UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: OFF-SEASON GRADES
ATLANTA HAWKS:
Assets Acquired:
Danilo Gallinari
Rajon Rondo
Kris Dunn
Solomon Hill
Bogdan Bogdonavic
Onyeka Okongwu
Skylar Mays
Cash Considerations (Oklahoma City)
Assets Lost:
Dewayne Dedmon
Jeff Teague
DeAndre’ Bremby
Charles Brown Jr
Treveon Graham
Damian Jones
Skal Labissiere
Khyri Thomas
Vince Carter
2025 2nd Round Pick (Oklahoma City) - Top 55 Protected
The Hawks had a really good off-season. They drastically accelerated their rebuild and it’s pretty obvious that the front office was tired of being a lottery team. Trae Young enters his 3rd year, and Atlanta has done a great job of adding defensive complimentary pieces to this roster. Locking up Gallinari after consecutive solid years of production, Bogdan in the middle of his prime, and the veteran presences of Hill and Rondo will be major upgrades of this team. There are some questions left to be answered like why use a top-6 pick to draft Okongwu, who plays a similar role to Clint Capela - who they traded essentially the draft rights to Aleksej Pokuševski and a future 2nd for. Killian Hayes and Devin Vessell arguably would have been better fits for them at 6, but aside from that, their off-season was really good. They should be a fringe-playoff team going into the season, with some room to grow if Bogdan flourishes in his new role and Trae can make another leap forward. They did not have to give up any significant assets to get drastically better, which is always a positive sign. The fact that they didn’t extend John Collins also shows that this team has a clear direction and are focusing on winning now rather than development. GRADE: B+
BOSTON CELTICS:
Assets Acquired:
Tristan Thompson
Jeff Teague
Aaron Nesmith
Payton Pritchard
Tacko Fall (re-signed)
2021 2nd Round Pick (Oklahoma City) - Top 55 Protected
2022 2nd Round Pick (Charlotte) - Top 55 Protected
2023 2nd Round Pick (Houston/Dallas/Memphis) - Most Favorable
2025 2nd Round PIck (Memphis)
Assets Lost:
Vincent Poitier
Enes Kanter
Gordon Hayward
Brad Wanamaker
Boston was projected to have a more eventful off-season, but things didn't really go according to plans. They were apparently looking to try to consolidate picks and in the end, executed two of them. Their first pick, Aaron Nesmith, is a home run. I absolutely love this pick for them. He compliments Marcus Smart really well, since Smart is the defensive guy and Nesmith is the high volume sharpshooter. Payton Pritchard is sort of a head-scratcher. He was a solid guard at Oregon, but projects as a roleplayer. He will likely fill the void left by Brad Wanamaker. The roster overall got much cleaner. They lost wing ambiguity of Tatum / Brown / Hayward, and now can have everyone play their natural position with much less overlap. Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson are solid veteran players that fill much needed roles (especially with Kemba hurt), and they re-signed fan favorite Tacko Fall. While I feel like their team last year was stronger than this year, Boston is hoping that playoff Tatum will be his new floor and he will continue to improve. GRADE: B-
BROOKLYN NETS:
Assets Acquired:
Bruce Brown
Landry Shamet
Jeff Green
Reggie Perry
Elie Okobo
Kevin Durant (sort of)
Assets Lost:
Dzanan Musa
Garrett Temple
Jamal Crawford
Justin Anderson
Lance Thomas
Michael Beasley
Wilson Chandler
Chris Chiozza
Donta Hall
Jeremiah Martin
2021 2nd Round Pick (Toronto via Brooklyn to Detroit)
There is a lot to unpack with this team. Aside from making moves this off-season, the biggest move of the off-season will still be the return of Kevin Durant. Bruce Brown is a solid defensive acquisition, Landry Shamet is a solid shooting addition - word on the street is that he’s looked really good in training camp - and Jeff Green is a solid veteran acquisition. Garrett Temple will be missed but overall they get better by default. They could have gotten a sliding Saddiq Bey instead of Brown and Shamet, but I think the move works better in their timeline. Their team has high expectations with the signings of Irving and Durant last year, so it’ll be interesting if they continue to pursue James Harden throughout the year to complete their “Big 3”. Honestly, their team as-is is arguably the best team in the East. They have a lot of depth, obvious star power, and really the only major question mark is if we’ll see elite KD right away. It’s possible they put him on a “snap count” to start the year, but I think by February he’ll be rounding into form. GRADE: B
CHARLOTTE HORNETS:
Assets Acquired:
Gordon Hayward
LaMelo Ball
Vernon Carey Jr
Nick Richards
Grant Riller
Nate Darling
Bismarck Biyombo (re-signed)
Assets Lost:
Dwayne Bacon
Willy Hernangomez
Kobi Simmons
Ray Spalding
2022 2nd Round Pick (Boston) - Top 55 Protected
2024 2nd Round Pick (New Orleans)
The Hornets might finally be relevant again. There is a lot of shade around the Gordon Hayward acquisition, but a lot of people don’t quite understand that he never had a chance to play his role in Boston. He always entered a situation where there were one or two “the guys” ahead of him. Whether it was Kyrie or Tatum, he was the 3rd or 4th best player on his team his entire contract. Now he gets a fresh start and he will get to prove he still has enough in the tank to be the focal point of the offense. He’ll be 31 in the season and has been riddled with injuries (and of course he gets hurt in preseason), but this move cannot be looked at in a vacuum. LaMelo Ball now enters a situation where the pressure is not on him to be the best player on the team. The team has a lot of guys that can move the ball and they got a solid big in Vernon Carey Jr late in the draft. Despite the upgrades to this team, they will still likely be a lottery bound team. The thing to watch on this team is if they get better throughout the season. They have solid prospects and future assets, so it’ll be interesting to see how they navigate the waters in the coming years. GRADE: B-
CHICAGO BULLS:
Assets Acquired:
Garrett Temple
Patrick Williams
Marko Simonovic
Devon Dotson
Assets Lost:
Kris Dunn
Shaq Harrison
Adam Mokaka
Max Strus
This was a disappointing off-season overall for Chicago. On one hand, they didn’t leverage their future against bad contracts or risky players. On the other hand, they really didn’t make any moves that drastically moved the needle for this team. They put a lot of faith into a potentially overhyped 3-and-D wing in Patrick Williams and added nobody of significant value aside from that. Williams is going to be a solid player and Thad Young is a solid mentor for his style of play. Reports that Wendell Carter has made significant leaps this off-season might help their case, but this team didn’t address the question marks at point guard and added nobody that will take less pressure off of Markkenen to develop. Coby White has been phenomenal in preseason, yet it’ll be important that he can replicate that energy in games that matter. I think Chicago fans that are invested in the development of their young players are really the only winners of this off-season for this team - other teams got better while they remain stagnant. GRADE: D
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:
Assets Acquired:
JaVale McGee
Matthew Dellavedova (re-signed)
Damyean Dotson
Isaac Okoro
Thon Maker
2026 2nd Round Pick (Los Angeles Lakers)
2027 2nd Round Pick (Utah)
Assets Lost:
Tristan Thompson
Matt Mooney
Ante Zizic
Jordan Bell
Alfonzo McKinnie
Much in the same fashion as Chicago, I really don’t understand the direction the team is going. On the positive note - I do really like their selection of Okoro. He’s the 3-and-D type player this team has been lacking, but they didn’t really make any moves to help the team go in the right direction. They’re still sitting on Kevin Love’s bloated contract, they still have a confusing back-court situation, they replaced a solid veteran in Tristan Thompson with a downgrade to JaVale McGee, and they won’t see any of the second round picks they acquired until half a decade from now. This will be the first year with this team seeing Andre Drummond (who they will probably trade at deadline), they finally get their promising young prospect Dylan Windler back and ready hopefully improve, and we’ll see if the game speed has slowed down for their young guards. Also like Chicago, they didn’t leverage any future assets, but it’s almost a given at this point that this team will be tanking for a chance at Cade Cunningham. GRADE: D
DALLAS MAVERICKS:
Assets Acquired:
Josh Richardson
James Johnson
Wes Iwundu
Josh Green
Tyrell Terry
Tyler Bey
JJ Barea (re-sign)
Willie Cauley-Stein (re-sign)
Assets Lost:
Seth Curry
Delon Wright
Justin Jackson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Courtney Lee
Josh Reaves
Antonius Cleveland
2023 2nd Round Pick (Swap with Miami to Oklahoma City) - Most Favorable
Taking away the biases, this was a solid off-season for the Mavericks. A lot of fans were not highly supportive of the Seth Curry trade, but Josh Richardson is a pretty significant upgrade. We got tougher and larger with adding guys like James Johnson, Wes Iwundu, and brought back Willie Cauley-Stein. We moved on from some bad contracts in Delon Wright and Courtney Lee (expired), and really the only things that could’ve made this team better is if they were able to move Tim Hardaway’s contract. The moves made this off-season did two things - the first, they got better defensively and added wing depth - the second, they put themselves in a position to have the cap space necessary to try to add a Jrue Holiday or Andre Drummond next off-season. With Giannis and Gobert being signed, it could end up being available to try to trade for a disgruntled star. At the time, this seemed more significant, yet with Giannis being locked up (well-deserved), we have to look at the trades in a vacuum. Overall, the team did get better, so they got a positive grade, yet they aren’t leaps and bounds better. GRADE: B
DENVER NUGGETS:
Assets Acquired:
Facundo Campazzo
JaMychal Green
Zeke Nnaji
RJ Hampton
Cash Considerations (Detroit)
Assets Lost:
Jerami Grant
Mason Plumlee
Torrey Craig
Tyler Cook
Troy Daniels
Noah Vonleh
2023 First Round Pick (Oklahoma City) - Top 14 Protected
I’m a little torn on Denver. On one hand, I do think they made the right choice for letting Jerami Grant walk with that contract. On the other hand, I don’t think they really got better. They lost a solid veteran back-up big, gave up a first round pick to get RJ Hampton, who won’t be good until 2-3 years from now, and they could have probably gotten a better option for $10 million instead of bringing back Millsap. Campazzo might be an interesting ad or he could be a complete hype train like Teodosic. Nnaji will be good eventually, as will RJ, but for a team trying to capitalize while they have Jokic and Murray, I think they could’ve tried to flip Barton and/or Harris to try to upgrade their PF. Kevin Love would be a great fit for this team and he probably could have been had - and they have the contracts to do it. I’m not saying this would be a perfect move, but instead of paying Millsap $10 million, they could have done a sign-and-trade and flipped two players that are either hurt or ineffective when they’re needed. With the emergence of Michael Porter Jr, I don’t really see the need for them to have Barton on the team. We’ll see what they do at the deadline because as this team sits, I don’t see them being able to take down any of the top teams in the West. The trade rumors for Harden have been heating up but I think he would ruin the chemistry that has developed over the years between Murray and Jokic. GRADE: C
DETROIT PISTONS:
Assets Acquired:
Delon Wright
Dzanan Musa
Rodney McGruder
Jerami Grant
Mason Plumlee
Jahlil Okafor
Josh Jackson
Killian Hayes
Isaiah Stewart
Saddiq Bey
Saben Lee
Deividas Sirvydis
2021 2nd Round Pick (Toronto via Brooklyn)
Future 2nd Round Pick (Houston)
Cash Considerations (Clippers)
Cash Considerations (Houston)
Assets Lost:
Bruce Brown
Luke Kennard
Khyri Thomas
Tony Snell
Christian Wood
Langston Galloway
John Henson
Brandon Knight
Thon Maker
Jordan McRae
Derrick Walton Jr
Jordan Bone
Louis King
2021 1st Round Pick (Houston) - Top 16 Protected
2021 2nd Round Pick (Los Angeles Lakers via Detroit to Houston)
2023 2nd Round Pick (Portland via Detroit to Clippers)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Clippers)
2025 2nd Round Pick (Clippers)
2026 2nd Round Pick (Clippers)
Cash Considerations (Utah)
Cash Considerations (Denver)
Their off-season was sort of like a tale of two GMs or something. They had a fantastic draft - they got Killian Hayes who many consider a top pick in the draft, Saddiq Bey, who slid and could be one of the best defensive players in the draft, and Isaiah Stewart, who is a solid big that gives me Clint Capela vibes. Now we look at the rest of their off-season, where they basically get an F. They overpaid to get Plumlee after giving up a lot of second round picks and a future first to Houston to acquire Stewart, they let Wood go to Houston for pennies, and they gave up cash to not really gain anything else. They are still stuck with Griffin, they haven’t flipped Rose, their depth chart is confusing, and they have no cap space going into next year. It’s possible their scouts see something special in their draft picks, but I don’t know if you can look at this team as a Pistons fan and get excited about trying to build your team around a Hayes-Bey-Stewart-Grant core. Hey, for all we know they’re in the running to get Harden, which would give them a hard reset and somethin to build around, but that’s a long-shot. GRADE: C-
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS:
Assets Acquired:
Kelly Oubre
James Wiseman
Nico Mannion
Justinian Jessup
Brad Wanamaker
Kent Bazemore
Jeremy Lin
Assets Lost:
Dragan Bender
Ky Bowman
2021 1st Round Pick (Oklahoma City) - Top 20 Protected [becomes 2021 2nd Round Minnesota Pick if not executed]
2021 2nd Round Pick (Denver via Golden State to Oklahoma City)
All things considered, I think they made the right moves. As unfortunate as it was to lose Klay for the year, they probably made the right choice in drafting Wiseman. He will likely be brought along somewhat slowly, but he will be excellent in the pick and roll and will develop well without the pressure of being “the guy” his first year. They did have to give up a future first to get Oubre to fill the Klay void, albeit with heavy protections. Jeremy Lin and Brad Wanamaker are solid back-up guards after not bringing back Ky Bowman and Nico Mannion is a quality guard that will develop with time. Their roster did not have a ton of flexibility, with very few teams likely wanting to take on Wiggins’ contract to move up in the draft. If they could have gotten a legitimate star-player they would be a major winner in the off-season, but they deserve at least an average grade for making smart moves in the midst of adversity. There have been quiet trade rumors involving James Harden, and I actually don’t mind the fit here given the circumstances. GRADE: C+
HOUSTON ROCKETS:
Assets Acquired:
Christian Wood
John Wall
Jae’Sean Tate
DeMarcus Cousins
Kenyon Martin Jr
2021 1st Round Pick (Portland) - Top 14 Protected
2021 1st Round Pick (Detroit) - Top 16 Protected
2021 2nd Round Pick (Los Angeles Lakers via Detroit)
2023 1st Round Pick (Washington) - Top 14 Protected
Assets Lost:
Robert Covington
Russell Westbrook
Jeff Green
Bruno Caboclo
DeMarre Carroll
Tyson Chandler
Michael Frazier
Gerald Green
Luc Mbah a Moute
Austin Rivers
Thabo Sefolosha
William Howard
2021 1st Round Pick (Los Angeles Lakers via Houston to Sacramento)
Future 2nd Round Pick (Detroit)
Cash Considerations (Detroit)
Cash Considerations (Sacramento)
This has been sort of a disappointing rebuild. Starting off with the pros - they did get Christian Wood. He’s a solid young player that will now be a focal point in their offense. He showed a lot of potential toward the end of last season, so the hope is that he’ll continue to develop. They signed him on a very team friendly contract. DeMarcus Cousins was a nice add as he’s been frustrated with injuries the last couple years and wants to prove himself as a top center in the league. They gained several picks in trades with Detroit and Portland - although they are all protected. Now… if you look at what they lost, things start to spiral. They lost a lot of solid depth pieces in both Green, Rivers, and Carroll. They gave up what little cash they had to lottery teams. They got back a guy who hasn’t played in literally two years and a protected pick 2 years from now for a former MVP. While James Harden is looking at a team full of players that are a shell of their former selves and just praying he gets traded to Philly or Brooklyn. GRADE: F
INDIANA PACERS:
Assets Acquired:
Cassius Stanley
Assets Lost:
Brian Bowen
Alize Johnson
Naz Mitrou-Long
TJ Leaf
The Pacers are sort of the forgotten playoff team in the East. They have a lot of depth, but lack a clear superstar. A lot of this teams’ success will be contingent on what version of Oladipo we see this year. He was not very good in the bubble and we’ve seen injuries across basically their entire starting-5. They also have a brand new coach. Their team has a lot of friendly contracts, so it’ll be interesting to see what direction this team decides to go. They own the rights to their pick in the 2021 draft, so it’s possible they did not want to make a lot of moves to squelch that flexibility. What’s disappointing about their off-season was them not breaking up their front court. It’s obvious that Sabonis is the big of the future for this team, and I think having Warren play the 4 would give them much better floor spacing. Lamb and Holiday are both solid wing options, so I think they need to figure that situation out. It doesn’t help that last year they drafted Goga Bitadze, which sends all kinds of mixed signals. Turner has a pretty affordable contract, so I could see them using that to try to get either a more reliable option from a rebuilding team, or if the Pacers have a slow start, possibly draft picks on a contender. These ratings are really a grade of how much better a team got, or how much better their prospective future outlook seems. Their grade is sort of neutral since I don’t feel like they went one direction or the other. GRADE: C
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS:
Assets Acquired:
Luke Kennard
Daniel Oturu
Jay Scrubb
Serge Ibaka
Nicolas Batum
Reggie Jackson (re-sign)
2023 2nd Round Pick (Portland via Detroit)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Detroit)
2025 2nd Round Pick (Detroit)
2026 2nd Round Pick (Detroit)
2027 2nd Round Pick (Oklahoma City)
Assets Lost:
Landry Shamet
Rodney McGruder
Montrezl Harrell
JaMychal Green
Johnathan Motley
2023 2nd Round Pick (Detroit via Los Angeles Clippers to Minnesota)
Not going to lie - I am really loving this LA battle for asset acquisition. I feel like of the two LA teams, that the Lakers were more aggressive. Ibaka was the biggest pick-up for this team and from a value standpoint a downgrade from Harrell, but an upgrade as far as fit. Regardless if he starts, he will still register close to 30 minutes per game and was a crucial component in the 2019 Finals. Kennard will add a solid shooter this time and they brought in veteran Nicolas Batum to be a floor spacer and additional playmaker. I’m not sure if Kennard will be as good as Shamet, but they are likely at least close. The Clippers also acquired several future draft assets, drafted a solid defensive big in Daniel Oturu, and two-way guard Jay Scrubb has a real chance to make the final roster. Overall, I don’t think the Clippers really got significantly better, but overcame the inevitable losses on their team quite well. GRADE: C+
LOS ANGELES LAKERS:
Assets Acquired:
Montrezl Harrell
Marc Gasol
Markeiff Morris (re-sign)
Anthony Davis (re-sign)
Wesley Matthews
Dennis Schroder
Jordan Bell
Alfonzo McKinnie
Assets Lost:
Rajon Rondo
Avery Bradley
Dwight Howard
Jared Dudley
JR Smith
Dion Waiters
Quinn Cook
2026 2nd Round Pick (Cleveland)
It’s almost disgusting how good this Lakers team is right now. I’m sure Clippers fans are burning their Trez jerseys, but Trez could be laughing to the bank next year if he gets a ring. Gasol was a surprising and excellent add for them, but their biggest moves were extending LeBron and AD. Yes, Schroder was a very good move, and yes, Wes Matthews will be a solid rotational piece, but locking in the best duo in the league long-term was their priority. The Lakers are a destination team, so they will attract the best players on the most team-friendly deals. Their team has the depth and star power to repeat and they are likely the clear favorites at this point. While many could argue this team got worse defensively, I have no doubts that this team is still the clear cut most stacked team in the West. They have been very tactful in how they extended Kuzma’s salary and have been making it clear that they want Horton-Tucker to be part of their rotation at some point going forward. While their depth is one of their strong points, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them try to consolidate a couple of their pieces to upgrade. GRADE: A
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES:
Assets Acquired:
Ahmad Caver
Desmond Bane
Xavier Tillman
Killian Tillie
Jahlil Tripp
Assets Lost:
Josh Jackson
John Konchar
Jontay Porter
Anthony Tolliver
Yuta Watanabe
2022 2nd Round Pick (Chicago or Detroit to Sacramento) - Least Favorable
2023 2nd Round Pick (Houston/Dallas/Memphis via Memphis to Boston) - Most Favorable
2025 2nd Round Pick (Boston)
The Grizzlies are putting together a really nice group of players. Ja Morant was every bit worth the hype, Brandon Clarke has emerged as one of the steals from the draft, and they will be adding another major steal in Desmond Bane. Bane is a hyper athletic, 3-and-D wing/guard that can be a difference maker for this team. Nobody of major significance was lost and their already solid team just got deeper. They will likely employ the same strategy as last year in regards to just continuing to get better through the draft, yet depending on the expediency of their development, they could very well trade for another star player to pair with Ja. This is one of the more exciting teams in the West with regards to player development and they did well to continue building up a roster for when this team pushes all-in. GRADE: B
MIAMI HEAT:
Assets Acquired:
Maurice Harkless
Avery Bradley
Precious Achiuwa
Assets Lost:
Jae Crowder
Derrick Jones Jr
Kyle Alexander
Solomon Hill
Gabe Vincent
Miami pretty much did what was expected and is running it back. They are hoping with another step forward for Tyler Herro, adding defensive-minded Avery Bradley, and replacing Crowder with Harkless will be enough. Precious Achiuwa is a solid rookie for this team and are hopeful that he will eventually supercede Kelly Olynyk. Their team still has a lot of flexibility next year even with the extension to Bam Adebayo. It’s hard to really judge this team because it's pretty obvious this team is looking for their young players to continue their development, but they remain a top half team in the East, giving them a solid grade. The Heat will be busy during the buy-out market later in the year trying to add additional upside roleplayers. With KD back, Milwaukee getting better, and Philly adding more shooters, the East just got more competitive. It’ll be interesting to see if Butler can continue to push his young players toward greatness. GRADE: B
MILWAUKEE BUCKS:
Assets Acquired:
DJ Augustin
Nik Stauskas
Bobby Portis
Jaylen Adams
Jrue Holiday
Jordan Nwora
Sam Merrill
Rayjon Tucker
Rights to Ilkan Karaman
Assets Lost:
Wesley Matthews
Sterling Brown
Robin Lopez
Ersan Ilyasova
Marvin Williams
Eric Bledsoe
George Hill
2022[-26] 2nd Round Pick (Indiana to Orlando) - 45-60 Protected
2024 1st Round Pick Swap (New Orleans)
2025 1st Round Pick (New Orleans)
2025 2nd Round Pick (Cleveland)
2026 1st Round Pick Swap (New Orleans)
2026 2nd Round Pick (Orlando)
2027 1st Round Pick (New Orleans)
They had a perfect off-season. The biggest thing in their off-season was the supermax extension of their superstar player, Giannis. They also had arguably the most significant player acquisition in Jrue Holiday. Through this trade, they did have to give up a lot of draft capital, but it is a drastic upgrade from Eric Bledsoe. George Hill will be missed from a locker room presence, yet DJ Augustin has been known to overplay in the playoffs, something where Milwaukee has struggled. Bobby Portis was also an underrated signing, as he gives them another floor spacer on the bench, yet he is a downgrade defensively from Robin Lopez. All-in-all, they’re in a very good spot. Small market teams tend to have to overpay to acquire and keep assets, so with Giannis locked down, it at least makes them a viable landing spot for the foreseeable future. Jrue Holiday will likely extend in the off-season and even though they will be deep into the luxury tax, with him having Bird Rights, they are literally all-in right now. GRADE: A+
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES:
Assets Acquired:
Ricky Rubio
Juan Hernangomez (re-signed)
Anthony Edwards
Leandro Bulmaro
Jaden McDaniels
2023 2nd Round Pick (Detroit via Los Angeles Clippers)
Assets Lost:
James Johnson
Allen Crabbe
Kelan Martin
Jordan McLaughlin
Evan Turner
2023 2nd Round Pick (Detroit via Minnesota to New York)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Oklahoma City)
2026 2nd Round Pick (New York)
Their selection of Anthony Edwards is quite baffling. He was the projected first overall pick and they do have a need to upgrade the wing position post-Wiggins, but several corresponding moves sort of really confuse things. For one, they signed Malik Beasley to a long-term deal despite ongoing legal challenges. They already have Okogie and Culver that it might be too early to yank the ripcord on. They then draft Bulmaro and Jaden McDaniels, both also can play wing. While I do like their trade for Rubio, if they were going to add a conventional point guard to the roster, why not just draft LaMelo or Hayes, both of which are excellent passers? I also don’t really understand the need to trade for Ed Davis when Naz Reid did a great job starting for KAT when he went down last year. Everything is very confusing and they might be an interesting team to consolidate talent. I’m of the very rare minority that thinks they will make a run at Harden since their first round pick is set to go to Golden State and they need a star to compliment KAT. As it stands now, I’m not really a fan of this team as constructed and I think this team has too much to work through to get a good grade. GRADE: C-
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS:
Assets Acquired:
Eric Bledsoe
Steven Adams
Kira Lewis Jr
Willy Hernangomez
Wenyen Gabriel
Sindarius Thornwell (re-signed)
Brandon Ingram (re-signed)
2022 2nd Round Pick (Utah)
2024 1st Round Pick Swap (Milwaukee)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Charlotte)
2025 1st Round Pick (Milwaukee)
2026 1st Round Pick Swap (Milwaukee)
2027 1st Round Pick (Milwaukee)
Assets Lost:
Jrue Holiday
Darius Miller
Jahlil Okafor
Derrick Favors
E’Twaun Moore
Zylan Cheatham
Josh Gray
Frank Jackson
Kenrich Williams
2023 2nd Round Pick (Washington via Pelicans to Oklahoma City)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Charlotte via Pelicans to Oklahoma City)
It’s almost comical now. Much in the same way the two LA teams are in player acquisition, New Orleans and Oklahoma City are in an arms race for draft picks. Aside from that, their draft pick and their trades really didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Yes, I see the value in the picks, but they accepted these trades with the Giannis extension in limbo. Now that he’s extended, these picks’ value aren’t very high (barring injuries). They could be hedging their bets that they will at the very least not be #1 5-6 years from now. Outside of that, they got a lot of weird fit players the rest of the way. They brought on Steven Adams and then extended him after using a top-10 pick on Jaxson Hayes last year. They drafted Kira Lewis Jr, despite having Lonzo and Bledsoe on the roster. They still have JJ Redick on the roster, when they very easily could’ve gotten at least a first round pick for him. Their off-season was not bad, it’s just that they are sending all kinds of mixed signals. The team will be exciting to watch regardless with one of the most polarizing young players in the game in Zion Williamson, but aside from the ensuing lob-fest, I’m not sure what else this team really will offer. Are they better than last year? Maybe. I will give them some props for taking advantage of a desperate Milwaukee team, but they get a demerit for their draft. GRADE: B-
NEW YORK KNICKS:
Assets Acquired:
Omari Spellman
Jacob Evans
Alec Burks
Nerlens Noel
Austin Rivers
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Obi Toppin
Immanuel Quickley
2023 2nd Round Pick (Detroit via Minnesota)
2023 2nd Round Pick (Utah)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Utah/Cleveland) - Most Favorable
2026 2nd Round Pick (Minnesota)
Assets Lost:
Bobby Portis
Maurice Harkless
Kadeem Allen
Damyean Dotson
Jared Harper
Theo Pinson
Ed Davis
Taj Gibson
Wayne Ellington
Kenny Wooten
The Knicks are in this ugly cycle of always being a year away from being a year away. They had an excellent draft with Obi Toppin arguably the most pro-ready player in the draft. Randle is coming up toward the end of his contract, so it’s possible he gets moved at some point this year so that New York can develop Toppin. Immanuel Quickley is also a very underrated addition, with Kentucky guards having a uniquely solid track record over the last few years. They lost some quality players, but with so many young guys pressed for minutes, it makes sense to expedite their development. They have a lot of cap space next year, which is likely when they will be actively trying to get better, but in the meantime, they will continue the course. I wouldn’t say they got any better, but they definitely did not get worse. It would not surprise me to see them grab up Harden, as they have a lot of assets and draft picks. He would hopefully bring back the Knicks relevance in the same way Carmelo Anthony did, yet Harden would not likely significantly move the needle for them until they can add the right kind of players around him. Harden would at least make this team watchable. GRADE: B-
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:
Assets Acquired:
Al Horford
Ty Jerome
Jalen Lecque
Vincent Poirier
Trevor Ariza
Justin Jackson
George Hill
Darius Miller
TJ Leaf
Josh Hall
Moses Brown
Frank Jackson
2021 1st Round Pick (Golden State) - Top 20 Protected [becomes 2021 2nd Round Minnesota Pick if not executed]
2021 2nd Round Pick (Denver via Golden State)
2022 1st Round Pick (Suns) - Top 12 Protected
2023 1st Round Pick (Denver) - Top 14 Protected
2023 2nd Round Pick (Washington via New Orleans)
2023 2nd Round Pick (Dallas/Miami) - Most Favorable
2024 2nd Round Pick (Charlotte via New Orleans)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Minnesota)
2025 1st Round Pick (Philadelphia) - Top 6 Protected
2025 2nd Round Pick (Atlanta) - Top 55 Protected
2026 2nd Round PIck (Dallas)
2027 2nd Round Pick (Indiana)
Cash Considerations (Boston)
Assets Lost:
Chris Paul
Dennis Schroder
Terrance Ferguson
Abdel Nader
Steven Adams
Danilo Gallinari
Nerlens Noel
Deonte Burton
Devon Hall
Kevin Hervey
Andre Roberson
2021 2nd Round Draft Pick (Boston) - Top 55 Protected
2024 2nd Round Draft Pick (Memphis to Washington)
Cash Considerations (Atlanta)
They are exceptionally fun to play on NBA 2K. That being said, where do they go from here? They got worse after trading Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams, but this team is not in the business of trying to win this season - they are in the business of leveraging distressed assets, and securing future prospects. Their goal was well met and they very well could be looking to shoot for Cade Cunningham in next season’s draft. Shai will be carrying this team quite a bit this season, yet there are a lot of interesting prospects that could make major leaps this year with the depth chart wide open - Dort, Jerome, Schofield, Bazley, as well as their rookies. Their grade more comes from them achieving what they attended rather than getting better. GRADE: B
ORLANDO MAGIC:
Assets Acquired:
Dwayne Bacon
Cole Anthony
2022[-26] 2nd Round Pick (Indiana via Milwaukee) - 45-60 Protected
2026 2nd Round Pick (Milwaukee)
Assets Lost:
DJ Augustin
Wes Iwundu
Melvin Frazier
BJ Johnson
Vic Law
At some point, I think Orlando really needs to make a big move. They’ve been making moderate steps each season, but they never actually get better. Cole Anthony has a higher ceiling than DJ Augustin, but won’t do much to make them better this year. Everyone is still waiting to see when Mo Bamba will take a step forward - but he is still recovering from COVID symptoms and has been mostly a disappointment since his high draft position. Dwayne Bacon will likely fill the void left by Jonathan Isaac’s year-long injury, yet overall, they are blah. They finally get some cap relief next year, but with nobody super attractive for what this team needs, I’m really not sure how they get better. This team needs to get blown up, starting with Aaron Gordon, Aminu and Ross. Their team should build around a Fultz-Anthony backcourt, Vucevic, and keep an open mind in trade offers including Mo Bamba. They could end up being very active at the trade deadline, where it seems they feel more comfortable shopping. GRADE: D
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS:
Assets Acquired:
Danny Green
Terrance Ferguson
Seth Curry
Tony Bradley
Tyrese Maxey
Isaiah Joe
Paul Reed
Dwight Howard
Ryan Broekhoff
Assets Lost:
Al Horford
Josh Richardson
Zhaire Smith
Alec Burks
Raul Neto
Kyle O’Quinn
Glenn Robinson
2025 1st Round Pick (Oklahoma City) - Top 6 Protected
Even more important than who they gained, their best moves were who they moved. Horford was a weird fit from the get go and his sharp decline made that contract detrimental in their ability to get better. Josh Richardson is a solid player, but he was not in the right system for him and was merely just a roster filler for Jimmy Butler. They did add Green and Curry for additional shooting, Dwight Howard and Tony Bradley to bolster their bench, and had solid draft picks in Tyrese Maxey and Isaiah Joe. The focus right now comes on Ben Simmons who has been rumored as the key piece in trying to acquire James Harden, yet it would probably be irresponsible to not at least wait until the trade deadline to see if this reconstructed line-up will move the needle for a team that has been touting the “process” to its fans for almost a decade. Despite losing players, I feel like the addition by subtraction method for this team was the best way to go. GRADE: B
PHOENIX SUNS:
Assets Acquired:
Chris Paul
Abder Nader
Jae Crowder
E’Twaun Moore
Dario Saric (re-signed)
Jalen Smith
Assets Lost:
Ricky Rubio
Ty Jerome
Kelly Oubre
Jalen Lecque
Aron Baynes
Cheick Diallo
Frank Kaminsky
Tariq Ownes
2022 1st Round (Oklahoma City)
This Suns team has major bust potential, but they were successful in upgrading all of the positions they were weak at last year. Chris Paul is the two-way guard they needed and veteran presence that can help Booker get to the next level. Jae Crowder is a major pick-up and is coming off a finals appearance. They did lose Baynes and Oubre, yet Jalen Smith and E’Twaun Moore will look to fill those voids. CP3 is the kind of player that makes his whole team better, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can take the undefeated bubble team to a successful playoff run. Ayton will be looking to have a third year jump, Bridges will look to expand his role with Oubre out of town, and Cam Johnson would look at serving a larger role this year as well. All-in-all this will definitely be a fun team to watch and could definitely spoil a fringe playoff team’s hopes. They also got a major upgrade at coach in Monty Williams. There also is that possibility that they traded two of their core pieces and draft equity for a 35 year old guard, potentially leveraging some of their future success. I’m somewhat bullish on this team however, so I’ll grade accordingly. GRADE: B
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS:
Assets Acquired:
Robert Covington
Enes Kanter
Derrick Jones
CJ Elleby
Harry Giles
Assets Lost:
Trevor Ariza
Mario Hezonja
Jaylen Adams
Hassan Whiteside
Moses Brown
Wenyen Gabriel
Jaylen Hoard
Caleb Swanigan
2021 1st Round Pick (Houston) - Top 14 Protected
This may be the optimist in me, but I think they had a very successful off-season. The biggest move was acquiring Robert Covington. They essentially gave up two first round picks to get him, but for a team that was really bad on defense last year, this trade is the perfect move. Between his defense and floor spacing, he is the exact player that they’ve needed and a major upgrade from Trevor Ariza. They doubled down on wing depth by replacing Hezonja (awful) with Derrick Jones. Fan favorite Enes Kanter was added to the mix and will serve as a much better fit on their bench behind Nurkic. Finally, they added Harry Giles, who was wasting away on the depth chart on a cluttered Sacramento front court. Giles was once considered a top 5 prospect and injuries really derailed the early part of his career. Overall, I think Portland is one of the few non-LA teams in the West that improved without having to leverage a lot of their future flexibility. Their roster looks balanced and they should have some of the best team chemistry in the league, something that gets vastly overlooked. GRADE: B+
SACRAMENTO KINGS:
Assets Acquired:
Hassan Whiteside
Tyrese Haliburton
Robert Woodard
Jahmi’us Ramsey
2021 2nd Round Pick (Los Angeles Lakers)
2022 2nd Round Pick (Chicago or Detroit via Memphis) - Least Favorable
Cash Considerations (Houston)
Assets Lost:
Harry Giles
Kent Bazemore
Bogdan Bogdonavic
Corey Brewer
Yogi Ferrell
Kyle Guy
DaQuan Jeffries
Alex Len
The Kings had a good off-season, but I wouldn’t say it was great. They had a really good draft, probably one of the best drafts in the league in regards to value. Tyrese Haliburton is a top-5 upside pick going into this draft and then gifted him way later in the draft. Then, later in the draft they got two solid role players in wing Robert Woodard and shooting guard Jahmi’us Ramsey. Both players could end up being high upside role players down the line. Things get somewhat sour when you look at the rest of their off-season. Bogdan is probably the better wing when compared to Hield, yet they allowed him to walk for essentially nothing and made no attempt to bring back Harry Giles, who was starting to show promise in glimpses toward the end of the season. They did pick up a couple of future second round picks, but none of that matters when you lose significant assets. Then you have the baffling addition of Hassan Whiteside. While he led the league in blocks last year, he isn’t really known for lock down defense. Richaun Holmes was having a breakout year before he got injured and Marvin Bagley has never been able to put things together - neither situation betters with this addition. While I don’t really consider Sacramento a team that was really ever in the mix for contention, they seem to be one of those teams that needs to radically mix things up. GRADE: C-
SAN ANTONIO SPURS:
Assets Acquired:
Devin Vassell
Keita Bates-Diop
Assets Lost:
Bryn Forbes
Marco Belinelli
It would be pretty weird if one of the teams that did the least ended up getting one of the better grades, yet hear me out. Devin Vassell is arguably the best 2-guard in this draft - ahead of Anthony Edwards. It’s a bold take, but Vassell is a pro-ready prospect that will likely be a year away from truly asserting himself. He has a tall hill to climb as he has guys like DeRozan, Walker, and Keldon Johnson potentially ahead of him. Yet, despite that, his two-way ability is that of a much higher ceiling. Depending on the trajectory of the team around the trade deadline, he could be a player that starts to break out toward the end of the year. He’s had a lot of success in the preseason, but it'll be interesting to see how he plays in games that matter. This was a great long-term pick for the Spurs, who will see a lot of expiring contracts at the end of the season. Outside of Vessel, they added another two-way player in Keita Bates-Diop, another guy that Pop can mold. This Spurs team isn’t going anywhere this season, but you can never count out Popovich. GRADE: B+
TORONTO RAPTORS:
Assets Acquired:
Aron Baynes
Chris Boucher (re-signed)
DeAndre’ Bembry
Alex Len
Assets Lost:
Serge Ibaka
Marc Gasol
Oshae Brissett
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Malcolm Miller
Compared to years past, this Raptors off-season was kind of a let down. They lost Kawhi for nothing, they lost Ibaka for nothing, and they lost Marc Gasol for nothing. All three are in LA and the Raptors are left with a ring and team that seems to be declining each year. Yes, they locked up VanVleet. Yes, Siakam has been a revelation for this team. But despite that, they have an aging Kyle Lowry expiring this year, there really isn’t much in free agency next year after all the good players were already extended, OG Anunoby has sort of hit a wall as far as development, and their entire front court was basically replaced by Aron Baynes. Malachi Flynn is a player to watch later in the year as he starts getting settled into the league, but overall I felt like their off-season was pretty flat. They’re a 6/7-seed upside at best. GRADE: D
UTAH JAZZ:
Assets Acquired:
Derrick Favors
Udoka Azumbike
Elijah Hughes
Shaq Harrison
Cash Considerations (Detroit)
Cash Considerations (New York)
Assets Lost:
Ed Davis
Tony Bradley
Jarrell Brantley
Juwan Morgan
Emmanuel Mudiay
Justin Wright-Foreman
2023 2nd Round Pick (New York)
2024 2nd Round Pick (Utah/Cleveland) - Most Favorable
The biggest thing the Jazz did was make Rudy Gobert the highest paid center of all time. While many scoff at the contract, let’s be real, he would've gone to Detroit or New York next year if they didn’t lock him up. The two-time DPOY and now All-Star was bound to get a bag, so it’s not super shocking. He has been reliable and durable over the last couple of years and Utah has now locked in their two stars for the foreseeable future. Aside from that, they get Bojan back from injury. They have Conley’s expiring contract if they need to make a move at the deadline. Udoka Azumbike is a big center and could play a role with Tony Bradley being moved. They also brought back Derrick Favors, which was somewhat of a surprising move but I do like it. The Jazz are still a bottom tier playoff team, but they upgraded their bench and locked in their star, so they remain competitive. GRADE: C+
WASHINGTON WIZARDS:
Assets Acquired:
Anthony Gill
Robin Lopez
Raul Neto
Russell Westbrook
Deni Avdija
Cassius Winston
2024 2nd Round Draft Pick (Memphis)
Assets Lost:
Jerian Grant
Ian Mahinmi
Garrison Mathews
Shabazz Napier
Gary Payton
Jarrod Uthoff
Johnathan Williams
2023 1st Round Pick (Houston) - Top 14 Protected
I’ll be blunt - they won the Westbrook trade. Washington fans may not be happy, as they’ve been waiting literally two years to watch John Wall play again, but Westbrook is a major upgrade. His attitude is a potential issue, but he was at the gym immediately and seems fired up to have a massive season. The Wizards also improved on defense with Robin Lopez coming off the bench, they got Deni Avdija way later in the draft than they expected, and they got one of the best shooters in the draft in Cassius Winston toward the end of the draft. They got better at every level, locked-up one of the best stretch bigs in the league in Davis Bertans, and added a 2-time MVP for an oft-injured 30+ guard and a future protected pick. I wouldn’t say they won the off-season, but they did damn well. GRADE: A-
Comments
Post a Comment