1 Word to Describe Every Team's 2025 NBA Offseason
It takes nuance to analyze an NBA offseason. You have to interrogate motives, assess specific circumstances, consider alternative courses of action and determine how closely plans tracked toward goals.
And you have to do it for every team on an individual basis.
Laying it all out like that, offseason analysis seems like a lot of work.
How about we just choose one word that best encapsulates a team's summertime performance instead? That seems more fun.
Atlanta Hawks: Disbelief
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This is a reference to how the Atlanta Hawks felt when the New Orleans Pelicans seemed to insist on a draft-night deal that included no protections on an outgoing 2026 first-round pick.
Per Shamit Dua's In the N.O. substack: "When one Pelicans executive made the call to Atlanta, the Hawks couldn't believe what was actually being offered. Atlanta asked for clarification multiple times to confirm the unprotected pick was indeed part of the deal. ... But the Pelicans persisted and the Hawks got their steal."
Atlanta sent No. 13 to the New Orleans Pelicans for No. 23 and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick (most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee) to complete the most unbalanced trade of the offseason.
New additions Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard provide Atlanta with a balanced and deep eight-man rotation, and they'll matter more to the upcoming season than a future pick.
But the Hawks came out of the summer with a "too good to be true" feeling, and it all stemmed from that swap with the Pels.
Boston Celtics: Ominous
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Jayson Tatum's torn Achilles helped the Boston Celtics justify demolishing a roster that was good enough to win the 2024 NBA title. It was the right decision under the circumstances, and that should worry fans of every team.
No, not every squad faces the possibility of a payroll and tax bill climbing over $500 million. But all 30 teams are subject to the same restrictions of the apron era. Any organization that builds a roster good enough to contend is on notice: A selloff is closer than you think.
Boston traded Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta for Georges Niang and a second-round pick, then it sent Jrue Holiday to Portland for Anfernee Simons and two future second-rounders. Those deals saved around $27 million in salary and $180 million in tax payments, but they absolutely were not "basketball moves."
Don't expect a parade celebrating the Celtics ducking the second apron. Do expect other costly contenders to follow suit when the time comes.
Brooklyn Nets: Specific
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The Brooklyn Nets clearly have a type. Either that, or the intern who put their pre-draft rankings into a spreadsheet forgot to include columns for SG, SF, PF and C.
That's how Brooklyn wound up using all five of its first-round picks on players best defined as "ball-handlers."
Danny Wolf is a 7-footer, but even he projects as something much closer to a guard than most players his size. Otherwise, the Nets added Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell and Ben Saraf—point guards across the board.
Maybe this was just a shotgun approach; the Nets probably know not all of these guys will pan out, but they also know they need a primary playmaker. Odds are, one of their rookies will be good enough to handle that role. Never mind the concepts of resource-allocation or balance.
Another intriguing possibility that may give Brooklyn too much credit: It thinks court sense and good passing are the new non-negotiables in a good offense, and that it can teach point guards to play off the ball and shoot. Either way, the Nets were very specific in targeting talent this summer.
Charlotte Hornets: Measured
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You used to be able to count on the Charlotte Hornets chasing short-term gains at the cost of long-term sustainability, but those days appear to be over.
Top executive Jeff Peterson runs a team no longer in pursuit of the first shiny object it sees—one that instead just keeps hunting incremental gains.
Charlotte secured the No. 29 pick and a 2029 first-rounder from the Phoenix Suns for Mark Williams. It then added Collin Sexton's expiring salary for Jusuf Nurkić's, landing a second-round pick in the bargain. Two more future seconds arrived in the Pat Connaughton salary dump.
Viewed individually, Charlotte's transactions don't seem like much. Together, they highlight a shrewd effort to accumulate assets as part of a deliberate rebuild. Kon Knueppel might seem like a reach at No. 4, but he's probably better described as a high-floor prospect who makes a ton of sense as a shooter and secondary ball-handler next to LaMelo Ball.
No reaches. No quick fixes. No wild pursuit of the No. 8 seed. We don't even know who you are anymore, Hornets.
Chicago Bulls: Caved
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Josh Giddey's four-year, $100 million contract isn't the "everybody's happy" compromise it appears to be.
The Bulls had all the power in negotiations with their restricted free agent, status granted them by the total lack of outside suitors and the league-wide dearth of cap space that made an offer sheet from another team almost impossible.
Any talk of the Brooklyn Nets coming off the top rope with a contract the Bulls couldn't match felt specious from the start and then completely absurd when their own restricted free agent, Cam Thomas, had to settle for the $6 million qualifying offer.
Giddey lacked leverage and still emerged from restricted free agency with a fully guaranteed, four-year, $100 million deal.
Chicago could have pushed him harder, daring him to take his $11.4 million qualifying offer. Instead, the Bulls caved.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Focused
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Lonzo Ball almost certainly won't play as many games as Isaac Okoro would have, but the Cleveland Cavaliers still won that offseason trade. That's because Ball, if healthy, will matter more in the games Cleveland cares about most. After exiting the last two postseasons earlier than they should have, the Cavaliers needed another player they could trust in high-stakes contests.
Ball's passing, spot-up shooting and smart off-ball defense make him an upgrade over Okoro, who was often played off the floor in postseason settings. That's still true even in the face of Ball's likelihood of missed time.
Cleveland also made the difficult decision to let breakout guard Ty Jerome leave in free agency. Keeping him would have resulted in a hefty luxury tax bill—too high a price for a player who, like Okoro, failed to prove his worth in a postseason rotation.
The Cavs clearly prioritized their playoff roster over the summer, a wise move for a team that shouldn't have much trouble winning enough regular-season games to secure the top seed in the East. Maybe gearing its decisions specifically toward playoff success is the final step in Cleveland's evolution as a contender.
Dallas Mavericks: Insufficient
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Accidents are not plans, so Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison doesn't deserve credit for the long-odds draft luck that delivered Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick.
Flagg is a walking lifeline who may bring many livid Mavs fans back into the fold. His presence allows for a turning of the page. But nobody's ever going to forget the universally derided Luka Dončić trade, let alone forgive it.
Dallas' other offseason moves resembled those of a reasonable franchise, and they'd probably seem objectively great if they hadn't been produced by an executive fans no longer trust.
Harrison re-signed Kyrie Irving for three years and $118 million, a deal that actually pays him less per year than the $42.9 million player option he declined before signing it. D'Angelo Russell and his team-friendly deal (two years, $12 million) will provide stopgap work at the point until Irving recovers from his torn ACL.
Daniel Gafford's three-year, $54 million extension seemed a tad rich, especially given Dallas' glut of bigs. But it should be movable at positive value if a roster-balancing trade opportunity arises. PJ Washington can't be moved this season, but the Mavs also did well to extend him for four years and $90 million.
The Mavs did good work this summer, just not enough to escape blame for the terrible move they made last season.
Denver Nuggets: Satisfactory
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We're in trouble as a basketball-consuming community if we find ourselves congratulating owners for saving money. So while the Denver Nuggets appear improved on paper after acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas, the trade that preceded those moves warrants skepticism.
It might have been financially motivated, as it's not clear that Cam Johnson is actually a more valuable asset than Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick.
If Denver knew it had THJ, Brown and Valanciunas queued up and ready, and if the $17 million it saved in swapping out MPJ for Johnson was always ticketed for those three additions, then everything looks good. The Nuggets' history of letting key players go (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year, Brown in 2023) means they don't get the benefit of the doubt.
This team is improved in the short term. It's deeper, has more shooting and boasts a credible backup center for the first time in a while. It's just too hard to get effusive with the praise when the whiff of penny-pinching (a cardinal sin for a contender) is so strong.
Detroit Pistons: Trusting
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Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson could be neutral-value replacements for Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley (assuming the latter doesn't return), but it's hard to argue the Detroit Pistons' new additions make the team meaningfully better.
That won't matter much if the young players already on the roster improve as the team expects.
If Jaden Ivey fully recovers from last year's season-ending injury, he could build on the growth he showed in 30 healthy games. He and Jalen Duren are both eligible for extensions and could boost their earning power with big years—assuming they don't ink deals this offseason.
Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II could further ratchet up Detroit's defensive intensity, and an offensive leap from either prospect could start All-Star trajectory talk.
Maybe the Pistons' moves feel insignificant, but it's tough to quibble with the faith this team is showing in its young core. At the very least, last year's wildly impressive 44 wins has earned the in-house talent a shot to validate the organization's trust.
Golden State Warriors: Delayed
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Maybe the approach of training camp is finally spurring some action in the great stalemate of the 2025 offseason.
After months of minimal progress with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, the Golden State Warriors offered him a three-year, $75.2 million deal with a team option in the third season, sources told ESPN's Anthony Slater. That's far from a Godfather offer, especially for a player in Kuminga who views himself as a first-option star. But it's more than the Warriors had put on the table in the past.
Until Kuminga signs that deal, accepts his qualifying offer or improbably departs via sign-and-trade, the Dubs will remain in a holding pattern. They've seemed to have deals for Al Horford, De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II in place forever, but they can't be consummated until the Kuminga business resolves.
Houston Rockets: Terrifying
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Propelled by athleticism and formidable defense, the Houston Rockets finished second in the West last year. They took the vastly more experienced Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round.
Expect even more than that following an offseason that swapped out Jalen Green for Kevin Durant, exchanged Dillon Brooks for Dorian Finney-Smith and added veteran Clint Capela to the center rotation. New faces aside, the Rockets' core youth is primed to improve. Amen Thompson is in line for stardom if he can iron out his jumper. Reed Sheppard barely played last year but remains a high-ceiling prospect who should get more reps in his second season.
Both will take on much larger roles in the wake of Fred VanVleet's torn ACL, and this is a bet they'll be ready.
Jabari Smith Jr., one of the most promising three-and-D bigs in the league, signed a bargain five-year, $122 million deal.
Had Houston done nothing, it would have been a good bet to secure home-court advantage in a first-round playoff series. With all the upgrades and in-house growth potential, the Rockets announced themselves as contenders.
Indiana Pacers: Cowardly
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Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles sealed the deal. That injury was all the cover the Indiana Pacers' notoriously tax-averse ownership needed to justify cost-cutting measures that defanged last year's East champs.
It's possible the Pacers would have let Myles Turner walk even if Haliburton had been healthy, a decision that would have been worthy of even more scorn. We'll never know, but it's hard to put it past the Pacers in light of their miserly offseason.
Turner signed a four-year, $107 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks after the Pacers failed to offer him more than $22 million per season, according to Jake Fischer of the Stein Line Substack.
Though he struggled in the Finals and will turn 30 next March, there's no world in which Turner is worth less than $25 million per season. Everyone covets the shot-blocking, floor-stretching big, and Turner is one of maybe a half-dozen such players in the league.
Bennedict Mathurin, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin could have been trade candidates if Indiana needed to free up money to pay Turner. And if Indy's decision was more reflective of a lack of faith in its center going forward, it could have just signed Turner at market rates and waited for trade offers to pour in.
LA Clippers: Aspiration
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Too easy, right?
Fair or not, the LA Clippers' summer (and potentially the next several seasons) will be defined by the outcome of an NBA investigation into their association with Aspiration, a fraud-plagued partner reports suggest may have participated in a cap-circumvention scheme.
The story of the offseason, reported by Pablo Torre on his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, uncovered a glut of sources and evidence indicating the Clippers made illegal payments to Kawhi Leonard through their relationship with Aspiration.
The NBA has the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz on the case as it tries to determine whether the Clippers circumvented the cap by paying Aspiration almost exactly what Leonard got for a no-show endorsement deal.
We may not get any clarity for months, but the evidence is more than sufficient to find the Clips guilty in the court of public opinion.
Los Angeles Lakers: Transitional
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LeBron James is no longer the Los Angeles Lakers' central figure, a fact made plain when the team didn't hand him another one-plus-one contract offer. After picking up his player option, he's now set for free agency in 2026.
Along with Dorian Finney-Smith leaving for only two guaranteed years from the Houston Rockets, that development suggested the Lakers aren't in the same familiar "win immediately" posture they've adopted since James arrived.
It's reasonable to re-orient around Luka Dončić, but the Lakers are acting as if they'll be able to land a second star who's better than LeBron in short order. That's a bit of a risk, even if James is on the wrong side of 40.
In fairness, Deandre Ayton is a solid value at $16 million over two years, and Jake LaRavia is a quality reserve. It still feels as if the Lakers are biding their time, exercising a sort of confident patience they rarely showed during the LeBron era.
If they get off to a scorching start, maybe the Lakers will change their approach and shop their remaining future assets for short-term upgrades at the deadline. More likely, they'll use this season as a bridge to a post-LeBron existence.
Memphis Grizzlies: Optionality
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Desmond Bane had never made an All-Star team and was on the books for another four years and $163 million. While trading him made the Memphis Grizzlies worse on the floor and removed an ace shooter from a team that already had too few of them, the price was right.
In adding four first-round picks and a swap from the Orlando Magic (plus Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, later waived), the Grizzlies chose optionality. That might not sit well with fans who simply want the most talented roster possible, but the deal made sense from an asset-management standpoint.
If Ty Jerome plays like he did a year ago and, KCP rebounds after a brutal year in Orlando and Jaylen Wells builds on his All-Rookie season, the Grizzlies should be able to cover for Bane's absence by committee—all while enjoying some newfound flexibility.
Miami Heat: Opportunistic
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It might be time to retire the idea that the Miami Heat are calculating big-game hunters who always hold out for blockbusters. Jimmy Butler was the last such acquisition, and he skipped town last February.
Not to worry. The Heat showed this offseason that they can win on the margins.
They couldn't compete in a bidding war for Kevin Durant, but the Heat exit the offseason with Norman Powell, Simone Fontecchio, intriguing rookie Kasparas Jakucionis and a re-signed Davion Mitchell.
Fontecchio replaces Duncan Robinson for $10 million less, and all it cost to bring in Powell was Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson—a pittance for a fringe All-Star last season.
Miami didn't shoot for the stars, but it hit all of its more realistic targets, taking advantage of smaller opportunities wherever they arose.
Milwaukee Bucks: Committed
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Call it a fool's errand. Say it's just throwing good money after bad. Just never accuse the Milwaukee Bucks of lacking commitment.
They took the unthinkably bold step of waiving and stretching Damian Lillard, agreeing to a $22.5 million cap hit in each of the next five seasons so they could snatch Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers in free agency.
While it's true Turner is a perfect fit next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, it's hard to argue he's talented enough to feature as a No. 2 option on a contender. The Bucks still did everything they could—and more than almost any other franchise would have—to ensure the best possible supporting cast around Antetokounmpo.
Never mind that said cast is largely composed of minimum signings who'd struggle to start elsewhere. Gary Trent Jr., Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Jericho Sims and Taurean Prince are all back in the fold, set to earn less than $20 million between them.
Bobby Portis is also back for just $44 million over three years, a value signing to be sure.
The Bucks aren't serious championship threats, but they're as good as they can realistically be. That all-in mindset should count for something.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Sacrifice
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The Minnesota Timberwolves never really had a chance to retain all three of Naz Reid, Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The strictures of the apron era meant they had to choose.
In the end, the Wolves held onto Reid, lavishing him with a five-year, $125 million deal that still seems shocking for a backup—even if the 7-footer is arguably the best reserve big in the league. Randle also got a new contract, which meant NAW was the odd man out.
The Wolves will miss the luxury of Alexander-Walker as a shutdown defender who could space the floor and handle the ball in a pinch. There's a case to be made he, not Reid, would have been the better value. Minnesota already has Rudy Gobert and Randle up front, and NAW's production might be tough to replicate unless Donte DiVincenzo and Rob Dillingham both pop.
At the same time, fan sentiment was on Reid's side. There are probably 10 times as many household pets named "Naz" in the Twin Cities as there are "Nickeils".
New Orleans Pelicans: Laughingstock
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The Hawks couldn't believe their luck, and the New Orleans Pelicans wouldn't be denied.
The new executive duo of Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver just had to have Derik Queen, and the Hawks couldn't believe the price they were willing to pay.
Per Shamit Dua's In the N.O. substack: "When one Pelicans executive made the call to Atlanta, the Hawks couldn't believe what was actually being offered. Atlanta asked for clarification multiple times to confirm the unprotected pick was indeed part of the deal. ... But the Pelicans persisted and the Hawks got their steal."
The Pels coughed up No. 23 and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to move up to No. 13 in the draft, a wholly unnecessary move that exposed them to truly disastrous downside. The pick will be the most favorable of New Orleans' or Milwaukee's first-rounder in the next draft, and each of those two teams are one key injury away from finishing among the league's bottom five.
New Orleans could have drafted Queen at No. 7. It could have protected the 2026 pick. It could have done something—anything—to avoid the possibility of losing a hugely valuable pick after another injury-ravaged season.
Normally, a gaffe like that would be cause for firing. But Dumars and Co. had only just recently been hired. Their very first meaningful transaction solidified the Pels as the league's transactional sucker.
New York Knicks: Refreshed
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Mike Brown isn't necessarily an upgrade over former New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, but he's different. That might be all that matters.
Brown should inject new pep into an offense that needs it, and he'll make better use of a deeper roster than Thibs ever had.
Jordan Clarkson may not have his fastball at 33, but he's still cut above Cam Payne as a spark off the pine. Even last year's disappointing 16.2 points per game would have been hugely helpful for the Knicks.
Guerschon Yabusele's contrast of bulk and stretch should make him a clean fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson up front.
Malcolm Brogdon got a camp invite, Landry Shamet re-upped and could earn a roster spot, and one of either Thomas Bryant or Garrison Matthews could further deepen the bench. Add all that to what feels like a below-market deal for Mikal Bridges (four years, $150 million), and New York has the resources it needs to reach the playoffs with gas in the tank.
That'd be a welcome change.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Autopilot
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Can you imagine the post-championship debriefing between Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and GM Sam Presti?
Did Presti ask Daigneault what he thought the team needed from a personnel standpoint after OKC posted the highest point differential of all time? And did Daigneault pause for several seconds before responding, "I don't know...someone who can fly or shoot laser beams from his eyes? Because other than that, we're good."
The Thunder obliterated the competition during the regular season, overcame some tighter contests in the playoffs but ultimately won the whole thing on the strength of a young roster poised to keep getting better over the next several years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got his supermax extension; Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren inked their own massive extensions (each worth at least $250 million); Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell inked three-year contracts at $24 and $9 million, respectively.
And that was pretty much it. OKC didn't need to do anything other than retain its own talent, and it accomplished that with no fuss. A true "set it and forget it" offseason.
Orlando Magic: Finally
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The Orlando Magic basically swapped out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and Gary Harris for Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones, at long last addressing their lack of three-point shooting and backcourt playmaking.
The cost of that exchange was high. Orlando surrendered four first-rounders and an additional swap to get Bane from Memphis, but the Magic should be good enough over the next handful of seasons to ensure most of those selections fall somewhere in the 20s.
Bane is a career 41.0-percent sniper from long range, a breath of fresh air in an offense best described as stifling for far too long. Orlando's 31.8 percent hit rate on threes last season was the worst ever produced by a team that got up at least 2,800 total attempts. The Magic's shooting and overall offensive production has been in desperate need of upgrades for years, and they finally got some.
Jones won't be as impactful, but the Magic also needed some point guard insurance in case Jalen Suggs endures another injury-hit season. A mistake-free game-manager, Jones is basically a walking safety blanket.
Paolo Banchero got his no-brainer rookie-scale max extension, ensuring the Magic's core is fully set after Franz Wagner got his own deal last summer.
Philadelphia 76ers: Questionable
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The VJ Edgecombe pick was solid, even if it contributes to a bit of a backcourt glut with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and (assuming he returns in restricted free agency) Quentin Grimes. Similarly, the Philadelphia 76ers' acquisition of Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow on two-way deals could produce real value.
None of that is questionable, but the entire operation is still tied to the health of Joel Embiid and Paul George. To undersell it, that means everything about the Sixers feels precarious.
George underwent offseason surgery after injuring his knee in a workout, and Embiid had his left knee scoped in April. If those two are healthy for most of the season, the departure of Guerschon Yabusele will matter a lot less. If past is precedent and Philly's veteran stars can't stay in the lineup, the depth chart will feel as thin as it did a year ago.
Phoenix Suns: Fallout
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The Phoenix Suns have more depth than they did a season ago, and that'll just about do it for the complimentary portion of this exercise.
Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the pick that became Khaman Maluach do not collectively replace the value lost in Kevin Durant, even if all Phoenix did for the two-plus years it had KD was go 85-79 and fail to win a single playoff game.
And then there was the Bradley Beal waive and stretch, which will add roughly $19.5 million in dead money to the Suns' cap in each of the next five years.
Phoenix's past recklessness was the reason it had to accept so little for Durant and nothing at all for Beal. A total disregard for sensible team-building and future assets left the Suns with no outs.
As proof they still haven't learned anything, the Suns also failed to initiate a full rebuild by trading Devin Booker. Instead, they gave him a two-year, $133 million extension on top of a contract that already extended through 2027-28.
Phoenix shouldn't have mortgaged its future for Durant and Beal. It also should have blown the whole thing up this summer by trading Booker. Those mistakes will haunt the franchise for years to come.
Portland Trail Blazers: Timelines
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Nobody's going to catch heat for it like the Golden State Warriors did, but the Portland Trail Blazers are dabbling in the double-timeline world.
They reached for 7'1" big man Yang Hansen well before most other teams would have, signaling a longer-term focus by picking a project. Then they reversed course and swapped Anfernee Simons for a 35-year-old Jrue Holiday. That felt like a message to the league that Portland has playoff aspirations—particularly with Holiday likely relegating either Scoot Henderson or Shaedon Sharpe to the bench.
It's worth noting that the Blazers' dual approach isn't new. Last year, they dealt the pick that became Bub Carrington to the Washington Wizards for Deni Avdija. That deal worked out tremendously, as Avdija looked like a star during Portland's 23-18 closing run.
Maybe the Blazers have figured out how to have their cake and eat it, too.
Sacramento Kings: Lost
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Dennis Schroder (three years, $44 million) is riding high after leading Germany to Eurobasket gold, but the Sacramento Kings will be his 10th team in 13 seasons because he has never established himself as the kind of point guard who consistently drives winning in the NBA.
That criticism applies to almost every piece of the Kings' current core.
Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine often pass the eye test, and their individual production looks good in a box score. But none of them brings the defensive oomph necessary to build a competent two-way roster.
The Kings, yet again, don't seem to understand what a real winner looks like. When they've come close, as they did in 2022-23, they're invariably undone by capricious ownership that can't stick to a plan or avoid treating roster construction as if success depends upon how many empty 20-point scorers you can accumulate.
Retread GM Scott Perry is in charge now after owner Vivek Ranadive hired him to replace Monte McNair, and Perry will preside over a head coach in Doug Christie that he didn't hire.
Turmoil seems imminent, just like it always is in Sacramento.
San Antonio Spurs: Content
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Dreams of acquiring a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant to pair with Victor Wembanyama turned out to be just that, so the San Antonio Spurs stayed grounded in reality this offseason.
Is their patience a mistake given the likelihood that Wemby becomes a dominant, MVP-caliber force as soon as this season? The more charitable take: The Spurs are content to let Wembanyama become whatever it is he's going to become, and then they'll figure out the right supporting cast afterward.
Dylan Harper was the easy pick at No. 2, but he's an odd fit with De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. Fox got a four-year, $229 million extension, so the Spurs seem to trust that tricky dynamic will work itself out.
Free agent Luke Kornet is better than anyone the Spurs used at backup center last season, and trade acquisition Kelly Olynyk brings spacing up front.
If No. 14 pick Carter Bryant figures out how to do anything on offense, his elite defensive work will be easier to keep on the floor.
Toronto Raptors: Clunky
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The pieces are interesting on their own, but it's hard to see how they'll make sense collectively for the 2025-26 Toronto Raptors.
Start with Jakob Poeltl, a perfectly adequate starting center in a vacuum, but one who makes for an odd fit on a team that doesn't get enough spacing from other positions. Poeltl wouldn't have hit free agency until 2027, but Toronto gave him an $84.5 million extension that runs through 2029-30 anyway.
If Scottie Barnes becomes a lights-out three-point shooter, the Raptors will be vindicated. If he continues to hit at his career rate of 30.0 percent, the Poeltl move will look worse, as will the decision to draft Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9. The rookie does almost everything well and ticks several "intangibles" boxes, including work ethic and defensive instincts.
But he can't shoot.
The Raptors can threaten for a playoff spot, but their offseason work means they'll do it in spite of major fit issues.
Utah Jazz: Distant
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Distant. As in, the Utah Jazz are a long way from wherever it is they're going.
At least they have Ace Bailey, the No. 5 overall pick. He might be the guy who points them in the right direction.
The Jazz were way too deep into their rebuild to still not have a potential star on the roster, and Bailey was the best option available on that front. Nothing's guaranteed in the wake of Bailey's underwhelming collegiate season, not to mention his somewhat concerning pre-draft refusal to meet with several teams, but the talent is there.
Maybe we'll see it blossom by 2027.
That Utah also moved John Collins for a yawn of a package including Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson further underscored its priorities. Collins was a quality veteran rotation piece, but he was in the way of youngsters Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski and perhaps even Bailey. Ditto for Collin Sexton, who was likely to deserve minutes over the likes of Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier and Walter Clayton Jr.
The Jazz are playing the longest of long games.
Washington Wizards: Optimized
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The Washington Wizards aren't objectively good, but they're as good as they can be under the circumstances because they keep making optimal choices when it comes to their transactions.
When they spotted a chance to dump Jordan Poole's two years and $66 million, they took it. In taking back CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk (flipped to San Antonio for a package headlined by a 2026 second-rounder), the Wizards shaved $34 million from their 2026-27 payroll. They could have $100 million in spending power next summer.
Washington also reeled in Cam Whitmore from the Rockets, taking a no-risk flyer on a potent scorer whose raw talent once had him pegged by evaluators as a top-five pick in 2023. Just 21, Whitmore has never thrown a pass unless it was a last resort, but he has has a career average of 22.3 points per 36 minutes.
Tre Johnson, picked sixth, is an even better bet to fill it up for a Wizards team that needs young scoring prospects.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
