LAS VEGAS — The annual summer arms race that is NBA free agency is on, and while this class is not littered with impactful names, the signings carry some weight. Let’s discuss three teams that made the most notable signings at the beginning of free agency. 

Of all the teams that acquired talent in this free-agency window, Miami made the biggest splash. Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker join a team that is a year removed from a berth in the NBA Finals, and they should have an immediate impact for a team that was downright disappointing last season. Both Lowry and Tucker provide shooting and defense for a team that surprisingly struggled in both areas. 

Miami finished last season 19th in 3-point shooting (36.2 percent) a season after it was the second-best shooting team in the league. Lowry is a career 36.8 percent shooter who hit 39.6 percent of his 7.2 3-point attempts per game last season. Tucker has become a catch-and-shoot specialist on offense. His specialty is as a corner shooter, an area of the floor in which Miami finished 27th in shooting (35.2 percent). Tucker has shot at least 38 percent from the corner since he joined Houston, and he will provide some consistency for an area of weakness for the Heat. 

The two are also very solid perimeter defenders. For Lowry, only three times in his career did his team’s defensive rating get worse when he was on the floor. Last season was one Tucker’s worst defensively, but in his first three seasons with the Rockets he improved Houston’s rim defense each year. A full year for Tucker fully engaged in hunting a title should help him get back to his defensive roots. 

Overall, Miami did an excellent job in getting better this offseason. Not only signing Lowry and Tucker, but re-signing Duncan Robinson to the highest contract ever for an undrafted player. However, how much closer did the Heat really get to winning a championship? The SuperBook cut Miami’s odds from 30/1 prior to free agency to 20/1, but path toward a title is much harder. 

The Heat should be a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, but it is hard to invest at such a short price to win the NBA Finals when there’s still such a large gap between them and a fully healthy Nets team. 

When the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook on draft night, they severely limited the level of free agents they could sign this summer. The Lakers entered the free-agent signing period with just $12.6 million in space below the hard cap and five players on the roster. Therefore, Alex Caruso is now a member of the Bulls. The objective for the Lakers in this free-agency period is find shooting and guard depth on the cheap, and they did that to a certain extent with the free agents they brought in. 

In terms of shooting, the names that pop off the page are Carmelo Anthony and Kendrick Nunn. Anthony is a fantastic fit alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James with the spacing and catch-and-shoot profile he brings to the table. Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore are solid fits as well. 

As for the rest of the class, I have my reservations. Trevor Ariza has the ability to stretch the floor if he finds his stroke, but he is a career 35.2 percent shooter. He still has value on defense, so that fits the mold of Los Angeles, but I would much rather see them acquire a better 3-and-D candidate than the 36-year-old veteran. Dwight Howard is not expected to have a massive role for this team, but seeing the Lakers acquire another center makes me worry about Anthony Davis’ willingness to play center. 

SuperBook Sports adjusted Los Angeles ever so slightly from 9/2 odds to 7/2 odds to win a title, but that is mostly due to projected liability. VP of risk management at SuperBook Sports Jeff Sherman told me the day of the Westbrook trade that bettors would be “double fisting” tickets on Los Angeles to win the title due to the star acquisition. 

Chicago is clearly in the business of at least being a playoff team with the additions of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. 

Both bring defensive intensity to a backcourt that was average at best on that end of the floor. The Bulls finished last season 15th in defensive efficiency (113.1), according to Cleaning The Glass, and both guards have been phenomenal defenders throughout their careers. In Caruso’s four seasons with the Lakers, their defensive rating improved by no fewer than 3.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor. Ball finished as the 11th-ranked point guard in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus. The Bulls should find themselves inside the top half of the league in defensive efficiency. Ball has also developed into a fine shooter. 

The Bulls will not be competing for a title any time soon with this roster, but there is no question that this team should be one of the final eight teams in the Eastern Conference. Odds to make the postseason have not been posted by any operator, but when they are, Chicago should be near the top of the list of plays to make in that market.