Avery Bradley; Miami Heat
After opting out of his player option with the Lakers, Bradley secured a two-year deal with the Heat worth $11.6 million. Bradley started for Los Angeles up until the bubble; he elected not to travel to Orlando due to health concerns.
While he will not start for the Heat, nor will he be the primary backup, Bradley will play important minutes as a defensive specialist. Starter Kendrick Nunn is often caught flatfooted, and sixth-man Goran Dragic is nothing more than average on defense.
Combine Bradley with perhaps the league’s best defensive trio in Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala, and Bam Adebayo, and the Heat may have the stingiest lineup in the league.
Wesley Matthews; Los Angeles Lakers
After trading Danny Green for Dennis Schroder, the Lakers have a hole at shooting guard. Sure, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would be serviceable, but he was more effective off the bench than in the starting five last season.
Matthews is the prototype 3-and-D, with both assets to be fully utilized by LA. Don’t be surprised if he has a handful of games with 25+ points next season.
You can read more about the Matthews signing here.
Rajon Rondo; Atlanta Hawks
Rajon Rondo is exactly what the Atlanta Hawks need. He not only provides off-the-bench playmaking but is a veteran presence. He is what Vince Carter was for the past two years.
Questions arise when considering Rondo is not the only bench guard the Hawks brought in; they also signed Kris Dunn for two years. Dunn could potentially play SG alongside Rondo at PG, although having to non-scorers in the backcourt is a surprising tactical decision to say the least.
The likely plan of action is to let the two rotate minutes off the bench. If Dunn makes improvements from last season, he can earn his right as the go-to reserve. If he remains stagnant, or worse, Rondo is an impeccably reliable bench player. Regardless, the move is zero-risk for the Hawks, as at worse they get a seasoned vet to play mentor to a youthful Hawks roster.
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