NBA Free Agency opens up with a boom; Celtics quiet in opening hours

The opening NBA free agency is like a Black Friday sale at Walmart if everyone is mainlining Starbucks and has millions of dollars in their pockets to spend. 

While a lot of money has been thrown around, the Celtics started the day quiet. That shouldn't be much of a surprise, considering they've done most of their work via trade so far and have limited free agent money to spend.

Here's a look at how things have gone so far. 

LONZO BALL TO THE CHICAGO BULLS

This deal was announced about 10 seconds into the official negotiation period, which screams tampering but I guess we don't care about that right now. 

Ball is out, and the Pels get some decent help to replace him. It's going to be interesting how Zion Williamson reacts to the news considering Ball was a favorite of his. 

Chicago is trying to make a move up the East standings and the addition of Ball will certainly try to push the Bulls into a more uptempo pace. I'm not sure how the Bulls are going to work together, but they have the potential to be a real nuisance. 

KYLE LOWRY TO MIAMI

Lowry is reportedly getting a three-year, $90 million dollar deal with Miami. The terms of the sign-and-trade deal aren't out yet, but Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa are reportedly part of the deal.

This clearly impacts the Celtics as the Heat are now making a push to be in the top half of the East. Lowry's a champion and Jimmy Butler, who is signing a max extension,  is a gamer. That's going to be a very tough team.

CHRIS PAUL SAYS IN PHOENIX

FOUR YEARS?? That's a monster deal for a 36-year-old. It's funny how Chris Paul's deal went from untradeable to one that he opted out of, to one that will be untradeable almost immediately. 

The reason for this is the over-38 rule, which basically addresses earnings after a player's 38th birthday as "deferred compensation." So for salary cap purposes, the money made after age 38 is factored into his pre-38th birthday years. 

It's complicated. It's a lot, in a lot of ways. 

JEFF GREEN GOING TO DENVER 

Surprising, but after signing a bunch of minimum deals, heading to Denver and another potentially winning situation while making $5 million a year is one more payday for Green as his career winds down. He was on Boston's radar, but they clearly weren't going to give him that kind of money. 

MIKE CONLEY STAYING IN UTAH

Not a shock here. The Jazz have one chance here to figure themselves out and that's with Conley running the point. 

DUNCAN ROBINSON STAYING PUT

This is the most ridiculous announcement I've ever seen and it shows you how much you have to be in bed with agents to become a "news breaker" nowadays. 

Oh, and this makes Miami all the more dangerous. 

This was my long shot hope for the Celtics, but the instant he opted out, I knew he'd be headed back on some kind of increase. It's not as much of an increase as I'd expected, though. 

JARRETT ALLEN CASHES IN

Yowza that's a lot for a young center, but the hope in Cleveland is that he can not only add to his game but also fit with Evan Mobley, the third overall pick in this year's draft and a guy many believe could become this draft's biggest star in five years. 

I love Allen, but $20 million feels like a lot. Maybe it won't be as the cap continues to increase, especially after the new TV money rolls in. 

LAKERS TRYING TO FILL GAPS 

After pulling off the deal to add Russell Westbrook, the Lakers were left with very few avenues to fill out their roster. Ellington shot well last season in Detroit and could give the Lakers some desperately-needed floor spacing. Ariza is on his last legs hoping to recapture some magic. Howard is hoping to reprise his role from the Lakers championship. 

The Lakers have little choice but to hope signings like this pan out.

EVAN FOURNIER IS GONE

That's just too rich for Boston's blood. They were not going to go that long with years or that high in salary. An offer from the Knicks has always been a fear of mine, but this even goes beyond what I expected. I thought it'd be a one-year balloon offer, but they're committing to him for at least three years. 

The criticism of the handling of the Hayward departure is sure to commence. There's a lot there to unpack. 

DANIEL THEIS GETTING PAID

Good for old friend Daniel Theis getting his bag in Houston. This is much more of a commitment than he's seen in Boston, though I think the Celtics would have paid him if circumstances had been different. 

PJ TUCKER JOINS HEAT

This adds even more toughness to the Heat, and obviously a little bit more championship swagger. It bolsters an up-and-coming contender and weakens the defending champs. A bit of a coup for Miami. 

NEW ORLEANS ADDS DEVONTE' GRAHAM

This gives the Pels more shooting, which is exactly what they need around Zion Williamson. Graham shot better than 37% from 3 the past two seasons.

CORY JOSEPH STAYING IN DETROIT

Joseph was traded to Detroit during the season. The Pistons are putting together an interesting team of young players mixed with veterans here. 

KELLY OLYNYK GOES TO DETROIT TOO

I'm very curious about this mix in Detroit. They seem to think some of these veteran guys supporting Cade Cunningham and their young core will help bring things along faster. 

TREY LYLES ALSO GOES TO DETROIT

This is more in Boston's price range. Lyles could have been a stretch-4 option. 

REGGIE BULLOCK JOINS MAVERICKS

Bullock was on Boston's radar but he was very clearly out of their price range. The Knicks get an important shooter and maybe more of the player they hoped Josh Richardson could have been.

DERRICK ROSE RETURNS TO NEW YORK

Rose was an important pickup for the Knicks in terms of powering their push for the playoffs. He's a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau, so him staying made sense for everyone.

NIC BATUM STAYING WITH CLIPPERS

Batum seemingly turned down more lucrative offers to go with the team that resurrected his career. He was a salary dump for the Charlotte Hornets and now he's a useful player again. 

BOBBY PORTIS STAYING WITH MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Portis enjoyed a renaissance with the Bucks, won a ring, and became a fan favorite in the process. Of course he wants to soak that up some more.

DOUG MCDERMOTT GOING TO SAN ANTONIO

Dougie McBuckets was rumored to be in the deal Indiana offered for Gordon Hayward. It would have been interesting to see if Boston would have matched this deal had they traded for him. I doubt it.

SEMI OJELEYE GOES TO MILWAUKEE

They're hoping he can fill PJ Tucker's shoes ... or at least compete for that opportunity. Good luck, Semi.