By NBA Insiders
The initial week of NBA free agency delivered significant excitement across the league. Major deals saw Kevin Durant head to the Houston Rockets and Myles Turner unexpectedly join the Milwaukee Bucks after they released Damian Lillard to create cap space. Other teams like the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic also made notable acquisitions aimed at strengthening their rosters for a potential playoff push in the 2025-26 season.
ESPN insiders Chris Herring, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, and Kevin Pelton analyze the initial surge of activity, highlighting the standout deals, questionable decisions, and moves with potential championship implications.
My favorite move of the offseason has been _____.
Herring: The Hawks acquiring Kristaps Porzingis in a multi-team trade involving the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. Atlanta significantly needs defensive improvements around Trae Young to compete at a high level. Adding Dyson Daniels last season was a major step, and the reasonable deal for Porzingis, who is among the league`s top rim protectors when healthy, is another key piece. The addition of Nickeil Alexander-Walker further enhances the Hawks` outlook.
Kram: The Rockets` trade for Kevin Durant. While perhaps obvious, it`s my favorite because the Rockets effectively addressed their primary weakness with one of the best possible solutions at a favorable cost. This trade immediately transformed the Rockets from a promising young team into a legitimate championship contender.
Marks: Luke Kornet joining the San Antonio Spurs. Leading up to free agency, many team executives were speculating where Kornet would sign. The answer came with his four-year, $41 million agreement with the Spurs. His salary for the first year, nearly $9 million, surpasses his total career earnings since entering the league in 2017. Beyond the finances, Kornet provides San Antonio with a dependable backup center behind Victor Wembanyama and another 7-plus-foot player to potentially pair with him on the court.
Pelton: The Hawks` maneuver to secure the better of Milwaukee or New Orleans` 2026 first-round picks by trading down just 10 spots on the opening night of this year`s draft. Although the Pelicans expect better health next season, making the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference remains challenging. There`s a strong probability the Hawks will end up with a pick equivalent to or better than the No. 13 selection they traded, with the upside of potentially landing a top-four pick.
One move that will impact the run to the Finals is _____.
Herring: The Knicks, already close to the second apron threshold, received a significant boost when Jordan Clarkson reached a buyout agreement with the Utah Jazz. By signing him for the veteran`s minimum after he cleared waivers, New York`s previously thin rotation gained a skilled scorer and playmaker capable of alleviating some of the ball-handling duties from Jalen Brunson, who handled the ball more than any other NBA player per game last season. This move also allowed the Knicks to utilize their midlevel exception to sign versatile big man Guerschon Yabusele.
Kram: Brook Lopez signing a two-year contract to serve as the LA Clippers` backup center. Last season, the Clippers had a net rating of plus-9.0 with starter Ivica Zubac on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass, but a negative-5.5 net rating when he was off. This was the third-largest on/off split among players with at least 1,000 minutes, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Dorian Finney-Smith. While Lopez has declined from his peak with the Bucks, he remains an effective rim protector and floor spacer. He doesn`t need to play 30 minutes per game to help the Clippers; he just needs to maintain stability during the dozen or so minutes Zubac is resting. Lopez is more than capable of fulfilling that role.
Marks: While the Desmond Bane trade to Orlando garnered significant attention before the draft, the Magic`s signing of Tyus Jones to a one-year, $7 million contract could be the move that positions them to contend in the Eastern Conference. Adding one of the best facilitators available in free agency – Jones has averaged at least five assists over the past three seasons while playing fewer than 30 minutes per game – significantly improves a Magic offense that finished last in assists this past season.
Pelton: Houston securing Dorian Finney-Smith as a difference-making acquisition for next spring. Finney-Smith is a seasoned playoff performer, having reached the conference finals with the Dallas Mavericks in 2022 and averaging 34 minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round last season. Adding Finney-Smith helps the Rockets compensate for the depth lost by trading two starters to acquire Durant.
One move a team might regret by Christmas is _____.
Herring: Returning to Kevin`s point, I believe the Pelicans giving up their unprotected first-round pick in last month`s draft to move up 10 spots is a decision they might regret much sooner than Christmas. The Western Conference is highly competitive, and it`s challenging to envision New Orleans being a significant factor and avoiding the lottery unless they make more substantial roster improvements.
Kram: If the Bucks and their new addition Myles Turner are not firmly in contention by Christmas, Milwaukee might experience considerable regret. Waiving and stretching Damian Lillard`s contract, effectively limiting Milwaukee`s financial flexibility for the next five years, will only be justified if the Bucks can win immediately. Despite their strong frontcourt, this might be difficult to achieve given their perimeter talent`s weaknesses.
Marks: The decision to waive Lillard, but for a different reason. We can agree that waiving and stretching the $113 million owed to Lillard was the last resort for the Bucks to improve their roster. However, the process of spending the resulting $27 million in available cap space on a single player, Turner, is debatable. For a team lacking depth (and needing a starting point guard), wouldn`t it have been more beneficial to create salary room before June 30th and distribute the funds among three players rather than just one?
Pelton: While I generally approve of the Rockets` offseason moves, I wonder if they might view Clint Capela as one big man too many, now that they have enhanced their power forward depth with Durant and Finney-Smith. I also have concerns about Capela`s declining athleticism. He shot just 56% last season, a career low for a full campaign, down from 65% as recently as 2022-23.
One deal no one is talking about is _____.
Herring: I thought the trade swapping Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball, which sent Ball to Cleveland, was a very smart move for the Cavaliers. Heading into the offseason, they anticipated likely not retaining free agent ball handler Ty Jerome, as keeping the exact same roster would have pushed them towards a quarter-billion dollar luxury tax bill. They opted to acquire Ball, who is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract at just $10 million. Ball has obviously missed significant time recently and struggled with his shooting last season. However, given Okoro`s limitations as a shooter, particularly in the playoffs, swapping him for Ball`s short-term deal represents a low-risk, high-reward opportunity if Ball can remain healthy.
Kram: Collin Sexton joining the Charlotte Hornets. It`s perhaps understandable that a trade between the Hornets and Jazz, teams that combined for a 36-128 record last season, wouldn`t garner much attention. But for the relatively small cost of center Jusuf Nurkic, Charlotte gained a future second-round draft pick and Sexton, who has averaged 24 points and six assists per 36 minutes with good efficiency over the past three seasons. In the short term, Sexton should boost Charlotte as an additional scorer alongside Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. Longer term, given his expiring contract, he could become a valuable trade asset for a contending team at the deadline, potentially bringing Charlotte even more draft selections.
Marks: The Detroit Pistons` pivot away from players like Dennis Schroder, Malik Beasley, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to sign Caris LeVert and acquire Duncan Robinson via sign-and-trade from the Miami Heat. These additions provide Detroit with two players who shot better than 37% from three-point range, bringing needed balance to their offense. The Pistons will also integrate Jaden Ivey back into the lineup to replace Schroder. Before suffering a right fibula injury on January 1st, Ivey was averaging a career-high 17.6 points on 46% shooting, including 40.9% from beyond the arc.
Pelton: I suspect some people are discussing the Lakers signing Jake LaRavia, but perhaps not enough about the potential upside of the deal. LaRavia led all players with at least 90 attempts (a threshold he just met) by shooting 46% on above-the-break three-pointers, according to The F5 newsletter. It`s uncertain how many such looks LaRavia will get in a Lakers offense where Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves frequently operate from the middle of the court. Still, it indicates his overall shooting quality. LaRavia hit 46% of corner attempts in his first two seasons, per Basketball-Reference.com, before dropping to 38% last season. He should receive plenty of those shots generated by the Lakers` playmakers.
One team that should have made a bigger splash is _____.
Herring: Following the Bucks` decision to waive Lillard, I`m still anticipating them making a move at point guard. While they have Kevin Porter Jr., he isn`t enough if they aim to convince Giannis Antetokounmpo of their title contention aspirations. It`s unclear what kind of deal would be necessary, but Chris Paul would be an excellent fit if the Bucks can somehow make it happen.
Kram: The Heat have added only one player so far, and it`s difficult to imagine Simone Fontecchio, acquired from Detroit in the Robinson sign-and-trade, making a significant impact. After a humiliating blowout defeat in the first round this past spring – Miami`s average margin of defeat against Cleveland was 30.5 points – the Heat haven`t demonstrated a clear direction or provided any real indication of their plans moving forward.
Marks: Golden State. Credit the Warriors partially for trading Jimmy Butler III six months ago. However, since then, their only transactions have been drafting Alex Toohey and Will Richard in the second round. Their inactivity is largely due to the uncertainty surrounding restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga`s future and the unknown amount of money available for free agency spending. For instance, signing Al Horford for more than $5.7 million would hard cap the Warriors at the first apron. They are currently $25 million below that threshold.
Pelton: After the Portland Trail Blazers waived Deandre Ayton, and he committed to the Lakers, Al Horford is the only remaining starter-caliber center available to replace Myles Turner. Indiana did add 7-1 Jay Huff, which is a decent move given his shooting, but he would be stretched as a starter. Unless Horford surprisingly joins the reigning Eastern Conference champions, it`s apparent the Pacers should have done whatever was necessary to retain Turner, even if it meant trading another rotation player to avoid the luxury tax.