The fun part about (roughly) 40 percent of the league hitting free agency is that, even though it feels like a million moves were made on June 30, there is still stuff to sort out. Kawhi Leonard does everything at his own pace, so it makes sense that he's taking his time. The Los Angeles Lakers still have only four players, and one of them is Troy Daniels, and this will be a problem if Leonard doesn't join them. As we await more news, let's take stock of the latest developments. (I covered a lot of the early transactions in a winners and losers column.)

Damning New York with faint praise

For a moment, I'll stop kicking the New York Knicks while they're down. It is good news that their two-year deals with Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Taj Gibson and Elfrid Payton all have team options on the second season, per ESPN's Bobby Marks and The Athletic's Michael Scotto. This gives the Knicks more flexibility and makes each of the players easier to trade. 

Even if you're not a fan of Julius Randle's three-year, $63 million contract, the team option on the third year makes it a bit easier to swallow. All in all, New York stuck to its plan of going with short-term deals instead of being pressured into using a max contract on someone the front office didn't see as a true franchise-changer. The Knicks wouldn't have been ridiculed if they hadn't traded Kristaps Porzingis before his rookie contract to create cap space and their owner hadn't been publicly overconfident about free agency.

It is worth mentioning, though, that the 2020 free agent class doesn't include any superstars, unless you believe that Anthony Davis could leave the Los Angeles Lakers. Also, these new guys have made the roster strangely deep, which could be good or bad, as New York is trying to develop RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr. and Allonzo Trier. An optimist would say that it's healthy to make young players earn their minutes; a pessimist would say that it will be difficult to keep everybody happy.

The cost and risk of adding Russell

It's hard for me to even picture D'Angelo Russell in the Golden State Warriors' offensive system. He is used to running a ton of pick-and-rolls and dominating the ball. I like that he'll take some of the load off of Stephen Curry, but when Curry has the ball, is he going to sprint around screens like the Splash Brothers do? Just how different will the Warriors look with him? 

The more I think about this, the more I wonder what the reaction would have been if Russell hadn't made the All-Star Game as an injury replacement. It is true that Golden State's front office was creative in acquiring him, but there was a significant cost. The Warriors sent a first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies (protected just 1-4 in 2024) and a first-round pick to the Nets, they lost Andre Iguodala and they hard-capped themselves, which means almost all of their role players from last season are gone and they will have to fill out the roster with minimum-salaried players. 

There is an argument that Russell was a good get even if Golden State has no intention of keeping him around for long. His trade value, however, is questionable on a four-year, $117 million maximum contract, especially if he doesn't shoot as well as he did last season and his defense doesn't improve. Russell has never been even an average defender, and if the Warriors become a subpar defensive team -- a likely scenario with Klay Thompson's injury and the departures of Iguodala, Durant and (probably) Looney -- he will get much of the blame.   

Happy Canada Day

Jamal Murray will be making $36.6 million in 2024-25, the final season of his five-year, $170 million maximum contract extension. The Denver Nuggets could have waited and let him try to find a max deal in restricted free agency next summer, and their decision to act now speaks volumes about their belief in him. The 22-year-old works so well with center Nikola Jokic that, by the end of the playoffs, the two of them were utterly sick of talking about their chemistry. He isn't the most consistent 3-point shooter at this stage of his career, but he is a terrifying one for opposing defenses because he is willing to shoot from anywhere, at any time, off the dribble or spotting up.

Murray and Russell are interesting to compare, especially in light of Russell's struggles in his first playoff series and Murray's wild ride against San Antonio and Portland, in which he generally performed like a star in the Nuggets' wins and was inefficient in their losses. Murray hit the series-clinching shot in Game 7 against the Spurs, a clutch floater over LaMarcus Aldridge. Denver is betting on his fearlessness, work ethic and upside. Like Russell, though, he needs to become less of a liability on defense.

Portland gambles on Whiteside

By the end of Hassan Whiteside's tenure with the Miami Heat, he was coming off the bench behind Bam Adebayo. This was not what he or the Heat envisioned when they agreed to a four-year, $98.4 million maximum contract in 2016, and that contract tied them together for longer than either party would have preferred. Now that he is on his way to the Portland Trail Blazers, Whiteside has a chance to refurbish his reputation, but he'll have to fit in. 

The Blazers do not need Whiteside to dominate or live up to his salary. They need him to rebound, protect the rim and set good screens for their guards. Portland likes its centers to facilitate from the high post, too, but Whiteside has never averaged more than one assist per game. Giving up Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard for him is a risk, and Portland has to hope that it can get the best out of him despite his tendency to chase blocks, commit silly fouls and get bored with doing role-player stuff. 

This move makes me wonder if the front office thinks of Zach Collins as more of a power forward than a center. The Blazers have more moves to make, as the roster is overstuffed with wings and their only (healthy) bigs are Whiteside, Collins and Skal Labissiere. 

Dallas, Sacramento quietly improving

Four-year contracts for role players are becoming unusual, but that doesn't mean teams should never go that direction. I liked the Dallas Mavericks' reported agreements with Seth Curry (four years, $32 million), Dwight Powell (three years, $33 million) and Maxi Kleber (four years, $35 million) because they're heading into their respective primes and the front office knows exactly what it is getting. All three of them complement Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, and they are tradeable at those relatively low salaries. 

Sacramento has done some similar stuff, investing in Dewayne Dedmon (three years, $41 million), Trevor Ariza (two years, $25 million), Cory Joseph (three years, $37 million) and Richaun Holmes (two years, $10 million). There is a logjam in the frontcourt, and $85 million for four years of Harrison Barnes is a lot, but the Kings are clearly trying to position themselves to make the playoffs next season, just like almost every team in the West. 

10 more stray thoughts: The Celtics desperately needed Enes Kanter's rebounding, but I would still like them to get a big man who can anchor their defense ... Assuming the Grizzlies keep Delon Wright on a fair deal, I couldn't love their rebuild more ... The Rockets have been uncomfortably quiet ... Patrick Beverley finally got paid! ... I kind of like Mike Muscala in OKC ... So, uh, will the Wizards keep Jabari Parker now? ... What's left for DeMarcus Cousins? ... Some team should reunite the Morris twins ... I know the Knicks were terrible last season, but if I were in a front office, I would be trying to get Noah Vonleh and Luke Kornet ... It is comforting that J.J. Barea will remain a Maverick for another season.