Grades are in
The Celtics and Sixers aced the NBA offseason. Our writers grade the rest of the East,
ATLANTA HAWKS B New Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk managed to preserve cap space without resorting to a full tanklike rebuild. They weren’t going to commit to forward Paul Millsap at $30 million a year, and it was prudent not to match the New York Knicks’ offer sheet for guard Tim Hardaway Jr. Trading center Dwight Howard was also a smart move. The Hawks signed center Dewayne Dedmon, resigned forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Muscala and drafted big man John Collins, who had a solid performance in the Summer League. The Hawks are young but should be competitive with an eye on the future — even if they take a step back to eventually move forward. — Zillgitt BOSTON CELTICS A- The Celtics signed forward Gordon Hayward, one of the top free agents available, and drafted forward Jayson Tatum after trading the No. 1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers — a deal that also netted Boston another future first-round pick. The Celtics acquired forward Marcus Morris in a trade with the Detroit Pistons. While this team will trot out some versatile lineups, the Pistons lost depth with the departures of guard Avery Bradley, center-forward Kelly Olynyk and forward Amir Johnson. — Zillgitt
BROOKLYN NETS B+
Yes, the Nets took on some salaries when they acquired center Timofey Mozgov, forward DeMarre Carroll and guard Allen Crabbe, but it was necessary to obtain a 2018 first-round pick from the Toronto Raptors and guard D’Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell is like getting a first-round pick for a team short on assets. General manager Sean Marks also preserved cap space for a team that has the chance to be competitive this season. — Zillgitt CHARLOTTEC HORNETS The Hornets acquired defense/rim protection (center Dwight Howard), gave up three-point shooting (guard Marco Belinelli) and signed guard Michael Carter-Williams. Coach Steve Clifford is focused on defense, and with changes in the East, the Hornets believe they can get back into the playoffs by playing better on that end of the floor. — Zillgitt
CHICAGOC BULLS
The Bulls deserve credit for choosing a direction. The blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade means there’s no more waffling in the middle of the conference with no hope of a seri- ous playoff run. But you can debate whether the return from Minnesota (Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and No. 7 pick Lauri Markkanen) warranted dealing the three-time All- Star. LaVine is recovering from injury, Dunn had a disappointing rookie year and Markkanen’s Summer League debut was underwhelming. — Singer CLEVELAND CAVALIERS I
(Incomplete) With limited salary cap flexibility, the Cavaliers managed to add depth. They re-signed guard Kyle Korver and signed forward Jeff Green and guards Jose Calderon and Derrick Rose, the 2010-11 MVP, to veteran’s minimum deals. They also signed Turkey’s Cedi Osman, a 22-year-old forward whom the Cavs drafted in 2015. However, that’s unlikely to close the gap on the Golden State Warriors. And Cleveland needs to figure out what to do with guard Kyrie Irving, who wants a trade. The Cavs offseason can’t be accurately graded until that is resolved.
— Zillgitt DETROIT B- PISTONS The Pistons traded for guard Avery Bradley, but had to give up forward Marcus Morris, and lost guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Bradley, who can contribute more than Caldwell- Pope, is also a free agent after the 2017-18 season, and there’s no guarantee the Pistons retain him. Guard Langston Galloway, forward Anthony Tolliver and forward-center Eric Moreland were value signings, and first-round draft pick Luke Kennard should give the Pistons outside shooting.
— Zillgitt INDIANA PACERS C- Was Cavs owner Dan Gilbert right? Could the Pacers have done better in the franchise-altering Paul George deal? We’ll likely never know, but the return — Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis — was by no means overwhelming. George was transparent, but the Pacers were left to negotiate from a position of little leverage. Their other headline moves included trading for point guard Cory Joseph and signing Bojan Bogdanovic in an effort to retool their roster. — Singer MIAMI HEAT C Another year, another miss on the summer’s big fish. Was Gordon Hayward actually ever going to end up in Miami? Probably not. But making up for it by throwing ridiculous amounts of money at Dion Waiters (four years, $52 million), Kelly Olynyk (four years, $50 million) and James Johnson (four years, $60 million) might not be the way to go. Consider them a fringe playoff team heading into 2017-18. — Neuharth-Keusch B MILWAUKEEThe Bucks BUCKS weren’t significant players this offseason, hamstrung by the threat of dipping into the luxury tax. But they did well to re-sign Tony Snell, who was embraced by the Bucks last season and fit well with their team culture. The bigger, more pressing question looming for Milwaukee is what to do with Jabari Parker, who’s recovering from his second anterior cruciate ligament tear. Is he worth an extension without knowing what type of player he’ll be upon his return? The Bucks are likely asking themselves that very question. — Singer NEW YORK C- KNICKS The timing of former team president Phil Jackson’s unceremonious departure, sandwiched between the draft and the start of free agency, ensured a chaotic offseason, but at least that albatross is gone. Their lottery pick was guard Frank Ntilikina, a supposed fit for the triangle offense, and they landed former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. with a four-year, $71 million offer sheet. The Knicks haven’t yet resolved the Carmelo Anthony dilemma, but they have heard from Kristaps Porzingis, who reaffirmed his commitment to New York. — Singer B- ORLANDO execsdent With MAGICof at new basketballthe fronttop (presi- oper- office ations manager Jeff John Weltman Hammond),and general the Magic took a measured approach. They didn’t commit big money to players. Jonathon Simmons agreedsigned contract,deal. Orlandoto a and three-year,a two-year,guardalso Shelvinadded$20 $12 million million Arron Mack Afflalo and Marreese Speights on veteran’s minimum deals.— Zillgitt PHILADELPHIAA 76ERS The Sixers drafted their guy, Markelle Fultz, with the No. 1 pick and then signed veterans J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson. They also signed last year’s 26th overall pick, Turkish guard-forward Furkan Korkmaz. Philadelphia will be a team with plenty of salary cap space after the 2017-18 season, giving president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo plenty of options. — Zillgitt TORONTO C+ RAPTORS Ah, the Raptors: Talented enough to win 50 games for the third year in a row, weak enough to be sent home in the first round of the playoffs. We get it: Toronto brass might have made the right move by not uprooting a team that’s coming off the best fouryear stretch in franchise history, especially with the questions looming in Cleveland, so the Kyle Lowry (three years, $100 million) and Serge Ibaka (three years, $65 million) signings make sense. What’s more, the addition of C.J. Miles will help spread the floor, and it’s nice to have often-injured DeMarre Carroll off the books. But haven’t we already seen this team’s ceiling? — Neuharth-Keusch WASHINGTONB WIZARDS
Now that the contract questions are in the rearview and John Wall (fouryear, $170 million extension) and Otto Porter (four-year, $106.5 million contract) are locked in for the long term, the question is: Does this group have enough to take another step forward? The Wizards didn’t have much flexibility heading into the summer, so the fact that Jodie Meeks, Tim Frazier and Mike Scott were the only additions should come as no surprise. Meeks and Frazier figure to be solid backups to Wall and Bradley Beal, while Scott’s $1.7 million one-year deal comes with little risk. — Neuharth-Keusch