Ranking the Top 25 Moves of the NBA Offseason so Far
The exciting portion of the NBA's free-agency period is nearly over, which means we can already look back and react to the biggest moves.
But we're not just talking about the players who signed new contracts on the open market. Anything goes here. Trades made during the draft, before that selection process and after it took place are all factored in. So too are the decisions to add rookies to rosters, as well as to hand out contract extensions to star players in New Orleans and Portland.
Everything counts.
That said, we're only concerned with the biggest moves—the ones that will have the largest impact on the franchises directly involved.
The New York Knicks added a quality contract when they completed a sign-and-trade for Kyle O'Quinn. The Los Angeles Lakers' agreement to sign Brandon Bass could work out rather nicely. So too could the Atlanta Hawks' trade for Tiago Splitter.
But none of those moves, or the ones similar to them, move the needle as much as these 25.
Notable Story: Luke Ridnour
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Pour one out for Luke Ridnour, who still has absolutely no idea where he's going to play during the 2015-16 season and would be totally justified if he balks at making any type of long-term investment.
At the beginning of the season, the veteran point guard was a member of the Orlando Magic, but that wouldn't last for long.
First, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Janis Timma, a 2013 second-round pick who has yet to appear in the NBA. The very same day, Memphis shipped him to the Charlotte Hornets, bringing back Matt Barnes to the Grizzlies.
That wasn't even the full extent of the movement on June 25.
Shortly thereafter, the Hornets dealt him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeremy Lamb, which made Ridnour a part of his fourth organization in less than 24 hours. He'd stick in OKC for a little less than a week, but a June 30 agreement between the Thunder and Toronto Raptors sent him north of the border for a trade exception. All of a sudden, he'd technically been a member of five different franchises in less than a week.
Now, the Raptors have announced they're waiving the 34-year-old, which makes him an unrestricted free agent. Here's hoping he finds a sixth team and manages to sneak a no-trade clause into his contract. You know, just for his own sanity.
By themselves, these are rather insignificant moves that don't truly alter the NBA's landscape. But Ridnour has become so well-traveled this offseason that we have to include him, just for the sheer number of miles he could've rolled through if he so desired. According to Google Maps, he'd have driven 3,797 miles if he went directly from one arena to another each time he was dealt, and that doesn't even include wherever he lands next.
Just imagine if he signs with the Los Angeles Clippers. With the additional drive from Air Canada Centre to Staples Center, he'd be up to 6,311 miles this summer. That's one heck of a road trip.
Honorable Mention: Jae Crowder Becomes a Long-Term Boston Celtic
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Jae Crowder isn't a big name at this stage of his career, but his versatility and defensive intensity still make him a solid fit for Brad Stevens' Boston Celtics. The Dallas Mavericks traded the former Marquette standout to Beantown midway through this past season, and he'll now be spending a lot more time in green.
According to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, he signed a five-year deal worth $35 million to remain with the Celtics, and that should turn out to be a rather team-friendly endeavor. Though an average annual value of $7 million may seem exorbitant for a player of Crowder's current caliber, that will hardly be a blip in the bookkeeping when the cap jumps exponentially in coming campaigns.
During the 57 games he spent with the Celtics in 2014-15, he averaged 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Those shooting percentages will certainly trend in the right direction as he gains more comfort in his new digs and regresses to his career mean. But even if they don't, he can provide value by virtue of his energetic hustle plays.
After all, Basketball-Reference.com still shows the C's were outscored by 1.9 points per 100 possessions when he sat on the bench and did the outscoring by 3.5 when he was on the floor.
25. New York Knicks Find a Quality Starting Center in Robin Lopez
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Robin Lopez isn't exactly a glamorous name who will win over the passionate but downtrodden New York Knicks fanbase. Instead, he's a high-quality big man who will provide steady production for years and prove that his new contract is perfectly justifiable.
Four years and $54 million, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, might sound like a lot of money. And it is, but not relative to the rising cap, as he'll account for only a meager portion of the team's cap space in coming seasons—roughly the amount that might conceivably be paid to a strong bench player in the future.
Is Lopez going to post plenty of 20-point outings? Nope. Is he going to win games single-handedly and sell jerseys as the face of a franchise? Absolutely not.
But he'll provide positive contributions in his strongest areas, and he'll do so on a consistent basis. Whether he's serving as a dominant screener who can finish plays around the rim after his aggressive rolls to the hoop or protecting the rim with intensity and fundamental excellence, he just makes good basketball plays.
Phil Jackson didn't go for the glamour moves this summer. Instead, he made a number of small but savvy signings, and Lopez was chief among them.
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24. Injured Wesley Matthews Makes Bank
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To be clear, this is not meant to be viewed as praising the Dallas Mavericks for their new signing.
Kudos to team president Mark Cuban for reaching out to Wesley Matthews and offering him the opportunity to go elsewhere after DeAndre Jordan reneged on his initial agreement, as shared by ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. That's a classy move in a strange situation, even if Matthews didn't take him up on the offer.
But it doesn't change the fact the Mavericks overpaid rather significantly for an aging wing player who is coming off a devastating Achilles injury.
If there's one malady that spells bad news in the NBA, it would be an Achilles rupture. ACL tears aren't doomsdays in 2015, but there still isn't an established track record of veterans coming back from the former injury, and that makes the money owed to Matthews rather extreme.
After all, Dallas has now committed to him, first for an unspecified amount that ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports would fall between $10 and $12 million per season over four years. After DeAndre Jordan's defection, David Aldridge reported for NBA.com the deal was upped to a four-year max contract worth $70 million.
If he bounces back to his old form, he'll justify that deal. But it could be an albatross if he goes down the route travelled by other Achilles victims.
This isn't a win for the Mavericks; it's a monumental victory for Matthews and his agent.
23. Indiana Pacers Add Offensive Punch with Monta Ellis
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The Indiana Pacers have needed more offensive punch for years, and now they've found a shooting guard who could provide exactly that.
Monta Ellis isn't a perfect player by any stretch of the imagination. He struggles on the defensive end, isn't able to light up the scoreboard from the perimeter and sometimes has to dominate the ball in order to play up to his potential. But for the most part, those flaws can be covered up by the Pacers, who desperately need someone with shot-creating ability to join Paul George and George Hill.
Beyond that, the four-year deal for $44 million is quite reasonable. As Grantland.com's Zach Lowe wrote, it's just tough to complain about this fit:
"In the meantime, Monta Ellis brings some slicing off-the-bounce dynamism these guys badly need, and the Pacers are better equipped than almost anyone to hide him on defense. George Hill can defend most shooting guards, meaning the Pacers can shift Ellis around to the weakest perimeter player more freely than Dallas could. George has never been a great arc-to-rim driver, and though Hill excelled last season under a heavier scoring load, he can munch on spot-up looks when Ellis runs possessions.
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In most locations, Ellis might have been overpaid, doomed to producing stats that don't necessarily lead to wins. That's not the case in Indiana, where he should find more success than he's enjoyed since his early days of burgeoning stardom with the Golden State Warriors.
22. New York Knicks Turn Tim Hardaway Jr. into a 1st-Rounder
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Before the offseason began, it seemed the New York Knicks would have had trouble moving Tim Hardaway Jr. for anything more than a second-round pick that would fall in the middle of the draft-day proceedings. But when the 2015 NBA draft rolled along, they somehow managed to ship him off to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 19 pick.
That selection, which the Washington Wizards had already dealt to move up in the order, turned into Jerian Grant, who should emerge as a dark-horse contender for Rookie of the Year honors. So long as he adjusts to the triangle offense in expeditious fashion, he has the defensive ability and overall playmaking skills necessary to make a significant impact.
"I make the guys around me a lot better," the Notre Dame product said after he was taken off the board, per Marc Berman and Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I get them open looks. We'll be ready to compete right away. ... The triangle is for high-IQ players, and I feel I'm one of those. I'll pick up on it quickly and help the guys around me."
Hardaway had already fallen out of favor in New York, thanks to his inability/unwillingness to contribute on the defensive end, his possession-hijacking ways on offense and his regressing performance from the perimeter. Turning him into a potential franchise point guard was most certainly a win for Phil Jackson and the rest of the Madison Square Garden front office.
21. Orlando Magic Keep Tobias Harris
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Four years and $64 million is a lot of money for a player who isn't yet a star.
But that's the deal the Orlando Magic are handing to Tobias Harris, per Shams Charania of RealGM.com, and it could turn out to be a nice contract. Even if the Tennessee product stagnates now that his financial future is far more secure, he'll be a key cog on a quickly improving squad.
However, it's unlikely that happens.
Harris will only be 23 years old when the 2015-16 campaign kicks off, and there's so much more room for growth. He's already a talented scorer who can contribute in other areas, but he's also shown he's willing to work on both his defensive chops and his perimeter marksmanship.
As Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relayed, Harris put in the work on defense last year:
"Pushing the pace on the offensive end and being able to really be held accountable defensively, that's something that everybody's going to have to buy into. I've been really conditioning myself for this year to be able to play both sides at a high level, and I'm on pace to do that and really have been working at it. So I've put the time in and I know I'm ready for it.
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There were results. Even though Harris wasn't a stopper by any stretch of the imagination, he was far less of a liability than he had been in years past, and that's a big deal for such a young player.
If he keeps trending in the right direction, he'll more than justify the money he's now owed, emerging as a true star in an Orlando rotation that's brimming over with potentially celestial contributors.
20. Atlanta Hawks Make the Right Choice
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After acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr. and trading for Tiago Splitter, the Atlanta Hawks didn't have too much cap space to work with. Essentially, they were forced to choose between DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap.
Head coach and newly minted president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer made the right call, allowing the former to escape and doing everything possible to retain the latter.
Carroll signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, as reported by USA Today's Sam Amick, and that could very well become a high-quality move for the Canadian representatives. Though it won't be featured in this countdown, it only barely missed the cut because of Carroll's unproven nature in a role as a two-way standout.
But Millsap is proven, and the Hawks retained his services on a three-year deal worth $58 million, per NBA.com's David Aldridge.
Even if the undersize big man opts out for the third season and leaves Atlanta in the rearview mirror, the Hawks have allowed their title window to remain open. That's obviously a lofty goal, but it's more attainable now that the team has kept together the stellar frontcourt and worked to replace the wing player.
The big-man rotation is now composed of Al Horford, Millsap, Splitter, Walter Tavares, Mike Scott and Mike Muscala, and that will look dangerous when the 2016 playoffs roll around. Attempting to plug the hole that could've been left behind by No. 4 would've been nearly impossible, even if the Hawks just shifted Horford over to power forward.
19. Philadelphia 76ers Rip off Sacramento Kings
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Even though general manager Sam Hinkie sat back and watched the action unfold from afar on the first day of the unofficial free-agency period, he still managed to emerge as one of the biggest winners. We can only hope he wrote a thank-you note to the Sacramento Kings after ripping them off.
The Philadelphia 76ers desperately needed players who could knock down shots from beyond the three-point arc, so they went after Nik Stauskas. Even though he had a disappointing rookie season with the Kings, he was drafted in the lottery out of Michigan, thanks in large part to his perimeter marksmanship.
The No. 8 pick from the 2014 NBA draft wasn't all Hinkie received, though. He also got his hands on Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, two rotation-caliber bigs with contracts that don't even run too much longer. It was a salary dump for the Kings, but there are far worse players—and contracts—to be saddled with, especially for a team that has to work just to hit the salary-cap floor.
For that haul, the Sixers surely had to give up something substantial, right?
Well, a top-10-protected first-round pick changed hands, as did the rights to swap first-round picks in two future drafts (see this year's Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets for an example of what can happen).
Thing is, it was the Kings making both of those concessions. They just kept padding the Sixers' coffers.
All Philly had to give up was a second-round pick and the rights to international players drafted by the organization. Surely one was going to be Dario Saric, the studly European forward whose eventual debut is eagerly anticipated.
Nope. According to ESPN The Magazine's Pablo S. Torre, the international prospects changing locations will be Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic, who were drafted at No. 47 and No. 60, respectively, this year.
This is straight thievery. Highway robbery, even.
18. Detroit Pistons Have Confidence in Stanley Johnson
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The Detroit Pistons were quite aggressive when they drafted Stanley Johnson at No. 8, but he's made them look prophetic thus far.
Granted, all the typical caveats about summer league performances still apply. It's still notable that not a single player (except for maybe Aaron Gordon) at the Orlando Summer League has looked more dominant than this Arizona product, who may well emerge as one of the biggest steals of the 2015 NBA draft.
Through four games, Johnson is averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.8 blocks for the Pistons' summer-league squad. He's turning the ball over only 1.8 times per contest while shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
And that doesn't even begin to account for his excellent defense.
There's only so much you can learn from summer league, but it's also all we have to work with for this year's rookie class at this relatively early point in the offseason. Thus far, Johnson has passed every test and cleared every hurdle with room to spare.
17. Pat Riley Has Deal with Devil to Land Justise Winslow
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Heading into the 2015 NBA draft, the Miami Heat had to be hoping one of their top targets would still be on the board. Lo and behold, Justise Winslow was still there, and he probably wasn't even available in their wildest dreams.
The Duke product was widely viewed as a top-five prospect heading into the draft, and his fall to No. 10 was inexplicable. There were no red flags regarding his health or his character, but no one seemed willing to take a chance on him. The Detroit Pistons even opted for Stanley Johnson over him two spots before the Heat were on the clock.
Sometimes, everything just seems to work out for Pat Riley.
Winslow has struggled with his shot during Orlando Summer League, but the rest of his game has looked strong at various points. He'll come around and play a big role with the Heat early on, given their overall lack of depth on the wings.
Landing him at No. 10 was basically a coup.
16. Portland Trail Blazers Lock Up Damian Lillard
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The money is still partially up in the air—he could win MVP or make an All-NBA squad to qualify for the Derrick Rose rule and eat up 30 percent of the Portland Trail Blazers' cap in coming seasons—but Damian Lillard is locked in with Rip City throughout the foreseeable future.
If nothing changes with the finances, he'll be paid upward of $125 million for the next five years, per Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.
That's a ton of money for a point guard who hasn't yet emerged as one of the truly elite players at his position. Though Lillard is obviously one of the league's better floor generals, he doesn't belong in the same class as Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and John Wall.
But what choice did the Blazers have?
They couldn't afford to spurn Lillard and risk a full-scale rebuild, especially when he's provided nothing but positives for the organization ever since he was drafted. He'll need to improve on defense in order to justify the monstrous lump of cash he's going to receive, but even that doesn't really matter here.
15. Milwaukee Bucks Fend off Power Players for Greg Monroe
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When was the last time a marquee player spurned the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers so that he could join the Milwaukee Bucks?
As Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote after Greg Monroe did exactly that, it was a rather interesting move:
"The Bucks don't have any built-in market advantages to put forward. There is no Hollywood nightlife, nor the bright lights of Times Square. There's a single championship banner (as compared to the Lakers' 16) hanging from the rafters of the BMO Harris Bradley Center (which no one would confuse for NYC's famed Madison Square Garden).
Milwaukee shouldn't have had a chance in the race for the Moose. But the Bucks—not their major-market competitors—were the ones able to get Monroe's commitment to a three-year, $50 million contract, sources told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
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On top of that, Monroe is a tremendous fit with the Bucks.
He may not fit in with the defensive profile of the organization, but the length and point-preventing ability of his new teammates will cover up for his flaws. It's worth having a bit of a liability on that end in order to improve the scoring chances, and Monroe should immediately become a go-to option, thanks to his work in the post.
Monroe is very much an old-school center, and he needed to find the right location in order to maximize his on-court talents.
Well, he found one.
14. Goran Dragic Isn't Going Anywhere
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The Miami Heat couldn't afford to let Goran Dragic escape their clutches after trading multiple first-round picks for him midway throughout the 2014-15 campaign. And they didn't, re-signing the dynamic combo guard to a five-year deal worth $90 million, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Without Dragic, the Heat would likely have been a lottery team once again. While Shabazz Napier could develop into a starting-caliber point guard, he quite obviously doesn't bring as much to the proverbial table as this Slovenian backcourt member.
But with Dragic in the fold, Miami should boast one of the league's best starting fives, putting the Heat in the mix for one of the top seeds in the weak Eastern Conference. He's a terrific shot-creator—both for himself and for his teammates—thanks to his slithery work in traffic and ability to maintain stellar levels of efficiency while running the show.
Because of the combination of a situation he didn't love with the Phoenix Suns, a midseason trade that forced him to redevelop chemistry with new teammates and a nagging back injury, Dragic's 2014-15 campaign couldn't stack up against his All-NBA work one season prior.
Get ready for the 29-year-old to experience a bounce-back go-round.
13. The David West Discount
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Plenty of people talk about sacrificing to win a ring. Few truly follow through on those words and put their money where their mouth is.
Well, David West did.
Not only did he opt out of an eight-figure deal with the Indiana Pacers to hit the open market, but he turned down bigger contracts in order to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, where he won't even start. After all, how could he possibly expect to earn a spot in the starting five when he joined the team after Tim Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge were already in place?
This is a flat-out steal for the Spurs, who immediately become one of the true teams to beat in the Western Conference. Even at a veteran's minimum, West gives them high-quality depth, more locker room leadership and the ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.
He may have seemed to decline during his age-34 season, burdened by nagging injuries and the need to carry an injured Pacers squad, but West could still start for plenty of teams across the Association. Instead, he chose to come off the San Antonio bench and chase the first ring of his career.
The Spurs are big winners for it.
12. San Antonio Spurs Get Danny Green at a Discount
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And the San Antonio Spurs show up again. Trust me, it won't be the last time.
A few years ago, signing a player such as Danny Green to a four-year, $45 million contract, per ESPN's Chris Broussard, would have been a major commitment. But not in 2015, with the cap set to explode next season. That's a steal for a player of Green's caliber, given his ability to knock down three-pointers and provide hounding defense on the other end.
Making this move even more surprising was the timing.
Green was supposed to be one of the more coveted commodities on the open market this summer, but he didn't so much as hear initial overtures from most franchises that could've used him. Instead, he agreed to re-sign with the Spurs quickly, doing so with enough of a hometown discount that the organization could pursue even bigger targets.
Though this swingman isn't on the same level as LaMarcus Aldridge or Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs' starting five wouldn't have been complete without him. His willingness to sign for less than he could have chased elsewhere helped San Antonio's entire offseason plan coalesce.
11. Miami Heat Retain Dwyane Wade, 2016 Financial Flexibility
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While the 2-guard was still in his prime, re-signing Dwyane Wade would have ranked much higher than No. 11.
But this is 2015, and he's quite clearly a lesser player than he was during his best years. He's coming off arguably the worst defensive season of his career, and you know you'll have to deal with his sitting out of a few games at some point. Wade is still an All-NBA-caliber player for some stretches, but these days, they're fewer and farther between.
Still, for two primary reasons, bringing him back is a big deal.
First, it's Wade.
Once more, he's still a quality player, and keeping him in the fold ensures the Heat will boast one of the league's best five-man units: Wade, Goran Dragic, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside.
Beyond that, Miami managed to sign him to a one-year deal, which allows it to preserve flexibility for the 2016 offseason, when the cap jumps and the free-agent class will be absolutely loaded with talent. Maybe the Heat will simply sign him to a smaller deal that keeps him around for even longer, but this at least gives them the option to go after other players as well.
10. Los Angeles Lakers Draft a Potential Star
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Conventional wisdom had the Los Angeles Lakers using the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA draft to select whichever center the Minnesota Timberwolves left on the board. Not only are big men historically coveted commodities, but the Purple and Gold know better than most just how impactful a Hall of Fame 5 can be.
Instead, GM Mitch Kupchak went with the unorthodox route and selected D'Angelo Russell out of Ohio State.
Since then, he's earned nothing but rave reviews for his game, especially because he seems to fit the ball into even the tiniest gaps. His passing vision is better than almost anyone who's suited up with the Lakers in recent memory, and that's quite the compliment to give a 19-year-old rookie.
"He can pass the hell out of the ball," new teammate Jordan Clarkson said about him after just one practice, via the Orange County Register’s Bill Oram. "He was able to move the ball well, and it makes the game a lot easier for everybody. It's good running with him."
And per ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes, fellow rookie Anthony Brown called him "a special talent...his passing ability, I haven't seen anything like it."
Though Kobe Bryant has yet to heap on the praise, it seems the Lakers have found something extraordinary in Russell. Not just because of his teammates' enthusiastic reviews—what teammates wouldn't praise the new addition?—but because of his overall skill set and the work he put in prior to the draft.
Russell is going to be a star in this league.
9. DeAndre Jordan Somehow Ends Up with the Los Angeles Clippers
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We're not going to worry about the Wednesday night drama that led to DeAndre Jordan reversing his decision. If you want to read about the insanity that involved this center not contacting Mark Cuban, the Los Angeles Clippers taking over Jordan's house, the two parties playing cards after the meeting and plenty more pure insanity, you can do that in so many other places around the Interwebs.
We're concerned with the on-court impact of Jordan backing out of his original deal with the Dallas Mavericks and, as reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, re-signing with the Clippers on a four-year max deal.
When Jordan had initially agreed to migrate east to Dallas, the Clippers were basically left up a creek and without a paddle. They were capped out and had no realistic options to pursue at center, meaning they were either going to play Blake Griffin at the 5 in small-ball lineups or sign a placeholder to a minimum contract and hope for the best.
All of a sudden, it seemed that a roster boasting Griffin and Chris Paul could be in danger of missing the playoffs in the brutally tough Western Conference.
But that's no longer the case.
With Jordan back in LAC, the Clippers' core remains intact, and this team should once again compete for one of the top records in its half of the NBA. There are obvious flaws with the roster, but the strength of the Big Three and the top supporting pieces is more than enough to mitigate the negative impact of the lack of depth and shaky ball-handlers not named Paul or Jamal Crawford.
Instead of wondering whether the Clippers are playoff material, we now get to figure out if they're capable of winning a championship—or at least advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
8. Minnesota Timberwolves Make the Right Choice
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The Minnesota Timberwolves really couldn't make a "bad" choice at the top of the 2015 NBA draft.
Going with Jahlil Okafor still would have netted them a high-quality center who would compete for All-Star berths, and even the entirely unorthodox move to select D'Angelo Russell would have had a positive effect on the organization. But the right decision was drafting Karl-Anthony Towns, and that's exactly what President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders did.
Towns is everything the Wolves could hope for in a franchise player.
He's a rim-protecting defensive stud who will anchor that unit and help fix one of the biggest weaknesses Minnesota endured throughout the 2014-15 campaign. But he's also a modern big with his ability to step out to the perimeter and knock down deep jumpers.
Okafor may have developed into an All-Star in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and that would have aided this franchise's rebuilding efforts rather significantly.
But Towns could turn into an MVP.
7. Draymond Green Stays Put
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The Golden State Warriors just wouldn't be the same without Draymond Green.
They'd have far less swagger on and off the court, for whatever that's worth. But they'd also miss his Defensive Player of the Year-caliber defense, his rebounding chops and his overall versatility. After all, he recorded a triple-double during his most recent appearance for the organization, one that just so happened to help clinch the first title in 40 years.
Now, Green will be back in the Bay Area on a five-year max contract, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Marc J. Spears.
This forward isn't a typical max player, sure. But it's 2015 now, and we don't have to limit that type of contract to the players who can put up points in bunches. He's still insanely impactful, even if he arrives at that level in atypical fashion.
According to my FATS model (based on historical comparisons and explained in full here), the Warriors played like a 58-win squad when Green was on the floor. Keep in mind that we're running into an upper bound here, which is why that number might not be as high as you might expect. There just aren't enough quality comparisons for a team that will go down in the history books as one of the best ever.
But when Green was catching his breath on the pine, the Dubs declined to a 40.2-win outfit. That's a 17.8-win swing.
This isn't just a function of playing with the other stars in Golden State; just Stephen Curry had a larger differential (20) on the roster, and Klay Thompson (13.9) was the only other player in double digits. Fourth on the team? Andre Iguodala, with a 4.5-win increase.
Green might not have the traditional stats of a star player. But he still counts as one, and he's a deserving max player.
6. Marc Gasol Goes Nowhere
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Marc Gasol is going nowhere, and that means the Memphis Grizzlies could go somewhere in the difficult Western Conference.
There was never any doubt that this marquee big man was going to re-sign with the team he's always played for—the pre-trade portion of his career when he was part of the Los Angeles Lakers organization but playing across the pond notwithstanding. Despite the monumental impact he has on the court, he basically stayed free of the rumor mill.
Now, arguably the league's best big man—sorry, DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan—is returning to Beale Street for five years and $110 million with a player option for the final season, as reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
In 2014-15, Gasol took it upon himself to make a more concerted effort in the scoring column, and it worked nicely. He averaged a career-best 17.4 points per game without any real slippage in efficiency. The big man still knocked down 49.2 percent of his shots from the field and got to the charity stripe more than ever before.
He may be in his 30s now, but Gasol isn't going anywhere—both in terms of location and the level of his performance.
5. Jimmy Butler Remains a Chicago Bull
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The Chicago Bulls weren't going to let Jimmy Butler get away. Not after he used the 2014-15 season to emerge as the best player on the roster, flying past the likes of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol to earn such an accolade.
Even though his defense slipped a bit during his breakout season—the natural byproduct of taking on more offensive responsibility, which means it should be remedied going forward—Butler developed into a dominant two-way force. He created his shots more frequently, figured out how to find the bottom of the net with consistency when launching up attempts from the perimeter and just generally stood out in the Windy City.
Now, he'll continue growing while wearing the same uniform.
Per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, he's earned a five-year max deal with a player option for the final season. The core is intact for the Bulls, who figure to make another hard push for the top of the Eastern Conference standings, this time with new head coach Fred Hoiberg pacing the sidelines.
Butler, even if he still doesn't enjoy the same level of household recognition that persists for Rose, will be right at the center of that charge.
4. San Antonio Spurs Hold onto Kawhi Leonard
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You need only look at how Kawhi Leonard's season progressed for the San Antonio Spurs to see how much he improved within just a single go-round. While he was dealing with injuries and an expanding role at the beginning of the campaign, he developed into a top-10 contributor by the time his team's playoff run was finished.
| Pre-ASG | 15.4 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 54.0 | 108 | 97 |
| Post-ASG | 17.9 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 59.7 | 116 | 97 |
| Last 10 Games | 19.9 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 65.1 | 124 | 94 |
| Playoffs | 20.3 | 7.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 57.1 | 111 | 106 |
Leonard is still only 24 years old, but he's already accomplished so much.
He's won Finals MVP after leading the Spurs to their title in 2014 and holding down LeBron James in the process. He's the newest Defensive Player of the Year, edging out Draymond Green for that top honor on the less glamorous end. He's even broken out of Gregg Popovich's ball-sharing system, thriving as a go-to option who can create his own looks from all over the court.
He was also this year's top restricted free agent, and the Spurs weren't letting him escape. Now, he's locked up for the next five years, receiving max money all the while, as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported.
3. LaMarcus Aldridge Joins the San Antonio Spurs
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LaMarcus Aldridge was this offseason's top free agent who might actually go somewhere besides his last location, and that's exactly what he did. After listening to the overtures of a few other organizations, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a max deal, a move that was first revealed by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
This should basically go without saying, but Aldridge is a game-changing presence.
The Spurs aren't going anywhere after landing yet another consistent All-Star who can contribute on both ends of the floor. His mid-range work will make Gregg Popovich adjust his vaunted offensive system a bit, especially as he tries to get Aldridge the ball early in the shot clock. But that's a problem worth solving.
And after years of working at his isolation defense under Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, this power forward can at least hold his own on the point-preventing end.
Landing a player this talented is a big deal, and Aldridge should keep San Antonio right near the top of the Western Conference.
For those of you keeping track at home, that means the Spurs—the NBA's model organization, for all intents and purposes—have taken four of the 25 featured spots in this countdown. That's one heck of a way to remain in contention.
2. LeBron James Re-Signs with Cleveland Cavaliers
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LeBron James was never going anywhere.
Now, even though he's agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers for two years of max money, per ESPN.com's Chris Broussard, we're likely going to see the exact same scenario unfold again next season. James will presumably exercise his opt-out clause after the 2015-16 campaign and re-sign with the Cavs once more, inking another short-term contract that keeps letting him add a little more income to his portfolio by virtue of the rising cap.
Why wouldn't he?
James remains the best basketball player in the world, and his off-court presence and money-making marketability only aid him in contract negotiations. Plus, this lets him maintain flexibility just in case the Cavaliers somehow fall off a cliff, either because everyone flees one summer or the stars somehow manage to suffer simultaneous career-ending injuries.
This forward is coming off a historic performance in the NBA Finals, earning serious MVP consideration even though the injury-riddled Cavs weren't able to hold off the Golden State Warriors' two-way onslaught. It's obvious he's still in—or at least close to—his prime, and Cleveland will have zero reasons to regret handing him this much money.
But even still, the NBA's top individual contributor coming back to Northeast Ohio can't quite earn the No. 1 spot.
1. Anthony Davis Extends with the New Orleans Pelicans
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Let's allow Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley to take it away after he gave the New Orleans Pelicans an A+ for their max extension of Anthony Davis:
"If league rules allowed it, the New Orleans Pelicans could have spent twice as much on Anthony Davis and still received an "A+" for the pact.
He's on a very short list of the league's best players right now. And he's only 22 years old with fewer than 200 regular-season games on his resume...
Davis' future is a terrifying blend of defensive dominance and unstoppable offense. New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry wants Davis' offensive range to include the corner three ball, per Pelicans.com's Jim Eichenhofer, so the single-browed superstar should be even harder to contend with going forward.
No NBA player has a higher ceiling than Davis, and his basement is already established at an All-Star level. This was a no-brainer decision for New Orleans and an equally easy grade to assign.
"
Similarly, it was a no-brainer for the No. 1 spot.
The Pelicans could have handed Davis the keys to New Orleans, a 51 percent ownership stake in the franchise, a max contract and the right to call every play for the rest of his career, and it still would've been worth locking him up for the most years possible. He's just that good after submitting the NBA's top individual season during a year in which he celebrated his 22nd birthday.
Note: All stats, unless otherwise indicated, come from Basketball-Reference.com.
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
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