Every team that missed the playoffs enters the offseason trying to get better. Which teams succeeded at that goal?
The best part of free agency is essentially a pointless endeavor.
As a society we love to declare winners and losers from an event. We do this in sports, in politics, in everyday life. The Internet is flush with articles about the NBA offseason, calling this team a winner, this player a loser.
The reality is that at this point, no one has won or lost anything. Sure, the Golden State Warriors look like winners after their acquisition of Kevin Durant. But they won 73 games last season, and the history of superstars pairing up is checkered at best. There is no guarantee choosing Kevin Durant over key rotation players will be a long-term win for the Warriors.
Until the games begin and the wins and losses that truly count start tallying up, can we find out how draft picks and free agent signings shake out? Did the Boston Celtics win by signing Al Horford, or did they lose by not retaining their cap flexibility to sign two max free agents next offseason? Is Dwight Howard going to be a negative in Atlanta, or will his rebounding and shot-blocking be what the Hawks have needed for years? These questions cannot be fully answered in July.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to try anyway. 14 teams missed the playoffs last season, and all 14 entered the offseason with the plan to get better. Not every team will be successful, but in July all teams have hope.
Which lottery teams look to have made intelligent moves that improve their franchise outlook? In other words, who are the “winners” of the offseason?
Honorable Mention: Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers are a combination of extremes, fitting for a franchise swathed in celebrities and championship banners. They made some of the best moves of the offseason, drafting talented players in Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac and getting solid value from their cap space by taking on the contract of Jose Calderon from Chicago. On the other hand, they handed out $64 million to Timofey Mozgov on a massive four-year deal, when Festus Ezeli became available a week later for $15 million total for two years. Similarly-priced centers such as Ian Mahinmi and Bismack Biyombo offer more short and long-term upside than Mozgov. For a young team, the Lakers not only signed Mozgov through his age-33 season, they will be paying Luol Deng $18 million a season until he is 35. A collection of A’s and D’s for the Lakers results in Los Angeles on the outside looking in at the true winners of the offseason.
5: Brooklyn Nets – Brooklyn entered the offseason with one of the bleakest features of any professional sports team. They owed their next three first round picks to the Boston Celtics, including this year’s No. 3 overall pick, had just fired their General Manager and Head Coach, and only had one or two players that would be on the next great Brooklyn Nets team. Their opportunities for improvement were few and far between.
Within that context, the Nets had a great offseason. They hired former San Antonio Spurs employee Sean Marks to be their GM, a move lauded by the basketball community. They hired former Atlanta Hawks coach Kenny Atkinson as their head coach, another shrewd move. The impulsive win-now moves Brooklyn fans witnessed were now a thing of the past.
The new brain trust put their imprint on the team beginning on draft night, trading power forward Thaddeus Young for a first round pick, where they drafted onetime lottery prospect Caris LeVert out of Michigan. They bought their way into the second round to take Isaiah Whitehead, a local talent who lit up college basketball with his scoring last season.
In free agency, the Nets played the margin to add valuable players at low-cost contracts. They signed center Justin Hamilton for $3 million per year, after he dominated the Spanish Liga ACB league. Trevor Booker was signed to replace Thaddeus Young for two-years, $18.5 million. Grevies Vasquez took a low-money deal to recoup his value as the backup point guard. All are talented players who won’t start on the next good Brooklyn team, but will serve the Nets well during the transition.
To start at point guard, Brooklyn dished out $12 million annually to sign Jeremy Lin. With the scarcity of point guards on the market, it seemed that Lin could earn significantly more, but Lin was drawn to New York and the idea of playing for former Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson.
Finally, Brooklyn swung for the fences in signing Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to restricted offer sheets. Although both Miami and Portland matched, respectively, the Nets made a run at talented wing players to fill a hole on their roster. They still have holes, but cap space as well, and could turn their attention to other RFAs such as Jared Sullinger or Maurice Harkless.
The Nets didn’t change their fortunes in a few months, but they did show that the new regime in Brooklyn is going to make smart decisions and build for the future. If they can parlay wise short-term, low-money deals into longer deals for better players down the road, this team will be on the right track.
4. Washington Wizards – No lottery team had a shot to sign Kevin Durant, not even his hometown Wizards. The minute Washington became a lottery team was the minute the door to Durant slammed shut. But Washington made a number of intelligent moves to recover.
With the Indiana Pacers signing Al Jefferson to join Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner in their frontcourt rotation, it opened up an opportunity to sign Ian Mahinmi, which the Wizards did. Mahinmi is a solid player who contributes on both offense and defense, such as underrated rim protection and above-average passing from the center position. Washington signed him to a four-year, $64 million deal to rotate with Marcin Gortat at center.
The Wizards continued to fill out their rotation, signing Tomas Satoransky to a three-year, $9 million deal. The 24-year old out of the Czech Republic put up solid numbers in the top Spanish league playing for their best team, Barcelona. Satoransky also led the Czech Republic national team through the Olympic qualifying tournament and into a berth in Rio, and is a great value as a backup point guard to John Wall. They traded a 2021 second-round pick for point guard Trey Burke, who at 23 still could develop into a solid backup point guard and will be under team control for another few years.
Washington also signed Andrew Nicholson to a four-year, $26 million contract. Nicholson is young with plenty of upside, and in the current market $6.5 million annually is well worth the price to see if a talented young player can turn into something more.
Washington’s misstep this offseason was giving $6 million a year to Jason Smith, the opposite of a young athlete with upside. Smith rated as below replacement-level last season in Orlando, with league-average shooting from inside the arc his best attribute. Not only did Washington not need his skills, but adding another young big with upside would have made much more sense than a 30-year old center who cannot protect the rim.
Overall, the Wizards added depth at solid prices in a crazy market, rebuilding a rotation that has playoff aspirations next season.
3. Philadelphia 76ers – Similar to Brooklyn, Philadelphia’s grade has to be given in context. They did not jump from worst team in the league to a playoff lock; it would be shocking if they were even in the playoff conversation at any point this season.
But the Sixers got better, and that is important for this stage in their franchise. Years of tanking finally manifested a top overall pick, and in a draft with only two stars the Sixers couldn’t afford to drop back.
Ben Simmons has looked like a superstar in summer league play, throwing highlight reel passes that are so on target his teammates aren’t even prepared for them. He seemingly has magnets in his hands that attract the basketball when he is going for a rebound and propels it when he is threading a pass through a sea of defenders. Ben Simmons is the type of talent that changes a franchise.
Philadelphia didn’t take a nap after drafting Simmons either. Later in the first round they drafted two international prospects, Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz, who could easily have been taken in the top-10. The Sixers got them at picks No. 24 and 26, respectively. Each provides wing depth and shooting, two things vital to Philadelphia’s roster and to the league as a whole.
The 76ers’ approach to free agency was to conserve their cap space while still bringing in veterans to help mold the young players on this team. They signed Gerald Henderson for two years, $18 million, a value contract for any team but especially for a Philadelphia team without much to offer potential free agents.
Last year’s biggest weakness was at point guard, and the Sixers primarily solved that problem by giving Ben Simmons the ball rather than playing him off the ball. To back him up they signed Spanish guard Sergio Rodriguez to a one-year, $8 million deal.
Then they went after a guard who could play off the ball on offense, and defend point guards on defense. A solid plan to build around Ben Simmons. Unfortunately, the 76ers identified that player as Jerryd Bayless, giving the journeyman guard $9 million a year on a three-year deal.
The final event from Philadelphia’s offseason thus far was the official confirmation that Dario Saric, their 2014 first round draft pick, is coming to the NBA next season. Not only is Saric a talented combo forward who can space the floor around Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, but in coming this year he stays on the rookie scale, giving the 76ers a number of cost-controlled years in which to evaluate his fit. If Saric plays as well as he has in international play, the Sixers will have plenty of incentive to keep him around.
The 76ers didn’t mortgage the future, but they did make their team better, providing a better environment for their young players to grow. At each of their draft slots they got talented players that met needs, most likely a healthier balance than the previous regime’s straight “best player available” approach.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves – Minnesota’s offseason began on a wave of expectation and potential. With a young core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine (not to mention talented young rotation players) the Timberwolves’ future is bright.
It became even brighter when Minnesota signed the top free agent coach, bringing in Tom Thibodeau to serve as head coach and team president. Scott Layden came aboard as general manager. Both men have proven track records of success, as well as time spent learning from talented organizations and people.
Minnesota made a strong push to trade for Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, but they wisely chose not to overpay. While this team has high hopes for next season, they have a young team that has time to grow.
The Timberwolves followed the Thibodeau philosophy in drafting Kris Dunn, a long and athletic point guard who defends and passes at elite levels. Dunn joins a crowded point guard rotation including Ricky Rubio and rising sophomore Tyus Jones, but his talent and athleticism were too much for Minnesota to pass up. Early returns in summer league for Dunn are promising.
Minnesota also attacked free agency wisely, taking advantage of the market inefficiencies to find value even with the rising cap. They signed center Cole Aldrich to a three-year, $22 million deal while worse centers were getting $16 million per season. While Minnesota is likewise strong at center, Aldrich is young and talented and both Towns and Gorgui Dieng have the versatility to play minutes at the 4.
The Timberwolves added wing help by signing Brandon Rush for a one-year, $3.5 million deal. He filled in for Harrison Barnes last year for the Warriors and they didn’t miss a beat, and he provides shooting and defense for a squad always looking for both.
The Timberwolves didn’t blow the roof off the barn, but they didn’t need to. Their young talent will take an explosive leap forward under Thibodeau’s tutelage, and new additions in Dunn, Rush, and Aldrich will contribute in positive ways.
1. Utah Jazz – It was a distinct possibility going into the offseason that the Jazz would stay quiet this offseason, conserving cap space for future raises their young players will need down the road. With injured players coming back healthy, they were already lined up to make the playoffs after coming so close last season.
Instead Utah decided to leverage their cap space into assets. First, they traded the No. 12 pick in the draft for George Hill. The former Pacer is a perfect fit at point guard for the Jazz, as he can pass, shoot, and defend at high levels. Playing off the ball next to Paul George prepared him for life next to ball-handling wings such as the Jazz have in Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood.
The Jazz also struck gold by flipping a replacement-level player in Olivier Hanlon for Boris Diaw. The Spurs needed to offload Diaw to clear the cap space to sign Pau Gasol, and Utah was an enthusiastic participant. Diaw provides the versatility, court-vision, and touch around the basket to play alongside any combination of Utah’s frontcourt. He could pair with either Derrick Favors or Rudy Gobert as the power forward, or slide to center alongside Trey Lyles or Hayward at the 4.
Finally, the Jazz should be applauded for what they didn’t do: offload any of their wings. Trade chatter over the last year included, at times, both Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward. While both are at different talent levels, they fit into the Jazz rotation extremely well. In a league where wings are as valued as they have ever been, the Jazz were right to keep their complement fully loaded.
As their contenders for the Western Conference playoffs grow worse (Oklahoma City), older (Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks) and more injury-prone (Memphis, Houston) the Jazz made moves to solidify the upward trajectory of their roster and prepare them to take on the playoffs with confidence. Of all the lottery teams, none is more likely than Utah to leave the bottom half of the league behind next season.
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