Winners and Losers from NBA's Wild Trade and Free Agency Offseason

All 30 NBA teams have graded out as either winners or losers from a crazy offseason packed with trades and free agency, and the player movement around the league has been unbelievable.

There's no question that some clubs really improved from the previous season, while others that previously ranked near the top of the standings may be in for a decline.

It'll be very interesting to see how teams adjust to an expedited campaign following a very brief training camp, and there's no question that we'll see some new teams in the postseason this year.

Not every team can be as active in free agency or in the trade market as some fans would like, but let's take a realistic view at how each fared, given what was available to be accomplished.

Lead image courtesy of the Washington Post.

Atlanta Hawks

Verdict: Losers

The Hawks added Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic, but neither will serve as a replacement for the departed Jamal Crawford.

Atlanta is seemingly still stuck in the middle and didn't make an impact move to get the club over the hump, meaning that another early postseason exit could be the fate for this group.

Boston Celtics

Verdict: Losers

The Celtics addressed some depth concerns adding Brandon Bass, Keyon Dooling and Chris Wilcox.

Boston also brought back Sasha Pavlovic and Marquis Daniels, and although the team addressed some issues, the loss of Jeff Green and an inability to execute a sign-and-trade for David West both loom large.

It's going to be tough for this team to compete with some others in the Eastern Conference, and they're one team that can be labeled "tough luck" losers of the offseason.

Charlotte Bobcats

Verdict: Losers

The Bobcats weren't going to be a major player in free agency or in trades, but the lack of talent on this roster is downright alarming with the season about to start.

Reggie Williams is already sidelined for about two months, Melvin Ely and Derrick Brown aren't exactly headline additions, and the club was so thin in the middle that a trade had to be executed to nab B.J. Mullens.

Chicago Bulls

Verdict: Winners

The Bulls needed to upgrade at shooting guard in the offseason, and Chicago did exactly that by agreeing to a two-year contract with veteran Rip Hamilton.

Although the team lost Kurt Thomas, the Bulls have enough size in Taj Gibson and Omer Asik off the bench, in addition to Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah in the starting five, to compensate for the veteran leaving.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Verdict: Losers

The Cavs re-signed Anthony Parker and got some help on the wing in Omri Casspi, but this team wasn't very active in free agency nor in the trade market.

This is a team that is clearly attempting to rebuild through the draft, and that means it could be another long season for the fans in Cleveland.

Dallas Mavericks

Verdict: Winners

The Mavericks might have lost Tyson Chandler to the Knicks, but the depth the team has built on the roster is one that other clubs would love to boast heading into an expedited season.

The Mavericks added Lamar Odom, Vince Carter, Delonte West and Sean Williams and cleared a ton of cap space for a loaded 2012 offseason in the process.

Denver Nuggets

Verdict: Winners

The Nuggets re-signed both Nene and Arron Afflalo, added depth on the wing with Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer, and even pulled off a trade for veteran Andre Miller.

After losing Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin (all to China during the lockout), General Manager Masai Ujiri did very well to retool the roster and build an intriguing crop of talent.

Detroit Pistons

Verdict: Losers

In the end, Detroit wound up sticking with what the team was familiar with despite the addition of a new head coach in Lawrence Frank.

The Pistons re-signed Tayshaun Prince, Jonas Jerebko and Rodney Stuckey, but lost Tracy McGrady and waved goodbye to Richard Hamilton.

There aren't any new pieces for a team that won just 30 games last season.

Golden State Warriors

Verdict: Losers

Kwame Brown and Brandon Rush lead the way for what the Warriors added in the offseason, and while that's not as bad as some teams, neither is a franchise-altering move.

The team foolishly wasted its amnesty clause on veteran Charlie Bell rather than just buying him out, and now Golden State has $16 million tied up in Brown and Andris Biedrins in the middle.

Houston Rockets

Verdict: Losers

The Rockets really got the short end of the stick in the vetoed trade which would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, as it cheated Houston out of a chance to land Pau Gasol.

Additionally, the Rockets were planning to make a run at Nene following the three-team deal, and while the late addition of Samuel Dalembert will help, Houston is going to need a lot of scoring from its backcourt duo in order to make the postseason.

Indiana Pacers

Verdict: Winners

The Pacers had a ton of cap space to work with during the offseason, and Larry Bird was able to use it wisely in an effort to build a rapidly improving team.

Indiana added David West, and that should really help Darren Collison rebound from a disappointing season, as he played well alongside West when the two were together in New Orleans.

Los Angeles Clippers

Verdict: Biggest winners in the league

Is there any question that the Clippers made the biggest move (to date) of the offseason? No.

A starting five of Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan looked awfully impressive in their preseason debut, and this is one team that is going to be incredibly fun to watch throughout the season.

Los Angeles Lakers

Verdict: Losers

The team lost Lamar Odom for practically nothing, and the pieces added in Josh McRoberts, Jason Kapono and Troy Murphy won't serve as a substitute for Odom on the roster.

The pieces added address legitimate concerns from the previous season, but now Metta World Peace will serve in a sixth-man role, and that may be something he has a serious problem adjusting to after struggling so much offensively last year.

Memphis Grizzlies

Verdict: Winners

The Grizzlies didn't need to do much with such an intriguing roster intact, but Memphis did what the team had to: retain Marc Gasol.

Outside of that, the club also added exciting point guard Jeremy Pargo on the cheap, and he could turn out to be another very valuable piece off the bench for a team that has made some shrewd pickups in recent seasons.

Miami Heat

Verdict: Winners

Miami re-signed Mario Chalmers, brought back sharpshooter James Jones on the cheap, and convinced Shane Battier to take a pay cut to move to South Beach.

On a team that reached the NBA Finals last season with depth issues on the bench, the Heat look to be an improved team (on paper) from what they were in their initial year of the "big three."

That's scary.

Milwaukee Bucks

Verdict: Winners

The Bucks signed Mike Dunleavy at a reasonable price to serve as a backup swingman off the bench and matched a very team-friendly offer sheet to retain Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Milwaukee was never going to make a lot of noise during the offseason, but the team did well with the moves made and should have a deepened rotation as a result.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Verdict: Losers

The T-Wolves might be a fun group to watch considering the lineups Rick Adelman might roll out at times, but defense is going to be a major concern for this group throughout the entire year.

Overpaying J.J. Barea to pair him with Ricky Rubio is going to be a back court that will have its hands full with bigger opposition, and David Kahn will be under the microscope if his team struggles early.

New Jersey Nets

Verdict: Incomplete

Williams is a nice piece for a team that needed help at small forward, but the Nets are clearly waiting for a resolution on the Dwight Howard front before making any potential major moves.

The Nets need to do more to convince Deron Williams to sign a long-term extension, and if the team is unable to pull the trigger on a deal for Dwight Howard, it's going to be tough to do that.

New Orleans Hornets

Grade: Winners

The team had to trade Chris Paul, and the club (with an assist from David Stern) got the best offer on the table by far.

New Orleans can build around Eric Gordon, has an expiring contract in Chris Kaman to dangle in other offers and has Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first round draft pick in arguably the deepest class in a decade.

New York Knicks

Verdict: Winners

The Knicks finally got a real center for the first time since the days of Marcus Camby manning the paint, and New York is suddenly gaining serious steam as a favorite to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference.

The team also added veteran point guard Baron Davis on the cheap, signed Mike Bibby for depth, and although the team had to give up Chauncey Billups, Ronny Turiaf and Shawne Williams, it would be a surprise if the Knicks regressed this year.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Verdict: Winners

The Thunder didn't need to do much, but Sam Presti worked some magic and added some further depth to an already stacked roster by trading for Lazar Hayward.

Oklahoma City has an extremely promising future, and it wouldn't be surprising to see this team make it to the championship as early as the 2011-12 season.

Orlando Magic

Verdict: Losers

Orlando invested $51 million over the next four seasons in Glen Davis and Jason Richardson, and the team will also pay more than $60 million to Gilbert Arenas after using the amnesty clause on him.

Considering Dwight Howard still wants to be traded, that's a lot of financial commitments to undertake with a whole lot of uncertainty surrounding the team.

Philadelphia 76ers

Verdict: Winners

The team had to re-sign restricted free agent Thaddeus Young, and not only was the team able to do that, but the Sixers got the insanely athletic forward at a very reasonable price.

The club also brought back big man Spencer Hawes, and the only "loss" was Jason Kapono, who was seldom used during his time in Philadelphia anyhow.

Phoenix Suns

Verdict: Losers

Phoenix overpaid Grant Hill for one more season, the club brought in Shannon Brown to challenge Jared Dudley at shooting guard, but the team really didn't do much else in an attempt to upgrade the roster.

There's an intriguing mix of youth currently under contract for the team, but there's no question that this club needs more if the Suns are looking to make any noise in a crowded Western Conference.

Portland Trail Blazers

Verdict: Winners

The job Chad Buchanan has done assembling the roster is nothing short of incredible considering the injuries to both Greg Oden and Brandon Roy.

Portland addressed obvious concerns inside with Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith, added a scoring threat off the bench in Jamal Crawford, and this club has the pieces in place to make a surprising postseason run.

Sacramento Kings

Verdict: Winners

Sacramento signed Chuck Hayes (again) after he was cleared to resume playing, and the team made other solid moves in re-signing Marcus Thornton and acquiring Travis Outlaw after he was waived (under the amnesty clause) by New Jersey.

Additionally, the team further built its depth prior to the lockout with a couple of trades to reshuffle the deck, and if nothing else, the Kings will be a very fun team to watch on the offensive end.

San Antonio Spurs

Verdict: Losers

The Spurs are faced with very serious problems in a shortened season considering the brittle bodies of some key contributors, and the club didn't really add anything from last year.

This team is going to be basically the same group that got bounced out of the playoffs in the first round despite being a No. 1 overall seed, and that doesn't exactly bode well for a return to prominence.

Toronto Raptors

Verdict: Winners

Some might laugh calling the Raptors winners, but let's make something clear: this wasn't a team that was going to compete this year, and wasting cap space was the worst thing Toronto could've done during the offseason.

Instead, the Raptors stuck to short-term and/or cost-conscious contracts that will allow the team to be active in free agency next season, and that's perfect timing, considering the arrival of heralded prospect Jonas Valanciunas.

Utah Jazz

Verdict: Winners

The Jazz lost Ronnie Price, but the addition of Josh Howard and the re-signing of Earl Watson are two moves that should have a great impact for a team that is built around a plethora of youth.

Utah is another team that isn't going to make any headlines with the additions, but both fit the roster and provide solid depth and experience.

Washington Wizards

Verdict: Winners

The Wizards added veteran experience in bringing back Roger Mason and re-signing Mo Evans, agreed to a new one-year deal with Nick Young and added a legitimate backup big man off the bench in Ronny Turiaf.

Another team that would've been foolish to spend lavishly in free agency and cripple the long-term financial flexibility, the Wizards made the small moves necessary in order to take the next step toward the ultimate goal of competing in a rapidly improving Eastern Conference.