pacers a full step behind. The rest of the East are either aging or rebuilding, giving Boston a strong opportunity to again come out of the conference.

However, there’s definite competition with the 76ers adding George and the Knicks adding Bridges. Still, the Celtics have the advantage of depth, experience, and talent. But the summer’s also not over.

The Lakers not only drafted Bronny James 55th overall, they signed him to a four-year contract — first two years fully guaranteed — to become a developmental project and showcase to play with his father.

LeBron James and agent Rich Paul definitely maneuvered the system in getting Bronny into a Lakers uniform, warning teams not to draft Bronny and mandating that he only would sign a standard NBA contract, a rarity for a late second-round pick.

LeBron has wanted to play with his son for years and then was integral in Bronny leaving USC after one season — a disappointing one statistically — when the consensus is that he’s far from ready to be an NBA player.

That’s not to say Bronny James won’t turn into an NBA player. He appears to have the work ethic and desire to become a solid contributor. But the question is whether he skipped steps to reach the NBA.

Bronny could have easily transferred from USC, played another year of Division 1 basketball, boosted his draft stock, and become a better NBA prospect.

The league is not the place to turn from a fringe prospect into a standout, but Bronny will have that task ahead of him. He is likely to spend most of the first few months of the season in the NBA G League, where he can play point guard, get starter’s minutes, and hone his craft.

But there remains a cloud of mystery around the 19-year-old point guard. At 6 feet 1 inch, he doesn’t have his father’s height (6-9) or his size, meaning he’ll have to crack an NBA rotation as a playmaker.

The younger James has said the players he models his games after are Celtics guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, but both are considerably bigger and their size contributes to their ability to defend different positions. James impressed scouts at the draft combine with his improved shooting and athleticism, but he will require considerable reps at point guard in order to run an NBA offense.

NBA fans shouldn’t have much of an issue with the nepotism involved in Bronny because it’s existed for years, primarily in management and coaching opportunities. And Bronny James isn’t the first son of an NBA player to get an opportunity at making the NBA that he likely would not have gotten with a different name. Dwyane Wade’s son Zaire got an opportunity to play with Utah’s G League affiliate because his father was part-owner of the Jazz.

Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef, averaged 2.6 points in 37 college games but yet signed with the Lakers summer league team and then with G League Ignite. Moreover, there have been several examples of relatives of NBA players, such as Tony Durant and Daniel Artest, who were signed to summer league teams of their brother’s respective teams.

Did they get the opportunity because of their name? Of course. Was it deserved? No. But there are countless examples of coaches and front office executives who were offered lower-level jobs because of their name or connection. The question is what they do with that opportunity.

Bronny James has a lot of work to do and, eventually, when his father retires, the league will judge him strictly on his performance, not his family lines.

NBA free agency has been fascinating this summer, but there are still interesting names available, although several will not receive their desired salary because the market is quickly evaporating. This new CBA eliminates the NBA middle class and mid-level exceptions are becoming rarer as teams spend more on maximum contracts.

One intriguing free agent came off the market Saturday night, when DeMar DeRozan went from the Bulls to the Kings in a three-way sign-and-trade including San Antonio. The six-time All-Star, 35 at the start of next season, will join with De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento on a reported three-year, $74 million deal.

Here is a list of some others still available:

▪ Tyus Jones (Wizards) — Jones was a high-quality reserve point guard in Memphis backing up Ja Morant. He was sent to Washington in the Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis trade and played decently with the Wizards. But again, there hasn’t been a high demand for reserve point guards. Jones earned $14 million in the final year of his contract and may not get that in his new contract. But he’ll be a quality addition to his new team.

▪ Saddiq Bey (Hawks) — Bey appeared to be on the way to a promising career with the Pistons, then he was traded to the Hawks, where he played well in stretches before tearing his ACL. Bey is expected to miss most of next season recovering from the injury but could be a good discount pickup. It may be prudent for Bey to accept a one-year deal and then attempt to procure a more lucrative contract next season.

▪ Gary Trent Jr. (Raptors) — Trent, a solid scorer and 3-point shooter, could be a solid addition to a team that needs bench scoring. The only issue with Trent is he isn’t much of a help on defense and isn’t a playmaker. He’s turned into more of a one-dimensional player but one who could score in bunches on certain nights. Trent earned $18.5 million last season, but it’s doubtful he will match that salary in his new contract.

▪ Gordon Hayward (Thunder) — That four-year, $120 million contract Hayward signed with Michael Jordan and the Hornets has finally expired, but Hayward may not get more than minimum salary at this point in his career. Thunder general manager Sam Presti admitted it was a mistake to acquire Hayward at the trade deadline, and Hayward complained about a lack of playing time. Hayward, 34, may be ready to be that veteran sage at the end of the bench, and that may be all he’s offered.

▪ Malik Beasley (Bucks) — Beasley emerged as a plus shooter with the Bucks but really didn’t help Milwaukee win games. He’s poor defensively and never emerged as a clutch shooter. His best role may be to provide offense from the bench.

▪ Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers) — Okoro is a restricted free agent who has yet to receive a formal offer sheet from another club. He filled a role with the Cavaliers, but his inability to consistently make the three made it difficult to play him against high-level teams. He had his moments against the Celtics early in their playoff series, but then tailed off. Still, he’s worth having on your club as a defender.

▪ Lonnie Walker IV (Nets) — When Walker is on, he is a prolific scorer who can bring instant offense. But the former first-round pick doesn’t seem to have much demand for some reason. After San Antonio allowed him to leave, he signed with the Lakers and that lasted just one season. The Nets don’t appear particularly interest in bringing him back despite his averaging 9.7 points off the bench in 17 minutes per game. Walker has to prove he can contribute to a winning team and he may have to settle for a veteran minimum contract.

▪ Patrick Beverley (Bucks) — Beverley didn’t help his free agent chances by getting into it with a Pacers fan near the Bucks bench during their playoff series and then chastising an ESPN reporter and banishing her for not subscribing to his podcast. Beverley, despite his issues, can still play and help a team, but NBA teams aren’t clamoring to sign 30-year-old-plus journeymen who are headaches. Beverley may have to accept the veteran’s minimum to stay in the league, but teams are asking honestly whether it’s worth the drama to have him around because eventually he’s going to act a fool.

Former Celtics second-round pick JD Davison is now a free agent. The point guard from Alabama was Boston’s 53rd overall pick in 2022, and he spent the past two years mostly in the G League. The Celtics are interested in bringing him back in the G League, but only if they allow him to seek an NBA contract elsewhere and then agree on a new deal. If the Celtics would have extended Davison a qualifying offer, they would have committed to offering a standard NBA deal. Boston already has 14 players under contract. Davison has developed into a solid player but likely wouldn’t garner many minutes in Boston and may need one more developmental season. Davison has apparently fired his agents and may be looking for a fresh start . . . Not only was Jontay Porter suspended and banned from the NBA for sports betting but the former Raptor will face federal charges for his scheme, in which he was placing bets on his own games. Porter also left a game with an apparent sickness before he met his personal prop bets . . . The Clippers made the controversial move of signing former Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. to a contract after his domestic assault incident in September 2023 against his then-girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. Porter agreed to a plea deal of a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault and second-degree harassment, charges that could potentially be expunged from his record. The Rockets traded Porter to the Thunder after the incident and he was waived the next day. He eventually signed with a Greek team in April and was an unrestricted free agent before signing with the Clippers. Los Angeles also took a chance last season on former first-round pick Joshua Primo, who was released by the Spurs after an incident of indecent exposure with a team psychologist. Primo was signed to a two-way contract and was eventually waived . . . The Celtics are filling out their coaching staff after new Hornets coach Charles Lee brought Blaine Mueller and Jermaine Bucknor with him to Charlotte. An intriguing candidate for Joe Mazzulla’s staff could be former Celtics assistant Jerome Allen, who is the head coach for the USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team and is currently in Las Vegas with Team USA as it prepares for the Paris Olympics.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.