National Basketball Association

Up, Down and Sideways: Colin Cowherd breaks down NBA free agency moves

Published Aug. 4, 2021 9:32 p.m. ET

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Only a couple of days into free agency and a few teams are already unrecognizable, while others look the same – or, a little worse off. 

NBA free agency is in full swing, and teams aren't wasting any time making a statement. You can keep up with the biggest moves and top signings with FOX's Free Agency Tracker. 

On Wednesday's edition of "The Herd," Colin Cowherd analyzed which teams have made the best offseason moves so far, which teams are trending downward or the staying the same. 

"You give me the team and I'll say – with free agency – if they're better, the same or worse."

Here's a look at his breakdown: 

Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Key additions: Andre Drummond
Key losses: George Hill and Dwight Howard
Trending: Down/Incomplete

Colin's take: "Can Andre Drummond play with Joel Embiid? My question is this: Drummond has the same issue [Ben] Simmons had. He’s a terrible free throw shooter at 47%. And by the way, Drummond and Embiid had a rivalry. At one point, Embiid called him a ‘bum’ in the last couple years. Now, it’s incomplete. They trade Ben Simmons in a week from now, it could be different."

Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Key additions: Rodney Hood and George Hill
Key losses: P.J. Tucker and Bryn Forbes
Trending: Sideways

Colin's take: "They kept Bobby Portis, who did some really nice things in the playoffs. … George can hit 3-pointers. Veteran, smart guy, been in a lot of big games. Rodney Hood – a little bit inconsistent, injured a bunch. I feel like you lose a little toughness with P.J. Tucker, but I like Bobby Portis – his youth, his size. Same team, very good team."

Team: Chicago Bulls
Key additions: Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan
Key losses: Thaddeus Young, Tomáš Satoranský and Garrett Temple 
Trending: Up

Colin's take: "Massive up, especially in the East. I thought they totally redid their roster. Lonzo Ball’s getting better. He’s only 23. Caruso had the highest defensive rating for any Laker last year, and he can hit a 3. DeRozan, last eight years, 20 points a game. … This is gonna be a very athletic team. Legitimate, modern … a lot of guys who can shoot 3s, improving players. I like them a lot."

Team: Miami Heat
Key additions: Kyle Lowry, Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker
Key losses: Kendrick Nunn
Trending: Up

Colin's take: "Like the Bulls, massive improvement. People forget this, too: Victor Oladipo got hurt last year. He’s been an Eastern Conference All-Star. He returns, and when you bring in Kyle Lowry, that allows Jimmy Butler to play off the ball. What happened to Jimmy Butler last year? He got tired by the end of the year, so Kyle Lowry not only runs the point, he allows Butler to play fewer minutes … They get the toughness of P.J. Tucker, the experience of Markieff Morris. Kendrick Nunn is an inconsistent player, not much of a loss. I think the Bulls and the Heat are now fringe Eastern Conference contenders."

Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Key additions: Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard and Kendrick Nunn
Key losses: Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Markieff Morris, Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond
Trending: Sideways

Colin's take: "I do think Westbrook supplements them in the regular season, but first of all, just look at all the moves. … Kyle Kumza and Dennis Schröder can play, I know nobody wants to admit this, but I thought they got older, I thought they got worse defensively. They got a couple guys who can hit 3s, but Malik Monk’s not getting major minutes in the playoffs. … The reason I give them a sideways and not a down is it’s totally dependent on LeBron [James] and [Anthony Davis], and because they both get a really long offseason, I think they’ll both have really strong seasons."

Team: New York Knicks
Key additions: Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier
Key losses: Reggie Bullock
Trending: Sideways

Colin's take: "First of all, Kemba Walker played the fewest games he’s ever played, struggled to play back-to-backs last year, and Evan Fournier is a nice player, but they paid a fortune for him. I look at the Knicks – who averaged 97 points a game in the playoffs, which was easily the lowest – and they needed major juice. This is not major juice. It makes them a better version of themselves. … But they were one and done and got exposed very quickly in the playoffs."

Team: Brooklyn Nets
Key additions: Patty Mills and Jevon Carter
Key losses: Jeff Green and Landry Shamet
Trending: Up

Colin's take: "I would say slightly up. Patty Mills can shoot 3s, more of what they do. … I don’t think Kevin Durant will miss as many games, and I don't think James Harden will come into the season completely out of shape. Harden, before this year, had never been a guy that was inactive. He always played, so last year was weird. Harden tries to play himself into shape in a condensed season and gets hurt. That’s not gonna happen again. … And by the way, they re-signed Blake Griffin, which helps."

Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Key additions: Devonte' Graham, Tomáš Satoranský and Garrett Temple 
Key losses: Lonzo Ball
Trending: Sideways

Colin's take: "A lot of people are crushing the Pelicans because they lost Lonzo Ball, but remember, Zion [Williamson] is getting better, and what they basically did is, ‘We’re gonna give the ball to Zion, and he’s gonna run point or have the ball in his hands.’ I think that makes them a better team. They added Devonte’ Graham [from] the Hornets, decent three-point shooter. But to me, as Zion gets better, I can’t downgrade them because they lose Lonzo, because Lonzo was probably taking touches from Zion, who should really control this offense. I think they’re a borderline playoff team, and I thought that’s exactly what they were last year."

Team: Phoenix Suns
Key additions: JaVale McGee and Landry Shamet
Key losses: Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter
Trending: Sideways/Up

Colin's take: "I say this as a compliment: sideways. … They didn’t get worse. They added JaVale McGee, which is a body. They’re small, they needed a body. They’re probably sideways to slightly better because they added size. Landry Shamet is a nice little player. Chris Paul, though, is a year older. … If I had to redo that, I would say slightly up, not sideways."

Watch the entire video below:

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National Basketball Association

Philadelphia 76ers

Milwaukee Bucks

Chicago Bulls

Miami Heat

Andre Drummond

George Hill

Dwight Howard

Joel Embiid

Ben Simmons

Rodney Hood

P.J. Tucker

Bryn Forbes

Bobby Portis

Lonzo Ball

Alex Caruso

DeMar DeRozan

Thaddeus Young

Tomas Satoransky

Garrett Temple

Kyle Lowry

Markieff Morris

Kendrick Nunn

Victor Oladipo

Jimmy Butler

Los Angeles Lakers

Russell Westbrook

Carmelo Anthony

Trevor Ariza

Malik Monk

Wayne Ellington

Kent Bazemore

Kyle Kuzma

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Montrezl Harrell

LeBron James

New York Knicks

Brooklyn Nets

Kemba Walker

Evan Fournier

Reggie Bullock Jr.

Patty Mills

Jeff Green

Jevon Carter

Landry Shamet

New Orleans Pelicans

Devonte' Graham

Phoenix Suns

JaVale McGee

Torrey Craig

Colin Cowherd

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