NBA Trades & Free Agency: 4 Surprising Moves of the 2019 offseason

The 2019 free agency doors opened on 30th June, a Sunday night, and things started off hectic. In 2018, we saw LeBron James sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Paul resign with the Houston Rockets, Paul George resign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, DeAndre Jordan sign with the Dallas Mavericks, and many more. The most shocking signing came when big man DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Golden State Warriors. At that point, the whole league was in shock because it was not expected at all.

But if you thought that the 2018 free agency was crazy, this year's free-agent class was much better with more star players entering the market. Players including Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Kemba Walker, all hit the market.

With that being said, here are 4 surprising moves made in the 2019 offseason so far.

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#1 D'Angelo Russell to the Warriors

D'Angelo Russell

Until the day of free agency, there was no news of the Golden State Warriors being interested in Russell (or vice versa). Teams that were supposedly interested in Russell were the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Warriors aren't the type of team to make crazy trades in free agency, or in general. We saw them trade Andre Iguodala to the Houston Rockets but trading for DLo makes sense, as they lost All-Star Kevin Durant who signed with the Brooklyn Nets. They wanted to make sure to get some sort of compensation for losing him and the result was D'Angelo, a young point guard/shooting guard that continues to improves his numbers.

Now that they secured Klay Thompson with a 5-year, $190 million contract, the starting five seems to be at first not as lethal with KD gone. But with Curry, Thompson, and Russell, the offense should continue to be on fire.

#2 Jimmy Butler to the Heat

Jimmy Butler

This came as a surprise. Jimmy Butler was supposedly choosing between the Lakers and the 76ers. The Houston Rockets were eyeing him to join James Harden and Chris Paul, but that did not happen. So why did he choose the Heat? I'm sure it wasn't because they can make it to the NBA Finals because they have a lot more to do before that can happen.

It's likely that Butler wants to be the center of the team and wants some control in determining the players the Heat should get to make them a qualifying team. Philadelphia hoped to give Butler a max contract, but instead gave former Boston Celtics center Al Horford a 4-year, $109 million contract and gave Ben Simmons a 5-year extension worth $170 million.

Luckily the Sixers didn't give up Butler for anything, as they acquired Josh Richardson as part of the trade. Richardson is a young guy who could be an upgrade on J.J. Redick, who signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency.

#3 Kawhi not signing with a team on Day 1 of free agency

Kawhi Leonard

Probably the most anticipated free agent this year was NBA Finals MVP and Champion Kawhi Leonard, who was traded to the Toronto Raptors last year. The decision supposedly came down to the Lakers, Clippers, and Raptors. It was still unclear who he was leaning towards, but most initially had believed that Leonard would resign with the Raptors.

Before the start of free agency, the rumors were that he wanted to pair up with another star player, whether it be KD or Butler. With both of them on different teams and pairing up with other stars, Kawhi could choose to go to the Clippers or Raptors.

The Lakers did have the cap space to sign another max contract so they weren't ruled either. But in the end, Kawhi signed with the Clippers on a 3-year deal. But the twist came right after he signed with the Clippers, a move no executive, no source could have imagined.

#4 Paul George to the Clippers

Paul George

In what was probably the most unexpected move of the year, OKC Thunder traded star Paul George to the Clippers. The Thunder received Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, 5 first-round picks (four unprotected and one protected), and two potential pick swaps. Kawhi had reportedly told the Clippers front office he would join the team only if they could get George on the team.

Now with the combination of Kawhi, PG13, Williams, Beverly, Harrell, and Zubac, the Clippers are a powerhouse and most likely be the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Utah Jazz for Western Conference supremacy. But the trade for

George wasn't exactly guaranteed to the Clippers. The Thunder had discussions with the Toronto Raptors, with the team asking for Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and four draft picks for Paul George. But the Raptors were not interested in moving Siakam at all. Either way, the Clippers got two players that perform well both offensively and defensively. A championship could be heading to LA.