The Heat made two commitments while the Kings signed the oldest player in the NBA. As great as executives might think these moves are, there are many questions that surrounded Thursday's moves in free agency.
Kelly Olynyk signs with Heat
Olynyk signed a four-year deal $50 million contracts with the Miami Heat according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Olynyk averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds this past season. Olynyk spent the last four seasons with the Celtics before Boston renounced his rights after signing Gordon Hayward.
The move is puzzling. It seems that the Heat overpaid to bring in a backup center.
The Heat already has a center in Hassan Whiteside. To make room for James Johnson, who signed a four-year $60 million contract, the team had to trade Josh McRoberts. The Heat doesn't have a legitimate guard to backup Goran Dragic. Instead of finding that, they overspent to bring in Olynyk and Johnson. The Heat just proved with these moves that it's going to be a long time until they are competitive in the top tier of the Eastern Conference.
Vince Carter signs with Kings
Carter signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. Carter is going to be the oldest player in the league at 40 years old. Carter averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Carter has been in the league since 1998.
The move is great for the Kings. They bring in a veteran that has a wealth of experience to help mentor their younger players. The Kings have De'Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Buddy Hield as a part of their young core. Carter has adjusted to a bench role, so it will greatly help the Kings moving forward. Carter comes in with another older veteran in Zach Randolph and point guard George Hill.
The move is more puzzling for Carter. At his age, one would think that Carter would want to join a team with championship aspirations. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006. It is the second-longest streak in the NBA. Why would Carter want to spend possibly his last season on a team that still probably won't make the playoffs?
Carter was rumored to be looked at by Golden State, but a meeting never materialized. He could have taken less money and joined a team like the Spurs. It seems that the Kings were probably the team that offered him the most money. If he doesn't care about winning a title, then he made the right call. However, a player like David West showed what happened this last season when you take less money and join a dynasty.
