NBA superstars on new teams in 2017-18

It always made sense that Gordon Hayward would become a Boston Celtic. He first rose to national prominence at Butler University with head coach Brad Stevens, who is now the head coach of the Celtics. Stevens's offense is the perfect home for Hayward’s scoring ability and willingness to make the right play. 

There wasn’t a bigger shock this offseason than when reports surfaced that Kyrie Irving wanted to leave Cleveland — or rather, leave LeBron James. Along with fellow newcomer Gordon Hayward, Kyrie is now on the Eastern Conference team in the best position to dethrone the very King he made three consecutive NBA Finals trips with. 

After an emotional postseason in which Isaiah Thomas played through the death of his sister to help Boston reach the Eastern Conference Finals, he was a part of the trade package in exchange for Kyrie Irving that lands him alongside LeBron James and Derrick Rose. His health could be a huge determining factor in who represents the East in the NBA Finals this season. 

When the Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose, he seemed like an awkward fit considering the makeup of the team at the time. Then a few days later Kyrie Irving requested a trade, and everything made sense. Rose — a former MVP — is a reclamation project who, if healthy, is still one of the fastest point guards the league has to offer. 

The Bulls bought out Dwyane Wade’s contract after a year that just didn’t work out for either party. Wade signed a veteran’s minimum deal with the Cavs to reunite with LeBron James in hopes to re-create the magic the two developed while in Miami. 

Rajon Rondo could end up missing the first two months of the NBA season if he gets surgery on a sports hernia. But the point guard found himself in New Orleans after spending last season with the Chicago Bulls. The pass-always point guard, when healthy, will have the opportunity to figure out how to best utilize Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. 

Also leaving Chicago is Jimmy Butler, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves to give a young, emerging team a bona fide star. Andrew Wiggins's and Karl-Anthony Towns's lives should be much easier with the attention that Butler is going to receive on the offensive end and with what he brings on the other side of the ball. 

After Jimmy Butler was traded for on draft night, the ‘Wolves cleared up some cap space to bring in Jeff Teague from Indiana. Teague gives Minnesota a kind of spacing that Ricky Rubio never could because of his shooting ability. Towns will have more room on the block while Wiggins will have cutting lanes with less traffic. 

After losing Teague in free agency, the Pacers’ hands were forced into moving Paul George in a trade. Instead of Boston or Los Angeles like many expected, PG13 ended up in Oklahoma City to play with the reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook. 

Sam Presti wasn’t done after landing Paul George. The Thunder general manager was able to sneak in — for the second time in the same offseason — and steal a star from teams most expected to land him. This time, Presti traded for Carmelo Anthony when most thought he’d end up in Cleveland or Houston. 

While the Rockets weren’t able to trade for Carmelo Anthony, they did trade for Chris Paul. James Harden finished second in MVP voting in his first season under Mike D’Antoni, so we can only imagine what Houston is dreaming up with Harden and Paul on the floor at the same time. 

The Hornets were the most statistically middle-of-the-pack team in the NBA last year. Ranking 14th in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the team traded for Dwight Howard, who, at the very least, might help bolster the Hornets into the top third of defensive teams.

The Denver Nuggets might be the most interesting team as we approach opening night of the 2017-18 NBA season, and adding Paul Millsap could be the difference between barely missing the postseason and becoming an awfully scary seventh or eighth seed. The Atlanta Hawks reportedly never made an offer for Millsap during free agency, so the Nuggets scooped up the All-Star to play along Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic.