The NBA offseason has been absolutely wild, with superstars moving around and rosters getting flipped left and right, but nothing prepared anyone for the Charlotte Hornets shipping out franchise player LaMelo Ball in exchange for Naz Reid. Coming off their best season in 10 years, this was truly a shocking move, leaving fans wondering what the heck just happened.
Who’s Winning the Offseason So Far?
While some teams are clearly playing chess, others are playing checkers, or maybe just flipping coins. The Dallas Mavericks are absolutely killing it with an A-grade offseason, bringing in Masai Ujiri as their president of basketball operations and Dusty May as head coach. On top of that, they snagged Zacharie Risacher for essentially nothing, which is a high-upside play at a low cost. That’s how you do business! Then you have teams like the Atlanta Hawks, who pulled a B+ by grabbing Aaron Wiggins and Luguentz Dort, setting themselves up with an elite defensive backcourt and a promising young guard. The Brooklyn Nets also nailed a B+, adding reliable backup point guard Keon Ellis, good scorer Julius Randle to play alongside Michael Porter Jr., serviceable big man Moritz Wagner, and drafting Mikel Brown Jr., one of the best pure scorers in the draft. The Chicago Bulls earned their B+ by hiring a new front office and bringing in Norman Powell and Nic Claxton, two guys who are gonna start for them, plus potentially landing Caleb Wilson, maybe the best player in the draft, with the No. 4 pick. And don’t forget the Detroit Pistons, who flipped their personnel hard for a B+, headlined by John Collins and Isaiah Joe, and a likely re-signing of Jalen Duren means they definitely improved.
The Head-Scratchers and the Question Marks
Now, let’s talk about the teams making us scratch our heads. The Boston Celtics got a C+ grade, and frankly, they just got worse. Losing Jaylen Brown and bringing in an aging Paul George to replace him? Ouch. They did get Mitchell Robinson as a reliable center, but he’s not exactly a massive upgrade over Nikola Vučević. Then there’s the Cleveland Cavaliers with a C-. They haven’t added anyone new! They re-signed Donovan Mitchell and probably will do the same with James Harden, but waiting on LeBron might just sink their entire offseason. The Denver Nuggets got a C, doing not much at all besides bringing in Marvin Bagley and re-signing Tyus Jones. Even the Golden State Warriors only managed a C+, making no new additions and just focusing on re-signings. Drafting Yaxel Lendeborg is the only thing pushing their grade slightly above average. But honestly, the Hornets’ C-grade offseason, after shipping out their franchise guy and getting rid of Miles Bridges after their best season in a decade, is just wild.
This offseason has been a rollercoaster, with some teams clearly making moves to contend and others just leaving us baffled. It’s almost time for tip-off, and these early grades paint a pretty clear picture of who’s ready to rumble and who’s got some serious work to do before the season kicks into high gear.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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