Rohan Gupta: The Golden State Warriors had the best offseason, and it isn't close. Besides the obvious point that they added a top-three player in the league, which doesn't happen often, they notably didn't have to gut their team to do so; they essentially swapped Harrison Barnes for Kevin Durant. More subtly, the underlying advantage of signing KD is that the Warriors greatly increased their floor this season. They may not win 73 games again--in fact, they probably won't--but their path back to the Finals is far easier because they single-handedly removed one of their two biggest competitors in the Oklahoma City Thunder. That, combined with the retirement of Tim Duncan, means the Warriors shouldn't have any grind-it-out series until the Finals, and should be far less fatigued this time around, perhaps leading to a better shooting performance from Stephen Curry. Bonus points to the Warriors because their star-studded roster attracts good mid-level free agents at low-level prices; Zaza Pachulia is an underrated key addition to this team.
Tyler Brandt: Just because it's obvious doesn't mean it isn't true: the Golden State Warriors had the best offseason in the NBA. Adding Kevin Durant was at the top of every team's wish list, and the most talented team in the NBA was able to land him. I could talk about the on court impact of adding a superstar, but since that topic has already been beaten to death, I am going to look at what else they did. Singing Durant allowed them to move on from Harrison Barnes, who was closer to replacement level than he was average last year (-1.28 RPM). He also had a horrendous showing in the NBA Finals. They had to move some big contracts around, but they were still able to sign Zaza Pachulia and David West. Going from Andrew Bogut to Pachulia is a minor downgrade at center when both are healthy, but Zaza plays more games and is far better than Festus Ezeli, who started game 7. As for West, he can still be a force on the boards, which is what they lacked against OKC in the Western Conference finals. Did the Warriors just land the best player while plugging their other holes? Yes, yes they did.
Tyler Brandt: Just because it's obvious doesn't mean it isn't true: the Golden State Warriors had the best offseason in the NBA. Adding Kevin Durant was at the top of every team's wish list, and the most talented team in the NBA was able to land him. I could talk about the on court impact of adding a superstar, but since that topic has already been beaten to death, I am going to look at what else they did. Singing Durant allowed them to move on from Harrison Barnes, who was closer to replacement level than he was average last year (-1.28 RPM). He also had a horrendous showing in the NBA Finals. They had to move some big contracts around, but they were still able to sign Zaza Pachulia and David West. Going from Andrew Bogut to Pachulia is a minor downgrade at center when both are healthy, but Zaza plays more games and is far better than Festus Ezeli, who started game 7. As for West, he can still be a force on the boards, which is what they lacked against OKC in the Western Conference finals. Did the Warriors just land the best player while plugging their other holes? Yes, yes they did.
Sam Linker: The Boston Celtics had the most successful offseason adding to a system that already has proven results. The Celtics made a major signing when they convinced Al Horford to come to Boston. This was a classic example of addressing an area of need without messing with the system already in place. Adding a big who can score from the post is something that the Celtics did not have last year and will help increase their already top 15 offensive efficiency. However, Horford's real value lies in his defense. Horford's defensive rating places him in the top 10 of centers, and his defensive win shares is in the top 10 among all positions. His defensive skills along with his impressive top 15 standing in value over a replacement player will help improve a defense that was already rated 4th best in the league last year. Overall, Horford's advanced two way skills provide instant improvement on the court and does not mess with the system that has allowed players like Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder to thrive making Boston the main threat to Cleveland's Eastern Conference crown.
Zachary Freedman: You want a hot take? I'll give you one. The Philadelphia 76ers had the most successful offseason in the NBA. They were able to select a top talent in Ben Simmons, even though his injury may sit him out for the majority of this year. They made value veteran signings like Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, and Sergio Rodriguez, which is exactly what this team needs for the time being. They now have the talent and potential to be a top NBA team in a few years, and these veterans will help the young budding stars on the team learn and mature. These vets also complement Ben Simmons' point forward style of play. They can all play off-ball and shoot the 3 at an above-average clip, allowing Simmons to drive and kick out for open shots. Bryan Colangelo even "convinced" Olympian Dario Saric to come over to the states (even though Dario said he would come over this year from day one). Despite losing the Dark Lord, Sam Hinkie, this team is set up for a fun season with brief flashes of promise that one day in the near future, this team will be great. Trust the Process.
Jon Lewis:
In researching this Hot Take, I discovered that Nazr Mohammed is still in the NBA, and that was a fun fact. Look, there's an obvious answer to this question, which you can answer with two questions. 1. Did a team in the NBA win 73 games last year? 2. Did that team add a top three player in the NBA to its roster? But if we look past the juggernaut that will be the Golden State "2001 Los Angeles '2013 Miami Heat' Lakers" Warriors, the Sacramento Kings had a pretty good summer.
Boogie Cousins averaged 28 points per 36 minutes last year which, in technical terms, is good. He also hasn't been surrounded by a competent starting five for any of his career which, in technical terms, is bad. But if you add Ty Lawson (who for the purposes of this hot take plays like Denver Ty Lawson and not Houston Ty Lawson), you have one of the fastest point guards in the NBA paired with one of the most mobile and talented big men in the game. If his personal problems are behind him and last season was an exception rather than the new rule, Lawson's career numbers are nearly a double-double and his ability to drive the lane and dump the basketball off are perfect to pair with Boogie. If the rest of the team's perimeter learns how to shoot, this finally gives DeMarcus the spacing he needs.The Kings are now the 3rd team in three seasons to decide Arron Afflalo is the answer at the 2-guard. For what it's worth Kendrick Lamar used to look up to Afflalo. Plus they got Matt Barnes, who will either fight Boogie or fight everyone else for Boogie, and every rookie they drafted (Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Isaiah Cousins) has a really cool name. Also some of them might be good. The Kings. Think about it.
In researching this Hot Take, I discovered that Nazr Mohammed is still in the NBA, and that was a fun fact. Look, there's an obvious answer to this question, which you can answer with two questions. 1. Did a team in the NBA win 73 games last year? 2. Did that team add a top three player in the NBA to its roster? But if we look past the juggernaut that will be the Golden State "2001 Los Angeles '2013 Miami Heat' Lakers" Warriors, the Sacramento Kings had a pretty good summer.
Boogie Cousins averaged 28 points per 36 minutes last year which, in technical terms, is good. He also hasn't been surrounded by a competent starting five for any of his career which, in technical terms, is bad. But if you add Ty Lawson (who for the purposes of this hot take plays like Denver Ty Lawson and not Houston Ty Lawson), you have one of the fastest point guards in the NBA paired with one of the most mobile and talented big men in the game. If his personal problems are behind him and last season was an exception rather than the new rule, Lawson's career numbers are nearly a double-double and his ability to drive the lane and dump the basketball off are perfect to pair with Boogie. If the rest of the team's perimeter learns how to shoot, this finally gives DeMarcus the spacing he needs.The Kings are now the 3rd team in three seasons to decide Arron Afflalo is the answer at the 2-guard. For what it's worth Kendrick Lamar used to look up to Afflalo. Plus they got Matt Barnes, who will either fight Boogie or fight everyone else for Boogie, and every rookie they drafted (Georgios Papagiannis, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Isaiah Cousins) has a really cool name. Also some of them might be good. The Kings. Think about it.