Despite cooling off in recent years, the NBA Free Agency period has a reputation for being more entertaining than the league’s regular season at times. The offseason returned to that kind of form in 2024. Here are the five biggest moves from the NBA offseason and what we should take away from them.
1) Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers
PG-13 (now PG-8) swapping the Los Angeles Clippers for the Sixers was the biggest move of the offseason. The forward drafted by the Indiana Pacers is a nine-time All-Star and inked a four-year $212 million dollar deal with Philly. George has been consistent everywhere he has gone in the NBA and is one of those players whose game is universally admired. He has a great handle, has defended well his whole career, can create his own shot, and shoots efficiently.
George has never been the alpha-dog, best-player-on-a-contender kind of player. The closest he has come to being that level of player was in his time in Indiana, although he arguably peaked when he finished third in MVP voting on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019. George is not in Philly to be the star, however. This is a team with former MVP Joel Embiid and one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, Tyrese Maxey. George brings a veteran presence, does not demand the ball, and is a generally well-liked teammate. Everything about this move makes sense and fits with the Sixers.
This move, along with the signing of Caleb Martin and the re-signing of Maxey, makes the Sixers real championship contenders in the Eastern Conference. They will still have to contend with the defending champion Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, to name a few, but it is a true statement signing. It is rare that a team executes their offseason plan so perfectly, especially since the Sixers had this kind of move planned a year ago when they lost James Harden. There are lots of questions that Embiid and George need to answer about their playoff performances, but the Sixers undeniably have a real chance at a title. That is all you can ask for as a Philly fan.
George connected with the Philly faithful via social media in this intro video:
Paul George happens to be possibly Gen-Z’s favorite player; just ask USC star Juju Watkins…
2) Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks
Mikal Bridges is swapping Brooklyn for Manhattan and heading to the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden. The Knicks acquired another Villanova NCAA champion by trading Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, and four first-round picks to Brooklyn. Bridges reunites with his college buddies, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Knicks looked like the second-best team in the Eastern Conference in 2024, crashing out in the Conference Semifinals after being decimated by injuries against the Indiana Pacers. Bridges adds consistency, the ability to score at a high level, excellent defense and high-pressure experience playing in the 2021 NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns.
The Bridges move is similar to the George move in that Bridges will not be asked to be a star, but he carries little baggage and will generally make life easier for the Knicks players, making them a better team. It is an all-in kind of move, and it will be very interesting to see the kind of lineups the Knicks play with their plethora of versatile swingmen. It is also worth noting that Jalen Brunson just signed a contract extension that left a potential $113 million dollars on the table to make room for the Knicks to improve. Talk about a winning player.
Knicks fans think Bridges is coach Tom Thibodeau’s ideal player:
3) DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings
After spending three years trying to make the Chicago Bulls watchable, six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan has been traded to the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls received Chris Duarte and two second-round picks, while the San Antonio Spurs received Harrison Barnes in a three-team deal.
DeRozan’s game is a bit of a throwback. He excels at mid-range shooting, and his overall offensive game is well-refined, being that he is a veteran. He does not necessarily make Sacramento contenders by joining, but he improves a team that disappointed last year. After things looked like they were on the rise in 2023, the Kings failed to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference in 2024.
The Kings are led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, two very good players who are not quite good enough to push Sacramento to real contender status. It has been great to see them work together and make the Kings relevant again, rejuvenating a previously dormant fanbase in Sacramento. DeRozan brings experience and quality. He should be good enough to push them up the standings, just not quite into contender status. The Kings should be a fun watch.
Here is the Bulls’ and their fan bases’ goodbye to DeRozan:
Bulls fans seem to be taking it well…
4) Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks
If you watched the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals and had to pick one thing they drastically needed to improve, the unquestionable answer would be shooting. Specifically, corner three-point shooting. PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. seemed like they couldn’t miss from the corner in earlier playoff rounds. Things took a turn in the finals and it was a major reason for Dallas losing to Boston.
In steps Klay Thompson, one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time. Thompson leaves his beloved Warriors to join superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas in a six-team trade. On paper, he is exactly what the Mavericks need to push them over the top. A shooter with buckets of playoff experience. The problem is Thompson has not looked like himself in the past year, as he has not shot as well as he used to. Plus, an age/injury combination has greatly hindered his once-elite defensive abilities.
Still, Klay does not need a lot of the ball to succeed. He will be receiving passes from one of the best shot-creators in the league, Doncic, and he will not be asked to carry a heavy load. This signing has the potential to push Dallas over the top. That will depend on the version of Klay they get. Mavericks President Nico Harrison certainly thinks so.
5) Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder
I packaged these two moves together because they are serious moves by a serious contender. Oklahoma City took the league by storm in 2024 and grabbed the one-seed in the West. They are a young and energetic team led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
When Dallas bounced OKC in the Conference Semifinals, they clearly needed rebounding and a better facilitator/shooter at guard. So, they went out and signed one of the best rebounders in the playoffs in Hartenstein on a 3-year deal and traded Josh Giddey for Caruso straight up.
Caruso will form an elite defensive backcourt with Gilgeous-Alexander. He is the kind of player that endears himself to every fanbase with his hustle. A major drawback for Giddey in the playoffs was his lack of three-point shooting ability. Caruso brings that but is not going to take any shine away from OKC’s offensive talent.
Hartenstein will also be a kind of foil. Center Chet Holmgren has loads of offensive and shot-blocking talent. However, OKC needed someone who can sub in and bring physicality that Homgren’s thin frame does not provide. Hartenstein will relieve Holmgren off the bench, but they are both versatile enough to possibly play together, with Holmgren stretching the floor. These moves give OKC so many more options on both ends of the floor, making them look like title contenders in 2024-25. Thunder fans on social media seem thrilled.
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