NBA free agency is obviously far from over, but we have already seen plenty of big moves. The biggest one saw the Philadelphia 76ers giving Paul George a four-year max contract, making it an easy decision for the nine-time All-Star to leave the Los Angeles Clippers. However, George wasn’t the only big name to switch teams. With that in mind, keep reading for some of the teams that have helped themselves this offseason.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers were able to land George on a four-year, $212 million deal. I did a deeper dive on this move already, but any list of offseason winners has to include Philadelphia. The Sixers are now second on the odds board to win the 2024-25 NBA title at DraftKings Sportsbook. If George and Joel Embiid can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit for Nick Nurse’s group.
Orlando Magic
The Magic might not have legitimate title hopes, but they have the potential to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. After going 47-35 and finishing fifth in the conference standings last year, another leap can be expected from Orlando. The Magic, who shot just 31.3% from 3 and only attempted 31.3 triples per game, signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year, $66 million deal. Caldwell-Pope is a big guard that can really defend, so he will only help an Orlando team that was third in the league in adjusted defensive rating last season. But Pope also shot 40.6% from deep last year, marking the third time in the least four seasons that he has shot at least 40.0% from 3. He’s going to significantly help the Magic in the floor-spacing department, which should unlock this offense quite a bit.
Dallas Mavericks
After losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the Mavericks had the option of running things back. Dallas acquired PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline, so it wouldn’t have been crazy if the team opted to spend the summer building even more chemistry to make another run at it next season. But the Mavericks decided to be aggressive. Dallas ultimately ended up being the team to win the Klay Thompson sweepstakes, acquiring the four-time NBA champion and five-time All-Star in a sign-and-trade.
Thompson is no longer the two-way stud he once was, but he averaged 17.9 points per game and shot 38.7% from deep on 9.0 attempts per game last season. He’s still very much one of the most dangerous shooters in basketball, and he should thrive on the open looks that Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic will create for him. The reality is that Thompson is a huge upgrade over Tim Hardaway Jr., who was unplayable in the postseason last year. And while the Mavericks did lose Derrick Jones Jr. to the Clippers, Dallas did well to replace him with Naji Marshall. Marshall is a great wing defender and he has shown some signs as a shooter. Don’t be surprised if he ends up doing a better job than expected as Jones’ replacement.
Dallas also got Quentin Grimes from the Detroit Pistons in the Hardaway salary dump. Grimes has shown some flashes as a 3-and-D player, which is nice considering Dallas lost Josh Green in acquiring Thompson.
All in all, the Mavericks made some minor improvements to their roster, showing that they’re not going to be complacent. Thompson, who many are quick to call “washed”, has a little left in the tank. His Estimated Plus Minus (EPM) climbed throughout the course of the 2023-24 season, and he’s going to hungrier than ever in his new surroundings.
San Antonio Spurs
Not only did the Spurs add some talent in the draft, but the team landed Chris Paul on a one-year, $11 million deal. Paul might be declining rapidly, but he’s still capable of playing some good basketball. Last year, Paul averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 26.4 minutes per game for the Golden State Warriors. He’s still one of the best passers on the planet, and he’s also a capable 3-point shooter.
Last season, it was clear that San Antonio needed a little help at the point guard position. Tre Jones is a solid player, but the Spurs were missing a high-level thinker to get more out of Victor Wembanyama. Well, Paul is going to come in and immediately demand greatness from the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year. So, while the Spurs might not be relevant when it comes to betting on team futures, don’t be surprised if this is a team that has a good against-the-spread record. And look for Wembanyama to contend for some regular season awards.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were unable to keep center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, but it’s hard not to call them a winner early in the offseason. New York traded Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick, an unprotected pick swap and a second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. The Knicks gave up a fortune in that deal, but they added a player that can shoot the 3, score off the bounce and defend along the perimeter.
In Bridges and the recently re-signed OG Anunoby, New York has one of the best wing duos in the league. That addition gives the Knicks a puncher’s chance in the Eastern Conference, as New York will also get Julius Randle back after shoulder surgery derailed his 2023-24 season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
One team’s loss is another team’s gain. The series of moves New York made to improve along the wing meant that Hartenstein was likely to land elsewhere. The big man ultimately decided to sign with the Thunder, who gave him a three-year, $87 million contract.
The Thunder have had a lot of success running a five-out offense, but last year’s playoffs made it clear they needed to beef up inside a little. Hartenstein is the perfect answer for that. Last season, Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He’s the king of doing dirty work inside, as he competes relentlessly on the glass and is one of the best interior defenders in the league. Hartenstein is also a good offensive fit for the Thunder. He might not be a good 3-point shooter, but he’s a very good passer at the center position. So, Mark Daigneault should be able to get creative with the offense, even if Hartenstein doesn’t allow them to space the way they might want to.
A lot of people have slammed this signing and said that Hartenstein went for a little too much money, but Oklahoma City likely wasn’t going to be signing anybody else. So, even if Hartenstein is a matchup-dependent starter, this team got a lot better in bringing in a player his size. After all, Hartenstein was in the 99th percentile in Defensive EPM last season, which is amazing considering he was also a positive on offense. When teams go big against Oklahoma City, Hartenstein will be there. If teams go small, the Thunder can go to Chet Holmgren at the five.
The Thunder also traded Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso before free agency began. Caruso is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in basketball, and he’s also a good 3-point shooter. He’s going to fit perfectly in Oklahoma City, where an NBA championship now looks like an achievable goal. Oklahoma City is third on the odds board at +850 to win, and there honestly might be value at that number.
