We still have a couple of disgruntled superstars and a handful of decent free agents out there. For the most part, however, the off-season dust has settled. I am going to rank and talk quickly about how each team’s off-season went.
C – Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez
PF – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
SF – Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder
SG – Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton
PG – Jrue Holiday, Malik Beasley
Milwaukee came off a 58 win season, yet somehow wilted in the first round of the playoffs. I still think this is the best roster in the East, even though several players are well into their 30’s and could fall off at any time. Resigning Brook Lopez was huge. His game has aged gracefully. The team also brought back Jae Crowder, and added veterans Malik Beasley and Robin Lopez. They are a solid ten deep. I think there is another run or two left with this group before things get ugly salary cap and draft pick wise.
C – Kristaps Porzingis, Robert Williams
PF – Al Horford, Oshae Brissett
SF – Jayson Tatum, Sam Hauser
SG – Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon
PG – Derrick White, Payton Pritchard
As long as Boston has Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they will be contenders in the East. The Kristaps Porzingis addition really shook up the formula, however. Marcus Smart, the longest tenured Celtic and former Defensive Player of the Year, was sent out for Porzingis. This will definitely give the Celtics more size and scoring, but Smart will be missed. The bench is only about two or three guys deep, and that could be a concern if injuries pop up. After saying all of that, the biggest decision for Boston still has to be made. Will Jaylen Brown get a monumental super-max extension?
C – Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade
PF – Evan Mobley, Georges Niang
SF – Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert
SG – Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus
PG – Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio
It is easy to forget that Cleveland won over 50 games before going out with a whimper in the playoffs. They took the off-season seriously, supplementing one of the best starting lineups with a couple of great bench additions. Max Strus was the big get as one of the better free agents available. Georges Niang is another tough veteran who can shoot as well. The team also brought back Caris LeVert and added Damian Jones as a depth piece. Make no mistake about it, this team is a real threat in the East.
C – Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein
PF – Julius Randle, Jericho Sims
SF – RJ Barrett, Josh Hart
SG – Donte DiVincenzo, Quentin Grimes
PG – Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley
The Knicks have had a rare quiet, but very effective, off-season. Resigning Josh Hart was huge. The team also continued to recreate the champion Villanova Wildcats by adding Donte DiVincenzo. This team has quite a bit of solid wing depth to go along with Jalen Brunson. I still am not a huge fan of the Julius Randle/Mitchell Robinson pairing, but it was nice to see New York opt for a bit of continuity.
C – Joel Embiid, Montrezl Harrell
PF – PJ Tucker, Paul Reed
SF – Tobias Harris, Danuel House
SG – Tyrese Maxey, D’Anthony Melton
PG – James Harden, Patrick Beverley
Once again, James Harden is the major off-season issue. It is impossible to predict how Philadelphia’s season will go until that situation has been resolved. The 76ers know that. They are bringing back a very similar roster, with Patrick Beverley and Mo Bamba as the only real additions. Philadelphia lost a lot of depth with the departures of Shake Milton, Georges Niang and Jalen McDaniels. Like many other playoff teams, they will be breaking in a new head coach as well. More questions and answers for this team.
6. Miami Heat
C – Bam Adebayo, Thomas Bryant
PF – Kevin Love, Caleb Martin
SF – Jimmy Butler, Duncan Richardson
SG – Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr.
PG – Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson
The Heat are all in on the Damian Lillard meal ticket. This roster lost a lot, and has not added much in the way of fortifications. Jaime Jaquez Jr. could carve out a few minutes here and there, but who plays power forward? Who backups up an ancient Kyle Lowry at point guard? There are a ton of questions here, which is rare for a team coming off of a Finals appearance.
C – Jakob Poeltl, Chris Boucher
PF – Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa
SF – Scottie Barnes, Jalen McDaniels
SG – OG Anunoby, Gradey Dick
PG – Dennis Schroder, Gary Trent Jr.
I know a couple of Raptors fans, and they really want Toronto to rebuild. That is always a tough decision to make for a team that does not historically attract free agents. Toronto is going to give this thing one more shot, minus Fred VanVleet, who took the bag and headed off to Houston. Dennis Schroder was signed to replace him at point guard. An obvious downgrade but they could have done a lot worse. Gary Trent Jr. also surprisingly opted in to the final year of his contract. Other than that, they resigned Jakob Poeltl and added a couple of shooters to round out the rotation. The Raptors should be good enough to fight for a final playoff spot. If things turn south, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby could still easily be moved.
C – Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu
PF – Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson
SF – De’Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin
SG – Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic
PG – Trae Young, Patty Mills
The biggest move Atlanta made was finally trading John Collins. Of course, the Hawks waited too long and basically had to give him away just to get out of his contract. Atlanta signed Dejounte Murray to a large contract extension, and will run things back with virtually the same roster, minus Collins. Kobe Bufkin was a mid-first round draft pick, but he will be buried on the bench, behind a quartet of veteran guards. This will be an important year for Trae Young. He clashed with previous coaches and has struggled to take that next step into true superstardom.
C – Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond
PF – Patrick Williams, Torrey Craig
SF – DeMar DeRozan, Dalen Terry
SG – Zach LaVine, Coby White
PG – Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter
The Bulls should probably blow it up and start over, but they chose to resign Nikola Vucevic and Coby White. I can see why they re-upped Vucevic. To admit defeat after giving up so much in the trade to acquire him would have been tough. This is still a team without a real point guard and extremely short on size. I cannot see much more than a .500 record here.
10. Orlando Magic
C – Wendell Carter Jr., Moritz Wagner
PF – Paolo Banchero, Chuma Okeke
SF – Franz Wagner, Joe Ingles
SG – Gary Harris, Cole Anthony
PG – Markelle Fultz, Anthony Black
Orlando made the most of it’s two lottery picks. Anthony Black is built like a small forward but is probably the most pure point guard on the roster. I would expect him to take over as the starter in short order. I would have drafted Gradey Dick over Jett Howard, but they addressed some shooting issues with that pick. Joe Ingles does not have much left to offer on the court, but is a great veteran influence to add to the locker room. I love the front court trio, and Orlando has enough guard depth to make things interesting.
C – Mark Williams, Nick Richards
PF – Miles Bridges, JT Thor
SF – Gordon Hayward, Brandon Miller
SG – Terry Rozier, Cody Martin
PG – LaMelo Ball, James Bouknight
Unless you count Miles Bridges, the Hornets are the only team in the NBA to not add any free agents or trade for any players. They will hope for continued development/health from guys like Mark Williams, LaMelo Ball and Nick Richards. The key addition was Brandon Miller, a sharpshooter who was taken over Scoot Henderson. Time will tell if that was the right choice, but judging by Hornets history, it could end up as a huge mistake. If Ball can stay healthy, this team could get back into contention for the play-in out East.
12. Brooklyn Nets
C – Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe
PF – Dorian Finney-Smith, Noah Clowney
SF – Cameron Johnson, Royce O’Neal
SG – Mikal Bridges, Lonnie Walker IV
PG – Spencer Dinwiddie, Ben Simmons
Brooklyn’s off-season started early with the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades. They did about as well as they could have, adding four new starters. Mikal Bridges is a special shooter, but the rest of the guys on the roster are probably mid-range role players. This is an intriguing roster, Bridges and recently resigned Cameron Johnson are keepers. Also, it may be easy to forget, but Ben Simmons is still on the roster as well. Does he have anything left? That could be the difference between squeaking into the playoffs and giving the Rockets a top ten pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
13. Detroit Pistons
C – Jalen Duren, James Wiseman
PF – Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III
SF – Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Harris
SG – Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson
PG – Cade Cunningham, Monte Morris
The Pistons tanked their way to 17 wins last year, and only ended up with the fourth overall pick to show for it, so they have done a bit to improve next year. They took contracts Joe Harris and Monte Morris off the hands of other teams, and have resisted the temptation to trade Bojan Bogdanovic. The big add was Ausar Thompson, a defensive minded ball handler that should fit well with the ball dominant guards Detroit is building around. Isaiah Stewart also signed a nice contract extension, and should be a long term starter going forward. This is still the East’s youngest and least experienced roster, but they seem to finally have a real coach and an actual plan.
14. Indiana Pacers
C – Myles Turner, Jalen Smith
PF – Jarace Walker, Obi Toppin
SF – Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith
SG – Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin
PG – Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard
The big news this summer in Indianapolis is the absolutely monster contract they gave Bruce Brown. As a Nuggets fan, I am very happy for Brown. He is probably not worth that money, but Indiana was flushed with cash and it was only a two year deal, so Brown gets a nice pay day and the Pacers get some championship leadership. It will be needed because this roster is still extremely young. Jarace Walker was the most recent lottery pick and should start at power forward from day one. Obviously I do not think Indiana will be very good, and should look at trading Myles Turner, but the foundation for something strong is in place.
C – Daniel Gafford, Mike Muscala
PF – Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Gill
SF – Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly
SG – Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert
PG – Tyus Jones, Delon Wright
I thought the Wizards finally had a plan, but then they went and added two huge, long term contracts in role players Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. I guess they wanted to give the fans a reason to come to games, as this is a bare-bones roster otherwise. Bilal Coulibaly and Tristan Vukcevic were the two draft picks, but both are extremely raw, long term projects. Tyus Jones, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet and Danilo Gallinari were acquired in salary dump trades and could provide veteran leaderhip or traded for second round picks down the line.
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