Best of: The wildest NBA offseason ever
The best of the best from the most wild NBA offseason yet.
The 2017 NBA offseason was one of the wildest NBA offseasons of all time. By “wildest” we mean some of the trades, player and team moves were just so unpredictable.
The 2017 offseason was akin to one of those dinner parties where the jokes just naturally flow and don’t stop. You keep thinking in your head, it has to end at some point. There’s no way everyone can keep being this likable and funny. Sure, there’s the person that stands up and yells something off-color in an attempt to be funny and everyone pauses to take the moment in — I suppose that’s the Knicks this offseason — but, eventually everyone returns to their conversations.
Last season ended with a dominating display by the Golden State Warriors. And as a result, many teams shook up their lineups to bring a higher level of competition to the field.
Daryl Morey, the Houston Rockets General Manager knew the Warriors would create problems for teams in the league and that if any of them wanted to have a shot at competing against last year’s champs, they have to take chances.
“We are used to long odds, If Golden State makes the odds longer, we might up our risk profile and get even more aggressive. We have something up our sleeve.”
As we’ll get to later, Morey and other teams have increased their risk profile. The days of taking it slow in the offseason are mostly over. The Warriors dominance have made everyone crazy. Because of this, we’ve had quite an incredible offseason.
In order to properly recap everything that happened this summer, we pulled the best of the best offseason moves together— everything from normal trades to insane ones.
What made this offseason the wildest yet, was the magnitude and amount of moves that happened. So, these aren’t ranked in any way.
They’re just the best of the best.
So, sit back and enjoy The Unprofessionals recap of this year’s NBA offseason.
Honorable Mentions.
Paul Milsap and the Denver Nuggets.
Adam Aaronson: Paul Millsap and the Denver Nuggets were a match made in heaven. There was no doubt that Millsap, the multiple-time All-Star, would eventually sign to play alongside young phenom, Nikola Jokic. Jokic and Millsap are the perfect blend — both are great passers and good shooters, but Jokic is a player capable of having the entire offense run through him. Jokic’s only weakness, his interior defense, is one of Millsap’s greatest strengths. This signing makes the Nuggets one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
The Sacramento Kings go wild again.
Adrienne Luis: The Kings dominated this year’s free agency and trade season — commandeering the Jazz’s George Hill and the Grizzlies Zach Randolph and Vince Carter.
To fully comprehend the scope of their success, navigate back to mid-February — NBA All Star Weekend, the weekend the Kings (unbelievably, at the time) traded DeMarcus Cousins for a protected 2017 first–round pick, a 2017 second–round pick, the Pelicans Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, and Tyreke Evans’s expiring contract.
Fast-forward to draft day when the Kings swap picks with the Sixers and end up with the fifth pick — Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox — and the tenth pick, which they traded to the Blazers for two more picks — UNC wing Justin Jackson and Duke big man Harry Giles.
As a result, the Kings entered the offseason with a pretty young core (Barring Galloway and Evans).
To offset this, the Kings made their final moves in their master-rebuild plan and signed Hill, Randolph and Carter — three 30-and-older veterans to develop the young core.
And just like that, in a matter of three months, the Kings opened themselves up to a plethora of opportunities in the seasons to come.
Best of.
Indiana Pacers trade Paul George to the Thunder.
Joshua Sutter: This was weird trade when it was announced. (It was weirder a week later and grew even stranger once Kyrie Irving was traded for three solid pieces.) For Paul George, Indiana received Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis from the Thunder — a somewhat stunning haul considering George’s value. Despite George’s impending free agency, it still feels like Indiana sold themselves short.
From the Thunder’s side of things, this deal was a no-brainer. Although it increased their risk profile for the future, it immediately made them better from a talent standpoint. The real question is, how well will George and Russell Westbrook mesh?
Nevertheless, this trade sent shockwaves throughout the league. Both for the trade value and the prospect of getting to watch George and Westbrook on the same team. That alone is going to be fun regardless if it works or if it goes haywire.
The New York Knicks were peak Knicks.
Adrienne Luis: At the moment, the Knicks are still struggling to find their legs, meaning they are struggling to sign key players in this year’s offseason.
They did manage to sign the Hawk’s Tim Hardaway Jr. for a whopping four-year $71-million contract. Hardaway Jr. is a great two-way player and a strong wing, but comes with a high price tag.
Other than that, the Knicks signed incoming rookies Jamel Artis, Nigel Hayes and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
Currently, all the attention remains on Carmelo Anthony. As of last week, the Knicks were “not close” to any deal involving Anthony, per league sources. ESPN reports the Knicks have “talked on and off with the Houston Rockets for much of the summer, but there’s been no recent momentum toward a deal.”
ESPN also reports, “Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry remain set on getting some combination of a young player, draft pick or expiring contract back in any Anthony deal. They have little interest in adding significant salary.”
If no deal comes to pass, Anthony will be heading into training camp as a Knick on September 25.
Boston Celtics trade the number one pick, Markelle Fultz to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Adam Aaronson: When Philadelphia 76ers fans talked about “Trusting the Process”, this Boston — Philly trade was exactly what they were talking about. Thanks to the war-chest of assets Former Sixers General Manager Sam Hinkie amassed, the Sixers were able to move up and acquire the top selection in the 2017 NBA Draft — Markelle Fultz, the second consecutive top pick for Philly, and their third franchise centerpiece to go along with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. This trade gave the Sixers three bigs expected to become All-Stars. For Boston, they get an added asset (the Lakers’ 2018 first-rounder or Sacramento’s 2019 first-rounder), and a rookie, #3 in Jayson Tatum, who can come as close to as good as Fultz talent-wise, if not better. Time will tell. Right now, it seems like, with this move, both teams got done what they were trying to accomplish.
Houston Rockets get Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Joshua Sutter: Since Daryl Morey thought teams should increase their risk profile to combat the Warriors, it makes sense that he would increase his own team’s risk profile. Getting CP3 in a vacuum is a good move. But making the trade, in the way that he did, makes it a bit less appealing. Only a bit.
This trade makes the Rockets an exciting opponent for the Warriors. It probably doesn’t make them good enough to beat the Warriors, but that’s why as soon as this trade happened, rumors for a third superstar began. It felt like only an hour had passed on the deal before Carmelo Anthony — Rockets trade rumors started up. Morey realized that, while Chris Paul coming to the Rockets is great, it’s not enough to beat the Dubs.
Gordon Hayward signs for the Boston Celtics
Adam Aaronson: The prize of this year’s Free Agency class was Gordon Hayward. And, the Boston Celtics were the lucky recipient of that All-Star wing. The biggest reason he cited for leaving the Utah Jazz was the chance to reunite with his college coach, now Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens. Hayward’s arrival meant the departure of several Celtics were imminent. Most notably, Avery Bradley, who was shipped to Detroit to help clear cap space for Hayward. The Celtics also relinquished their rights to several bench players, again to clear up cap space for Hayward’s big signing.
This signing, in addition to the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade, will make the entire Boston Celtics roster look different next October.
Minnesota Timberwolves trade for Jimmy Butler
Joshua Sutter: The Wolves traded guards Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn along with the No. 7 pick, Lauri Markkanen, for Jimmy Butler and somehow the No. 16 pick.
Looking back on this summer, this move will likely be viewed with little interest in comparison to other polarizing moves. But man, this is a good trade for the Wolves. Being able to add to their core roster of Towns and Wiggins with a player the caliber of Jimmy Butler is just wild. It didn’t really increase their risk profile that drastically, it just made them better.
Tom Thibodeau being reunited with Butler is a fun plotline in and of itself, but seeing how the Wolves will play with Jeff Teague, Butler, Wiggins, and Towns on the court will be fascinating. The outside shooting may be lacking, but seeing how Thibs adjusts will be worth the wait.
Oklahoma City Thunder trade for Carmelo Anthony
Joshua Sutter: Just when the offseason seemed to be trending towards normalcy and the preseason, the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony finally decided to end their standoff.
The Knicks traded Carmelo to the Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick via the Bulls. This was the second key, win-now move for the Thunder this offseason. After moving for Paul George it seemed as if they would take a shot winning with Russ and PG. However, after trading for Carmelo it seems that they’re actually legitimate contenders in the Western Conference due to the trade.
The best and most exciting event from the 2017 NBA offseason: Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics.
Joshua Sutter: The Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas trade is the perfect ending to this year’s offseason dinner party. As NBA fans, we’ve enjoyed the offseason’s entertainment value. It’s been a genuinely enjoyable time and this final wonderful mess of confusion and star power is just perfect.
