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A little over two weeks into the offseason, with the NBA draft behind us, and amidst free agency, we have seen some great moves, some so-so, and some head-scratchers. Let's see who has done the most (for better or worse) for their stock next season.
By Spencer Galloway | July 5th, 2024
Photo by Paul Beaty/AP
Oklahoma City Thunder (▲)
IN: Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, Nikola Topic
OUT: Josh Giddey
STAYING PUT: Isaiah Joe (4yr/48M), Aaron Wiggins (5yr/47M)
Sam Presti, you've outdone yourself. The Thunder kicked off their offseason by moving Josh Giddey to Chicago for one of the league's premier on-ball defenders, Alex Caruso. Giddey, a young talent with some room to grow, is a terrific playmaker when he has the ball in his hands. Taking the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's hands doesn't seem like too great of an idea, however.
Caruso will join a team of defenders who will make compelling cases for All-NBA defense (don't be surprised if the Thunder have multiple All-Defense selections next year), and that's before going to steal away the savvy Isaiah Hartenstein from the Knicks. I like Hartenstein so much that I tried to use his departure as a reason to say that the Knicks are trending in the wrong direction this offseason. He will immediately upgrade their rim protection, and if they had him against Dallas, you could argue that would have been enough for them to advance.
After seeing what a year of development and watching from the sidelines did for Chet Holmgren, the Thunder probably felt a certain level of comfort in drafting Nikola Topic at number 12 overall, despite his partially torn ACL. They aren't in a hurry for his services and his game is still so raw (like many of his draft-class counterparts), that he could stand to have some more time before making his NBA debut. If he can come into the 2025-26 season with an improved jumper, to go along with his exciting playmaking ability, he could be a nice Giddey replacement.
New York Knicks (▲)
IN: Mikal Bridges
OUT: Isaiah Hartenstein
STAYING PUT: O.G. Anunoby (5yr/212.5M)
The Knicks really did it. They fulfilled the Villanova prophecy and traded for Mikal Bridges, giving up FIVE first-round picks in the process. I am not here to judge their asset pool, however. Going into next season fully healthy, they will have no shortage of versatility and have three 20PPG scorers, a recipe that saw the Boston Celtics win this year's NBA Finals (even if Porzingis was often unavailable).
Of those 20-point-a-game guys, lies Julius Randle, who seems to be the forgotten child amongst this Wildcats-- I mean, Knicks, roster. He was here before anyone else and has been the poster child for this New York basketball revival. While he currently seems to be an odd man out, he will be integral to their success going forward and will have something to prove next season after being unable to perform in this year's playoffs with injuries.
With swirling trade rumors surrounding Mitchell Robinson, and iHart already out the door, there are some questions to be asked about this Knicks frontcourt. Perhaps they are hoping the power of friendship will overcome that issue, or maybe they are banking on O.G. Anunoby to guard opposing centers full-time. You might be led to believe that because they inked him to a deal worth $212.5M (not a typo)! O.G. is a terrific player who they traded away assets for and wanted to retain, but that number is not easy to stomach. Is he really $11M+ per year better than Derrick White? (Give me White seven days a week and twice on parade day) More on that later.
Philadelphia 76ers (▲)
IN: Paul George, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Jared McCain
OUT: Tobias Harris, Nic Batum
STAYING PUT: Tyrese Maxey (5yr/204M), Kelly Oubre Jr. (2yr/16.3M)
Congratulating Philly for anything makes my stomach churn slightly, however, they drafted my favorite player from this year's class, so I will make a one-time exception. As much as the Celtics fan in me wants to now reduce Jared McCain to "TikTok boy" or make a dumb joke about his draft night painted nails, I can't deny he was my favorite player to watch this season and is a high-character guy who screams "winner". If only he was like his Duke teammate Kyle Filipowski and had a strange Mormon thing going on and fell to the Celtics at 30. Yeah, that was weird.
Obviously, the 76ers' big win this offseason was signing some Joel Embiid insurance in the form of Andre Drummond. Given Embiid's shaky health, getting a proven commodity such as Drummond is a huge win. This is a guy who can give you a double-double in a blink.
The 76ers also have brought in Paul George, a nice player who will be making $56M when he is 38 years old. Here is some footage of Mr. George against his newly rivaled Celtics:
New Orleans Pelicans (-)
IN: Dejounte Murray
OUT: Jonas Valanciunas, Naji Marshall, Dyson Daniels
STAYING PUT: Probably not Brandon Ingram!
The Pelicans are as intriguing as ever, as they have acquired Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks to kick off their offseason. Murray, who I find to be one of the more annoying players to go against because of his sometimes ridiculous shot-making, joins CJ McCollum in the backcourt and Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson in the starting five. I think we are probably not discussing them enough, however, I have them ranked as net-neutral, so maybe not.
I don't have them showing as a team that made a great stride forward, but that greatly lies in the fact I have some questions that need answering. Is Brandon Ingram here to stay after the Pelicans declined to give him a maximum extension? What is the plan to replace Jonas Valanciunas, as their starting center has departed for stranger pastures in Washington?
Ingram should be able to fetch a quality return if he is indeed traded, and I think NOLA should at least entertain it. Your best bet here is betting on the version of Zion that exists in the play-in game against the Lakers, without the whole getting injured part. Build around that guy and really go for it, because THAT Zion, is a top-ten player in the league. I will be watching them closely to see what they do heading into next season, and if Ingram will be around for it.
Dallas Mavericks (-)
IN: Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Quentin Grimes
OUT: Josh Green, Derrick Jones Jr.
STAYING PUT: N/A
Fresh off an NBA Finals appearance, the Mavericks have been quite active this offseason. They started by doing some charitable work by rescuing Quentin Grimes from the clutches of the Detroit Pistons, sure to do some good for their karma. They also brought in Naji Marshall who shot a career-high 38.7% from the three-point line last season. They sent Josh Green packing and told Derrick Jones Jr., their best on-ball defender, to get out of town.
In comes the sharpshooter who went 0-10 in an elimination game, Klay Thompson. Jokes aside, I believe Klay still has a lot to give to a contender. The forever heralded 'Splash Brother' has become less of a night-to-night guarantee and more of a feast or famine type of player, but when he's on, he will win some games for Dallas next season.
Lining Klay up next to an already shaky defensive backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving is questionable at best, especially with Jones Jr.'s departure. As currently constructed, I find it hard to believe the Mavs are likely to return to the Finals, however for so long as they employ Luka Doncic, they will be in the mix.
Los Angeles Lakers (-)
IN: J.J. Redick, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht
OUT: Darvin Ham
STAYING PUT: Max Christie (4yr/32M), D'Angelo Russell (Opt-in)
The Lakers aren't exactly lighting the world on fire this offseason, however, they will head into next year with a new coach, and a duo unlike one we have ever seen: Father and Son. For the first time in history, father and son will don the same uniform on NBA hardwood when LeBron James and Bronny suit up next season. While it is sure to be a special moment when it does indeed happen, this upcoming Lakers season seems a bit more like a spectacle than it does an obsession over winning another championship.
It appears we are all sold on Dalton Knecht, and it's great that they were able to get him at pick #17, however, he is not going to mend the gap between where the Lakers are and where they need to be. DeRozan is a name that is linked to the Lakers, as well as some other, less-impressive MLE (mid-level exception) candidates. If LeBron chooses to sign for a maximum-level extension, however, the Lakers will not be able to utilize the MLE to sign another free agent. It seems that LeBron had his own list of names he was willing to sacrifice some dollar signs for, but after Klay Thompson and Paul George found homes hundreds of miles away from the Crypto.com arena, it feels increasingly likely that James will put pen to paper on said maximum extension.
Denver Nuggets (▼)
IN: Absolutely Nobody
OUT: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
STAYING PUT: N/A
Earth to the Denver Nuggets front office, you guys happen to have the best player in the world on your roster in the middle of his prime. I know you didn't want to pay an exorbitant tax bill to retain Bruce Brown, but this marks two straight summers the Nuggets have idly watched their own free agents walk out the door. At some point, you have to swallow the costs associated with winning, even if it means ponying up a little bit extra to retain your own guys.
Now we are only a couple of days into this free agency thing, but if the Nuggets punt on this offseason and leave it up to Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther to become reliable heavy-minutes playoff guys, they will most likely grow to regret that. It's absolutely not a shot at those young players or the Nuggets' ability to draft and develop, we know they can. This has everything to do with the fact that there is a massive target on your back and teams around you are doing everything in their power to get better. Hell, Denver just played a team in Minnesota that is constructed to beat Denver, and they did.
It's not as cut and dry as I may be laying it out to be, as Bruce Brown was let go for arguably way too much money paid to him by Indiana. This offseason, KCP was arguably a pretty expensive fifth option considering what Orlando paid for his services. So, it's not like Denver is letting super affordable guys out the door, but they should be better prepared heading into next season if they want to capitalize on this championship window that Nikola Jokic has created for them.
Miami Heat (▼)
IN: N/A
OUT: Nobody, yet.
STAYING PUT: Bam Adebayo (3yr/166M)
After Pat Riley tore into Jimmy Butler and other members of his beloved Heat at the start of their offseason, I would have guessed that Miami was going big game hunting this summer. I clearly missed the mark on that, as did many others. Now that Donovan Mitchell has signed his long-term deal to stay in Cleveland, unless another big fish declares that they want out, I can't spot the next star to play in Miami. At this point, I am assuming they run it back with Butler and Bam, and talk themselves into a year of healthy Terry Rozier and what that might do for their playoff odds.
Maybe they're banking on the big 2nd-year leap from Jaime Jaquez Jr. to carry them forward. I do not see a long-term path for Jimmy Butler remaining a member of this team, as teams that are closer to contention come February may be willing to overpay to acquire him from a version of Pat Riley that has had his patience tested by Butler.
Boston Celtics (▲▲)
IN: Best Three-Point Shooter In The Draft, Baylor Scheierman
OUT: Who could walk away from this? (Wyc Grousbeck, I guess)
STAYING PUT: Jayson Tatum (5yr/315M), Derrick White (4yr/126M), Luke Kornet (1yr), Neemias Queta (2yr), Xavier Tillman (2yr)
You know I had to mention them, right? The Celtics are blessed with something title-winning teams aren't often graced with these days, a drama-free and boring offseason. It's not sexy, but winning is. It's just that what it takes to win isn't always sexy. In today's NBA, it hardly ever is. The splashy free-agent signings and mid-season trades for superstars don't typically manifest themselves into banners. (Just ask the last couple of teams who got involved with Kevin Durant.) Drafting, being patient, getting tested, and being more patient, does. That's what this Celtics team has done.
In the faces of countless onlookers shouting to blow it up, or to move off one of the Jays, they held their ground and tweaked this team, improving on the fringes of its makeup, until they got it right. Well, they got it right. Now, it's time to pay up. The Celtics have committed north of $900M to its core over the course of the next five seasons. Oh, the curse of having an eye for talent. Quite a timely announcement from the Grousbecks to announce that they will be selling off their shares in the Celtics.
Buy low, sell high, that's the name of the game after all, isn't it? While a mild moment of panic washed over me when I saw that announcement, I was soon calmed by knowing that Wyc Grousbeck would remain governor of the Celtics through 2028. I also believe, like some others have speculated, that the next majority owner of the team is already a part of the current ownership group, that being Steve Pagliuca. Pagliuca, like Grousbeck, is a die-hard Celtics fan who wants to see this team thrive and hang only championship banners. He's just like me! (Except he has almost $4B more dollars than I do). Someone like that, a fan first, billionaire rich guy second, would be willing to pay what it costs to own a team as awesome as this one. Bezos did just sell a bunch of stock, though. So, keep an eye out.
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