NBA free agent signings 2018: Keeping track of every deal

2018 NBA free agency began at 12:01 a.m., and headlines are already being made. Team front office executives couldn’t officially contact players until the clock struck midnight, and now that it’s past 12, the floodgates are open. Max contracts are expected to be handed out left and right, while some other free agents won’t know where they’re signing until the biggest dominos fall.

Instead of scrambling all over the place to find these deals, we rounded all of them up to make your life easier.

Here are all this year’s free agency signings as they happen:

July 1

Lance Stephenson agreed to a one-year deal with Lakers

Stephenson agreed to a deal with the Lakers on Sunday, a surprising development given his history as one of the biggest irritants James has faced in his playing career. After all, it was Stephenson who blew in James’s ear during the 2014 playoffs, and it was Stephenson who got James T’d up in the first round of this year’s playoffs, too.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returns to Lakers on one-year deal
New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a one-year deal with Elfrid Payton
JaVale McGee agrees to deal with Lakers
Detroit Pistons sign Glenn Robinson III
The Knicks have signed Mario Hezonja to a one-year deal

LeBron James agrees to 4-year deal with the Lakers

LeBron James will not return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead, The King is taking his talents out to the West Coast to join the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. James signed a four-year, $154 million max contract, according to a release from Klutch Sports Group. He joins a Lakers team that is expected to continue making moves this summer to add to a roster that now features the best basketball player on the planet.

Raptors sign Fred VanVleet to two-year, $18 million deal

Chris Paul signs with Houston for 4 years/$160 million

CP3’s $160 million contract puts Houston in position to challenge the Warriors again at a big long-term risk. The Rockets took the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals behind Paul and James Harden this spring. Only a historic three-point shooting drought prevented Houston from moving on to the NBA Finals and likely bringing the franchise its first title since the mid-1990s. Paul is 33 years old and has missed at least 20 games in each of the last two seasons.

Paul George announces “unfinished business” in OKC on a 4-year, $137 million max deal

OKC’s big bet paid off as they will now have two stars — George and Russell Westbrook — under contract for the next couple of seasons. Unfortunately, a team led by those two stars and Carmelo Anthony got laughed out of the NBA playoffs by the Utah Jazz this spring ... and Anthony opted into his massive deal.

Will Barton re-signs with Denver for four years, $50 million
Aron Baynes back to the Celtics on 2-year, $11 million deal
Rudy Gay will stay with the Spurs on a one-year, $10 million contract

DeAndre Jordan, Mavericks verbally agree to deal in $24 million ballpark

The Mavericks have been infatuated with Jordan for quite some time, and for good reason. Jordan is a pick-and-roll monster, setting crushing screens before blitzing to the rim. The Mavericks have prolonged many centers’ careers through this action, but they’ve never had a player of Jordan’s abilities. With the addition of Luka Doncic, Carlisle should be able to terrorize opponents with the pick-and-roll action.

Nets re-sign sharpshooter Joe Harris to 2-year deal worth $16 million

Jerami Grant re-signs with Thunder for 3 years, $27 million

Phoenix Suns use all their cap space on Trevor Ariza

With the new deal, Ariza joins the team with the worst record in the league after leaving the team with the best record in the league. He will look to be a mentor for the young core of Josh Jackson, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.

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