Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers: B+
4-years 211M contract
The 76ers are legitimate contenders after signing the best free agent available. There are definitely serious concerns about paying him at 34 years old and into his age 37 season as well as his underwhelming playoff resume, but this is a move they had to make. Every move since the James Harden trade has been about clearing the books in order to sign a star this summer, and now they’ve signed one. If they had come out of free agency without another star it would have been another massive mistake and another wasted year of prime Embiid. They may still not be better than the Celtics, but pairing Paul George with superstars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey gives the Sixers a chance to beat them and win a championship. So, even if there are concerns, you have to give them credit for landing the best available player and turning themselves into a real contender.
Sixers Fill out the Roster: A+
Re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr 2 years 16.3M, signing Andre Drummond 2 years 10M, Caleb Martin (reportedly) 4-year 32M, Eric Gordon 1 year minimum, trading Buddy Hield for a 2031 2nd, and re-signing Tyrese Maxey for 5 years 204M.
Having Maxey, Embiid, and George all on max contracts makes filling out the rest of the roster very difficult, but the Sixers did a fantastic job. Oubre and Martin filling out the rest of the starting lineup is perfect, as both are versatile wings who should be able to switch defensively and knock down threes. I’m not sure there were two better players available for this starting lineup at the price the 76ers paid for them. Drummond is also a good signing as he was a great backup for Embiid in his first stint in Philly and is still one of the better rebounders in the league. Gordon for the minimum should provide a solid spark off the bench and is a great signing for the minimum. They just need to bring Kyle Lowry back, and sign a backup power forward, and the roster will look pretty complete. Bringing in this amount of depth behind the best big three in the league is surprising but could prove to be just as important as the Paul George signing.
Los Angeles Clippers Pivot After Losing Paul George B
Signing Derrick Jones 3-year 30M, Nicolas Batum 2 year 9.57M
Obviously after losing an All-Star and the second-best player on the team the Clippers are in a very tough position to stay competitive. I think they’ve done a very solid job though, targeting Jones and Batum for fair contracts and not panicking into overpaying someone. Derrick Jones is going to be great for them as an uber athletic 27-year-old defensive forward who improved his three-point shooting to a somewhat respectable 34.3% last year up from his 31.6% career percentage. Batum will bring the shooting that Jones doesn’t after shooting nearly 40% last season for the 76ers after being traded from the Clippers in the Harden deal. He’s 35 years old so only signing him to a two-year deal is also good business. I’m not sure what the Clippers are with their James Harden and Kawhi Leonard core, but these signings could be good starters for them, or be valuable trade pieces if they decide to rebuild.
Mikal Bridges Traded to the New York Knicks
NY trades Bojan Bogdanovic, 5 first round picks, 1 pick swap, and 1 second round pick.
B+ for the Knicks
The Knicks are bringing the Villanova team back together but gave up too much to do it. Bridges is a great complementary piece who will give the Knicks a great 3 & D wing. Bridges is also the most durable player in the league and hasn’t missed a game since high school, even playing in 83 games during the season he was traded mid-season. That’s huge considering how much injuries derailed New York’s season, and Thibodeau’s tendency to over play his starters. Trading for Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby to the 5 year max gives the Knicks the best duo of wing defenders in the league, which is exactly what you need if you want to compete with the Celtics. They’re not as talented as Boston, but this trade got them much closer. They might have overpaid for a player that can’t carry an offense or bring the star power most teams desire, but the Knicks needed exactly what Bridges can bring and were smart to go all in.
A+ for the Nets (Combined With Their Trade with the Rockets)
The Nets are about to be one of the worst teams in the league and weren’t going to be able to compete with a core of Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, and Ben Simmons. They turned Bridges into New York’s 2025, 2027, 2029, 2031 unprotected 1st round picks, Milwaukee’s 2025 1st round pick, a New York 2028 pick swap, and Brooklyn’s own 2025 2nd round pick. In a separate move they traded for their own 2025 and 2026 first round picks from the Rockets. They had to give up 3 of Phoenix’s picks (including two pick swaps) but considering how terrible the Nets are going to be and how star studded this 2025 draft is, this is a home run offseason for Brooklyn. They are going to tank and then possibly get Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey. Trading Bridges without their own picks didn’t make any sense, but after managing to recoup their 2025 and 2026 firsts and bringing in 5 additional firsts, this sets up the Nets to finally have a clean slate.
Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks for 3 years and 50M: B
How perfect is Klay Thompson's quick and lethal shooting release for Luka Doncic? Luka’s exceptional passing and ability to drive and kick will fit like a glove with Klay’s offensive catch and shoot game. Klay is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen, is a career 41% three-point shooter, and even with all the talk about his shooting slump last season, he still shot nearly 39% from three. Luka and Kyrie thrive in space and Klay will still give them that in spades. The problem with this signing is Klay’s continued downward trajectory of his game. He’s lost more than a step defensively and struggled mightily in last year’s 0-point play-in loss. He’s not close to the player he used to be but I’m not sure the Mavericks could have gotten much better than him this summer. If Klay can regain his shooting confidence this could catapult them back to the finals.
Golden State Warriors replace Klay Thompson: B+
Sign Buddy Hield 4 year 37.4M, De’Anthony Melton 1 year 12.8M, and Kyle Anderson 3 years 27M
The Warriors dynasty is over after losing Klay Thompson, but it’s been obvious for at least half a year that this breakup was coming. Golden State needed to have a plan to replace him, and it looks like they had quite a good plan. Buddy Hield has long been one of the better shooters in the league, and should replace Klay’s shooting from last season. Melton is somewhat of a wildcard after his struggles with his back injuries. If he can stay healthy Melton will be a fantastic perimeter defender and good starter. Finally, Kyle Anderson brings something Klay never did, and seems more like an eventual Draymond replacement, as Anderson is more of a facilatator and likes the ball in his hands. He has good size and is a solid defender, so should be a good fit with Steph and Hield’s elite shooting. They’re looking like one of the deeper teams in the league after this off-season, which is exactly what they should have been going for after losing such a pivotal piece of their dynasty.
Pistons signing Tobias Harris for 2 years and 52M, Simone Fontecchio 2-year 16M, and Malik Beasley 1-year 6M: C
The Pistons are on of the least talented teams in the league and needed to overpay to bring some talent in. I just don’t believe they brought in the right players. Tobias Harris for 26M per year is tough, but at least the Pistons are finally bringing in some shooting. Fontecchio shot the ball tremendously (42.6 from three) in the 16 games he played after being traded from the Jazz last season. Beasley is a career 38.5% three point shooter as well. I doubt these players will be on the team for long, and wish the Pistons would have found at least one other player to add to their core, but they’re at least improved after these signings.
San Antonio Spurs sign Chris Paul 1-year 11M: A
What a genius move for the Spurs to bring in one of the smartest players in the league. Paul isn’t close to a great player anymore, but he’s more than capable of getting Victor Wembanyama the ball, and facilitating the offense. He’ll also help develop rookie guard Stephon Castle, and teach him some invaluable lessons. Bringing Paul in for just one year seems to have no risk to it. Even if he doesn’t help on the court much this season, bringing in such an intelligent veteran to this young core will do wonders for years to come.
Atlanta Hawks trade Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for Larry Nance Jr, E.J. Liddell, Dyson Daniels, and 2 first round picks.
Atlanta Hawks D+
Trading a player who hasn’t fit with Trae Young makes sense, but Dejounte Murray was much more valuable than this. Getting only role players, the Lakers 2025 pick, and the least favorable Milwaukee or New Orleans 2027 pick is not enough. Why would they make this trade? Do they like Larry Nance that much? I simply don’t understand how you could make this trade.
New Orleans Pelicans A
Turning two picks, Nance, Liddell, and Daniels into a player like Dejounte Murray seems impossible. The Pelicans were able to get it done though, and deserve a lot of credit. His fit with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram is definitely questionable, considering their lack of three point shooting, but you have to make this trade and bring in a player as talented as Murray when you get the chance. They should be working on bringing in shooters through different avenues (possibly an Ingram trade). Just looking at this trade though, the Pelicans couldn’t have asked for more.
Opmerkingen