NBA offseason grades: Pacific Division

With all the major pieces assigned and reassigned, we turn our attention to grading each and every NBA team’s offseason activity.

We've looked at the Atlantic, Northeast and Central divisions. Now we turn west, to the Pacific Division.

Golden State Warriors: C-

Maybe the Warriors were waiting for LeBron James to parachute in for The Hoops Expendables feature film, maybe they’ve simply been disciplined. Either way, it’s been an entirely uneventful offseason in the bay.

Aside from re-signing veteran bigs Al Horford and Charles Bassey, the Dubs only addition has been rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. He has impressed at Summer League but, given he’s older than former Warrior and five-year veteran Jonathan Kuminga, that should come as no surprise.

Los Angeles Clippers: A

*Like our Toronto grade, this grade assumes that the Kawhi Leonard trade is eventually consummated. 

The Kawhi era had clearly run its course; that much was clear. Credit to the Clippers front office, then, for pivoting so quickly from an ageing, injury prone and flawed roster to a young team filled with potential and stocked with future draft capital.

The Clippers are still in debt to their acquisitions of Leonard and Paul George seven years ago, with a pick swap to the Thunder still to play out. To refill the cupboard with a 2027 swap and a pair of 2030’s firsts, while getting about a decade younger AND remaining relatively talented is quite the feat.

In addition to moving the last of their star veterans, the Clips signed Rui Hachimura for less money than he was making with the crosstown rival Lakers. Bennedict Mathurin remains unsigned, but the RFA is likely to return on a team friendly deal now that much of the league's cap space has been accounted for.

Los Angeles Lakers: C

LeBron is gone. The star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is in place. The Lakers came into this offseason needing a wing and a center, with three first-round picks and three swaps to play with.

They found their center in Walker Kessler, but it cost them two of those picks as well as two swaps. One could argue the Lakers overpaid, and it left them precious little to supplement their wing rotation.

In adding Quentin Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Collin Sexton, perhaps the thought is that they can add more backcourt scoring and have Doncic guard bigger wings. Oh, yes….defense. Who in this rotation, Kessler aside, is going to guard anybody? Sandro Mamukelashvili, their other major offseason addition, can barely keep tabs on his own shadow. Matisse Thybulle and Zaire Williams are good defenders, signed on minimum deals, but their offensive flaws are pronounced.

This Lakers side remains star heavy and chronically unbalanced.

Phoenix Suns: C+

Phoenix made a series of smart moves this offseason.

Mark Williams, Luke Kennard and Jordan Goodwin are all on value contracts, while Collin Gillespie’s four-year $48 million deal is a steal. Phoenix had left itself a mere Jalen Green salary dump away from resetting their repeater tax clock.

Then, for reasons best known to themselves, the Suns traded a valuable 2033 first-rounder to Charlotte for Miles Bridges, a player with nice counting stats but who doesn’t shoot all that well, pressure them rim as much as you think, or defend to an average level.

The Suns under Mat Ishbia seem to be comfortable pounding the treadmill of mediocrity.

Sacramento Kings: D

What did the Kings accomplish this offseason?

Did they manage to move out any of their high-priced failures? DeMar DeRozan was bought out, but Domantas Sabonis, Zach Lavine and Malik Monk remain.

Did they add significant young talent? They drafted Darius Acuff – arguably the most polarizing pick of the lottery – at pick seven. Yet they moved 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter.

So, we ask our annual question to the Sacramento brass: What is the plan here?