5 NBA Offseason Moves That Will Look Terrible in 3 Years
The 2024 NBA offseason has improved a number of teams.
The Oklahoma City Thunder look like a true title contender after acquiring Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. The New Orleans Pelicans solved their point guard problem with a trade for Dejounte Murray, and the New York Knicks have become elite on the wing by trading for Mikal Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby.
Some other franchises (and players) haven't been so wise with their summer decisions, however.
From teams passing out massive contracts to aging players, players choosing to stay in hopeless situations or one big draft mistake, a lot of these choices aren't going to age gracefully.
These are the five offseason moves that will look the worst by 2027.
Miami Heat Not Trading Jimmy Butler
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As good as the past five years have gone for both Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, the franchise is making a mistake by not trading the All-Star forward this summer.
Butler is under contract for $48.8 million this upcoming season and carries a $54.4 million player option for 2025-26. He can sign a two-year, $113 million extension with the Heat now, although committing more years and money to a player in his mid-30s hasn't been something president Pat Riley has been willing to do, especially given Butler's recent injury history.
"That's a big decision on our part to commit those kinds of resources unless you have somebody who's going to be there and available every single night," Riley said via the Associated Press. "We've got a really good group of guys, and the No. 1 issue is player availability and having your guys healthy to play every night."
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Butler will not seek a trade even without an extension.
Outside of Lauri Markkanen, there is a severe lack of star power on the trade market right now. If Butler were to become available, his value would still be extremely high even given his age and mileage, especially by teams desperate to get into the championship picture.
Teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans should be climbing over themselves to bring Butler in. Even younger squads like the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers looking to break through would benefit tremendously by having Butler on their roster.
Miami should be extremely wary of Butler's future, especially since he'll be 35 by the start of the season and hasn't played more than 65 games since he was with the Chicago Bulls in 2016-17. Butler could also leave as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The Heat actually have a pretty young core with Bam Adebayo (26), Tyler Herro (24), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (23), Nikola Jović (21) and Kel'el Ware (20). Trading Butler now while his value is still high is the best long-term option for the franchise, a move Miami will ultimately regret not doing.
Kings Giving DeMar DeRozan $74 Million
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The Sacramento Kings were eager to make a splash this offseason after missing the Western Conference playoffs and have a terrific core in place with De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk, who re-signed on a four-year deal. Devin Carter was a nice selection at the back end of the lottery, giving Sacramento a much-needed defensive-minded guard.
Instead of building around their stars and adding more defensive pieces, the Kings are taking a huge risk by bringing in a soon-to-be 35-year-old DeRozan. This move is the equivalent of putting new speakers in your car when the check engine light comes on. It's something that Sacramento can point to and say, "Wow, look what we did!" despite no real progress being made.
DeRozan is the type of star teams still have to build their offenses around, which makes the fit tricky.
The 15-year vet finished 17th overall in isolation possessions per game (3.4) with Fox (2.9) falling not far behind. For a team that ranked second in passes made per game (305.6) and seventh in assists (28.3), there's real potential for this offense to look stagnant at times now with another ball-dominant player in the mix.
There has to be some durability worries moving forward as well.
DeRozan led the NBA in minutes per game last season (37.8) at age 34 and is fifth among all active players in total court time logged only behind LeBron James, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. He's avoided major injuries throughout his career, but there's a lot of mileage on these tires, especially with DeRozan's 63 playoff games factored in.
The Kings have to keep expanding Murray's role and give him the necessary pathway to becoming an All-Star, and his offensive role may actually shrink with DeRozan on board.
Sacramento needed a wing that could defend at a high level and shoot open threes without requiring the ball in his hands. DeRozan is essentially the opposite of this, and will now be making nearly $74 million throughout his age-35, -36 and -37 seasons.
Spurs Trade the No. 8 Overall Pick
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Teams only get so many chances to build around a generational prospect, which is why punting on the No. 8 overall pick in the draft a year after selecting Victor Wembanyama was the wrong thing to do for the San Antonio Spurs.
Franchises should be trying to get as many bites at the apple as they possibly can, knowing that not all their young pieces are eventually going to fit. This happens to the best of organizations, as the Oklahoma City Thunder hit home runs with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams yet ultimately had to trade Josh Giddey.
There were some really interesting prospects the Spurs could have taken at No. 8 to pair with Wembaynama and No. 4 overall selection Stephon Castle, especially with few other foundational pieces in place.
Matas Buzelis (No. 11 to the Chicago Bulls) would have been a fun upside swing, especially considering how good he's looked in summer league thus far. Cody Williams (No. 10 to the Utah Jazz) would have been the perfect wing piece to plug in, or the Spurs could have simply kept Rob Dillingham, knowing that Wembanyama's elite defensive abilities would have helped to negate his weaknesses.
Kicking this pick down another seven years in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves could ultimately work out, especially as the team becomes more expensive and Wembyanama is signing $500 million contracts one day. Over the next three years, however, we're going to point to a handful of guys taken at No. 8 or later and remark about how perfect they would have fit with Wembanyama in San Antonio.
The Spurs are going to get really good, really fast, meaning these lottery pick opportunities will slowly fade away.
San Antonio overthought this and should have taken the best prospect on its board instead.
LeBron James Committing to a Lackluster Lakers Franchise
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LeBron James had options this summer, although ultimately returning to the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $101.4 million contract may have been the most disappointing one.
For someone about to turn 40 later this year and playing at a level never seen before in NBA history given his age and mileage, everything about the remainder of James' career should be about pursuing championships.
He's not winning another by staying in Los Angeles.
After finishing seventh in the West and winning just a single playoff game, the Lakers lost Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie in free agency. With rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James taking up the final two roster spots, the Lakers didn't even have the opportunity to sign a single free agent.
The Lakers front office has made a bumbling mess of moves ever since the team won the 2020 title, and it was their lack of activity at the 2024 trade deadline that cost James any chance of a championship this past season.
James should have pushed for a change of scenery, either by picking up his player option and asking for a trade or potentially joining the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent. A trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, the Golden State Warriors to play with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green or even the Miami Heat to team up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo would have made for a far better ending to his legendary career.
James and Bronny playing together will be an incredible moment, although Bronny was only three picks away from going undrafted and being able to sign with any team he (and James) wanted.
The Lakers are once again going to be a play-in-level team or worse in a crowded West, with James spending the final years of his career now fighting to even make the playoffs rather than truly contend for a fifth championship.
76ers Giving Paul George a 4-Year, $212 Million Max Deal
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Everyone knows that Paul George's contract isn't going to age well, although some are more accepting of this than others.
The Los Angeles Clippers know it, which is why they refused to offer the 34-year-old George a fourth year on his contract.
The Philadelphia 76ers know it, but the chance at a championship in the first few seasons is worth the risk.
Heck, even George probably knows it, but kudos to him for cashing in one last time.
George enters the 2024-25 season still playing at a high level, having made the 2024 All-Star team and putting up 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Only 11 players in NBA history have made an All-Star team at age 37 or older, however, the age George will be in his final year with the Sixers while making $56.6 million.
If Philly wins even one title in the four years George is in town, the signing will be worth it. On paper he's the ideal fit between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and won't have the workload he normally has to absorb.
However, this contract will look extremely rough in a few years as he nears the end of his career.
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