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Men on the Move
It’s easier to name the teams who didn’t make major roster overhauls this offseason than the ones who did as the smoke finally starts to clear on one of the wildest free agent frenzies in league history.
The action differed by Conference. Other than the Brooklyn Nets, most teams – both at the top and bottom of the East standings – went with the brick-by-brick approach. Teams at the top like Philly and Milwaukee tweaked already-loaded rosters. Young squads like the Cavs and Bulls continued to build from the ground up.
After reaching four straight NBA Finals, the Wine & Gold took a step back last year, winning just 19 games in a transitional season. In 2019-20, they return with a new head coach and a new outlook, tabbing three first rounders in June’s Draft.
The only Cavaliers on the current roster over 30 are Kevin Love (32) and Matthew Dellavedova (30). Among the other rotational players, the average age is just 24.1 years old – including the incoming Draft class of Darius Garland (19), Dylan Windler (22) and Kevin Porter Jr. (19).
While franchises out West were swinging for the fences the moment free agency tipped off, Cleveland was one of those aforementioned Eastern Conference teams that stood relatively pat this offseason.
The Cavaliers were thrilled with 20-year-old Collin Sexton’s late-season rookie run, saw Larry Nance Jr. (27) develop into a solid starter in the middle and had the Conference’s top-scoring reserve in Jordan Clarkson (28). Cedi Osman (25) was one of the league’s most improved players and Ante Zizic (23) looks poised for a big leap in his third season.
In June, they added arguably the incoming class’s best pure shooter, a four-year man who led his Conference in three-point shooting and rebounding and a lefty shooting guard who some called the steal of the Draft.
Over the past decade, the Cavaliers have been big players in the offseason market and – like this past summer – have taken a more reserved approach. Right now, the team has young talent and a head coach whose specialty is developing it. The front office has plenty of flexibility heading into the season and, eventually, as the Trade Deadline rolls around.
But that doesn’t mean teams around the Conference took the same approach.
And while only the Nets shifted completely into hyper-speed, plenty of other squads made machinations to try to be this year’s Toronto Raptors.
We’ll take a look at the wild, wild West next week. Today, here’s a glance at what went down in the East …
ATLANTIC DIVISION
TORONTO RAPTORS
The question the Raptors and their fans are now asking themselves is this: Was it worth it?
Last offseason, Toronto GM Masai Ujiri took the summer’s biggest gamble – making a blockbuster deal for Kawhi Leonard who could (and eventually did) depart as a free agent after just one season. That gamble paid off to perfection, as the Raptors dethroned Golden State to take the 2019 NBA title.
Leonard is gone – returning to L.A. to play for his hometown Clippers – but Toronto finally got over the hump in the LeBron-less East. Sharpshooting reserve Danny Green will also depart for Tinseltown, joining the Lakers. The Raptors made minor acquisitions – signing free agents Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson – to join a roster that still includes Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
Nick Nurse’s team will take a step back and struggle a bit this season, but the answer to the initial question is probably still the same: Yes, it was totally worth it.
PHILADELPHIA 76ers
As the Raptors return to the drawing board, the Sixers can see their opening in the East.
Things could have been vastly different for Philly – which dropped Game 7 in Toronto on Kawhi’s rim-rattling buzzer-beater. But that loss, their second Conference Semifinal defeat in as many seasons, forced the Sixers to do another roster overhaul as they try to bring the Process to fruition.
Their biggest subtraction is Jimmy Butler – acquired from Minnesota early last year and shipped to Miami earlier this summer. Butler was outstanding at times for Philly, but it never seemed like he’d taken root there. The Sixers also lost what little outside shooting they had as J.J. Redick signed a free agent deal with New Orleans.
But the Sixers did well to re-stock the shelves – inking free agent center Al Horford, backup guard Raul Neto and big man Kyle O’Quinn. They acquired rapidly-improving guard Josh Richardson in the Butler deal and picked up the defensive-minded forward Matisse Thybulle (No. 20 overall) in a Draft day deal with Boston.
BOSTON CELTICS
Boston will have a different look heading into next season, but even after losing a pair of All-Stars, it might be a better look.
The Kyrie Irving experiment didn’t work out for the Celtics and after two frustrating campaigns. The former No. 1 overall pick bolted Beantown for Brooklyn – joining Kevin Durant in just one of the superstar pairings that were formed over the summer. But Kyrie wasn’t the only defection.
Al Horford signed with Philly, former Shaker Heights standout Terry Rozier was dealt to the Hornets, rugged reserve Aron Baynes was shipped to Phoenix and Marcus Morris inked a free agent deal with the Knicks.
But Boston was able to immediately reload – nabbing All-Star guard and former UConn star Kemba Walker in a sign-and-trade with Charlotte and signing Enes Kanter as a free agent.
The Celtics also had another bumper Draft night – tabbing Indiana’s Romeo Langford with the 14th overall pick, two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams at No. 22 and one of the stars from last year’s NCAA Tourney, Carsen Edwards, with the 33rd pick.
BROOKLYN NETS
It wasn’t that long ago that it seemed like Brooklyn would be buried for a decade after making one of the worst trades in NBA history several years earlier. But as it stands now, the Nets have a better immediate future than the team that fleeced them – the Boston Celtics.
Of course much of that is predicated on their new superstars’ durability. Kyrie Irving has battled the injury bug throughout his career and there’s no telling when Kevin Durant – who made his expected exodus from the Bay – will return from the Achilles tear that sidelined him for much of the 2019 Finals.
But the Nets didn’t stop at Durant and Irving – filling out their roster with free agents like defensive stalwart DeAndre Jordan and solid veterans like Wilson Chandler and David Nwaba. Brooklyn also acquired Taurean Prince in a deal with the Hawks.
To make room for their new additions, the Nets shipped first-time All-Star D’Angelo Russell to the Warriors. They also shipped DeMarre Carroll to the Spurs and Allen Crabbe to the Hawks, losing Ed David (Utah), Jared Dudley (Lakers) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Toronto) via free agency.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks didn’t hit the free agency jackpot that they’d hoped for, but – Despite Stephen A. Smith’s histrionics – the Knicks didn’t come out of the offseason completely empty-handed.
They didn’t land the biggest names and obviously didn’t win the Draft Lottery’s coveted top pick, but they still were able to select one of this year’s top prospects in R.J. Barrett with the 3rd overall pick.
And while they didn’t lure the sexy free agents, they still managed to fill out their roster with some tough, blue-collar ballplayers – adding Julius Randle, Marcus Morris, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton as free agents.
New York also didn’t lose any free agents of real importance. The emergence of rookie Mitchell Robinson made 32-year-old DeAndre Jordan expendable and it’s doubtful Spike Lee will lose any sleep over the departures of Mario Hezonja, Emmanuel Mudiay and Noah Vonleh – all of who left via free agency.
CENTRAL DIVISION
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
After leading the Association with 60 wins and boasting the league’s Most Valuable Player, the Bucks didn’t have a very eventful offseason.
They added the Greek Freak’s brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and continued with the family reunion theme by reuniting free agent Robin Lopez with his brother Brook for the first time since their Stanford days. Milwaukee also inked veteran free agent swingman Wesley Matthews.
But it wasn’t all positive for the upcoming Bucks – who dealt former Rookie of the Year Malcom Brogdon to their in-Division rival Pacers while Nikola Mirotic took his talents right out of the country, signing a lucrative deal with FC Barcelona.
INDIANA PACERS
If one were to grade last year’s Pacers, it would have to be an “I” for incomplete. Essentially, their year left us wondering how far they might have gone with a healthy Victor Oladipo.
Indiana should be right back in the thick of things this year – despite taking some heavy losses. Bojan Bogdanovic left via free agency for Utah, Cory Joseph for Sacramento, Kyle O’Quinn for Philly and Thaddeus Young for the Bulls. Tyreke Evans will serve a one-year suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program and 32-year-old Darren Collison abruptly retired from the game.
But the Pacers filled the gaps as best they could – working a deal to bring Malcom Brogdon to Indy and signing an improving Jeremy Lamb in free agency. Indy drafted offensive-minded international big Goga Bitadze to pick up some of the scoring load.
DETROIT PISTONS
The Pistons again find themselves in NBA limbo – good enough to reach the postseason and miss the Lottery but not good enough to make any noise when they get there. Detroit has made the Playoffs three times in the past 11 years and hasn’t won a single game in any of those appearances – including an 0-4 sweep at the hands of Milwaukee last season.
The Pistons made some pedestrian moves this offseason, adding Markieff Morris and former MVP Derrick Rose as free agents. They took a gamble on Sekou Doumbouya with the No. 15 overall pick. The late-bloomer has tremendous upside, but still has to prove it on a nightly basis against the world’s best competition.
On the plus side, the Pistons didn’t suffer many losses this summer – losing Wayne Ellington as a free agent to the Knicks.
CHICAGO BULLS
Like the Wine & Gold, the Bulls are building their squad back up via the Draft and developing younger players.
They struck gold in the previous two Drafts – landing Lauri Markkanen in 2017 and Wendell Carter Jr. last June. This year, the Bulls – desperate for a point guard to pair with Zach LaVine – snagged North Carolina’s Coby White with the 7th overall pick.
Chicago was cautious on the free agent market – signing dependable veteran Thaddeus Young away from the Pacers and swinging a deal with Washington to acquire young swingman Tomas Satoransky.
The only significant loss the Bulls incurred over the summer was losing center Robin Lopez to the Bucks via free agency.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
ORLANDO MAGIC
Sometimes the key to free agency – especially for mid-market franchises – is simply retaining your own players. That was the case for Steve Clifford’s Magic, who returned to the postseason after six straight seasons of sub-.500 play.
Teams had their hooks out for both explosive swingman Terrance Ross – coming off the best year of his career – and center Nikola Vucevic – who, despite being recognized as an All-Star last year, somehow been flying under the league’s radar since being drafted out of USC in 2011.
With the clouds finally parting in Orlando, the Magic can begin setting their sights a little higher. They signed Al-Farouq Aminu as a free agent and drafted Auburn’s Chuma Okeke with the 16th overall pick.
If the Magic – who still desperately need a point guard – can resurrect Markelle Fultz’ career, they can finally start making some noise in the Magic Kingdom after a prolonged dry spell.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
There’s a chance the Hornets could be in a for a long season in the first year of the post-Kemba era on Tobacco Road.
Walker was the top scorer in franchise history and is no longer in Charlotte – part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Celtics. Disgruntled former Celtic and Youngstown native Terry Rozier will take over point guard duties for James Borrego’s squad. Charlotte bolstered its frontline in the Draft – grabbing broad-shouldered Kentucky forward P.J. Washington with the 12th overall pick.
Charlotte suffered some difficult defections, however, losing Jeremy Lamb to Indiana and Frank Kaminsky to Phoenix via free agency. Walker was shipped to Beantown in July and his backup last year, Tony Parker, retired after 19 NBA seasons with a trip to Springfield, Mass. on the horizon.
MIAMI HEAT
Despite past protestations, All-Star guard Jimmy Butler actually will be packing up his minivan for South Beach – part of a three-team deal that sends him to the Heat after less than a single season with the Sixers.
Miami will have a new look next year – with staples like future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade (retired), Josh Richardson (traded to Philly) and Hassan Whiteside (traded to Portland) all leaving the Sunshine State.
The Heat re-loaded with Butler and acquired Meyers Leonard in the Whiteside deal. Before free agency, Miami selected former Kentucky sharpshooter Tyler Herro with the 13th overall pick. And Pat Riley might still have a trick or two up his sleeve before the offseason is over.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
So much of Washington’s success has been (and will be) tied to the health of John Wall, who might not see action again this year. The Wizards are trying to keep Bradley Beal in the fold and have made some solid offseason moves to finally make some hay in the Eastern Conference.
The Wizards traded for Davis Bertans, C.J. Miles and Moritz Wagner and inked Isaiah Thomas as a free agent for some firepower off the bench (and as an insurance policy regarding Wall). Washington chose high-energy Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura with the 9th overall pick to beef up a frontcourt that was ravaged over the summer.
Among those losses were Trevor Ariza (Sacramento), Jeff Green (Utah), Jabari Parker (Atlanta) and Bobby Portis (New York) – all of whom departed as free agents. Dwight Howard was traded to Memphis and Tomas Satoransky was shipped to Chicago.
ATLANTA HAWKS
It’s been a long time since the Hawks had this much buzz coming into a season. But after a few fruitless recent Playoff appearances, Atlanta has been shrewd in assembling talent and picks – most notably last year’s Draft, tabbing Trae Youngin a deal with Dallas that also netted them Duke’s Cam Reddish (No. 10 overall) this past June.
This June, the Hawks hit paydirt again – swinging a deal with the pick-rich Pelicans to acquire the No. 4 overall selection this year (DeAndre Hunter) before making another Draft night deal with the Sixers to acquire Maryland big man Bruno Fernando at No. 34 overall.
But the Hawks didn’t stop there. They also loaded up with some solid veterans – signing free agent and former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker while trading for Allen Crabbe, Damien Jones, Chandler Parsons and Evan Turner.
In exchange for many of those new faces, Atlanta sent Kent Bazemore to Portland, Taurean Prince to Brooklyn and Omari Spellman to Golden State. Dewayne Dedmon bolted for Sacramento as a free agent.