The NBA offseason was everything a sports writer could hope for. It was similiar to an old western movie where conventional rules were thrown out the window, cash was stolen in the form of massive contracts for average role players, a major plot twist in the form of an unlikely alliance in Golden State emerged, and the greatest cowboy over the past 10 years finally got his due by winning a shootout in the NBA Finals against a younger, quicker, and more popular MVP.
Here are the most notable winners of the NBA offseason.
Derrick Rose
What was supposed to be an NBA fairy tale in the making turned into a perennial nightmare for Chicago’s son. Once the injuries began for Rose, the beautiful aura surrounding his career in Chicago started to dim and eventually turn off. Rose was caught in an impossible conundrum. Turn into a different player to mitigate the chances of injury or remain true to his play and hope his knees can take the building. Many fans still believed he would find his way, but the front office didn’t. Being traded was the best thing that could’ve happened to Rose, he is now free of any expectations and pressure that he directly or indirectly felt from being the hope of Chicago. He is able to start fresh in New York where there aren’t any real expectations. He joins Carmelo Anthony and brought along his good buddy Joakim Noah. You’re going to see many more smiles from Rose this season for the weight of carrying Chicago’s basketball dreams on his shoulders are over.
LeBron James
If there is one word that could describe the offseason for Rose and James it would be relief. For the first time in his career, James is the highest paid player in the NBA. His new 3-year contract comes off the heels of an epic NBA Championship between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. His promise to bring a title back to his home state was fulfilled and his summer has been spent gallivanting around to parades, vacations, and Drake concerts. It’s all fun from here on out as Lebron’s legacy has been cemented. He knows that he can’t catch MJ, and he doesn’t want to. He’s content owning his own path that is exclusive from other legend and for that, his path forward is even brighter than it has been before.
Boston Celtics
In many ways, the Celtics have become the feel good story of the NBA after some rough seasons following the “Big Three” breakup. This gritty group emerged as realistic options for several free agents like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler. Danny Ainge missed out on the superstars, however, he nabbed one of the most underrated players in all of the NBA. Al Horford is one of the most skilled big men and fits like a glove in Brad Steven’s offense. Horford creates greater spacing on offense and finally gives Boston a true paint protector that they have been lacking for several seasons. Instead of rolling out centers that look like they could fall over with a slight gust of wind, Horford is a dominant force in the paint because of his versatility and natural shot blocking ability. The Cavaliers are the clear favorite in the Eastern Conference, however, the other seeds are entirely up for grabs and the Celtics could realistically be a top tier East team with the addition of Horford and the already existing assets.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana is now home to the most interesting starting five in the Eastern Conference. Paul George has the chance to lead an exciting crew deep in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pacers added Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson, and Aaron Brooks to and already promising squad. Teague will be the biggest boom or bust player of these as Teague constantly needs the ball in his hands to be of any help. Add that need alongside ball hawks like George and Ellis and there could be some chemistry issues. The risk is certainly worth taking as Teague has proven to be an explosive scorer and playmaker at times. The safe addition was Young, as the veteran power forward continues to plug away as a rebound and steals specialist. Jefferson can guide the promising Myles Turner into his second season, all while contributing efficient minutes off the bench. This Pacers lineup is the best starting five they’ve rolled out in recent memory.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz have done things the “right way” over the past few seasons by developing their core group of young studs. The Jazz have now developed one of the best defensive frontcourts in the NBA in Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward continually shows signs of being a full-fledged superstars, and Trey Lyles, Rodney Hood, and Dante Exum show promise as future stars in the league. Specifically, Hood was one of the best shooting guards in the league for several weeks in a row when he would spark a hot streak.
The Western Conference is finally starting to open up behind the Warriors and the Jazz have plenty of room to grow with new additions Boris Diaw, Joe Johnson, and George Hill. Hill is the perfect guard to mentor Exum. Both guards are lengthy, defensive-minded ball hawks who are best when surrounded by true scorers. The Jazz added another scorer in Johnson who still has gas left in the tank. His contributions last season with the Miami Heat proved that he can still be a valuable isolation scorer in times of need. Diaw adds another veteran presence who works well in space and will help scorers like Hood and Hayward reach favorable spots on the floor with his passing prowess.
Golden State Warriors
You don’t think I forgot about this ridiculousness, did you? There’s not much to analyze; The Warriors now have the most offensively gifted starting five of all time by adding Kevin Durant. It’s hard to believe this even happened, it’s as if we are all in a simulation and are controlled by an impatient 13 year old playing franchise mode in NBA 2K. This team features at least three guys (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson) who can score 40 points on any given night and a triple-double machine in Draymond Green.
The Dubs are obviously the biggest winners of the summer by landing the former MVP while simultaneously landing a haymaker on their greatest challenger, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder were finally coming into their own with a new style of play under Billy Donovan and were poised to make the NBA Finals, now they are left with Westbrook who will g The Warriors couldn’t be in a better position now. Sure, they lost some great depth in Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights, but they added two key veteran big men. David West and Zaza Pachulia are perfect fits in a free flowing offense that values the assist.