NBA offseason grades: Northwest Division

The NBA offseason is nearly done after two months, as teams wrap up their final trades and signings. It's time to assign grades to each NBA team, division-by-division, to see which teams aced the offseason and which needed some tutoring before making all their moves. Next up is the Northwest Division.

Denver Nuggets | Grade: D

Players in: Russell Westbrook (G), Dario Saric (F/C), Da'Ron Holmes II (C) |Players out: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G), Reggie Jackson (G), Justin Holiday (G)

Denver stumbled in its title defense last season in part because of a lack of depth. That situation only got worse this summer as they lost starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic as a free agent, because the team was unwilling to pay the luxury tax involved with giving KCP a big raise. Caldwell-Pope shot over 40% from deep last season while acting as the team's top defensive stopper, huge for a team that was last in the NBA in three-point attempts. His replacement, Russell Westbrook, is only going to make that weakness worse.

The Nuggets added Dario Saric in part because first-round pick Da'Ron Holmes II tore his Achilles tendon in his first Summer League game. But with KCP, Justin Holiday and Reggie Jackson all departing, coach Michael Malone will be forced to reply on unproven young players like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther. That's a dangerous gamble to make just to save money when Denver has reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still in his prime.

Minnesota Timberwolves | Grade: B+

Players in: Rob Dillingham (G, No. 8 overall pick), Terrence Shannon Jr. (G, No. 27 overall pick), Joe Ingles (F) | Players out: Kyle Anderson (F), Monte Morris (G), Jordan McLaughlin

The Timberwolves went into the offseason extremely limited by their high payroll. They're above the second apron and also lack future first-round picks, thanks to the Rudy Gobert trade. Given their options, losing Kyle Anderson and Jordan McLaughlin was a foregone conclusion, but the Timberwolves made a creative and risky move to bring in Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, for a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

Dillingham and No. 27 pick Terrence Shannon provide upside, guard depth and cost-controlled salaries for the next few years. It's risky to sacrifice picks so far into the future, but for a team with championship aspirations, it's a worthwhile risk. Minnesota managed to keep their top seven players while adding two young scoring guards. The next step for the organization is agreeing to a new contract with team president Tim Connelly and signing Gobert to a cheaper long-term extension that would get the team out of second-apron hell.

Oklahoma City Thunder | Grade: A

Players in: Alex Caruso (G), Isaiah Hartenstein (C), Nikola Topic (G, No. 12 pick), Dillon Jones (F, No. 26 overall pick), Ajay Mitchell (G, No. 38 overall pick) | Players out: Josh Giddey (G), Gordon Hayward (F), Bismack Biyombo (C)

Oklahoma City had the best record in the Western Conference last season, then restocked their roster this summer without sacrificing any of its stash of future first-round picks. First, they traded 21-year-old Josh Giddey for All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso. The deal gave the Thunder another tenacious perimeter defender while moving on from extension-eligible Giddey, who was unhappy after falling out of the starting lineup in the playoffs. Then, the Thunder landed Hartenstein from the New York Knicks, solving in one move their biggest issue: A lack of size and rebounding.

Even their little moves were smart. Nikola Topic fell to the No. 12 overall pick thanks to his torn ACL, but OKC is fine with him sitting out and rehabbing because they don't have playing time for him this season. Valuable rotation players Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins got long extensions, which both descend in value this year. That could make them huge bargains as the salary cap rises, as well as useful trade chips

Overall, the Thunder took a very good team and got better, while retaining all their trade ammunition to go star-hunting in the future. It was a great summer for them and a scary summer for the rest of the West.

Portland Trail Blazers | Grade: C

Players in: Donovan Clingan (C, No. 7 overall pick), Deni Avdija (F), Devonte' Graham (G), Bryce McGowens (G) | Players out: Malcolm Brogdon (G)

After a blockbuster summer in 2023, when franchise player Damian Lillard and long-time center Jusuf Nurkic both left town, Portland had a quiet offseason this year. The main addition was 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan, a two-time national champion at UConn. Clingan looks to be their center of the future, potentially providing All-Defensive-level defense in the middle, along with monster screens and quality passing. Portland also traded Malcolm Brogdon and the No. 14 overall pick for 23-year-old Deni Avdija, signed to a very reasonable four-year deal for $55M.

Portland knows they're not going to be competitive in the upcoming season and clearly did not love its options picking at No. 14 overall in this year's draft. It's likely that incumbent center Deandre Ayton and guard Anfernee Simons will be made available at the trade deadline. What the Blazers can get in those trades and how well they can develop Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Clingan (who should help both greatly in the pick-and-roll) will determine what the next chapter of Portland basketball looks like.

Utah Jazz | Grade: C

Players in: Cody Williams (F, No. 10 overall pick), Isaiah Collier (G, No. 29 overall pick), Kyle Filipowski (C, No. 32 overall pick), Drew Eubanks (C), Svi Mykhailiuk (F) | Players out: Kris Dunn (G), Talen Horton-Tucker (G)

Utah's offseason was marked by patience. Patience in the form of waiting out offers for All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen, before ultimately using their cap space to give him a massive five-year contract, including a big raise this year. They showed patience in taking Cody Williams at No. 10 and Isaiah Collier at No. 29, two 19-year-olds who had up-and-down seasons in their lone years of college basketball, but high-upside potential. The Jazz also pounced on Duke's Kyle Filipowski when he fell to the second round, betting that his ball skills make up for his lack of size in the post.

But the Jazz' moves also showed that the franchise still isn't trying to compete, in its third season since trading All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The Jazz got five first-round picks from the last two drafts and while any one of them could break out, none are particularly good NBA players now. But team president Danny Ainge has nothing but patience. The team will have to hope Jazz fans do, too.