Grading Every Team’s 2018–2019 Offseason — Eastern Conference Edition
Atlanta Hawks
Following the firing of Coach Mike Budenholzer at the end of last season, the Hawks made some more personnel moves by hiring former Assistant GM to the Golden State Warriors, Travis Schlenk.
Schlenk’s intent became exceedingly clear once the dust settled on the NBA Draft — he’s building an Eastern Conference version of the Warriors. This, of course, all hinges on Trae Young, who will play the part of Steph Curry in this tribute act. During his lone season at Oklahoma, Young average 27.4 PPG, 8.7 APG and 3.9 RPG, exhibiting tremendous scoring prowess with passing vision that will translate nicely to the pro-level.
Playing the role of Klay Thompson is Kevin Huerter, the 19-year old Shooting Guard from Maryland (taken with the 19th pick) and bringing up the rear is Villanova Forward Omari Spellman, who the Hawks believe can be a Draymond Green type player.
By trading down in the Draft to acquire additional picks (even though not taking Luka Doncic may really hurt in the future), as well as offloading the disgruntled Dennis Schröder and acquiring former Brooklyn Nets Point Guard Jeremy Lin, it’s clear the Hawks are in full asset collection and rebuild mode. The Hawks may be the worst team on paper in the league this season, but the moves made this offseason prove that there is most certainly hope for the future, however it’s heavily dependent on how the adding new injection of youth — primarily, Trae Young — to the roster pans out.
Key Acquisitions
Trae Young, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Huerter and Omari Spellman.
Projected Starting Lineup
Trae Young, Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince, John Collins and Dewayne Dedmon.
Grade
D+
Boston Celtics
The new acquisitions of 2017–2018 offseason didn’t go exactly to plan for the Boston Celtics. Just five minutes into their season, they lost Gordon Hayward to a horrific leg injury and Kyrie Irving missed 22 games in the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs due to injuries.
Nonetheless, the team won 55 games and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals thanks to their tremendous depth, emerging youth and top-tier coaching system — following this, it looks like the team’s mantra heading into this season is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
The Celtics can expect to regain a healthy Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving by Training Camp — throw these bonafide stars into the mix with a further developed Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, plus an in-tact core (they re-signed Marcus Smart, Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris) and you’re looking at a contender.
Whilst it’s easy to say that Boston didn’t make any notable moves in the offseason, it’s the things they didn’t do that should be noted — without needing to give up a truckload of assets for Kawhi Leonard or trading to move up in the draft, they retained their proven core as well as their two valuable first round picks for next year’s draft.
If healthy, expect to see the Boston Celtics make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals — and maybe even the Finals — this year.
Key Acquisitions
Robert Williams.
Projecting Starting Lineup
Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.
Grade
B-
Brooklyn Nets
It wasn’t too long ago that it seemed as though the Brooklyn Nets had what looked like the bleakest future of any team in the league (somewhere, Danny Ainge is smiling) — enter Sean Marks. The new Nets GM has been making savvy moves since taking over the role from Billy King in 2016 after being handed what many would call a sinking ship.
This offseason was no different for Marks and the Nets — they continued their run of acquiring assets in the form of draft picks and expiring contracts, while shedding any contracts that aren’t part of their long-term plan.
The development of their youth — including a breakout season from Spencer Dinwiddie, as well as the surprising play from centre Jarrett Allen and continued improvement of D’Angelo Russell, Caris LaVert and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — puts the Nets in a good position to continue building for the future, which is much more than they’ve done in the past. Picks the Nets have traded in the past were used to select players like Jaylen Brown, Markelle Fultz and Damian Lillard.
Acquiring former Portland Trailblazers big-man Ed Davis, the Nets have found themselves a solid backup big-man who will help to bolster their already top-10 team rebounding numbers. Throw in Shabazz Napier and Kenneth Faried as spark-plugs off the bench and Jared Dudley for veteran presence, all while acquiring additional future assets, and the Nets are clearly (finally) thinking long-term.
They have a long way to go yet, but the Brooklyn Nets appear to be making the right moves for the future with a mixture of youth, assets and cap flexibility.
Key Acquisitions
Ed Davis, Shabazz Napier, Kenneth Faried, Jared Dudley and a whole lot of second-round draft picks.
Projected Starting Lineup
D’Angelo Russell, Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jarrett Allen
Grade
C
Charlotte Hornets
Despite a relatively productive season for the big man, the Charlotte Hornets have already evacuated Dwight Howard Island. New GM Mitch Kupchak was quick to make changes following the team only winning 36 games, not only allowing Howard to walk, but also firing Steve Clifford from the Head Coach position and replacing him with former Spurs assistant, James Borrego.
After a slew of multi-team trades, the Hornets also ended up with Bismack Biyombo (#TheReturn) and signed Tony Parker, who, despite his age, could be a good mentor for Kemba Walker and provide them with some veteran leadership and guidance on a team that has sorely missed that in previous years. Somebody please tell Kemba not to introduce his girlfriend to Parker, though.
Trading with the Los Angeles Clippers on Draft Day, the Hornets moved from the 11th spot to 12th, and took Michigan State Forward, Miles Bridges. Bridges is a long, rangy Forward who averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 2.4 APG in his two seasons at Michigan State, doing so with great efficiency — he shot 53.7% from the field, including 37.5% from deep.
Many considered Bridges a steal at this selection and he could prove to be a handy weapon for the team, able to play some PF when the Hornets go small, but also step out and shoot from deep when needed.
Additionally, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Malik Monk this season — he showed some nice flashes when he got playing time in the later portion of last season and if unleashed, could put up some serious scoring numbers alongside Kemba Walker. Contributions from other young players like Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez will also be required for the team to improve at all.
Despite a couple of nice additions, the Hornets still have a messy cap situation heading into this season. They have over $80m tied up in Nicolas Batum, Biyombo, Marvin Williams, Cody Zeller and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist this season alone — Kemba Walker is the sixth highest-paid player on the team and basically their entire offense. Get that man some help!
Key Acquisitions
Miles Bridges, Tony Parker and Bismack Biyombo.
Projected Starting Lineup
Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller.
Grade
C
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls struck gold in the Draft last year by taking Arizona big-man Lauri Markkanen seventh overall. Having fallen down a spot in the lottery, the big question was could they do it again this year at the same spot?
The answer is yes. Wendell Carter Jr spent most of his season at Duke playing second fiddle to eventual second overall pick Marvin Bagley III — while he didn’t produce eye-popping numbers, WCJ’s versatility (think Al Horford 2.0) on the floor demonstrated incredible polish and awareness for a 19-year old. His ability to defend multiple positions, pass, defend and shoot the three-ball (like I said, Al Horford 2.0) will allow WCJ to slide in as the perfect front-court partner for the floor-spacing Markkanen.
Alongside WCJ, the Bulls also honoured an early draft promise and selected Chandler Hutchison from Boise State with the 22nd overall pick. Hutchison, coming off a 4-year college stint, improved his scoring significantly each year and has already drawn comparisons to Paul George and Scottie Pippen (it’s a stretch, but I’ll take it).
Having had a successful draft, the Bulls turned their eye to free agency. The team rescinded David Nwaba’s Qualifying Offer, making him a free agent — their only bad move so far this offseason. Matching Zach LaVine’s 4-year, $78m offer sheet from the Sacramento Kings was a divisive decision, mostly due to his health and defensive concerns. Signing restricted free agent and Chicago native Jabari Parker to a 2-year, $40m contract drew some additional criticism for the same reasons as LaVine. Fortunately, the Bulls added a team option to the second year of the Parker contract as insurance should anything happen with his health.
While having significant cap space tied up in both LaVine and Parker may seem risky, it’s certainly a high-upside risk for the Bulls. At worst, they can move away from the Parker deal in year two, in time for the Free Agency class of 2019 and at best, they have a core of 7 players aged 23 and under that develop together in an offensive system suited to their talents.
The young core, offensive potential and weakening of the Eastern Conference make the Bulls one of the more intriguing young teams in the NBA — sure, they’ll give up 110 points per game, but the upside is huge.
Key Acquisitions
Wendell Carter Jr, Jabari Parker, Chandler Hutchison and Antonio Blakeney.
Projected Starting Lineup
Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr.
Grade
B+
Cleveland Cavaliers
When the best player on the planet (and one of the top-two players of all time) leaves your team in Free Agency, it’s next to impossible to recover. LeBron James is now a Laker, and if people thought the roster around him sucked while he was on the team, it doesn’t look any better with him off it.
Last trade deadline, we applauded the Cavaliers for acquiring some young talent to bolster the roster — as the season went on, that young talent wasn’t much of a factor and we begged the Basketball Gods for some kind of help for King Jame. Little did we know at the time, that move became a precursor to LeBron leaving.
While losing James hurts, the Cavaliers had the famed Brooklyn pick to fall back on in this Draft. Selecting eighth overall, the Cavaliers drafted Collin Sexton out of Alabama — in his lone college season, the athletic Point Guard averaged 19.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.6 APG. Sexton will be a joy to watch at the pro-level — his athleticism, speed, handles and tenacity will alone be enough to give him the keys to the team’s offensive system when he’s ready.
Kevin Love also signed an extension with the team for 4-years and $120m, making him 33-years old in his final year and being paid around $33m that season.
Look, I love Kevin Love — like Chris Bosh before him, he was able to go from being the focal point of a team’s system and tailor his game to compliment LeBron James, which is no easy feat. If there’s a slight chance he can return to his form during his Minnesota Timberwolves tenure, then why not.
Locking down an All-Star caliber player that can give you 26 and 12 on any given night while showcasing some younger talent and letting them also develop is a small ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark world for a fanbase that has just lost the best player in the game.
Key Acquisitions
Collin Sexton
Projected Starting Lineup
George Hill, JR Smith, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson
Grade
D+ (they could’ve signed Jesus Christ himself — slight exaggeration — and I’d still give them a low mark. That’s how good LeBron James is.)
Detroit Pistons
There really isn’t a whole lot to say about the Detroit Pistons’ offseason — they fired Stan Van Gundy, hired the reigning Coach of the Year Dwayne Casey and signed a few below-average role-players. Seriously, that’s it.
Their new signings in Jose Calderon, Zaza Pachulia and Glenn Robinson III won’t move the needle for this team, but provide them with at least some semblance of depth on an otherwise paltry roster.
The key question for this team is how the pairing of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin will work moving forward. Drummond has been seen this offseason shooting a lot of threes, so I guess that’s a thing now. Colour me curious for this pairing — if Griffin can stay healthy for a season, then it has some potential, but the rest of the roster around the two stars has a long way to go yet.
Key Acquisitions
Jose Calderon, Zaza Pachulia and Glenn Robinson III.
Projected Starting Lineup
Reggie Jackson, Reggie Bullock, Stanley Johnson, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.
Grade
D
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were the surprise team in the 2017–2018 season. After they traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it seemed as though they were destined to lottery-bound for the foreseeable future.
Winning 48-games last season (good for 5th place in the Eastern Conference) and pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to 7-games in the first round, the Pacers proved they were for real.
Also it turns out that former #2 overall pick Victor Oladipo is good… like, really good. Averaging 23.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.3 APG and 2.4 SPG, the newly anointed Most Improved Player emerged as an All Star and franchise player for this team.
The Pacers have taken what they did last season and added more complimentary pieces to the current core, which I love. Tyreke Evans, who had a great season with the Memphis Grizzlies last season, gives them additional size and playmaking. Doug McDermott, although a head-scratcher of a contract, provides more scoring and floor-spacing. Former Knicks big-man Kyle O’Quinn gives the Pacers more size up front as well as another player to stretch the floor with his shooting abilities.
Drafting former UCLA Bruin Aaron Holiday (brother of Jrue and Justin who averaged over 20 PPG in his college season) 23rd overall also gives them another backcourt player who they can grow and should, in my eyes, eventually take the mantle from Darren Collison as starting Point Guard.
I severely underrated the Pacers going into last season — something I won’t be doing again. I’ll be watching intently as they roll out this new roster against a weaker Eastern Conference and continue to develop their young core.
Key Acquisitions
Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, Kyle O’Quinn and Aaron Holiday.
Projected Starting Lineup
Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner.
Grade
A
Miami Heat
With almost $58m in cap space tied up in barely tradeable contracts like Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Johnson (ouch), the Miami Heat didn’t have too many moves on the table this offseason.
There’s still the question of what to do with Hassan Whiteside — the disgruntled big man is owed over $53m over the next two seasons. In April, as the season came to a close, Whiteside spoke out about his lack of minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs, feeling as though head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t even give him a chance. Needless to say, the Heat are in a predicament with Whiteside — his offensive arsenal is limited, while his contract will be difficult to move.
Dwyane Wade has also been reportedly offered a three-year, $25m contract by the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. If Wade takes the contract, any nostalgia that Heat fans may feel watching this current version of the team may walk out with him.
The bright spots for the Heat include the development of Bam Adebayo as well as continued improvement of Justise Winslow (let’s not forget that Celtics GM Danny Ainge reportedly offered six draft picks, including four future first-rounders, to the Charlotte Hornets to move up to ninth to draft Winslow), but outside of that, the Heat didn’t move the needle in their favour at all this offseason.
Key Acquisitions
Literally nobody of importance.
Projected Starting Lineup
Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow, Kelly Olynyk and Hassan Whiteside.
Grade
D
Milwaukee Bucks
The biggest story of the Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason so far is that Giannis Antetokounmpo has seemingly discovered the weights room. Seriously, he’s gigantic now. It’s been a joy watching Giannis elevate his game each season in the NBA — he started last season looking like an MVP-candidate and could easily carry that momentum into this season and continue to improve. The position for the Best Player in the Eastern Conference is now wide open, and Giannis’ name is very close to the top of that list.
The Bucks have also seemingly realised that The Greek Freak is their one true saviour and that they need to go all in on building around him. Allowing Jabari Parker to walk in Free Agency will provide Giannis with some more space to operate, while signing capable veterans like Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova gives him more options on the perimeter, with a more spread floor for driving and dishing.
Selecting 17th overall in the Draft, the Bucks selected Donte DiVincenzo, the Villanova guard fresh off a 31-point outburst in the Championship Game against Michigan. DiVincenzo’s shooting abilities (37.8% from deep in college) will no doubt become a useful weapon for the Bucks’ bench unit — how he holds up whilst being defended by longer, more athletic players remains to be seen.
Throw former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer into the mix, and things start to get interesting. Giannis has arguably never played for a competent Head Coach in his time in the NBA, so the overall ceiling for him as a player and the team as a whole has been raised by hiring Budenholzer alone.
Whilst I don’t think the Bucks are contenders in the Eastern Conference, I’m very ready to strap myself in and enjoy another season of The Greek Freak poster dunks and ridiculous Eurostep finishes from the 3-pt line — with an improved supporting cast, there’s nowhere else to go but up for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Key Acquisitions
Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova, Pat Connaughton and Donte DiVincenzo.
Projected Starting Lineup
Eric Bledsoe, Tony Snell, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Grade
B
New York Knicks
The NBA is better when the New York Knicks are good. Sadly, the last time they were good was the 2012–2013 Season, where they won 54 games with a roster built around Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.
Fast forward to today and the Knicks are taking the route of the Philadelphia 76ers and re-building their team with youth at the forefront. After Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL last season, the Knicks stunk their way to 29 wins and the 9th overall pick in this year’s Draft — with that pick, they selected Kentucky SF Kevin Knox.
In true Knicks fashion, the Knox selection was met with an echo of boos from the fans in attendance. But hey, it seemed to all pan out with Porzingis, right?
Standing at 6'9" with almost a 7-foot wingspan, Knox had people’s attention during Summer League. He averaged 23.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG while showcasing explosive athleticism, the ability to create his own shot, and tenacity on the defensive end. It’s never a great idea to overreact to a Summer League performance, but Knox looks legit — he’ll be a fun weapon for newly appointed Head Coach, David “Take That For Data” Fizdale, to deploy.
With the 36th pick, the Knicks also selected Western Kentucky big-man Mitchell Robinson, who has the physical tools and skillset to be an impact player at the C position. Robinson averaged a staggering 4.0 blocks per game during Summer League — the most ever recorded. He also added 13.0 PPG and 10.2 RPG while shooting 66.7% from the field. His 6.2 offensive rebounds per game were also the most in Summer League history.
In a move that seems like it was always going to happen, the Knicks also signed former 5th overall pick Mario Hezonja to a 1-year, $6.5m deal. Hezonja is still only 23-years old and has possible untapped potential, which he began to showcase in the latter half of last season while getting an increase in minutes for the Orlando Magic. I love the addition of a low-risk, high-upside player on a cheap deal — a stark contrast to the Knicks of old, who were handing out terrible contracts left, right and centre.
For the first time in a long time, there is some real potential on the New York Knicks’ roster. Porzingis (assuming he stays healthy), Ntilikina (who is already an above-average defender who will no doubt improve on the other side of the ball under Fizdale) and Knox look to be the foundational pieces, while former lottery picks like Hezonja, Trey Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay and Noah Vonleh can be productive in the right roles.
The youngest starting lineup that the Knicks can roll out is an average age of 20.4 years — take THAT for data! Veterans Enes Kanter, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr also can all actively contribute to the team’s success and compliment the young core.
The Knicks will also have the ability to create maximum cap space starting in 2019. If the young players develop according to plan, it’s only a matter of time until New York is once again a free-agent destination. Knicks fans booed the Knox pick, but he could be the turning point for the team.
Key Acquisitions
Kevin Knox, Mario Hezonja, Noah Vonleh and Mitchell Robinson.
Projected Starting Lineup
Frank Ntilikina, Courtney Lee, Kevin Knox, Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter.
Grade
A
Orlando Magic
The trend of Orlando not making a bad decision in the Draft Lottery looks like it’ll come into play for the second straight season (although we didn’t see a lot of him last year, last year’s #6 overall pick Jonathan Isaac looked good in this year’s Summer League and if healthy, will surprise a lot of people this year).
In the exact same spot as last year’s Draft, the Magic took Texas big-man Mohamed Bamba. Looking at his Draft Combine results, it’s easy to tell why — he has a 7'10" wingspan (longest ever recorded), recorded the longest standing reach for the day (9'7.5") and posted a 3.04-second three-quarter court sprint (faster than players like Russell Westbrook, John Wall and James Harden).
Averaging 12.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 3.7 BPG per game during his lone season at Texas, the upside of Bamba as both a defensive anchor and the potential on the offensive end is enough to make most GMs salivate — fortunately, John Hammond cannot physically see players under 6'10", and so Bamba fell right into their laps. However, Bamba will need to spend a bit of time in the weight room to add some size to his frame.
The one thing I can take away from this Orlando front-court is length. Between Aaron Gordon, Isaac and Bamba, the length, switchability and defensive potential of this team is fantastic. The upside is there for Orlando to continue to build down this path in the future — hiring former Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford will also help them to possibly cement an identity.
While the Magic also managed to get out of Bismack Biyombo’s contract (by taking on Timofey Mozgov’s), what they didn’t manage to do this offseason was to acquire a Point Guard.
Without a competent Point Guard (nothing against DJ Augustin or Jerian Grant, who were equal parts “meh” and frustrating during their tenures in Chicago), the team risks wasting the optimal development for their newly drafted big man in his rookie season.
Nonetheless, I’m excited (an adjective I’ve never used when describing the Magic in recent years) to see Bamba grow as a player and to see how Gordon and Isaac can continue to develop their game this season.
Key Acquisitions
Mohamed Bamba, Jerian Grant and (unfortunately) Timofey Mozgov.
Projected Starting Lineup
DJ Augustin, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba.
Grade
B-
Philadelphia 76ers
It seemed as though the Philadelphia 76ers were somehow linked to every free agency rumour this offseason — one day it was Kawhi Leonard, the next it was LeBron James. Naturally, when none of these rumours came to fruition, it was understandably deflating that they only managed to acquire Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala and have Nemanja Bjelica turn them down to play with… the Sacramento Kings!?
The 76ers looked like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference late last season. The young stars spearheaded the campaign all the way through to the Conference Semi Finals, where they lost in five games to a deep Boston Celtics squad. Role players like veteran swingman Marco Belinelli and forward Ersan Ilyasova complimented their dominant one-two punch in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid — however, with Belinelli reuniting with the San Antonio Spurs and Ilyasova going back to Milwaukee, Philadelphia’s depth has taken a hit.
Wilson Chandler is a solid veteran wing presence, and Mike Muscala is bound to be an upgrade over Amir Johnson offensively, but looking at their depth chart, it’s not much better than last season outside of Markelle Fultz reportedly rapidly returning to form.
A Draft Day trade also saw Mikal Bridges shipped off to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the bouncy Zhaire Smith (taken 16th overall) and an unprotected 2021 first-round pick. Why Phoenix threw that pick in, we’ll never know, but it seems as though the 76ers like the potential of Smith over Bridges, who looks like someone who could be closer to his ceiling as a player — regardless, I feel Bridges would have been a greater immediate contributor for a playoff team coming into the NBA.
Did the Philadelphia 76ers get better or worse this offseason? It depends on if Zhaire Smith can contribute right away and if Markelle Fultz finds his way back to the play that led to him being chosen with the 1st overall pick. Unfortunately, that’s not a certain enough outcome for a team that could’ve potentially made it all the way to the Finals last season.
Key Acquisitions
Zhaire Smith, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala and Nemanja Bjelica (almost).
Projected Starting Lineup
Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid.
Grade
D+
Toronto Raptors
The Kawhi-ghtmare is finally over. After what seemed like an eternity of differing reports and Uncle Dennis quotes, the Spurs have finally managed to emancipate themselves from the former Finals MVP and DPOY — and the Toronto Raptors were the team to make it happen.
In exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, the Raptors gave up former lottery pick Jakob Poeltl, a protected 1st-round pick and arguably the best player in franchise history in DeMar DeRozan.
Whilst the trade was met with many emotions from fans and players alike, the facts still stand — the Raptors, as previously constructed, were not Championship contenders. In fact, they were repeatedly owned by LeBron James in the playoffs, with their backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry going missing when it mattered most. Additionally, while DeRozan is arguably a top-15 player in the league, peak-Kawhi is arguably a top-3 player — when the opportunity to acquire someone like him arises, you have to take it. Period.
Yes, it can be viewed as a one-year “rental”, given his impending Free Agency. Yes, he’s most likely going to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, as he’s indicated a number of times. BUT, if there’s even a remote chance that he decides to stay in Toronto long-term, that’s enough to pull the trigger.
With Leonard in tow, the Raptors also managed to acquire Danny Green and somehow keep OG Anunoby, whose defensive prowess and offensive upside have a lot of people buying in.
Having dealt Poeltl, who was a solid contributor for them off the bench, the Raptors are now a little thin in the front-court rotation — however, they also have the flexibility to play smaller lineups with Serge Ibaka at C and Anunoby at PF.
DeMar DeRozan was the team’s star, but now they have a superstar. The addition of Kawhi makes Toronto contenders in the Eastern Conference and an extremely interesting team to watch. As previously mentioned, the position of Best Player in the Eastern Conference is wide open, but if he can return to his prior peak-form, Kawhi Leonard may have already filled that position.
Key Acquisitions
Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Projected Starting Lineup
Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas.
Grade
A
Washington Wizards
After months of pot-shots in the media and displaying clear disdain for one another both on and off the court, the Washington Wizards have finally divorced John Wall and Marcin Gortat. Wall will be elated to learn that his replacement is none other than 8-time All Star and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year… Dwight Howard! Oh…
If Wall had trouble getting along with Gortat, then we may see our first ever on-court murder as he learns what it’s like to deal with the player everybody seems to hate throughout the season.
Dwight jokes aside, I believe that he could become a contributor for this Wizards team (despite averaging 16.6 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 1.6 BPG last season, this narrative still feels familiar). Wall will be the best Point Guard that Howard has ever played with (sorry, Jameer Nelson), so if he gives up demanding the ball in the post and actually decides to be part of set plays that Wall facilitates, we may see positive results. I like the move on paper — I give it about a month before everyone turns on Dwight again, though.
In addition to acquiring Howard, the Wizards also signed Jeff Green to bolster their wing rotation and Austin Rivers, who is a solid backup at the Point Guard position.
Rounding out their roster is exactly what the Wizards needed. Outside of their starting lineup, they also now have a deep(ish) bench unit of Rivers, Tomas Satoransky, Kelly Oubre Jr, Green and Ian Mahinmi — assuming that Wall and Beal can continue to elevate their games and play out a full season together, the Wizards will be an interesting team to watch in the East.
Key Acquisitions
Dwight Howard, Jeff Green and Austin Rivers
Projected Starting Lineup
John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris and Dwight Howard.
Grade
B
