With the major moves of the NBA offseason complete. It’s time to evaluate how each team fared. Let’s dive into NBA offseason grades for each Western Conference team. The same list for the Eastern Conference can be found here.
Grading Every Western Conference Team’s Offseason
Dallas Mavericks: B+
After an NBA Finals run the Mavericks had one of the biggest agency acquisitions by landing Klay Thompson. He signed a three-year $50 million dollar contract. At 34 Thompson is certainly past his prime however, he is still an elite shooter. Last season, Thompson shot 38 percent from three on nine attempts per game. Thompson will give Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving an elite catch-and-shoot option. Additionally, Thompson gives the Mavericks’ offense another dimension as an elite movement shooter.
The Mavericks also had one of the most underrated free agent moves, signing Naji Marshall to a three-year $27 million dollar deal. Marshall will be highly valuable as wing defender which is needed with Thompson’s addition and Derrick Jones Jr’s departure to the Clippers. The Mavs also traded Tim Hardaway Jr. for Quentin Grimes who will provide needed perimeter defense.
Denver Nuggets: C+
The rest of the West improved while the Nuggets suffered a huge blow losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Magic. Financially the Nuggets could have re-signed KCP. However, the ownership’s focus on getting out of the luxury tax penalties and general manager Calvin Booth’s belief in young talent played a role in this decision. The Nuggets are betting on improvement primarily from Christian Braun and Peyton Watson to fill KCP’s crucial 3-and-D role. Notably, this past season the Nuggets ranked 25th in three-pointers made. Additionally, KCP was the team’s best point-of-attack defender.
Denver signed Russell Westbrook who will be a good source of bench scoring and energy in a de-facto Bruce Brown role. However, his lack of shooting brings into question his fit next to Nikola Jokic. The only other major free agent signing the Nuggets had was Dario Saric who is a quality backup big-man option. Ultimately, the Nuggets offseason could cause them to take a step back in the West this year.
Golden State Warriors: C+
After a disappointing season, the Warriors and Klay Thompson mutually agreed to part ways. The Warriors replaced him with Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton. Hield is an ideal fit as an elite movement shooter and Melton provides high-level perimeter defense. Their other notable move was landing Kyle Anderson, a solid all-around forward. While these moves are fine the Warriors still need another creator next to Steph Curry. Frontcourt size is another need the Warriors failed to address. The Warriors pursued Paul George and Lauri Markkanen but struck out on both of them. It’s still unclear if the Warriors are a playoff team even if they didn’t land a star they could have addressed their needs better.
Houston Rockets: A-
Despite being involved in various trade rumors the Rockets opted to stand pat with their young talent. The Rockets added to their loaded young core by drafting Reed Sheppard third overall pick who projects to provide an immediate impact as a shooter and playmaker. Sheppard is the point guard of the future for the Rockets and he is in one of the best possible situations. While he was their only significant move, that’s fine for a young team loaded with talent. Last year the Rockets had a 19-win jump after adding Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. The Rockets could be a sneaky playoff squad this upcoming year with the combination of elite young talent and high-quality veterans.
Los Angeles Clippers: D-
The Clippers offseason has left many people wondering: what’s the plan? They lost Paul George due to a disagreement on contract length. The Clippers failed to work out a sign-and-trade for George which was rumored to be on the table. While George is 34 and has an extensive injury history considering how invested the Clippers already were with this core they should have seen it through. Furthermore, the Clippers re-signed James Harden to a two-year $70 million dollar contract making the George decision curious.
The Clippers signed Derrick Jones Jr. as George’s replacement which is solid defensively but gives up a ton on offense. Another questionable move is signing Kevin Porter Jr. on day one of free agency who was out of the league last season due to a domestic violence case. With many of the other teams improving it’s likely the Clippers fall out of the playoffs. This is particularly problematic considering the Clippers don’t have their own first round until 2030.
Los Angeles Lakers: C+
The Lakers had a mixed offseason. On one hand, Dalton Knecht is a lottery talent who fell to them at 17. Knecht’s elite shooting abilities fill a clear need for the Lakers. Additionally, the hiring of JJ Redick brings a new style of offense that emphasizes movement and prioritizes Anthony Davis. LeBron James re-signed on a two-year $101 million dollar contract. However, the Lakers made no other significant roster upgrades which is problematic for a team that was just a 7th-seed. Notably, they didn’t sign a single free agent.
Running it back with the same flawed roster is highly questionable. Bronny James has dominated Lakers offseason headlines and will remain a significant story all season long yet is unlikely to make any real impact. Ultimately, the Lakers desperately needed more floor spacing, secondary creation, and frontcourt size but failed to address these needs.
Memphis Grizzlies: B-
The Grizzlies had a quiet offseason outside of shocking the world by taking Zach Edey with the ninth overall. Edey is an intriguing fit as a drop coverage big and interior presence next to Jaren Jackson Jr. However, it’s unclear how the 7-foot-4 big man’s game will adjust to the increased pace of the NBA. Much of their offseason success will hinge on Edey’s rookie year as that was their main move. Memphis notably didn’t bring in any free agents. The Grizzlies found impactful wings Vince Williams and GG Jackson while dealing with a plethora of injuries last season. With a healthy roster, the Grizzlies will greatly improve in the standings. However, they didn’t do much in the offseason to get better.
Minnesota Timberwolves: A
The Timberwolves found excellent value in the draft by adding two much-needed bench scorers. They traded a future first-round pick to get Rob Dillingham who is a microwave scorer with unlimited upside. Additionally, they drafted Terrence Shannon Jr. who is a versatile and gifted wing scorer. Both players are poised to make an immediate impact on a contending team. The Timberwolves lost Kyle Anderson but they added Joe Ingles, an ideal replacement. Minnesota is poised to be one of the top teams in the West once again.
New Orleans Pelicans: B
The Pelicans landed Dejounte Murray for a discount price Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, Cody Zeller, EJ Liddell, and two future first-round picks. Murray is a perfect fit as he gives the Pelicans a true lead guard. His playmaking will help elevate Zion Williamson’s game and the two are an exciting combination stylistically. Murray’s combination of playmaker and self-creation is ideal for the Pelicans.
Before the offseason, it was widely expected Brandon Ingram would be traded. However, no deal materialized in large part due to Ingram’s desire to land a $200 million dollar contract extension. With young wings, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy needing more opportunity keeping Ingram hurts the team’s balance. Furthermore, the Pelicans still desperately need another center as 21st overall pick Yves Missi and Daniel Theis are the lone centers on the team. Not upgrading the center position or trading Ingram could cost them and it certainly bumps down their grade.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A+
The Thunder won the offseason by adding Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein these two players critically fill areas of need. With these upgrades, the Thunder are likely favorites in the West. Caruso gives the Thunder elite perimeter defense and spot-up shooting. This is a clear upgrade fit-wise from Josh Giddey as his lack of three-point shooting caused defenses to leave him open which was particularly problematic for the Thunder in the playoffs.
OKC’s lack of frontcourt size and rebounding outside of Chet Holmgren was also a massive problem. Hartenstein addresses this need as he averaged 8.3 rebounds last season he is the perfect complimentary big man to Chet. While you could nitpick Hartstein’s three-year $87 million contract it’s clearly worth it as the Thunder move closer to contention. The Thunder are also armed with a plethora of future picks eventually packaged with Hartstein they could land a star.
Phoenix Suns: A
With limited room to make moves as a second-apron team the Suns weren’t expected to do much this offseason. However, Phoenix upgraded its roster in a significant way. Most notably, they surprisingly signed Tyus Jones to a veteran minimum contract. Jones is one of the league’s best playmakers which was a clear need for the Suns. Impressively he has led the league in assist/turnover ratio for the past six seasons. Furthermore, the Suns drafted Ryan Dunn at pick 28 who projects to be an elite wing defender off the bench. The Suns also signed Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee. Morris gives the Suns a much-needed floor general off the bench while Plumlee gives them some solid big-man depth.
Portland Trail Blazers: A-
The Trail Blazers improved their young core by drafting Donovan Clingan and trading for Deni Avdija. Clingan adds to the Blazers’ big-man rotation and is projected to provide an immediate impact as a defender. Avdija quietly had a breakout season on the Wizards and he gives the Blazers a much-needed young wing. At 23 he has tons of upside as an all-around forward with versatile defense and solid playmaking. Overall, the Blazers added to their solid young core and are in a great position. It’s worth noting the Blazers are considering trading Jerami Grant and or Anfernee Simons which would make their future even more promising.
Sacramento Kings: B
The Kings landing DeMar DeRozan is the most interesting move of the offseason. On one hand, he is an ideal fit as an additional wing creator, and the Kings needed to upgrade their roster. With De’Aaron Fox and DeRozan, the Kings will have an elite clutch-time offense. Notably, the Kings’ clutch time offense was 18th this past season after being first in 2022-23. Additionally, DeRozan’s newly signed three-year 70 million dollar deal is great value. However, his fit as a spacer and defender next to the Kings stars is highly questionable. The Kings could have used more of a high-level 3-and-D wing such as Jerami Grant.
DeRozan is a career sub-30 percent three-point shooter and a below-average defender. Both Fox and Domantas Sabonis are below-average career shooters. However, Fox showed significant strides as a shooter last season shooting a career 37 percent on 7.8 three-point attempts. If this improvement continues DeRozan could work on the Kings. Ultimately, DeMar’s fit is intriguing yet imperfect. The Kings also extended Malik Monk to a four-year $78 million dollar deal which is a great price for them. Drafting Devin Carter at 13 is a great move while he is expected to miss some of the season with an injury he could make an immediate impact upon return as a versatile point-of-attack defender off the bench.
San Antonio Spurs: A
The Spurs upgraded the roster around Victor Wembanyama in a significant way. Stephon Castle is an ideal defensive fit next to Wemby and can develop next to him as a big playmaking guard. Chris Paul is the perfect veteran point guard to pair this young duo with. His contributions as a playmaker and veteran presence will be incredibly valuable. The pick-and-roll game between Paul and Wemby will be very exciting to watch. The Spurs also added Harrison Barnes as a floor spacer and veteran presence. Overall the Spurs were able to make a more competitive roster around Wemby while addressing their main needs of playmaking and shooting.
Utah Jazz: B
The Jazz had the best draft class in the league. They added three once-consensus lottery picks in Cody Williams (10th overall), Isaiah Collier (29th overall), and Kyle Filipowski (32nd overall). Williams is a perfect fit as a versatile wing defender with last year’s lottery pick Taylor Hendricks. While Collier and Filipowski are great value picks.
Despite heavy trade rumors all signs point to Lauri Markkanen signing an extension and staying with the Jazz. Considering Utah’s pick is top-ten protected in a deal with the Thunder not trading Markkanen could be a costly mistake, especially in a loaded 2025 draft class. The smart move for the Jazz would have been to bottom out and commit to a youth movement with their already solid young core.
