Post by verysilentone on Jun 24, 2024 2:30:56 GMT
I had this halfway done for a while. Obviously some of these players were moved during the season, but I wrote it as if we were still 3 weeks ago. I doubt I will get to write the Western Conference
Atlanta Hawks
Giannis is happy to be out of Detroit.
Additions: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Precious Achiuwa, Joson Sanon, Drew Cisse, Jett Howard, Vasilije Micic, Dillon Jones
Departures: Draymond Green, Mo Bamba, Anthony Black, Payton Prichard, Mouhamed Gueye, Jonathan MogboGrade: B+
The Hawks made another big move this offseason after last season’s big acquisition of Jayson Tatum. The team is coming off a 50 win season and has been lacking a reliable power forward over the last few years. Giannis has seen his numbers decline over the last four seasons, but has made the All Star game in each of those seasons. If he keeps from declining too much, he should be able to be a stabilizing force for the Hawks as long as he is able to gel with Tatum. The move also gives the Hawks a player to mentor last season’s first round selection in Koa Peat, who is considered a potential future All Star in this league.
The other noteworthy addition for the Hawks is Joson Sanon, their 1st round pick. Joson is a guy who excels from mid range, but can also step up from beyond the three point line. He has a scorer’s mentality, but has good court vision. This all sounds very similar to the current starter at his position. He will seek to learn all he can from Tatum hoping to one day supplant him. Most of the other moves were back of the bench guys signed late in free agency, but it’s hard to be down on the two big moves made by the Hawks.
Additions: Julius Randle, AJ Griffin, RJ Barrett (after losing him in free agency), Annor Boateng, Nikola Durisic
Departures: Markelle Fultz, Jordan Poole, Jordan Miller, Malik Reneau
Grade: C +
The Hornets are coming off another early exit in the playoffs. They also entered free agency with two big contributors heading to free agency. Both players ended up leaving with Barrett returning to Charlotte after signing with Milwaukee. The most notable move in Charlotte was the acquisition of Julius Randle for free agent signing Kyle Kuzma and cash. The Hornets were clearly looking to improve the front court and Randle should provide some much needed scoring in the paint. The Hornets can now move Nick Richards back to the bench where he excelled in 2023. The other notable move was MLE signing AJ Griffin, who is coming off two seasons where he has basically been the last man off the bench. Griffin is an incredibly efficient three point shooter and was projected to play big minutes prior to the re-acquisition of RJ Barrett. Either way, Griffin should find some playing time as the replacement for Jordan Poole and to help fill some of the minutes that Markelle Fultz used to play at small forward. The team didn’t trade much to reacquire Barrett, but they are now paying him a figure that they were not willing to pay him in free agency. We will see how that works and how Barrett adapts to playing with Randle and moving a bit further down on the hierarchy in the offense. Overall, I like the addition of Randle, but it’s was not the most exciting offseason in Charlotte.
New Orleans Pelicans
Additions: Jared McCain, Eli Ellis, Cam Scott, Mo Wagner, Mo Bamba, Terry Rozier
Departures: Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley, Alex Len, Zach Collins, Oliver Maxence-Prosper, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Huerter, Jizzie James, Delon Wright
Grade: B
The only thing that I didn’t love about the Pelicans offseason is that they have 100 million in cap space to use. Otherwise, I think it was a successful offseason. None of the departures were playing significant roles for the young Pelicans and were unlikely to do so this season even if they had returned. The big move was selecting arguable the 2nd best player in the draft, but doing so after trading down two spots while acquiring a young prospect in Cam Scott in the process. The pre-draft comparisons to Labaron Philon were interesting given that McCain has now stolen the starting job from last year’s 5th overall selection. McCain is a score first guard. He is really an off ball guard in a point guard’s body. He should be a high level scorer throughout his time in New Orleans. He is a fantastic midrange and 3 point shooter. Interestingly enough, with their next selection, the Pelicans selected another score first point guard with a fantastic midrange game and unlimited range on the floor. Eli Ellis excelled with both Overtime Elite and at South Carolina. He is a confident scorer and a good ball handler. The question is how he will be able to find some playing time with McCain and Philon ahead of him. Outside of the draft, the Pelicans took a wait and see approach and were able to add a couple of veterans big men in Mo Wagner and Mo Bamba. Neither player will wow you, but they will provide a veteran presence and Bamba is a capable rebounder. The final move that the Pelicans made was trading for former all star Terry Rozier. The combo guard will provide some veteran leadership for a young backcourt. Rozier is now headed to his fourth team in five seasons. He has seen a reduction in playing time and has not been able to recapture the magic from his 2023 All Star campaign, but he is still an effective scorer who will also limit turnovers. He should really contribute to the growth of players like McCain and Judah Mintz.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Additions: Luka Doncic, Paolo Banchero, Isaiah Hartenstein, Dylan Harper, Flory Bidunga, Taran Armstrong, Carlsheon Young, John Collins
Departures: Felix Okpara, Andre Drummond, Miles Bridges, D’Angelo Russell, Dash Daniels, Tre Mann, Jett Howard
Grade: A-
The Cavs are coming off a couple of very difficult seasons in which they have failed to win 30 wins in either year. They tore it all down for additional draft capital and were looking to capitalize on their selections this season to rebuild the roster. They were very active in trade discussions and were able to bring in Paolo Banchero and Luka Doncic to inject some life into this franchise. Banchero has been a very interesting player since he has already been moved a few times in his young career. The former first overall pick is now with his 5th franchise in what is now his 6th season. Banchero is a two time all star and former 6th man of the year. He will provide Luka some much needed help in Cleveland. Doncic arrives from Utah in exchange for Dash Daniels and four first round selections. Luka has four All Star selections to his name and first team all defensive honors as well. He is averaging over 30 points per game for his career, but it will be interesting to see how well he works with another front line scorer. He was playing shooting guard in Dallas when Jayson Tatum was there, but he will be the primary ball handler in Cleveland. It should be a dynamic one-two punch. The last major addition that we will touch on is 5th overall pick Dylan Harper. Harper is already a capable interior scorer and defender and has great size for the shooting guard position. He will need to continue to improve his three point shot, but he has a strong work ethic with was instilled in him by his father former NBA champion, Ron Harper. Dylan grew up in New Jersey, but has now been drafted by the team from his father’s home state. Interestingly enough Harper has some comparisons to Luka. He isn’t the fastest player on the court, but he is able to use his size and savviness to score around the basket. Hartenstein returns to Cleveland and should be a solid starter on a nice contract. He should be a nice upgrade over last year’s centers. The other notable signing was that of Taran Armstrong, who comes over from Minnesota. Armstrong has been one of the bigger steals in the last few drafts having been selected at the end of the 2nd round. He was able to overtake Jalen Suggs and was a solid starter for a playoff team. The Cavs originally signed him with the intention of starting him, but with the Luka trade, Armstrong will likely see time at both guard positions. He was a great signing with just a 8 million price tag. Overall, this was a great offseason in Cleveland. They immediately acquired some much needed star power and also brought in some exciting young talent both through the draft and through free agency. The only question that I have is whether they traded too many picks, but as far as what they were able to do, I really like the changes to the roster.
Additions: Jalen Johnson, Maxwell Lewis, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jonathan Mogbo, Tyus Jones, Jizzie James, Kyle Kuzma, Chuma Okeke, Jaden Toombs, draft picks
Departures: Lauri Markannen, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Immanuel Quickley, Julius Randle,
Grade: B (not for the players but for the draft capital)
The Pistons were coming off two consecutive playoff appearances, but it made it clear that they were looking to rebuild this offseason. They were able to trade away all but one player that played more than 15 minutes per game in 2026. They tried to trade Giannis out west, but that move was rejected, only to then flip him to Atlanta for 2 first round picks. They were able to obtain another two first round picks for Lauri Markannen. They obtained another first in moving Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson and were able to obtain cash in swaps for Immanuel Quickley and Julius Randle. The players obtained were not much to write about. Kyle Kuzma comes off two seasons riding the bench in New Orleans and Washington, but he has always been a capable scorer. He averaged 19 points per game over the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Wizards. Kuzma should be able to fill up the stat sheet in Detroit and may possibly be moved as well heading into the later parts of the season. Jalen Johnson was part of the Markannen trade and is finally headed back to the Midwest for the first time in his career. The Wisconsin native signed a huge contract with the Raptors in 2025, but has never really lived up to the expectations. He was immediately traded to Orlando after signing the deal and had a solid season there, but lost some playing time the following year and now heads to Detroit, where he hopes to revive his career. The other interesting acquisition is 2nd round pick Jaden Tombs. We have seen a few good big man prospects drop in recent drafts, but it’s rare that they make it to the midway point of the 2nd round. Tombs likely fell due to his age and his old school style of play. He is a true center who does most of his damage in the post. He has a strong frame and a soft touch inside. He is also a hard worker and does all of the little things that you want a player to do. He had a great training camp and should compete for minutes with the Pistons. Aside from that, the Pistons also acquired a few players that have not seen much action in 2026. Tyus Jones, Maxwell Lewis and Sandro Mamukelashvili have all seen playing time at some point in their careers, but it’s hard to say whether they will play much for the Pistons this year as they proceed with their youth movement.
Indiana Pacers
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Joel Embiid wore sunglasses everywhere this offseason after leaving Philadelphia and trying to avoid the angry 76ers fans.
Additions: Joel Embiid, Jaedon Ledee, Payton Prichard, Malik Beasley, Patrick Baldwin Jr, Jordan Poole, Lu Dort
Departures: Franz Wagner, Bismack Biyombo, Asa Newell, Naz Reid, Ben Simmons, Mason Plumbee, Brice Sensabaugh, Andrew Nembhard, Grade: B
The Pacers have relied on strong interior defense and strong perimeter scoring now for a few seasons. They have gotten some production from Myles Turner, but he has not been a reliable scorer for them. The team decided that they need more offense inside to compliment those shooters and they went out and traded for former playoff and All Star Game MVP Joel Embiid. Embiid will anchor the strong interior defense that has been the identity of the Pacers teams of the past. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has averaged nearly 3 blocks per game in each of the last three seasons and will be an absolute nightmare alongside Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson, who both average over 2.5 blocks of their own. The other main piece coming over is Lu Dort, who is one of the best on ball defenders in the league. His scoring has been on a downtrend since averaging 17 points per game in 2021-2022, but the Pacers are hoping that he can tap into the scoring potential that he found with the Bucks just a few seasons ago where he averaged 13 points per game in just 18 minutes. Dort just signed a six year deal with the Knicks prior to the trade, so I hope he likes Indiana because he will be there for a while. The Pacers clearly felt that they were set in the frontcourt as all of their free agent additions are guards and small forwards. They were able to bring back Khris Middleton who has spent most of the last five seasons in Indiana. The veteran has seen his playing time diminish, but he is a veteran presence in the locker room. Jordan Poole and Malik Beasley are veterans that provide instant offense off the bench. Both can play some point guard and may help to spell Tyrese Haliburton. Their last addition is Patrick Baldwin Jr. The former top 10 prospect coming out of high school has had an interesting career thus far. He was a late first round pick and then barely played for the last three seasons before finally getting into 72 games for the Nets last year. We will see if he can finally flip the switch in Indiana and recapture some of that magic that had some thinking he would be a future superstar. I love Embiid. I don't love the Lu Dort contract they acquired with him.
Milwaukee Bucks
Additions: Malik Reneau, Alier Maluk, Caleb Gaskins, Michael Porter Jr(traded), RJ Barrett (traded), Liam McNeeley, Cason Wallace, Cole Anthony(traded), Scotty Middleton, Jose Alvarado, Alex Len(Porter trade), Coby White, Vonterius Woolbridgt(Barrett trade)
Departures: Jonas Valanciunas, Damian Lillard, Andrew Wiggins, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Nicola Durisic, Duncan Robinson, Oscar Tshiebwe, Precious Achiuwa, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Malik Dia
Grade: B+
The Bucks have approached the last two offseasons with the same plan. Sign some veteran talent and flip them for assets. They have also managed to bring on some young talent with their cap space to continue the rebuild. This offseason they were able to sign a couple of young players that could be part of the future in Malik Reneau, Cason Wallace and Scotty Middleton. All three players are under the age of 25 and signed to team friendly deals. Wallace comes over after two seasons starting in Orlando. He led the young Magic team in scoring two seasons ago and posted 18 points per game. This could be a similar situation for Wallace with the Bucks lacking a true top scorer. Middleton played in a lot of games for the Pistons over the last two seasons, but didn’t get to play many minutes. It’s easy to understand why he jumped on the opportunity to play for Milwaukee. He is seen more as a complimentary scorer rather than the go to guy or the playmaker, but he is a tremendous defender. He is one to watch as he is only 23 and should be given time to develop for the Bucks. Reneau, like Middleton, is another Miami-area kid who decided to attend college in the Midwest. Reneau was drafted by the Pacers after attending Indiana University, but was soon released and then signed by the Hornets where he developed but didn’t get to play. Reneau is just a solid non-flashy player. He is a good defender, but will not block many shots. He is also a good offensive rebounder as well. Reneau signed a two year deal and should be able to carve out a role in the young frontcourt. The Porter and Barrett signings were done merely to use them as trade bait and they were able to obtain some cash for them. Both are solid moves. The bigger news for most rebuilding teams is the draft. The Bucks came in with the 14th and 23rd selections and were able to select two big men to shore up the front court. In a strange set of circumstances, they were able to draft two big men that have already played in the same front court, selecting Florida State Seminoles Caleb Gaskins and Alier Maluk. As a fellow Seminole, I can only say that this was a fantastic draft. Gaskins is more of a tweener who likes to compare his game to Kevin Durant. He has a smooth three point shot, but will need to continue to get stronger if the plan is to keep him at power forward long term. Maluk says that he watches a lot of Joel Embiid. He moves very well for his size and has good touch around the rim. He is another player that will need to bulk up, but he has some additional height that Gaskins doesn’t possess. He has a very intriguing game for his height. Interestingly enough, the Bucks continued to stack former teammates with their 2nd round selection, Liam McNeeley. McNeeley, unfortunately for him, is not a Seminole, but he did attend Montverde Academy with Caleb Gaskins. McNeeley is a great scorer and shooter and is said to have great feel for the game. He is a good passer and loves to facilitate for others. He is not as physically gifted but makes up for it with his awareness. With Middleton ahead of him, McNeeley likely will not get the same minutes, as the two first round picks, but he should continue to grow alongside them and eventually get a shot at taking the starting job. This was a good offseason and a big step towards getting Milwaukee back to winning basketball games.Additions: Nikola Jokic, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Zack Edey, Dillon Brooks(traded), Kelly Oubre(traded), Cole Anthony, Abraham Joum Maker Bol, Kiyan Anthony, Miles Bridges, Wendell Carter(traded), Kyle Filipowski(traded), Andrew Wiggins
Depatures: Dereck Lively, Aiden Sherrell, Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Jalen Williams, Bruno Fernandez,
Grade: B
It was another interesting offseason in Toronto. The private plane gets more mileage than American Airlines does. Players are moving in and out on a daily basis and this offseason was no different. It is hard to argue with their results over the last few years. The Raptors were able to acquire former MVP Nikola Jokic to partner with the best young player in the game, Victor Wembanyama. I am interested to see how they will fit together, but it should definitely be fun to watch. In order to make this happen, the Raptors moved Dereck Lively to obtain Kyle Filipowski. They later added Filipowski to Brandon Ingram and Aiden Sherrell, as part of the package for Jokic. It does leave them with a need for more scoring from the wing, but it puts together one of the greatest frontcourts ever assembled. In order to fill the void at small forward, they brought in some veteran options such as Andrew Wiggins, Dillon Brooks and Kelly Oubre. They later traded Brooks and Oubre for Zach Edey. They moved Brunson for some help at small forward in sophomore Kiyan Anthony. They also acquired Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey for more help on the wings. The Raptors will be relying on a familiar face at point guard with Fred Vanvleet. Vanvleet has played for several different franchises since leaving Toronto, but has been unable to see the same success that he had there in his first go around. Now, he is being given the reins once again to try to help them obtain that elusive title. The Raptors moved a lot of young talent, but you have to be willing to do so to obtain a talent like Jokic. The question is whether they were able to acquire the right pieces to be able to replace them. Vanvleet is a question mark after not playing much last season. Anthony struggled in his rookie season. Thompson is an incredible defender, but can he score enough for them. These are all important questions to answer in the coming weeks in Toronto. We know they will be active in the trade market to fill any possible holes they discover.
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