NBA free agency winners and losers, Day 1: Victor Wembanyama gets a Point God, Clippers lose Paul George & more

NBA free agency usually starts with a flurry of deals that are too fast to keep up with. This year's free agency period was much more of a slow trickle.

The first day of transactions was largely held up by Paul George, who looks like his days with the Clippers are done.

George could soon be a 76er, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and the rest of the league's signings could follow when that happens. There were some smaller moves that did take place in the first few hours of free agency.

Here are the big winners and losers from Day 1.

MORE: Ranking the top 50 players in free agency

Chris Paul Golden State Warriors

(NBA Entertainment)

NBA free agency winners

Spurs

The whole NBA is a winner after Chris Paul agreed to sign with the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama's development was hampered last season by the team's lack of quality point guard play. It's safe to say that the team's passing is going to dramatically improve with Paul, who has made lesser centers look fantastic thanks to his pick-and-roll wizardry.

Paul isn't going to be able to play a ton of minutes anymore, but he will throw lob passes and get the Spurs playing like a real team. They're going to take a leap because Wembanyama is too good to be on a bottom-feeding team much longer.

MORE: Why Chris Paul is joining the Spurs for his 20th NBA season

76ers

The Sixers are in pole position to land Paul George thanks to their over $60 million in cap space.

The team also made some nice moves on the fringes by bringing in Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon. Drummond is one of the best backup centers in the league and has already proven a capable backup for Joel Embiid. Gordon is still a good 3-point shooter, although he is for sure on the downslope of his career.

If the 76ers do land George, then they are going to be right up there with the Knicks as the biggest challenger to the Celtics.

MORE: Tracking the latest Paul George rumors in free agency

NBA free agency losers

Nuggets

This marks the second consecutive offseason in which the Nuggets lost a vital member of their 2023 championship team. Last summer, it was sixth man Bruce Brown Jr. This summer, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went to the Magic on a three-year, $66 million deal.

The Nuggets had zero avenue to retain Brown. They could have kept Caldwell-Pope, but it would have meant a huge luxury tax bill and second apron concerns.

Money should not have been an issue. Denver has no means to replace Caldwell-Pope aside from the $5 million taxpayer mid-level exception and the hope that Christian Braun is ready to take a massive leap forward.

The Nuggets did a disservice to Nikola Jokic in letting Caldwell-Pope go. The West is simply too competitive to have allowed this to happen.

Warriors

It wasn't the storybook ending that their dynasty deserved, but championship teams rarely get one. The Warriors missed the playoffs completely last season, saw the writing on the wall and are letting Klay Thompson go rather than spending their way into the bottom of the Western Conference playoff race again, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.

It will look strange for Thompson to be wearing another jersey. He has earned the right to finish his career on his terms. He's not the defender he once was, but he can still help with his shooting. He will have discussions with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers and Sixers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

As for the Warriors, they do have some promising young players in the fold. But Stephen Curry isn't winning another championship with this group unless major changes happen.

MORE: Tracking the latest Klay Thompson rumors in free agency

Zach LaVine

How far has LaVine's star fallen? The Bulls reportedly tried to trade him in exchange for underperforming veteran Andrew Wiggins and the $30 million expiring contract of Chris Paul, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. The Warriors said no to that deal, which would have been considered ludicrous just a year ago.

LaVine's $138 million owed over the next three seasons is clearly considered a toxic asset. He's only two seasons removed from being named an All-Star, but it looks like the Bulls will have to attach an asset or take back bad salary in order to move him.

Tampering

We've become accustomed to a dam of signings bursting as soon as free agency starts. This season was far more subdued.

It took over a full hour before the first free agent switched teams. That honor went to Drummond.

Did tampering ever hurt anyone? It certainly made free agency more entertaining. The league needs to bring it back.

MORE: Why MLE is a valuable tool for NBA teams

Clippers

The Clippers brought James Harden back on a two-year, $70 million deal that looks like a slight overpay. They then made the break official with George after sending out a press release indicating that he would not be back.

Maybe they can replace George's production in a sign-and-trade with DeMar DeRozan. But for now, there is a glaring hole on their roster.

The Clippers also made a questionable signing of Kevin Porter Jr., adding to another controversial signing in Josh Primo last year. They're taking swings at prospects with checkered histories, which is going to make them a target for criticism.