The summer of 2019 is shaping up to be a crucial one for the NBA power structure, so we take a look back at the most notable free agent signings that had a major effect on the player, the teams, and/or the league itself.
1) Rick Barry to Oakland Oaks (ABA), 1967
2) Rick Barry to Warriors, 1972
Even when compared to "The Decision," Barry's lower-case "d" decision in 1967 is perhaps still the most shocking free agent move in NBA history. Fresh off winning a scoring title in his second NBA season and leading the San Francisco Warriors to the NBA Finals, Barry stunned the basketball world by signing with the Oakland Oaks of the nascent ABA. He claimed that he made the move out of unhappiness with his Warriors contract, but it was also apparent that he was doing a favor to his father-in-law and NCAA coach (at Miami), Bruce Hale, who had just been hired to helm the Oaks (Barry was also handed a small ownership stake in the franchise). The Warriors sued for breach of contract and won, which caused Barry to sit out the inaugural ABA season and essentially upheld the NBA reserve clause for the time being. He eventually did suit up for the Oaks for one season (by which time Hale had been replaced by Barry's Warriors coach Alex Hannum), leading them to the ABA Finals, then followed the team to Washington where it became the Capitols. He spent two more years in the ABA with the New York Nets before shocking everyone again by returning to the Warriors in 1972, able to sign as a free agent as the franchise had renounced his rights in 1968.
3) Cazzie Russell to Lakers, 1974
Though he doesn't appear on our list, Oscar Robertson is just as notable to this topic as all the players that do. Two years before Curt Flood famously went to court against Major League Baseball, Robertson challenged the NBA with a 1970 lawsuit against the reserve clause that kept players chained to the teams that drafted them. The suit was filed in response to the NBA announcing a merger with the ABA, and it delayed that by six full years. By the time Robertson won his case in 1974, he had retired from the NBA and stepped down from his capacity as president of the Players' Association. But it paved the way for free agency, albeit a restricted form that was really just glorified trades, as it included heavy compensation for the team losing their player. Russell was the first to take advantage of the new regulation, leaving the Warriors in the summer of 1974 to sign with the Lakers. Initially drafted by the Knicks, he had been traded to the Warriors in 1971 and immediately became their leading scorer and an All-Star, but saw his playing time and stats dip dramatically the next year when Rick Barry returned from the ABA. Though it seemed like a perfect fit as the Lakers needed scoring in the wake of Jerry West's retirement, Russell struggled with injuries and increasing ineffectiveness in his three seasons in Los Angeles, and was eventually waived. For losing Russell in free agency, the Warriors were awarded a first round pick in the 1976 draft, which they used on Robert Parish.
4) Moses Malone to 76ers, 1982
The NBA made some tweaks to its free agency agreement after the ABA merger in 1976, creating a system that mostly stayed in place until 1988. This caused some increased, though still tempered, activity in the late '70s and early '80s, with notable names like Jamaal Wilkes and Gail Goodrich changing rosters. By far the most impactful free agency move of that era was Malone signing with the 76ers in 1982. Changing teams was certainly nothing new to Malone, who had started with the Utah Stars of the ABA and over the next two years, through various transactions, became a member of the Spirits of St. Louis, New Orleans Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Buffalo Braves, and Houston Rockets. After six seasons with the Rockets that included two MVP awards, three rebounding titles, and a trip to the NBA Finals, he signed an offer sheet with the Sixers as a restricted free agent. Under new management after being sold by the Maloof family to Texas businessman Charlie Thomas, the Rockets decided that they couldn't afford Malone's contract demands, and agreed to a sign-and-trade with the 76ers for Caldwell Jones and a first round pick. Philadelphia immediately won the title thanks to a league MVP and Finals MVP performance from Malone, and the star center eventually became one of the first unrestricted free agents, when he signed a contract with the Hawks in the summer of 1988.
5) Tom Chambers to Suns, 1988
During the final stages of the collective bargaining negotiations in the summer of 1988, Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo supposedly looked at Sonics owner Barry Ackerly and stated "you're going to lose Chambers." This is because the "right of first refusal" clause was amended to allow free agents with seven or more years of experience to sign with another team with no restrictions. 13 players were eligible immediately and though the aging Moses Malone was the most famous name, Chambers was undeniably the biggest talent. He had blossomed into an All-Star with Seattle and led the team to a surprise appearance in the 1987 Conference Finals, but the team jammed the front court rotation by trading for Michael Cage. On the first day of official free agency, July 5th, Chambers was beset by the Phoenix front office and quickly signed a historic five-year contract (terms were not immediately released, but it was later revealed to be worth over nine million dollars, compared to just four million being offered by the Sonics). Finished with making history off the court, Chambers found further success on it, named to the All-Star team in his first three seasons with the Suns, scoring a career high 27.2 points per game in '89-'90, and eventually helping the team reach the 1993 NBA Finals. Sensing the writing on the wall that his spot in the rotation was being handed over to Chambers, Suns veteran Walter Davis became the second-ever unrestricted free agent one day after Chambers when he signed with the Nuggets. Other significant signings that summer included Malone with the Hawks, Kurt Rambis with the Hornets, and Tree Rollins with the Cavaliers.
6) Horace Grant to Magic, 1994
Part of the 1988 collective bargaining agreement was a provision to further loosen free agent restrictions after the '93-'94 season. That offseason proved to be an eventful one, as the largest ever free agent class hit the market, with Grant as the most intriguing option. Long overshadowed by teammates Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in Chicago, Grant came into his own in '93-'94 after Jordan's sudden retirement, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists, and being named to his first All-Star team. He cashed in that summer, signing a five-year, $17 million contract (an initial six-year, $22 million contract was rejected by the league office as it validated salary cap rules due to an escape clause) to team up with Shaquille O'Neal in the Orlando front court. Though it wasn't the biggest deal of all-time by any means, nor was he even the best player to sign a free agent contract that summer (that would arguably be Danny Manning), Grant's move was notable as the first All-Star level player whose free agency decision seemed to be sending a message that he was disgruntled with his former team. In fact, after Bulls management had seemingly leaked to the press that they believed Grant faked injuries during the '93-'94 season, he was so eager to sign elsewhere that he got the Magic in trouble for tampering with his free agency status by discussing terms with him before the official signing period began.
7) Shaquille O'Neal to Lakers, 1996
LeBron James would later became the definitive best player to ever sign a free agent contract in his prime, but O'Neal can still lay claim to being the star player whose signing directly led to the most titles for his new team. Frustrated with what he considered a low-ball offer from Magic owner Rich DeVos and eager to reside full-time in Hollywood in order to expand his entertainment industry career, Shaq signed what was then the biggest contract in NBA history with the Lakers, seven years for $120 million. The signing came just one week after the team traded for Kobe Bryant on draft day, and the dynamic duo led Los Angeles to three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002, with O'Neal winning the Finals MVP award each time. In the 23 years since this transaction only two players - Rashard Lewis and Chris Webber - have joined new teams as a free agent with bigger contracts.
8) Jim McIlvaine to SuperSonics, 1996
Just a few days after the Lakers sent shockwaves through the league with their acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal, another center drew quite different kinds of headlines with his free agent signing. Despite averaging just 2.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his first two NBA seasons with the Bullets, McIlvaine landed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the SuperSonics. We can assure you that this seemed preposterous even at the time. Seattle attempted to justify the signing by stating that his defense and shot blocking (he did finish ninth in the NBA in blocks per game in '95-'96) would be a difference maker in propelling the team from Finals losers to champions. But there's no doubt the move rankled the established Sonics players, especially star forward Shawn Kemp, who subsequently held out of training camp in protest of his minuscule pay scale in comparison to McIlvaine. Things didn't implode immediately, as the Sonics still reached the second round of the playoffs in 1997, losing in seven games to the Rockets. But the die was certainly cast, and the team traded away the disgruntled Kemp to Cleveland and the ineffective McIlvaine to New Jersey and arguably never recovered as a franchise.
9) Chauncey Billups to Pistons, 2002
Proof positive that sometimes a player just needs the right situation to thrive, Billups was the third overall pick in 1997, but played for five teams (Celtics, Raptors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pistons) in his first six NBA seasons. That last franchise was the one that stuck, with the Pistons quietly signing him in 2002 and developing him into one of the league's premier point guards. He wasn't even guaranteed the starting spot right away in Detroit, with team president Joe Dumars announcing that Billups would compete with veteran Chucky Atkins on the depth chart. But Billups soon established himself in the backcourt with Rip Hamilton and led the Pistons to the Conference Finals in 2003, then to a championship in 2004. He wound up spending six years in Detroit, making three All-Star appearances, winning a Finals MVP, and getting named to the All-NBA team twice, setting the foundation for what is likely a Hall of Fame career.
10) Gilbert Arenas to Wizards, 2003
11) Carlos Boozer to Jazz, 2004
When the 2005 collective bargaining agreement was signed, it contained what was colloquially known as a "Gilbert Arenas provision" but it could have just easily been called the "Carlos Boozer provision." It was created in response to the unique free agent situations of the two eponymous players. Arenas was drafted by the Warriors in 2001 and signed to a two-year rookie deal. He had a breakout season in '02-'03 heading into restricted free agency, winning the Most Improved Player award, and was summarily offered a massive, $65 million contract by the Wizards. Because they were already over the cap, the Warriors couldn't match the offer and the star point guard bolted for Washington. Though Arenas certainly had his ups and downs with the Wizards, he was arguably their biggest star player this century and the signing was a boon for a franchise transitioning out of the Michael Jordan comeback era. As for Boozer, his contract technically wasn't up in 2004, as the Cavs team that drafted him had a team option for only $700,000 for '04-'05. General manager Jim Paxson waived the team option allowing Boozer to hit restricted free agency, in an attempt to do the right thing and give him a bigger contract. There was reportedly a handshake agreement between Cavs management and Boozer that he would resign for $41 million over six years, but then the Jazz swooped in and offered him $27 million more. Boozer accepted, setting off a controversy that rankles Cleveland fans to this day. The star power forward still maintains that no handshake agreement was made and rightfully has pointed out that it would be illegal under the CBA anyway. Setting aside the ethical aspects, the fiscal decision was an obvious one, but how did it affect Boozer's career? He blossomed into an All-Star with Utah and helped lead them to the 2007 Conference Finals, but he could have been a star second banana with LeBron James in Cleveland, possibly winning one or more championships. The "Gilbert Arenas" provision in the 2005 CBA limited the amount of money that could be offered to restricted free agents that were drafted in the second round (like Arenas and Boozer).
12) Steve Nash to Suns, 2004
Power dynamics in the NBA shifted dramatically on the first day of free agency in the summer of 2004. Within hours of Shaquille O'Neal getting traded from the Lakers to the Heat, Nash left the Mavericks to sign a blockbuster deal with the Suns. Mark Cuban would later call it the biggest mistake of his career, regretting it even after Dallas finally won a title in 2011, but his reasoning for not attempting to match Phoenix's six year, $65 million contract made sense at the time. Nash was already 30 years old at that point, had an injury history, and seemed to have reached his peak as an All-Star point guard. Though the Mavericks had reached the Conference Finals in 2003, they hit the wall in '03-'04, losing in the postseason first round with Nash struggling at times to run the offense. In retrospect, it seems obvious that Nash was being hampered by coach Don Nelson's conservative schemes in Dallas, and he thrived under Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix, winning back-to-back MVPs, leading the Suns to back-to-back Conference Finals after they lost 53 games in '03-'04, and kicking off a new era of high-tempo offense across the league. Don't feel too bad for Cuban and the Mavericks, though. They did well replacing Nash later that summer by trading for Jason Terry, and lost in the 2006 NBA Finals before finally breaking through and winning the title in 2011. Nash famously never reached the NBA Finals, losing in the Conference Finals four times in his career.
13) LeBron James to Heat, 2010
14) LeBron James to Cavaliers, 2014
His 2010 relocation to South Beach was technically a sign-and-trade, but when you announce your intentions on national TV, we count it here as free agency. Players greater than James may eventually come and go in the NBA, but it's hard to imagine anyone will ever change the league with a free agency decision the way he did in 2010. It completely altered the way fans, players, owners, and the media perceived free agency, player-owner power balances, and the marketing of the sport's top talent. It proved that players finally had bargaining power on their side in a way that early pioneers like Oscar Robertson could only dream of, and kicked off the era of the NBA dream team. Befitting a player that could go down as the greatest ever, James then completely changed everything again in 2014, returning to Cleveland as a free agent. He went more low key this time, at least by his standards, announcing his decision in a Sports Illustrated article. Say what you will about his decision making off the court, but James delivered on his promise of championships in both Miami and Cleveland, forever changing the prospects of those franchises.
15) Kevin Durant to Warriors, 2016
Though many argued that LeBron James was taking the easy way out by joining up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami in 2010, Durant's "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" decision in 2016 certainly dwarfed it. Fresh off his Thunder team losing a devastating Conference Finals series against the Warriors in 2016, Durant spurned the franchise that drafted him to sign with the one that had recently tormented him. Taking a page from the James playbook, he announced his decision in print, posting on The Player's Tribune on July 4th that he was signing with Golden State for "contribution and personal growth." Teaming up with fellow perennial MVP candidate Stephen Curry, as well as All-Stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Durant won back-to-back Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018 before an Achilles' tear during the 2019 Finals put the Warriors dynasty on hiatus, if not an end (depending on how free agency shakes out in 2019).