Newcomers explode! Veterans are stable! Five value-for-money signings in a deserted market!

With the implementation of the new version of the labor agreement, the league's teams have become more and more strict in salary control in recent years, and the offseason market has become increasingly deserted year by year.

Especially this year, despite the explosive trade of Durant joining the Rockets, in comparison, the contract renewal drama of several restricted free agents such as Kuminga, Guidi, Thomas, and Grimes is also very popular. But behind the seemingly deserted market, there are still several operations worthy of praise from fans.

Let's take a look at the five signings that are most likely to make a profit without losing money during the 2024-25 offseason:

The first operation comes from Cameron Thomas.

For Thomas of the Nets, his player is indeed a bit embarrassing. He seems to be a qualified core scorer, but judging from the team's performance on the field, it seems to lack a little meaning for him to be the core of the team.

He played 25 games last season, averaging 31 minutes per game. His personal data reached 24 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He was the top scorer in the Nets. But the embarrassing thing is that it is still difficult to exchange for a big contract with this kind of scoring performance of 20+ points per game.

At the beginning of the offseason, Thomas' team's contract requirements have always been at the level of 100 million yuan. However, the market's response was silent. In the end, they only received a 6 million qualifying offer from the Nets.

From a player's perspective, Thomas's choice is indeed quite bold. In the new season, he will definitely need to go all out to perform brilliantly, so that he can have a chance to get back what he has lost.

But from the perspective of the Nets, if Thomas breaks out in the new season, only 6 million can buy an average of 20+ firepower per game. This is definitely a sure-profit deal; and even if his performance is average, or even declines after Porter Jr. takes over the team, this is still a controllable price.

With this signing, it can only be said that the Nets are a sure winner.

The second operation came from veteran Chris Paul.

The 40-year-old captain once again returned to the Clippers.

As a Hall of Fame point guard, even at his advanced age, he played in 82 regular season games and averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists per game. Judging from the veteran substitutes, this data is quite appropriate.

With this result, the Clippers received only a basic salary contract from him. Especially considering the stable bonus Paul has brought to young teams such as the Thunder, Suns, and Spurs in the past, this operation can be regarded as a pick-up level. For the stability of the atmosphere in the team's locker room, the guidance for young players, and even the occasional violent moments.

In addition, Paul's joining is not only a supplement to the players' strength, but also a bonus to the coaching team. These are Paul's values.

The third operation came from Russell.

This is also a high-quality defender who has been misunderstood by many people. He has the ability to produce outrageous statistics, but at the same time, many people in public opinion criticized his poor defense. Even when someone needs to stand up at a critical moment, Russell seems to find it difficult to stand up and support the star.

But it needs to be admitted that at certain moments, Russell is still a very good pick-and-roll master. Joining Dallas in the new season, teaming up with scorers such as Irving, Flagg, and Davidson, there is still a great opportunity to exert offensive advantages in the transition period. Especially considering Irving's injury problem, Russell is likely to be given a role that far exceeds that of a substitute defender.

The most important thing is that Dallas only paid 6.5 million in annual salary to sign Russell. For the Mavericks, this is a treasure-hunting operation worth looking forward to. As a veteran defender with rich game experience and explosive scoring ability, the risk is low enough, but the chance of future rewards is also high enough.

In the fourth move, the Lakers signed No. 1 pick Lang Ayton.

When it comes to Ayton, most fans may first think of negative labels such as "Buddhist" and "Gemophobic center", but don't forget that after all, this is a No. 1 pick with obvious talent and soft offensive skills, but he has never found his own position during the Suns and Trail Blazers.

Joined the Lakers with an annual salary of 8.3 million in the new season. For this team that has been lacking inside strength, after the Davidson trade, the offense and defense in the penalty area are completely vacuum. From the perspective of the team structure, it is conceivable that Ayton's value to the Lakers in the new season, and the Lakers only paid a mid-level price for it.

For a top pick who has not fully realized his talent, it is unlikely that he will lose money.

From a player's perspective, Ayton himself also needs an outstanding season to prove himself. This is exactly what the team wants to see most. In the new season, as long as he is willing to put down his body, grab a few more rebounds, and jump a few more times to protect the frame, his upper limit is still worth looking forward to.

The last operation came from Kumingga who was on the hot search headlines.

Kuminga was completely abandoned by Cole at the end of last season. However, as injuries struck, Kuminga came on temporarily and played a fire-fighting performance. Behind a group of veterans, Kuminga is still the most anticipated young talent in the Warriors.

Unfortunately, the cooperation between him and the team was not pleasant. After an offseason, the contract renewal talks collapsed, and there were many trade news. But on the eve of the new season, the two sides successfully reunited and finally signed a two-year contract extension with the Warriors worth 48.5 million.

From the perspective of the team, this operation of the Warriors is actually quite smart. On the premise of temporarily locking in the young core, it also reserves room for future growth for the team with a low-price contract. Like Thomas, Kuminga also needs to perform better in the new season to gain leverage for his next big contract.

As long as he is stable enough, the Warriors will make a sure profit from this signing.