NBA Draft Grades: Who Had the Best Offseason?

It’s time to take a look at how teams did in the offseason and grade their performance. Who had the best draft? Who made the best free agent signings? Who had the best overall offseason?

Introduction

The 2019 NBA offseason was one of the most eventful and anticipated offseasons in recent memory. A bevy of blockbuster trades and free-Agent Signings shook up the landscape of the league, and several teams made significant improvements to their rosters. As a result, there are a number of teams that enter the 2019-20 season with high expectations.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the teams that made the biggest improvements during the offseason and grade their offseasons accordingly.

Best Offseason Moves

The NBA offseason is always filled with player movement and this year was no different. There were a plethora of trades and free agent signings that have shaken up the landscape of the league. With all of the movement, it’s time to take a look at who had the best offseason and improved their team the most.

Biggest Winners

After a long and eventful offseason, the NBA is finally ready to tip off the 2020-2021 Season

A lot has changed since the last time we saw an NBA game The pandemic forced the league to change its schedule, resulting in a shorter regular season The offseason was also shortened, giving teams less time to make trades and sign free agents

As a result, many teams entered the season with unfinished rosters. Some teams made big changes, while others stood pat. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the teams that made the biggest improvements this offseason and grade their offseasons accordingly.

The Minnesota Timberwolves started their offseason by firing Head Coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau. They then used the #1 overall pick in the draft on point guard Lamelo Ball The T-Wolves also acquired All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns to pair with Ball in the backcourt. Finally, they signed Free Agent guard Malik Beasley to provide some scoring punch off the bench.

Grade: A

The Los Angeles Clippers had a busy offseason, as they retooled their roster around All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. They traded for superstar forward Marcus Morris Sr., who will provide scoring and toughness on the wing. They also signed free agent wing Reggie Jackson who adds another scoring option off the bench. The Clips added more depth by signing center Serge Ibaka and forward Luke Kennard in Free agency

Grade: A+

Biggest Losers

It’s been nearly five months since the 2019 NBA draft and the rookies have had some time to make an impact on their new teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers led the way with three first-round picks and they appear to have made the most of them. All three of their picks — De’Andre Hunter, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Cameron Johnson — have played significant roles for them this season.

The New York Knicks also had a strong draft, landing RJ Barrett with the third overall pick. Barrett has been one of the few bright spots on a dismal Knicks team, and he looks like a future star in the league.

Elsewhere around the league, there were some mixed results. The Charlotte Hornets drafted PJ Washington with the 12th pick, and he’s been a solid contributor for them this season. But they also drafted Cody Martin with the 36th pick, and he hasn’t seen much action.

The Sacramento Kings got some good production from their two first-round picks, Tyrese Haliburton and Hassan Whiteside But they also took a gamble on second-round pick Justin James, who has yet to make an impact in the NBA.

Here are grades for all 30 teams based on their performance in the 2019 NBA Draft

Best Draft Picks

The NBA Draft is always an exciting time for fans as they see which new prospects their teams will be adding to the fold. But it’s also a time when everyone plays armchair GM and ranks how each team did. We’re going to do a little of that here, but with a focus on how each team’s draft will impact their chances next season.

So without further ado, here are our grades for every team’s draft:

Atlanta Hawks: A-
The Hawks grabbed two players who should help them right away in PG Trae Young and PF Omari Spellman. Young is a dynamic scorer and passer who has drawn comparisons to Steph Curry while Spellman is a versatile big man who can shoot from deep. They also added G Kevin Huerter in the first round, who has good size and shooting ability at the SG position. Second-round pick G Devonte’ Graham should also be able to contribute right away as a backup PG.

Boston Celtics: B+
The Celtics didn’t have a first-round pick this year, but they made the most of their two second-round picks by snagging PF Robert Williams (a athletic big man with shot-blocking potential) and SF Aaron Nesmith (a sharpshooting wing). They also landed PG Carsen Edwards in a trade with the Sixers. Edwards is undersized but he’s an explosive scorer who can provide instant offense off the bench.

Worst Draft Picks

The NBA draft is always a highly anticipated event, as it gives fans a chance to see which young players their favorite teams will be adding to the roster. But it also can be a bit of a crapshoot, as there’s no guarantee that any of the players selected will live up to their potential.

Every year, there are a few draft picks who end up being busts. And while it’s impossible to know for sure who will pan out and who won’t, there are certain picks that look like they could be busts from the get-go. Here are a few of the worst draft picks from this year’s class:

Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings Some people thought the Kings reached when they took Bagley with the second overall pick, and those people may end up being right. Bagley is an incredible athlete with loads of potential, but he’s still raw and may not be ready to contribute right away.

Mohamed Bamba, Orlando Magic Bamba has the potential to be a great player, but he falls into the same category as Bagley – he’s raw and may not be able to contribute right away. The Magic probably could have gotten better value with another pick.

Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio Spurs: Walker was considered a reach when the Spurs took him with the 18th overall pick, and there’s a good chance he won’t pan out. He’s an athletic wing with some shooting ability, but he isn’t particularly skilled and doesn’t have a high ceiling.

Free Agent Signings

The 2019 NBA offseason was one of the wildest in recent memory. With big-name stars changing teams left and right, it was tough to keep track of all the moves. But now that the dust has settled, we can take a look back and grade each team’s offseason.

One of the biggest factors in grading a team’s offseason is how they did in free agency Did they sign the players they needed to fill important holes on their roster? Did they overspend on players that they didn’t really need? Let’s take a look at how each team did in free agency this offseason.

grade: A
The Los Angeles Lakers were able to sign both Kawhi Leonard and Lebron James two of the best players in the league, in the same offseason. They also signed role players like Danny Green Avery Bradley, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help round out their roster. The only downside for the Lakers is that they had to give up a lot of young talent and future Draft Picks to get Leonard from the Raptors. But overall, signing Leonard and James was a huge coup for the Lakers and should make them one of the favorite to win the NBA title next season.

grade: A-
The Brooklyn Nets made some big moves this offseason, signing both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant Durant will miss all of next season with an Achilles injury, but Irving is more than enough to make up for his absence. The Nets also did a good job of filling out their roster with role players like DeAndre Jordan, Garrett Temple, Wilson Chandler, and Taurean Prince. They didn’t have to give up too much to get any of these players either, which is always a plus. The Nets are clearly gearing up for a title run next season and they seem like they have all the pieces necessary to make it happen.

grade: B+
The Philadelphia 76ers made some solid moves this offseason, most notably acquiring Al Horford from the Boston Celtics Horford will be a great complement to Joel Embiid in Philly’s frontcourt and he’ll also help space the floor with his ability to shoot 3-pointers. The Sixers also added Tobias Harris last season and he should be even better now that he has a full year under his belt with his new teammates. Philly also signed Josh Richardson away from Miami and he’ll provide some much-needed shooting on the wing. The Sixers didn’t make any blockbuster moves this offseason, but they did enough to solidify themselves as one of the top teams in the East heading into next season.

Trades

The offseason is officially over, and with the start of training camp just days away, it’s time to take a final look at how each team fared this offseason. We’ll grade each club on its draft picks, free-agent signings, trades, coaching changes and other notable moves.

Salary Cap

The NBA offseason is always an eventful time, with player movement, trades, and free agency all impacting the landscape of the league. This year was no different, as several teams made big moves in an attempt to improve their rosters. With the dust now settling, let’s take a look at how each team did in terms of their offseason transactions.

The salary cap is one of the most important factors in the NBA offseason Teams have to be mindful of how much money they are spending on players, as it can impact their ability to make other moves. This year, the salary cap was $109 million, which was a decrease from last year’s $113 million. Several teams were impacted by this change, as they had to make adjustments to their rosters in order to stay under the cap.

The Los Angeles Lakers were one of the teams that were hit hardest by the decrease in the salary cap They had to let go of several Key Players including guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Julius Randle They also had to trade away forward Larry Nance Jr. In return for these moves, they were able to sign forward Lebron James and guard Rajon Rondo Overall, they had a good offseason despite losing some key players

Another team that made some big moves this offseason was the Philadelphia 76ers. They traded away forward Robert Covington and center Dario Saric in order to acquire center Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves They also signed forward Tobias Harris to a five-year deal worth $180 million. These moves should make them a contender in the Eastern Conference next season.

The Houston Rockets also made some noise this offseason by acquiring point guard Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for guard Russell Westbrook They also signed center Tyson Chandler and guard Austin Rivers These moves should help them compete for a spot in the Western Conference Finals next season.

Finally, we have the Golden State Warriors who had a relatively quiet offseason after winning another NBA title last season. Their biggest move was signing Center Demarcus Cousins to a one-year deal worth $5 million dollars. With Cousins joining an already stacked lineup that includes Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant it’s hard not see them winning another championship next season.

Conclusion

It’s hard to find a clear-cut winner for the best offseason in the NBA. The Warriors improved their already potent offense by adding Kevin Durant but they got worse on defense. The Cavaliers made a number of solid moves to improve their team, but they lost an All-Star in Kyrie Irving The Rockets improved their depth, but they didn’t do much to address their biggest weakness—a lack of size in the frontcourt.

In the end, it may be the Thunder who had the best offseason. They didn’t make any headline-grabbing moves, but they made a number of quietly effective moves that should help them compete for a title next season.