When two signings like the Milwaukee Bucks adding Carlos Delfino and the Denver Nuggets getting J.J. Hickson are headline material, you know it wasn’t the busiest day of free agency in the NBA.
But with most big names off the board and teams gearing up for their second wave of transactions, which often includes teams starting to think about trades they haven’t considered yet, you have to take what you get.
After only one season with the Houston Rockets (averaging 10.6 points per game), Carlos Delfino returns to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he spent three seasons, mostly as a starter, before joining the Rockets. The sharpshooting Argentine Small Forward (37.5% from beyond the arc last season) signed a three year deal, with guaranteed two years for $6.5 million and a third year team option which could bring the contract up to $10 million, similar to his deal with the Bucks the first time around.
Sometimes it’s hard to wrap your head around a 6’9 big man like J.J. Hickson, but after a double-double season with the Blazers (12.7 points, 10.4 rebounds) it doesn’t matter if he’s a center or a power forward (probably more of a 4, but without any range). Hickson signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Nuggets, using the Mid-Level Exception. He’s likely to fill both big-man positions off the bench, especially if Mozgov doesn’t re-sign, even though they have a very similar, and probably better player, in Kenneth Faried, not to mention his defense not considered as a very strong aspect of his game.