USA TODAY International Edition
Players who will help their new teams most
As we close in on the NBA regular season, we rank the top five players who changed teams during the summer, taking last year’s performance and potential to make an impact in the 2016- 17 season into consideration.
1. Kevin Durant
Old team: Oklahoma City Thunder New team: Golden State Warriors
Biggest offseason move, biggest impact. With a player of Durant’s caliber, it just might be that simple. Obviously the good ol’ “there’s only one basketball” dilemma will have to be sorted out. But at the end of the day, the Warriors — a team coming off the winningest regular season in NBA history and two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals — added one of the most talented players of this generation.
2. Al Horford
Old team: Atlanta Hawks New team: Boston Celtics The Celtics entered the offseason in desperate need of a gamechanging big man to accompany Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. Horford is their guy. The four- time All- Star won’t frequent the highlight reels, but for a team with little production from their bigs in recent years, adding an all- around talent and veteran locker room presence such as Horford is exactly what the Celtics needed to take the next step — or leap — forward.
3. Dwight Howard
Old team: Houston Rockets New team: Hawks After unfavorable finishes with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, Howard’s homecoming is one of the NBA’s most intriguing story lines. His offensive role was limited last season to 8.5 field goal attempts per game, the lowest since his rookie season. But that should all change in coach Mike Budenholzer’s pass- heavy system. With Horford and Jeff Teague out the door, Howard will be looked to as a primary scoring option with Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore. Howard might not be Superman anymore, but, if healthy, he has the physical tools to get back to an All- Star level.
4. Dwyane Wade
Old team: Miami Heat New team: Chicago Bulls In perhaps the most unanticipated move of the summer, Wade joined forces with Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler in a Bulls starting lineup severely lacking threepoint threats. He’s no longer a perennial All- Star capable of shouldering the majority of the offensive load, but the future Hall of Famer has plenty left in the tank to make his presence felt as Chicago looks to get back to the postseason. In 14 playoff games last season, Wade ranked third among shooting guards in points ( 21.4), fifth in field goal percentage ( 46.9%), second in rebounds ( 5.6) and third in assists ( 4.3) and proved to still be one of the league’s elite fourth- quarter scorers.
5. Pau Gasol
Old team: Bulls New team: San Antonio Spurs Nobody can replace what Tim Duncan meant for San Antonio over the last two decades, but adding Gasol was one of the better offseason moves made. The 36- year- old Spaniard is still fully capable of making an impact for a Spurs team looking to again contend for a championship. Still an elite passer and above- average rebounder, Gasol averaged 16.5 points, 11 boards, 4.1 assists and 2.0 blocked shots and shot 46.9% from the field last season with Chicago, earning All- Star honors for the sixth time in his career and for the second consecutive season. He’s lost a step ( or three) on the defensive end, no doubt. But with Gregg Popovich manning the show, we have a feeling Gasol will fit right in.