How did your favorite (or most-hated) NBA team do during the 2024 offseason? The following list describes each in a single word, followed by a brief explanation. For some, context is needed. For others, the word should be enough, but we'll still explain the logic.
The Atlanta Hawks sent significant draft currency to the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Dejounte Murray, who they recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to recoup some of what was lost. The team did luck into the No. 1 overall pick to draft Zaccharie Risacher, but is the 19-year-old wing ready to help the team win around Trae Young? Identifying direction is difficult, as the Hawks seem to be running in place.
The Boston Celtics have a few issues to sort through—notably Kristaps Porziņģis' leg injury, which will keep him out to start the season. Otherwise, Boston seems confident in what it has, reinvesting with extensions for Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Sam Hauser. Once Porziņģis is healthy, the Celtics have essentially the same squad that just won a championship.
The roster is expensive, but the Celtics are looking to pad their lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for the all-time title count. Too often, NBA teams don't recognize who they are. The Brooklyn Nets were looking at a Mikal Bridges-led squad after the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving/James Harden trio fell apart.
Showing self-awareness, the Nets began a proper rebuild, sending Bridges to the New York Knicks. Look for Brooklyn to continue shedding veterans while adding youth and draft picks. It's often better to sell early than too late; the Nets seemed to recognize that well.
The Hornets are still searching for an identity. Michael Jordan sold the team last year to Gabe Plotkin and Rich Schnall. Jeff Peterson took over as the top basketball executive.
The franchise hasn't made the postseason since 2016, and the moves this summer probably won't change that trend. The Chicago Bulls halfway pivoted away from their veterans like DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, but they still have Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević and others who don't fit the timeline around younger players like Coby White, newly acquired Josh Giddey and rookie Matas Buzelis. The team has enough talent to compete in the play-in tournament, not enough to be meaningfully competitive against the top of the East and too much to chase a top draft prospect in 2025 like Duke's Cooper Flagg.
Chicago needs to commit more fully to a direction. The Cleveland Cavaliers got one of the most critical deals done this summer with the Donovan Mitchell extension. The franchise also doubled down on its pair of big men with extensions for Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
With Darius Garland, Max Strus and a commitment to Isaac Okoro, the top of Cleveland's rotation is among the best in the league. Is it strong enough to take down the Boston Celtics and other elite Eastern Conference contenders? Almost. The team is now in the luxury tax and must decide if Caris LeVert is a long-term piece.
Cleveland could still use an athletic, tall, defensive-minded wing who can shoot (a Jaden McDaniels-type). The Dallas Mavericks made bold choices this summer after their NBA Finals appearance. Most teams who get that far only tinker around the edges, but Dallas let starter Derrick Jones Jr.
go while trading Tim Hardaway Jr. The big question is, "Are the Mavericks better?" The answer isn't apparent. Is Zeke Nnaji ready to fill Jones' role? Is Klay Thompson, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, a significant upgrade over Hardaway (given Thompson's many leg injuries that have hampered his mobility, especially defensively)? After winning the title in 2023, the Denver Nuggets couldn't retain Bruce Brown Jr.
This summer, starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for the Orlando Magic where he received a more lucrative contract than Denver was willing to provide. The financial realities of the new collective bargaining agreement, coupled with significant investments in Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray (recently extended) and Michael Porter Jr., have led to attrition.
Does the dangerous duo of Jokić and Murray diminish the damage of dwindling depth in Denver? The Detroit Pistons haven't won a playoff game since 2009. The franchise parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams, despite the years left on the latter's contract). Trajan Langdon, hired to run the front office, brought in J.
B. Bickerstaff to replace Williams. Detroit seems to be restarting the restart.
It may be a while until the team is truly competitive. The Golden State Warriors broke up an NBA institution in the Splash Brothers. It's bittersweet, as the Steph Curry/Klay Thompson pairing was the greatest shooting backcourt in history.
Was it the right decision? You can argue it was, but that's beside the point. The Warriors embark on a new era, and that's just a little sad. The Houston Rockets weren't very active over the offseason, but that's not always bad.
The Rockets' patience may pay off, as they are armed with multiple draft picks and expiring/flexible contracts in the event a worthwhile trade target emerges. Thus far, the team has also waited on extending Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün. That delay may last until next offseason when the pair will be restricted free agents if they're not extended.
That might give the Rockets additional flexibility, similar to the Philadelphia 76ers with Tyrese Maxey this past July. The Indiana Pacers hadn't won a playoff series since advancing to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014. The jump from lottery team to ECF was remarkable, even if the result was a sweep by the Boston Celtics.
The Pacers have since reinvested in Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, TJ McConnell and Andrew Nembhard. The team's core is set, although Myles Turner is in the final year of his deal. Getting Bennedict Mathurin back from a shoulder injury should help as Indiana tries to build upon what was accomplished in 2023-24.
The LA Clippers were among the highest-spending teams in recent years, but facing the new restrictive rules, playoff disappointment, and a hefty contract demand from Paul George, they chose to take a different approach. George signed a massive deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Clippers' tax bill for 2023-24 decreased from $176.9 million to a projected $14.
6 million for the current season. Will the team still stay competitive? As usual, that will depend on Kawhi Leonard's unreliable health. The Los Angeles Lakers gave out multiple player options in 2023, which came back to bite the franchise.
The roster is full at 15 players, and the payroll is just under the NBA's second apron ($188.9 million). If the plan wasn't for everyone to opt in and for the team to keep both draft picks (No.
17 on Dalton Knecht, No. 55 on Bronny James), the Lakers didn't respond aggressively at the start of the summer when teams with cap room, trade exceptions and open roster space were willing to absorb unwanted contracts. Instead, the team was relatively inactive, with no trades or free-agent additions (on standard contracts).
The Memphis Grizzlies had a bad, bad 2023-24 season. From the injuries to Ja Morant's suspension for posing with a gun on Instagram Live , the year was a mess. The Grizzlies went from 51 wins to 27, a massive drop for a team heavily invested in its roster.
With marginal offseason changes, will the Grizzlies rebound with a healthy, distraction-free season? The Miami Heat are almost always competitive, but the team has serious decisions to make on direction, notably with Jimmy Butler, who can opt out after the season. Butler, 35, has struggled to stay healthy in recent years but remains the team's best player. Will the team double down on the current group with players like Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson and Butler—or is it time to transition around a younger core with players like Jamie Jaquez Jr.
, Kel'el Ware and Nikola Jović? For now, the team seems to be holding on that decision—outside of a long-term investment in Bam Adebayo. Like other franchises with high payrolls, the Milwaukee Bucks can only build around the margins. Barring trades of mainstays like Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Khris Middleton and/or Pat Connaughton, the Bucks have what they have around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Still, the team did a solid job hunting for minimum players to help the team this year, adding the likes of Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a successful 2023-24 campaign on the court.
Still, behind the scenes, the franchise is pushing through an ugly ownership dispute with Glen Taylor, Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. The team's decision-making may be stifled as Taylor goes through the legal process with Rodriguez and Lore. The Timberwolves have two significant extensions starting this season (Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels) and are one of the NBA's largest taxpayers.
If that's going to change, it may not be until the ownership limbo is resolved. Historically, the New Orleans Pelicans have not paid luxury taxes. Last year, the team started above the tax but made moves at the deadline to get under.
The Pelicans are in a similar situation this season. The Pelicans need to decide on extensions for Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III, but the budget may not allow the team to continue with the same makeup. Can New Orleans stay competitive and improve while also making economic subtractions? The needle-threading will be difficult, but trading for Dejounte Murray was a tremendous step forward.
The New York Knicks continue to collect players from Villanova (otherwise known as the "Villainova" or "Nova" Knicks). The team was already tough to play against, but adding Mikal Bridges to the core of Wildcats (Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo) should make for a fun season. New York may have some holes (notably at center), but Villanova's tough group of wings and ballhandlers will cause problems for most opponents.
The Oklahoma City Thunder finished with the best overall record in the Western Conference (by tiebreaker) last season at 57 wins. The team added Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein while sending Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls. The Thunder look improved and ready to challenge the West as a true contender.
The Orlando Magic added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to add shooting and wing defense to help push their playoff drive. The Magic are no longer a lingering team waiting for their window, and the goal is to push for sustained postseason success. Still, the team has to be careful financially.
Franz Wagner got a significant extension, Jalen Suggs is due a deal this summer or next, and Paolo Banchero is expected to be maxed out before the 2026-27 season. The Philadelphia 76ers chose not to extend Tyrese Maxey last year to maximize spending power this summer. Maxey was rewarded with a max contract, and the Sixers went from well below the cap to over the luxury tax.
Now, the team is spent. This season will be a referendum on whether it used the resources properly and whether the long-term plan was worthwhile. Paul George is an All-Star wing who could perfectly complement Joel Embiid and Maxey.
Others like Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson and Guerschon Yabusele, along with re-signed players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry and KJ Martin, flesh out what will either be a success story or..
.something else. No other franchise nears the Phoenix Suns' $185.
4 million tax penalty this season. The $405.3 million combined payroll and tax is remarkable.
The team finished sixth in the West last year with 49 wins before the Minnesota Timberwolves swept them out of the first round. The additions of Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee to minimum contracts should help, but given the taxing investment, the team needs a better end result. The Damian Lillard trade is still fresh in Portland, and the Trail Blazers are still seeking direction.
The franchise has an expensive, long-term investment in Jerami Grant (30), a couple of more-established-but-still-young players in Deandre Ayton (26) and Anfernee Simons (25), and also a group of developing prospects that includes Shaedon Sharpe (21), Scoot Henderson (20) and Donovan Clingan (20). If the younger group represents the future, will Ayton and Simons, who both have two years left on their deals, stick around? Portland may not be in a rush to make changes, but the immediate direction is unclear with the team's most expensive players. That the Sacramento Kings landed one of the summer's top free agents doesn't seem to be getting as much hype as it should.
DeRozan agreed to join the Kings via sign-and-trade from the Chicago Bulls, giving the team one of the league's more prolific scorers of the last 15 years. DeRozan joins Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk in what could be an offensive powerhouse based on individual talent. But do the pieces fit together? DeRozan is more of a mid-range, isolation scorer who doesn't typically shoot a high volume of three-pointers.
Can he be as productive with Sabonis in the paint and Fox primarily handling the ball? And can the team's top four players get stops defensively? There's not much more to say about the San Antonio Spurs. They landed a franchise star in last year's draft. It didn't take long for Victory Wembanyama to live up to (or even exceed) the hype, winning Rookie of the Year for 2023-24.
Everything now is about building a core of players to complement him well. As he grows and matures as a player, the Spurs should gradually build out the team to support one of the league's most exciting young talents. The Toronto Raptors don't look quite good enough to crack the top six of the Eastern Conference, but they are way too talented to tank for the lottery.
They're a mid-team—middle of the pack—which is generally a bad thing in the NBA. However, the core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley is young enough that the Raptors have time to build something substantial around them. It just may not get the Raptors out of the middle this coming season.
The Utah Jazz used their financial flexibility to reward Lauri Markkanen with a renegotiated and extended contract instead of aggressively adding talent alongside him. The importance of locking him down long-term gives the Jazz more control over their timeline in terms of when and how to improve. The franchise appears to be waiting for the right opportunity (probably in trade) to add a second piece next to Markkanen.
The team's fortunes may turn quickly if it can simultaneously get that done and hit in the draft next June. The Washington Wizards are another rebuilding team that may focus more on the 2025 lottery than on making the play-in tournament. Their roster is a hodgepodge that doesn't make much basketball sense with veterans like Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valančiūnas and young prospects Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington.
Look for the Wizards to be active on the trade market, likely cashing out veterans for additional picks and prospects. Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.
com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus ..
