Would you believe that the Atlantic Division put three teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season? Considering how awful the division has been over the last few seasons, it’s not a stretch for you to be shocked at that fact. While the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics all made the postseason, all were eliminated in the first round, and only the Nets were able to win a game (2). At the same time, this division was still underwhelming, as the Nets and Celtics were both under .500, while the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers were the 2nd and 3rd worst teams in the league. What steps did each team make to get better (or worse) this offseason? We already broke down the Atlantic Division’s draft, so let’s take a look at the offseason moves each team made gearing up for the 2015-16 NBA season.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics rode a hot second half into the seventh seed before being swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champs, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coach Brad Stevens has set them up to be successful, and this offseason the Celtics looked to take another step forward. They traded for David Lee and Perry Jones in separate deals, both of whom can contribute at their positions. Lee should get regular playing time at the power forward spot, and Jones can benefit from a change in scenery on the wing. Boston also signed Amir Johnson, and while they may have overpaid, he was valuable to Toronto last season. Boston could have used a point guard addition, and while they tried to address that in the draft, that spot could be a weakness this season. Overall, Boston made the moves they wanted, but have to be left wondering if it’s enough to make a leap in 2015-16.
Brooklyn Nets
Contrary to the Celtics, the Nets followed up their postseason appearance by bottoming out in the offseason, essentially abandoning their plan and starting from scratch. Gone is Deron Williams, who the team chose to buy out rather than pay him to keep playing. With him exits Mason Plumlee in a draft day trade for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Mirza Teletovic and Alan Anderson in free agency, and Cory Jefferson and Darius Morris. Brooklyn did re-sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, who were both key pieces on the Nets’ playoff push last year. The Nets took a few fliers on young, athletic guys like Thomas Robinson, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin, Donald Sloan and even Andrea Bargnani, but it’s difficult to see how this team will be as competitive as last season. This is a team now committed to the future, and that means 2015-16 is shaping up to be a rough one for Nets fans.
New York Knicks
On the other side of the river are the New York Knicks, who were the second worst team in the NBA last season. This year’s edition will look almost entirely different, and should be more competitive as well. Gone are Andrea Bargnani, Quincy Acy, Cole Aldrich, Shane Larkin, Jason Smith, and Alexey Shved. Also gone is Tim Hardaway, who went to Atlanta in a trade. The Knicks didn’t sit back in free agency however, as they brought in several players: Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Kevin Seraphin, Kyle O’Quinn, and Sasha Vujacic. They also brought up Thanasis Antetokounmpo from their D-League affiliate, and if he can be half as good as his younger brother Giannis, the Knicks will be happy with the move. Overall, the Knicks still are a work in progress, but should field a much more competitive roster than last season.
Philadelphia 76ers
On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers were the 3rd worst team in the league, and did pretty much nothing to improve their roster in the offseason. The team traded for Nik Stauskas and Jason Thompson, but then shipped Thompson out for Gerald Wallace. Thompson was actually excited to come home to play in Philly, but now the 76ers lose his value and instead get Wallace, who hasn’t made any real contributions in a few seasons. Philadelphia is banking on getting a lot of production from Jahlil Okafor, but it’s starting to follow a pattern where the team is in a continual rebuild. This upcoming season figures to be a lot like the last, and that has to be frustrating for Philly fans.
Toronto Raptors
Finally, we come to the consensus top team in the Atlantic, the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors rolled over in the first round against Washington last season, but made several offseason moves to ensure that doesn’t happen again. The team brought in DeMarre Carroll to shore up wing depth, and while they may have overpaid for him, he is a bulldog defensively and can shoot from three. They also added frontcourt depth in Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola to replace the departed Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson. In the backcourt, the Raptors lost some depth when Louis Williams and Greivis Vasquez departed via free agency and a trade, respectively. To make up for that, the team drafted Delon Wright, but the real key pickup here is Cory Joseph, who Toronto brought in from the Spurs. While this team will have a different feel to it next season, the pieces are there to get this team back into the top half of the conference, and they could be real contenders again next year.