The Most Consequential Role Player Signings of 2024 NBA Free Agency

The players who ended up in their best possible spots... and the teams that got better.

With free agency wrapping up and summer league beginning, let’s dig into the most impactful role player signings from this summer.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Isaiah Hartenstein, C; Alex Caruso, W

The Thunder’s signings have not been under the radar and Caruso was not technically a signing as he was acquired via a trade for Josh Giddey — but let’s talk about them anyway because I (mostly) like the additions and I think they will be key determinants in the West next season.

Hartenstein was definitely overpaid to sit behind Chet Holmgren. But, I like the idea of Hartenstein and Chet in lineups together in theory; we will have to see how they work in practice. These lineups should bring ultimate rim protection with two of the best rim protectors in the league on the floor. Couple that with the elite perimeter defenders that the Thunder boast and they should excel on that end of the floor.

The offensive side is the question. Holmgren shot 37% from 3 last season on almost 350 attempts — assuming that number is real, he should be able to hang at the forward position. Hartenstein cramps their five-out spacing but is a good connective piece. He has an elite floater (52.1% from paint shots not in the restricted area — 19th out 251 players with more than 50 of those shots) and is excellent at moving around the paint when his teammates drive.

As high-profile as Josh Giddey’s lack of shooting was, the thing that doomed the Thunder offense last year was their inability to move the ball. Too many possessions ended with zero or one pass and tough, contested shots.

Hartenstein should help with this — he is a quick ball mover and competent at playing at the elbows and running handoff actions with his guards.

Hartenstein adds another element to their team — something that’s important come the playoffs when you need more than just a fastball. But, these lineups will be slow — they will only work against lineups with somewhere for Chet to hide as a backline rim protector. It’s possible that their offense won’t be as dynamic when Chet isn’t playing as the floor-spacing center. (I’m not that convinced of this — most teams didn’t defend Chet with their centers anyway.)

While I think the offseason has been an overall positive for the Thunder — they should be better than last year — I don’t think they’ve addressed their biggest positional need.

I would’ve loved for the Thunder to add a big wing. The trade for Caruso is an upgrade — he fits better than Giddey with improved shooting and defense. Hear me when I say they will be better with him than with Giddey.

But, he overlaps with many of the strengths that Lu Dort and Jalen Williams already provide. Could they have traded Giddey and a 1st round pick (something they have plenty of) for Kyle Kuzma? He doesn’t bring the defense of Caruso but is a fantastic offensive sidekick with the size to defend some of these bigger wings. He would bring even more versatility to the Thunder lineups instead of more of the same that Caruso brings.

I’ll give the Thunder a B for the offseason so far. And that may be enough for them to get their first title.

Orlando Magic

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, W

If you were to poll 100 Magic fans and NBA media members, most of them would likely tell you that their greatest weakness was a lack of shooting. And they’re not wrong: the Magic finished 29th in made three-pointers and 24th in three-point percentage.

I’m going to zag a little bit though. I think their lack of a true point guard to set up the offense and create for others contributed to the Magic’s lackluster shooting. Don’t get me wrong, their rotation was composed of a multitude of bad or non-shooters — Joe Ingles was the only one to top 40% from three. Paolo Banchero was constantly driving into a herd of defenders intent on keeping him out of the paint.

I hoped the Magic front office would target a point guard to add to the rotation — something like what Fred VanVleet added to the Rockets last season. Instead, with the lack of point guard options on the table — Tyus Jones was the only true point guard on the market and he is probably suited as a backup on the league’s best teams — Orlando pursued and landed the top shooting guard in free agency: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

KCP fits snugly into the Magic backcourt: he is an elite on-ball defender, probably a top-three screen navigator in the entire league. Next to All-Defensive guard, Jalen Suggs, the Magic will boast one of the best defensive backcourts in the league, rivaled only by the Boston Celtics and perhaps Oklahoma City Thunder.

A 40% shooter the past two years, KCP’s shooting will help the Magic offense, but maybe not as much as we all anticipate — he didn’t shoot more than 4.2 threes per game in either season with the Nuggets, a relatively modest volume. One thing to watch: KCP is elite moving around the elbows.

The Magic have traditionally used Banchero on the block or handling at the top of the key. It will be interesting to see if they start to use him more at the elbows to take advantage of this skillset from KCP.

Although the Magic didn’t address the need I wanted them to, they got better. They can afford to be patient: their core three of Franz Wagner, Banchero, and Suggs are all 22 or 23 years old.

Suggs will likely get the nod as their point guard to start the year — something he hasn’t shown real acumen for yet — he’s averaged less than three assists per game the past two seasons. He took a big leap last year as a shooter — perhaps this is the year he takes a step forward in his passing.

Wagner has always been a good shooter at 35% from three and 85% from the free throw line… until he hit 28% from three last season. Is that an anomaly? The Magic sure hope so after giving him the fun max. (I would guess it is — I expect him to return to 35% or higher this year.)

This year will probably be another year of learning who they are and what they need to add. How good is Banchero? Do they need a point guard? Is Franz good enough to be the Robin to Banchero? Can Wendell Carter Jr. stay healthy or do they need to pursue a different center? Time will tell — but we can rest assured that the Magic will be better than last year and compete for home-court advantage.

Golden State Warriors

De’Anthony Melton, W; Kyle Anderson, F; Buddy Hield, W

Let’s start here: poor Moses Moody. This dude has been a consistent pro throughout his tenure with the Warriors. He has excelled on both ends of the floor, showcasing a true 3-and-D playstyle that few players can pull off. Yet, he has never broken through the Warriors rotation in the regular season. (Steve Kerr has weirdly always turned to him in the playoffs though after not trusting him for the first 82 games.)

Unfortunately for Moody, this year will not likely be his break after adding De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield.

Melton brings a rugged playstyle similar to KCP. He fights through screens, frequently defending the other team’s best guards. On offense, he brings secondary ball handling and playmaking. He’s averaged 2.8 assists per game, adding 37% from three in his career.

His ability to play on the move is a perfect fit with the Warriors. The Warriors may be a better team with Melton than they would’ve been with Klay Thompson.

I’m a little lower on the Hield fit next to Steph. Hield is a sieve on defense, unable to stick with his matchup on or off the ball. Hiding one player is usually doable; hiding two becomes much more difficult in today’s NBA. One of them will have to guard the opposing team’s best guard when they are on the floor together (or the second-best guard at the very least).

On the offensive side, Hield will certainly replace Klay’s shooting as one of the best marksmen of the past few years. For the Warriors system to operate at peak efficiency, they need at least one elite shooter on the floor to open up the backdoor cuts and wide-open driving lanes that make their offense what it is. Hield gives them that chance.

I’m bummed that Hield will take Moody’s minutes but the Warriors will have a strong guard rotation that fits well together with plenty of offense and defense.

I’m also high on the Kyle Anderson signing. Slo-Mo is a strong defender, capable of defending the best offensive wings. On offense, he is a great playmaker (he averaged over four assists per game the past two seasons). He should be a nice Draymond fill-in for the 15 games that Green misses due to suspension.

For those worried about pairing two non-shooters in Anderson and Draymond, remember that the Warriors decade of relevance has been built with two bigs who can’t shoot. They will use their collective basketball intelligence to learn how to play off one another to get Steph open. Anderson is not in the same league as Andre Iguodala in terms of athleticism, wing defense, or probably playmaking. But, he can lead the break, play in the post, or attack the paint to open up other opportunities elsewhere.

The Warriors have given themselves a dearth of depth and lineup options by bringing in these players. They may not have the same top-end talent that led their dynastic run — but they should remain a competitive team in the 4-7 range in the West.