Grading the offseason for each NBA team

Grade: C-minus

Much like the team's performance the past two seasons, the Hawks' offseason was fairly underwhelming. They finally wrapped up what turned out to be a three-year Advanced Placement course — depreciating John Collins' value as an asset by trading him to the Jazz for next to nothing. Why they chose to freeze out a player who averaged 21.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG as a 22-year-old, I'll never understand. They held off on trading Trae Young (I hoped they at least gauged the market), extended Dejounte Murray (good move), and drafted Kobe Bufkin (TBD). Perhaps they'll get a bump from Quin Snyder's first full season and challenge for the four- or five-seed, but in all likelihood, they'll be fighting for the Play-In once again.

Grade: A

The Celtics' grade was initially a conditional B (conditional based upon the health of Kristaps Porzingis); now, it's an unquestioned A. I respect the Celtics' front office for realizing that it needed to consolidate some of its talent (goodbye Marcus Smart, Grant Williams, Danilo Gallinari) and turn it into a player that raises the team's ceiling in Porzingis and for going absolutely all-in on the "now" by dealing for Holiday. Signing Jaylen Brown to a max extension — temporarily crowning him as the richest contract holder in NBA history — is more of a no-brainer than the media made it out to be. Wonderful summer for the Cs.

Grade: C-plus

The Nets clearly had two goals this summer, and they accomplished both: Re-sign Cameron Johnson (4 years, $94.5M) and unload Joe Harris' contract (traded to the Pistons). They also snagged some end-of-the-rotation guys with some upside (Darius Bazley, Dennis Smith Jr., and Lonnie Walker IV), which were decent moves but ultimately probably don't move the needle much, considering they also lost Seth Curry and Yuta Watanabe in free agency. Overall, a drama-free, blah summer in Brooklyn (which is probably nice for a change).

Grade: B-plus

Two steps forward and one step back. That's how I'd sum up the Hornets' offseason. The first step forward was re-signing their three best players: LaMelo Ball (max extension), PJ Washington (at a discount), and Miles Bridges (also at a discount, but for ugly reasons...and also possibly being further suspended or waived due to recent developments). The second step forward was ridding themselves of owner Michael Jordan, easily one of the worst owners in recent memory, who sold his majority stake in the franchise. 

But alas, the step back: the new ownership group, led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, let that aforementioned incompetent owner make the most important draft pick in the franchise's history! Jordan selected Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson. Miller might be decent, but mark my words, Scoot will be special. 

Grade: C-minus

Nothing like maintaining the status quo when you're a perpetual Play-In team. The Bulls' offseason was the definition of blah. They re-signed Nikola Vucevic (whatever), Coby White (fine), and Ayo Dosunmu (sure). They also signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, decent defenders, to replace Pat Beverley. They'll probably think about trading Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan at the trade deadline but ultimately decide to try to get the eight-seed. It must be tough to be a Bulls fan these days.

Grade: B-plus

I liked everything the Cavs did this summer, but I'm still skeptical that signing Max Strus and Georges Niang moves them ahead of the likes of the Celtics, Heat, Bucks, 76ers, or Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Don't get me wrong: Strus and Niang are playoff-caliber rotation players who represent an upgrade over Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens. However, neither is going to slow down the elite wings in the Eastern Conference like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, etc. Evan Mobley may become that guy this season, and if he does, then this worry becomes a moot point.

Grade: A-minus

After an embarrassing finish to last season, the Mavericks got to work this summer, re-signing Kyrie Irving (at a steep price, but they had to keep him) and some other possible rotation players, acquiring Grant Williams, signing Seth Curry and drafting Dereck Lively II (not my favorite pick, but fits a need) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (who has some Jae Crowder in him). The only rotation player they parted with was Reggie Bullock, but Williams should be an upgrade over him. At the very least, the Mavericks should be a playoff team in the deep Western Conference next season, which means some team will have to outmaneuver Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in a seven-game series.

Grade: C

The Nuggets had a rough summer from a transactional standpoint, losing a stud role player in Bruce Brown and another versatile veteran in Jeff Green without landing an obvious replacement for either. That said, they still have the best player on the planet (Nikola Jokic) and his elite All-Star-level pick-and-role partner (Jamal Murray) in their respective primes. And they have plenty of talent remaining on the roster, plus the three players they drafted (Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and Hunter Tyson). This grade is pretty much meaningless so long as Jokic and Murray are healthy.

Grade: B

'Twas a pretty solid summer for the rebuilding Pistons. They drafted a prospect with an incredibly high ceiling as an uber-athletic wing in Ausar Thompson and a point guard who could be a two-way contributor in Marcus Sasser. In free agency, they smartly signed Monte Morris, one of the best backup point guards in the NBA, to help their young team manufacture open looks. And, perhaps most importantly of all, Cade Cunningham appears to be fully healthy. If his standout performance in the Team USA scrimmages is a sign of things to come, he is poised to make a leap into stardom this coming season. It's been a minute, but things are looking up in Detroit.

Grade: B

Like the Celtics, the Warriors get a conditional "B" contingent upon the health of an excellent but oft-injured player: Chris Paul. However, the gamble that the Warriors made is a little different from the gamble the Celtics made. The Celtics traded steady (Marcus Smart) for high-risk, high-reward (Porzingis); the Warriors traded high-risk, high-reward (Jordan Poole) for steady (CP3). It makes sense in theory, though. If the Dubs had had a more steady hand playing backup guard minutes last season, they may have at least gotten past the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs. Golden State also re-signed Draymond Green to a nice four-year deal for $100M, snagged another steady-handed point guard in Cory Joseph, and signed a versatile big man who should fit nicely in their offensive system in Dario Saric. It'll all come down to Chris Paul's health and fit.

Grade: A

You're probably thinking, Wait, an "A" for the Rockets? They're going to stink again this season. Well, you're probably correct, but that doesn't mean Houston didn't crush this offseason and set the franchise up for future success. 

Most importantly, they hired a no-nonsense, elite head coach in Ime Udoka. Of equal importance, they resisted the James Harden reunion. Call me crazy, but I think it's smart not to introduce James Harden — a "me-first," slightly washed-up franchise icon — to the Rockets' ridiculously young roster. Instead of signing Harden, they signed a bunch of adults — Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green — who can contribute and be good examples. Lastly, they landed two potential stars in the NBA Draft: Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. If Houston is a contender later this decade, they'll point to this summer as the launching point.

Grade: A-minus

The Indiana Pacers had a strong offseason and are building a serious roster around Tyrese Haliburton. If you aren't very familiar with Haliburton's unorthodox yet highly efficient game, you'll be seeing a lot of him the next 10 years because he impacts winning about as much as any young guard in the NBA, which is why it was a no-brainer for Indy to sign him to a max extension this offseason. 

In addition to the extension, the Pacers signed an elite role player in Bruce Brown. It may have been a slight overpay, but that's what you have to do to get talent in a small market. They also committed highway robbery in a trade for Obi Toppin and drafted college basketball's closest thing to Draymond Green in Jarace Walker. Mark it down: The Pacers are making the playoffs this season.

Grade: C-plus

It has been a pretty boring offseason for the Clippers. They re-signed Russell Westbrook to a team-friendly deal, which is nice, but if he's a high-usage player for your team in the postseason, your team isn't making it out of the first round. They also stealthily acquired a promising young, uber-athletic player in Kenyon Martin Jr., whom Ty Lue will find a niche for in his second unit. They waived Eric Gordon, who appears to have some juice still, and they drafted a couple of potential contributors in the middle of the draft. They're also flirting hard with trying to acquire James Harden, but unless that deals comes to fruition, it'll all come down to whether Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthy during the playoffs. 

Grade: A

Rob Pelinka either does an excellent job or a horrific job each summer. This summer was the former — like his summer in 2019 when he acquired Anthony Davis and surrounded him and LeBron James with defense and shooting. 

Pelinka went to work, re-signing and extending the following key players: Davis, Austin Reaves (on arguably the best contract in the NBA), Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell (on an extremely tradable contract) and Christian Wood. He also effectively swapped in Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes for Dennis Schroder, Lonnie Walker IV, Malik Beasley, Troy Brown Jr., and Mo Bamba, which seems like a net positive. Lakers fans couldn't have dreamt of a better summer.

Grade: B

Despite dealing with another Ja Morant gun-related suspension, the Grizzlies rebounded nicely and acquired Marcus Smart — the closest thing Memphis has seen to Tony "The Grindfather" Allen. Smart will immediately become a fan-favorite and provide the spark this team needed after souring on their defensive-stopper Dillon Brooks. The Grizzlies also extended one of their stars, Desmond Bane, to a max extension. While losing Brooks and backup point guard Tyus Jones hurts, bringing in Smart is still a net positive for an already deep roster.

Grade: D 

Here's the long and the short of it: The Heat didn't acquire Damian Lillard, and that really sucks for them because they prioritized that the entire summer. It's a long season, and you never know who may become available in a trade, but this version of the Heat's roster is going to struggle to make it out of the first round this season after losing two key contributors, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, without acquiring much to replace them because they were waiting on Lillard. The one move I did like this offseason was the draft selection of Jaime Jaquez Jr. - he's going to help Miami immediately.

Grade: A

Giannis spoke. And the Bucks listened. Milwaukee swopped in seemingly out of nowhere to steal Damian Lillard, pushing their chips all the way in for the next few seasons, and also giving them arguably the most dynamic duo in the NBA. The Lillard-Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll will be damn near impossible to defend. And Lillard will make one of the Bucks' only weakness - scoring in the half court at the end of games - a strength. While there certainly are concerns about losing Jrue Holiday's elite defense and big-play ability in the playoffs, and having a shallow roster full of aging, but important veterans, I'm still expecting the Bucks to be right there in the mix for a title because of this move.

Grade: B

Well, Timberwolves fans have to be pumped about this summer compared to last summer when they possibly made the worst trade in league history to acquire a past-his-prime Rudy Gobert. Last summer was an "F-minus." This summer is a "B" because of any major moves they made but because they extended Anthony Edwards. Ant looks like he's now making The Leap to superstardom in the FIBA World Cup. As a bonus, Karl-Anthony Towns is played like an absolute star for the Dominican Republic. If I were running the T'Wolves, I'd consider cutting my losses on Gobert and getting him out of the way of Ant and Kat.

Grade: C-plus

The Pelicans didn't have a lot of cap space or need to make any splashy moves this summer, considering they already have their stars and high-level role players on the roster and secured to longer-term contracts (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy, and Herbert Jones). So, they extended Jones and drafted UConn sharpshooter Jordan Hawkins to add to the mix. Their success or failure, as always, will depend on Zion's health.

Grade: B

The Knicks essentially traded Obi Toppin for Donte DiVincenzo this summer. I'd call that a net positive, even though I think Toppin has a high ceiling. Coach Thibs underutilized Toppin, burying him behind Julius Randle and playing the latter for too many minutes every season. Still, Coach Thibs doesn't appear to be going anywhere, so acquiring yet another Villanova alumni in DiVincenzo to pair with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart (whom they extended this summer as well) should increase team chemistry and give the team another smart floor-spacer who won't be scared in the playoffs. 

Grade: B

The Thunder didn't really do anything this summer outside of drafting Cason Wallace. Wallace looked to be a legit prospect in the NBA Summer League, but you never know with Summer League. Besides that, they basically just maintained the status quo, which is totally fine when you have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, and Chet Holmgren on the rise. 

Grade: B-minus

Not going to lie, the "minus" is because they gave up on the ultimate unicorn, Bol Bol. Kidding...kind of. The Magic had a pretty low-key offseason. They had the sixth and 11th picks in the draft and came away with Anthony Black (nice prospect but doesn't help space the court around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner) and Jett Howard (good floor spacing shooter, but if they wanted a shooter, why did they pass on Jordan Hawkins?). It's not a bad draft, but it's also not the draft that'll help launch this team into the Eastern Conference's upper echelon. 

Grade: C-plus

This grade will plummet to an "F" if this James Harden situation explodes more than it already has.

On paper, from a roster construction standpoint, the 76ers had a blah summer — bringing in the ever-pesky Pat Beverley, re-signing Paul Reed, and signing Mo Bamba. They get the bump to a "C-plus" because they swapped out Doc Rivers for Nick Nurse, which is a win for everyone. Rivers will be an excellent color commentator for ESPN and ABC, but Nurse should be a tactical coaching upgrade for Philly. 

From a team management standpoint, Daryl Morey is playing with dynamite with his handling of Harden. If he can convince Harden to play and play hard, this team should be a contender again, but if he loses Harden, the chain reaction could cause him to lose their franchise player, Joel Embiid. [Insert the "Everything Is Fine" meme].

Grade: A

The Suns' new owner, Mat Ishbia, pushed the majority of his chips to the center of the table with the Kevin Durant trade last season and used the remainder by adding Bradley Beal this summer. Despite having essentially nothing but minimum contracts, the team actually made some shrewd moves this summer, snagging Eric Gordon at a huge discount and rotation players with the potential to outperform their contracts like Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop, and Bol Bol. After trading Deandre Ayton for some depth in Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and others, they're just deep enough to be a bonafide Finals contender so long as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker stay healthy.

Grade: A

Landing Scoot Henderson with the third pick in the draft was enough on its own to put this offseason in the B-range. He is Him. I am staking my claim that he'll be an All-NBA-level point guard for the better half of his career. From a physical standpoint, he's a slightly shorter version of Russell Westbrook. However, unlike Westbrook, whose floor game was decent albeit too tunnel-visioned at times, Scoot appears to have more awareness in line with Ja Morant. And while I'll never understand why they randomly gave win-now wing in Jerami Grant (5 years, $160M), the net haul they've received for Damian Lillard was excellent, namely: Milwaukee's unprotected 2029 first-round pick, unprotected draft swaps with Milwaukee in 2028 and 2030, Deandre Ayton, Jrue Holiday (who was subsequently traded for two protected first-round picks, Robert Williams and Malcom Brogdon), plus they got off of the Jusuf Nurkic contract. Williams and Brogdon will likely be dealt again by the trade deadline, so this is the deal that just keeps giving. A most excellent offseason it was for the Blazers.

Grade: B

Some people really liked what the Kings did this offseason: extending Domantas Sabonis (5 years, $217M), signing EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov, re-signing Harrison Barnes (3 years, $54M), and trading for Chris Duarte. They essentially maintained the status quo — unless Vezenkov is awesome. Last season was a bit of a perfect storm with injury luck and catching teams off-guard with their fast-paced style of play. I expect teams to be better prepared for the Kings this season and for them to be jockeying for positioning between the fifth and eighth seeds. Thus, I would've liked to have seen them take a bigger swing this offseason, but it was still a solid summer in SacTown.

Grade: A-plus

The Spurs won the summer. They drafted Victor Wembanyama. That is all.

Grade: D

Yikes! Masai Ujiri should never ever be on the hot seat as he's one of the best front-office decision-makers in all of basketball. However, he's been overvaluing his own players since the Raptors' championship, causing them to lose several players for absolutely nothing in free agency. 

Think about this. He refused to trade Kyle Lowry at the 2021 trade deadline, then lost him in free agency for nothing. He refused to include Scotty Barnes in a Kevin Durant trade package and refused to trade Fred VanVleet at the 2022 trade deadline, losing him in free agency for nothing. He's also refused to trade OG Anunoby (rumored at least three first-round picks were offered for him) and could lose him for nothing this offseason. The same goes for Pascal Siakam. It might be time for Ujiri to cut his losses and set the franchise up for success in the future by taking an honest assessment of his roster this year.

Grade: A-minus

Yet another good summer for Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz. Lauri Markkanen looked excellent in the FIBA World Cup. They acquired John Collins for essentially nothing and drafted three prospects with some nice upside, especially Keyonte George, who looked like a junior version of Jordan Clarkson (whom they extended this offseason) in the NBA Summer League. 

Grade: B-minus

I will never not believe that there wasn't some funny, under-the-table business going on when former GM Tommy Sheppard inexplicably gave Bradley Beal a supermax contract and the NBA's only no-trade clause a couple of summers ago. New GM Michael Winger was tasked with overseeing the franchise's hard reset this summer and has done a decent job thus far.

Beal raked them over the coals one last time on the way out by essentially forcing them to deal him to the Suns for nothing with his no-trade clause. After that, Winger dealt Kristaps Porzingis — a good move considering his injury concerns. He also re-signed Kyle Kuzma, whom he can deal to a contender this trade deadline or next. He dealt for Jordan Poole in a low-risk, high-reward move. And he drafted a player (Bilal Coulibaly) with some serious Mikal Bridges-type of upside. All in all, it was a solid summer in Chocolate City.