After a dizzying first week of NBA free agency and a number of blockbuster trades, it’s time to make some early assessments on the league’s new landscape. What’s been the best move of the offseason so far? The most head-scratching move? And what’s next for LeBron James? Let’s dive in.
What’s the best move of the offseason so far?
Tom Haberstroh: The Heat getting Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s the best player moving locales this offseason and Miami didn’t even have to give up an S-tier asset. With Tyler Herro’s injury history plaguing his on-court offerings, there’s a chance that the No. 13 pick (Nate Ament) in this year’s draft is the best chip the Bucks receive in exchange for the two-time MVP still in his prime. I love what Miami did here even if it feels like 10 months ago.
Advertisement
Steve Jones: It has to be the Heat finally taking the swing and getting Giannis Antetokounmpo. The offensive fit may take some time, but adding a downhill force in Giannis feels like a win. Being able to use Giannis in pick-and-roll as a ball-handler and screener should enhance Miami’s drive-and-kick and spacing attack. His passing and playmaking shouldn’t be ignored and the Heat will finally have someone who commands a defense’s attention. Speaking of defense, we get to see Giannis and Bam Adebayo cause havoc on that end all year long.
Dan Devine: The Raptors turning Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft capital into Kawhi Leonard. I understand the downside risk of giving up unprotected first-round picks in the 2030s (and soon, one presumes, a nine-figure extension) for a player with an injury history as pronounced as Leonard’s. But I think the immediate on-court upgrade is nearly incalculable — Ingram is fine, Dick was largely not, and Kawhi was a top-10 player in the NBA last season — and paves a potential pathway for Toronto to move from the middle of the Eastern pack back into legitimate title contention for the first time since 2020.
Kelly Iko: I’m rolling with everything the Hornets have done. It was painstakingly obvious that Charles Lee’s anti-heliocentrism ways weren’t going to mesh well long term with the old guard (LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges), so parting ways with over $60 million on the books, and bringing in two elite wing floor spacers in Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen and a physical, versatile big in Naz Reid are organizational wins. Doing so while also adding future draft capital and financial flexibility — all while maintaining an on-court identity of pace and space motion — is one of the rare synergies we’ve seen across the league.
What’s the most head-scratching move of the offseason so far?
Jones: It’s a tie between Ja Morant, you are a Portland Trail Blazer, and the image of Jaylen Brown and Paul George in swapped uniforms. I just did not think all of the years of Brown/Tatum discourse and whatever this offseason turned into would wind up with George being the answer. I do apologize. I want to be clear that these are quite literally moves that made me scratch my head, pause and put my phone down.
Advertisement
Iko: The Lakers letting Rui Hachimura walk — down La Brea. In an age where big wings are all the rage, Hachimura shot nearly 45% from deep during the regular season and increased that production in the postseason (56.9% on 5.8 attempts!). Wasn’t this next phase supposed to be about building around Luka Dončić (and Austin Reaves)? Shouldn’t there be a place for a combo player who can defend multiple positions all while spacing the floor? I’m all for Mamu one-man fastbreaks and think his underrated playmaking might be a better stylistic fit with what JJ Redick wants to do functionally. But he’s slower, less physical, not a better shooter and a much worse defender. And it’s not like Hachimura skipped town either; he’s just closer to LAX now. Odd.
Haberstroh: The Lakers emptying the cupboard for Walker Kessler. So, now what? For Kessler, who played five games last season, the Lakers dealt away the rest of their tradable picks (unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-rounders along with two swaps) and still don’t have any big 3-and-D wings to complement Luka Dončić. That guy No. 77 better be happy or else …
Devine: The Wizards re-signing Trae Young to a four-year, $212 million deal. Back in February, I offered some squint-and-you-can-see-it optimism for the Wizards — with an extension-based caveat: “What sort of dollar figures — and, perhaps even more crucially, what sort of years — [Young and Anthony Davis] work out … will go a long way toward determining whether we wind up viewing these trades as low-cost, opportunistic additions capable of putting Washington on a path toward legitimate, sustained success. Or, potentially, as just the next round of millstones dragging down the Wizards’ balance sheet, hopes and vibes.” The future’s still unwritten. But a four-year, $212 million deal for Young at a time where there didn’t seem to be many (any?) suitors to pay him anywhere near that much for that long … well, “head-scratching” is one word for it.
Where do you want to see LeBron play next season?
Iko: San Antonio. If he’s not going to go home to Cleveland and the Team USA dream with Steph Curry is somewhat tainted now that Anthony Davis is reportedly being held hostage, why not head to San Antonio? There’s a bright young head coach, a talented young roster, a central piece in Victor Wembanyama and a clear need for a high-IQ power forward that excels in late-game scenarios. The Spurs have enough depth to keep James’ legs fresh during the regular season (Tobias Harris is a shrewd, under-the-radar addition) and what better guide for Wemby than the smartest, greatest player of this generation?
Advertisement
Haberstroh: Golden State. For pure basketball purposes, I’m rooting for Stephen Curry and LeBron James — just two kids from Akron — to link up again after their beautiful Paris Olympics performance together in 2024. The fit in Cleveland and Miami is more murky, but he’d be closer to a title in those two returns.
Devine: New York. I wouldn’t let Andre Drummond keep me from signing a better backup center if I were the Knicks.
Jones: Miami. Another return to Cleveland makes all of the sense in the world to wrap up a legendary career. I would not complain about being able to see LeBron and Stephen Curry team up in Golden State to make one more run. My basketball brain secretly wants to see how a team would try to defend LeBron, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić late in games in Denver. But I’ll go with the Heat. LeBron and Giannis feels like something out of a video game, and if LeBron has two separate returns that end in championships, everyone gets to do that debate thing again!
Power rank the five best teams in the NBA.
Devine: 1. Knicks, 2. Spurs, 3. Thunder, 4. Celtics, 5. Pacers.
Advertisement
New York returns its championship core (minus Mitchell Robinson), and the champs get the benefit of the doubt. San Antonio brings everybody back plus Tobias Harris, who should help. Losing Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe hurts OKC, but the Thunder were better than everybody until they weren’t and now they’ll have (we hope!) a healthy Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. While the Jaylen Brown trade stemmed more from a desire for financial flexibility in 2027 than a belief that it would make them better today, color me optimistic that a Celtics team that made its bones in the possession game (hello there, Mitchell Robinson) and returns a healthy Jayson Tatum will continue to be awesome. I’m aware Indiana is a very speculative pick. But I haven’t forgotten what it looked like the last time Tyrese Haliburton could run.
Iko: 1. Knicks, 2. Thunder, 3. Spurs, 4. Celtics, 5. 76ers.
Enough words have been written by the great Devine about New York, it’s understood why they’re at the top. Moving on, I think a healthy Thunder team reclaims their top spot out West (they’ll be fine even without Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins), the Spurs now enter with Finals experience, I’m in on Joe Mazzulla paired with Mitchell Robinson and Paul George, and Philly almost has to be considered a top 5 group with Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. I’m also fine with swapping the 76ers out for the Pacers, Wolves or even Rockets.
Haberstroh: 1. Spurs, 2. Thunder, 3. Knicks, 4. Heat, 5. Raptors.
Advertisement
I wrote the top three quickly. After that is anyone’s guess. I’m confident that Miami and Toronto will be top 5 defensively, which is high enough of a floor, for me, to put them in the upper crust. If Joel Embiid tops 40 games for the first time in four seasons in Philadelphia, I’ll rank differently.
Jones: 1. Knicks, 2. Spurs, 3. Thunder, 4. Celtics, 5. Whichever Team LeBron Signs With.
We respect championships around these parts. There’s a freedom to having done it, and keeping Landry Shamet/Jose Alvarado plus adding Andre Drummond is not bad. The Spurs will have to shake those Finals off, but it’s hard to imagine a very good team not getting better. The Thunder have won 132 games over the last two regular seasons, have that Spurs loss in the back of their brain and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got a haircut. Hard to imagine they won’t be back. I still have my questions on why Boston traded Jaylen Brown, but the Celtics have a winning formula they can lean on that feels trustworthy in July. And we’ll reserve the last spot for LeBron’s new team.
What’s the biggest takeaway from the offseason so far?
Iko: The rest of the East did not like the fact that the Knicks walked away with the Larry O’Brien. Their championship parade and celebration was as loud, proud and bold of a dance as the league has seen in years. I understand why their colleagues would be furious. It’s hard to think of any other comparable summer, especially in the Eastern Conference, where rival teams appeared to position themselves for an arms race like what has transpired over the last few weeks. Giannis is in Miami. Kawhi is (back) in Toronto. Brown is in Philly. One could argue that the balance of power is no longer out West, or at least as strong as it once was.
Advertisement
Jones: Championship windows can still open and close as soon as possible. No matter what this league leans into, teams will always be willing to make a swing to add talent. The “bottom” teams in the league are quietly adding solid players in an effort to be more competitive. You have to stay on your toes, because as soon you think you have all the answers, this league changes the questions.
Devine: The overarching trends of the last decade-plus of collective bargaining and player movement — shorter contracts, a more punitive luxury tax, fear of the supermax, the ability to sign more lucrative extensions, the shift from free agency to “pre-agency” in trades, fear of the second apron, etc. — have combined to make competitive windows being shorter than ever, while also emboldening non-contenders to believe that, if they’re pretty close, they might be just one big swing away from crowbarring open a window of their own. Welcome to Adam Silver’s Parity of Opportunity Era. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
Advertisement
Haberstroh: LeBron James is still the face of the league. Yes, still. The 41-year-old is the best free agent of his class in the Year 2026, which is mind-boggling to type out. The fact that several teams are in a holding pattern to wait for his, um, decision, is a testament to his enduring power on and off the floor. Wemby, SGA, Ant and Luka will have to wait some more to claim the crown.
Read the full article here
