6 Most Surprising Moves of the NBA Offseason

One of the best things about the offseason is that it's full of surprises, and the NBA's is no exception.  This summer was one for the ages, from the widely-hyped draft to free agency to some eye-popping trades. 

Needless to say, some of the moves made this summer made basketball fanatics all the more excited (or not, depending on your favorite team) for the upcoming season.  Once the 2012-13 campaign kicks off in the fall, it's going to have the potential to be one of the most legendary NBA seasons in league history.

In particular, the long-anticipated trade of Dwight Howard could be named the defining moment of the offseason.  The All-Star center had wanted to be traded away from the Orlando Magic since last December and after months of speculation, the Lakers acquired him and made out like bandits.

In other offseason news that shocked fans nationwide, New York Knicks' management surprisingly put the kibosh on Linsanity, but that's another story.

Fortunately, for those who are already feeling reminiscent about the offseason, there are quite a few stories that deserve a retelling.

No. 6: Dwight Howard Gets Traded to the Lakers

Entering this offseason, one thing seemed almost certain, and that was that Dwight Howard would be on a team other than the Orlando Magic by the time the new season began.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was clearly unhappy with the team's direction and despite the fact that new Orlando GM Rob Hennigan pitched him to stay for one more year, Howard insisted on being traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

A trade to the Nets didn't happen, but Howard ultimately got his wish partially granted. 

In a four-team deal that saw Andre Iguodala go to the Denver Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Magic sent Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers and received Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and draft picks from the other parties. 

Miraculously, the Lakers got to keep Pau Gasol, whose name had come up in earlier rumors.

Though the Lakers had been quietly pursuing Howard for some time, their high salary cap seemingly took them out of the race.  Yet, GM Mitch Kupchak clearly did his homework as he was able to pull this off and make his team one of the most dangerous heading into the new season.

No. 5: Kevin Garnett's Extension

Despite the fact that the Boston Celtics took the eventual champion Miami Heat to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, it was obvious that age was starting to catch up with the veteran squad. 

As a result, with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen hitting free agency, it seemed as though GM Danny Ainge would let both walk and look to rebuild through youth, with star point guard Rajon Rondo running the show with Paul Pierce.

Though Allen did end up signing with a new team, ironically the Miami Heat, Garnett did not take the same road.  In spite of his declining production, continuous injury problems and being 36 years old, the former first-round pick signed a new deal with Boston, worth $34 million over three years.

This deal was shocking for a number of reasons.  First, it's the exact opposite of what Boston needs to do.  Rather than commit to youth, Ainge committed quite a bit of money to a player who, most likely, will sit out at least 10 games next year due to injury.

More importantly, Garnett averaged 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds last year.  That isn't bad by any means for someone his age, but he's averaged 19.3 and 10.6 for his career.  Thus, is he really worth $11.3 million a year?

No. 4: Steve Nash Signs with the Lakers

The Lakers' greatest need this offseason was a top point guard, so Mitch Kupchak chose to defy the odds and sign the best one on the market. 

In a sign-and-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers received star floor general Steve Nash in exchange for draft picks.  The future Hall of Famer's new contract was for three years, $27 million.

In an instant, the Lakers went from being maybes to definites in terms of contendership in the highly competitive Western Conference.  Yes, Nash is 38 years old, but he is still a phenomenal passer and one of the most accurate shooters in the history of the game.

More importantly, the Lakers weren't even players for Nash's services to begin with.  ESPN reported the Toronto Raptors as being the front runners for his services, with the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets also in the mix.

Ready for the crazy part?  The Lakers offered $9 million less than Toronto and still managed to land Nash.

No. 3: Charlotte Bobcats Draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Charlotte had the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, with one of their greatest needs being at power forward. 

After Anthony Davis was taken first overall by the New Orleans Hornets, some expected that Thomas Robinson, a 6'10" forward out of Kansas, would be selected next as Tyrus Thomas was proving to be a disappointment for the Bobcats.

Instead, GM Rich Cho opted to take Kidd-Gilchrist, a swingman out of Kentucky with must more bust potential than Robinson.  Entering the new season, Charlotte now has him slated to start at small forward, Thomas and Bismack Biyombo expected to share the minutes at power forward, and the sluggish Brendan Haywood at center.

Yes, MKG is talented, but the Bobcats need toughness and size under the basket and at just 6'7", he can't provide much of that.  This draft selection was definitely a surprise, and hopefully it will be a pleasant one for the fans' sakes.

No. 2: Jeremy Lin Signs with the Rockets

As a Knicks fan, this one shocked me especially. 

After having a breakout season in New York and, for a brief moment, looking like the team's point guard of the future, Knicks management let Jeremy Lin sign a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet (a heavily backloaded one, at that) with the Houston Rockets and opted not to match it, though the Gilbert Arenas rule in the CBA allowed them to do just that regardless of cap position.

The fact that Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and owner James Dolan chose to abandon the marketing goldmine that was Linsanity sent shockwaves throughout New York City. 

Here was a player who went from being undrafted Harvard grad to the toast of the town in the blink of an eye, leading the Knicks to major victories when stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were both out of the lineup. 

Not too long after the season officially ended, Lin was granted his Early Bird Rights, which meant that the Knicks could re-sign him for up to 175 percent of the salary cap without it counting against them.

Thus, most fans expected that Lin would be back with the team next year.  Even head coach Mike Woodson said that Lin would return. 

Instead, the team's front office chose to let the market set his value and as a result, the Rockets inked him to a deal that carried quite a cap hit in the final year, and the Knicks ultimately decided that it was too much money to spend on a player with just 64 career games on his resume.

Later, it was reported that Dolan felt "betrayed" by Lin hiring a publicist and going to the Rockets to ask for more money, which is why the Knicks didn't bring him back.  Not only was this a shocking move, but seemingly a stupid one by New York management.

No. 1: Joe Johnson Traded to the Nets

Going into free agency, the Brooklyn Nets had one priority: re-sign Deron Williams by any means necessary.  Thus, GM Billy King pulled off a trade that nobody saw coming. 

The Nets received star scorer Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, DeShawn Stevenson, Jordan Williams and a first-round pick.  In the blink of an eye, Williams had a supporting cast, something he lacked last season.

You see, the Nets saw this deal as a do-or-die trade.  At the time, it looked as though Williams was leaning towards signing a contract with his hometown Dallas Mavericks, where a great supporting cast already awaited him.  However, the Johnson trade changed his mind as he later confirmed it as the reason he stayed with the Nets.

Regardless of why the trade was made, it in itself was an eye-popping move.  Johnson's contract is the richest in the NBA, valued at $119 million over six years.

At the risk of writing a big check in luxury tax, King chose to take it on and get rid of some dead weight in the process.  Not only was his decision a surprise, but so was Atlanta's for agreeing to such a deal, even if it was for money reasons.