Which NBA teams had the best offseasons?
With the bulk of this summer's moves in the books, we'll be grading each team based on the results of the draft, free agency, trades and, in some cases, coaching changes.
Because teams did not all have the same ability to improve coming into the offseason, these grades are based on how well teams utilized their cap space and draft picks, rather than on which teams did the most to improve. The grades also balance short-term and long-term goals, so as to reward teams that aren't focused on putting together the best possible roster for the upcoming season.
With that context in mind, and having graded the Eastern Conference last week, let's wrap things up with the West.
Dallas Mavericks: B-
The view of the Mavericks' offseason looks different at the micro and macro levels.
Individually, Dallas' moves were generally quite good. My one quibble would be a four-year, $32 million deal for Seth Curry a year after the Mavericks let him walk in free agency for a one-year, $2.8 million deal for the Portland Trail Blazers. But Dallas got good values in re-signing restricted free agents Dorian Finney-Smith (four years, $12 million) and Maxi Kleber (four years, $36 million with $25 million guaranteed) and in a sign-and-trade deal for restricted free agent Delon Wright on a three-year, $27 million contract with an additional $3 million in unlikely incentives.
From the big picture perspective, however, the Mavericks were unable to capitalize on their best opportunity to add a third difference-maker to go with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The long-term contracts they handed out mean they no longer project to have max cap space in the summer of 2021, which will be Dallas' last chance to play free agency during Doncic's value rookie contract.
The Mavericks might also regret leaving much of their cap space unused because they were waiting out Danny Green's decision in free agency. Instead, Dallas ended up acting as an over-the-cap team, preserving $11.8 million of the Harrison Barnes trade exception to use by the deadline.
Denver Nuggets: B+
The Nuggets had one of the league's quietest offseasons after picking up Paul Millsap's $30.4 million team option, a decision that gives them more tax flexibility in the summer of 2020. They bring back 11 of the 12 players who played for them in the 2019 playoffs, having lost only forward Trey Lyles (eight minutes played).
Denver's offseason will be determined by two key moves:
First, they quickly handed point guard Jamal Murray a five-year, max extension to his rookie contract ahead of possible restricted free agency next summer. Murray hasn't yet played at a max level, but he is 22 years old at a position at which players tend to develop late, so I don't think the Nuggets will regret the deal.
Second, they sent a first-round pick to Oklahoma City for Jerami Grant as a possible long-term replacement for Millsap. Denver will have to pay up to keep Grant, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Still, if he maintains anything like last season's 39% 3-point shooting, Grant looks like an ideal frontcourt partner for Nikola Jokic.
Golden State Warriors: C+
As I wrote in our buzz piece from the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, opinions were split about whether the Warriors' moves in the wake of Kevin Durant's departure were the right ones. Golden State executed a rare double sign-and-trade for D'Angelo Russell, an All-Star in 2019 at age 22 who looks like a tough fit defensively with the Warriors.
Russell is a more talented young player than Golden State otherwise could have hoped to acquire and might prove to be a valuable trade chip, but adding him via sign-and-trade subjected the Warriors to a hard cap that forced them to send a lightly protected first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies with veteran Andre Iguodala. The result is a Warriors team that isn't a sure bet to make the playoffs in 2019-20, with Klay Thompson likely to miss most of the season following his ACL tear during the NBA Finals.
Houston Rockets: B-
Having re-signed three of their top free agents (Gerald Green, Danuel House Jr. and Austin Rivers), the Rockets looked to be banking on continuity -- right up until they dealt Chris Paul, two first-round picks and two swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook.
The bold move reunites Harden and Westbrook -- teammates in Oklahoma City from 2009-10 through 2011-12 -- after both have grown into ball-dominant MVPs. Whether Westbrook can provide shooting when playing off the ball alongside Harden will go a long way toward determining if he is enough of an upgrade on Paul to be worth the investment of draft picks.
LA Clippers: A
The Clippers beat their Staples Center co-tenants to sign Kawhi Leonard, the top free agent on the market weeks after winning Finals MVP honors, and paired him with Paul George to go from the eighth seed in the West to 2019-20 title favorites.
The last of the five first-round picks the Clippers sent to Oklahoma City was acquired with Maurice Harkless in another savvy move that landed both a contributor on a reasonable one-year contract and the pick. Previously, the Clippers had stockpiled rotation players with small cap holds, enabling them to clear max cap space while re-signing wing Rodney McGruder and center Ivica Zubac. They also brought back point guard Patrick Beverley and stretch big JaMychal Green, ensuring a deep supporting cast around their new stars.
Los Angeles Lakers: B
In Anthony Davis, the Lakers got a superstar in his prime to go with LeBron James, but it came at a high price: The eventual three-team deal forced them to give up all of their young players, save Kyle Kuzma, plus the No. 4 pick this year, two additional first-round picks, a swap and a deferral. That would have easily been worth it had the Lakers landed Leonard as well, but waiting out Leonard's decision cost them many of the best free agents on the market.
The Lakers were able to rally by signing 3-and-D wing Danny Green to a two-year, $30 million deal, and they took an interesting gamble on a one-year, $3.5 million deal for DeMarcus Cousins. However, the Lakers' depth chart looks thin at point guard, where they re-signed Alex Caruso and Rajon Rondo and added the limited Quinn Cook as a free agent.
Memphis Grizzlies: A-
A remade Memphis front office led by executive vice president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman deftly handled the teardown part of the rebuilding process, one begun at the trade deadline, when Marc Gasol went to Toronto. The other Grizzlies cornerstone, Mike Conley, fetched two first-round picks and 2018 first-rounder Grayson Allen from the Utah Jazz in a deal that created a trade exception Memphis used to take back Iguodala's salary in addition to a first-round pick.
In Jaren Jackson Jr. and No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant, the Grizzlies have a pair of strong prospects to build around, and they have plenty of flexibility to do so. They have $56 million in expiring contracts to either trade for long-term deals now with additional draft picks or parlay into $45 million or so in cap space next summer.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B
Despite a high-profile pursuit of Russell in free agency, which would have necessitated trading multiple starters to create cap room, the Timberwolves ended up having a low-impact first offseason under new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. Minnesota decided not to match an offer sheet by Memphis to restricted free agent Tyus Jones and instead shopped in the bargain aisle of free agency, adding Jordan Bell, Jake Layman (via sign-and-trade) and Noah Vonleh on deals paying them a combined $7.2 million this season.
Ultimately, Rosas' biggest move was dealing forward Dario Saric to move up from No. 11 to No. 6 in the draft and take Texas Tech wing Jarrett Culver, a favorite of statistical projections. Culver gives the Timberwolves a crowd on the wing, and we'll likely have more clarity there by the trade deadline.
New Orleans Pelicans: A-
Since hiring David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations and Trajan Langdon as general manager, the Pelicans have aggressively remade both the roster and their front office, putting them in position to succeed with No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson where they fell short with Davis.
Reengaging with the Lakers following talks prior to the deadline that went nowhere, New Orleans secured a haul of young talent and picks for Davis. The Pelicans further added to that stockpile by trading down from No. 4 to No. 8 (Jaxson Hayes) on draft night and landing a third first-round pick (Nickeil Alexander-Walker, taken 17th).
Although the rookies impressed in the summer league, New Orleans won't have to rely on them after adding veterans Derrick Favors (in a trade) and JJ Redick (as a free agent) using cap space. I'd still like to see the Pelicans find a stretch 5 to complement Zion, but they have a nice mix of vets and youngsters, and it should allow them to compete now and when Williamson is coming into his own.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A-
A painful offseason that saw the Thunder trade stars George and Westbrook could yield a more enduring contending team down the road. Oklahoma City took advantage of the Clippers' desperation and landed a historic package of draft picks (five first-round picks, four of them unprotected, and two swaps) for George. The Westbrook deal added another two first-rounders and two swaps, and the Thunder nabbed yet one more first-round pick from the Nuggets for Grant.
In the short term, the fit between Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City's point guard of the future, could be awkward. A Paul trade seems inevitable once his contract (which has three years and $124 million remaining) becomes less onerous. But if the Thunder do go from "repositioning" to actively rebuilding, no team has started that process with more draft capital.
Phoenix Suns: D-
A confusing offseason saw the Suns use valuable draft picks and cap space to build a team that looks more competitive for now but might not have room to grow with young players Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Phoenix alternated between moves that added and subtracted cap room, eventually sacrificing forwards Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren and two second-round picks (one of them No. 32 overall this year) to add Ricky Rubio on a lavish three-year, $51 million deal along with Saric and center Aron Baynes.
Moving back from No. 6 to No. 11 on draft night could have made sense, given that the Suns added Saric in the last year of a bargain rookie contract at $3.5 million. However, Phoenix drafted North Carolina forward Cameron Johnson far earlier than other teams expected him to go, making him the oldest player drafted in the lottery in a decade.
Portland Trail Blazers: B
A surprising run to the Western Conference finals made it difficult for the Blazers to keep their team together, as they could offer market value to only one of free agents Curry, Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter. They chose Hood, who returned on a two-year, $11.7 million deal with a player option on the second season.
In addition to Curry, Kanter and Layman, Portland also lost Al-Farouq Aminu via free agency. To rebuild depth, the Blazers primarily went the trade route. They swapped inefficient point forward Evan Turner for Kent Bazemore, a better fit next to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and they will entrust promising sophomore Anfernee Simons to run the second-team offense.
More questionable was Portland's giving up starting small forward Harkless as part of a deal for Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside. The Blazers are banking on Whiteside fitting in Portland in a contract year and Zach Collins stepping into a starting role at power forward.
Sacramento Kings: C
Starting with max-level cap space but unable to attract players of that caliber, the Kings split their money among three newcomers after re-signing Barnes to a four-year, $85 million deal. They added Dewayne Dedmon on a three-year, $41 million deal with $28 million guaranteed as their likely starting center, small forward Trevor Ariza for wing depth (two years, $25 million, $14 million guaranteed) and Cory Joseph as a backup point guard (three years, $37 million, $27 million guaranteed). Sacramento's room exception yielded another center in Richaun Holmes (two years, $9.8 million).
The net result is a Kings team that looks deeper but is still unlikely to reach the playoffs in the loaded West and is now largely locked into its young core. Sacramento won't likely have appreciable cap space next summer, when shooting guard Buddy Hield will be due for a new contract, and a new deal for point guard De'Aaron Fox could swallow up most of the Kings' possible 2021 cap space. They're still depending on internal development to snap the NBA's longest active postseason drought.
San Antonio Spurs: C-
San Antonio's offseason was marred by a failed bid to sign forward Marcus Morris to a two-year deal. To do so, the Spurs reworked their deal with forward DeMarre Carroll into a sign-and-trade sending stretch big Davis Bertans to the Washington Wizards for matching salary. San Antonio couldn't undo that deal when Morris changed his mind and signed a more lucrative one-year deal with the New York Knicks.
Left with limited options for their non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the Spurs signed Lyles to a two-year, $11 million deal with $6.5 million guaranteed. Lyles is a major step down from Bertans, who provided needed shooting. Although Carroll will help a forward rotation that also includes Rudy Gay (re-signed for two years and up to $32 million with incentives), I'd rather have Bertans back than either newcomer.
Utah Jazz: B+
After a five-game loss in the opening round, the Jazz aggressively pursued shooting this summer. That started with a bold deal for Conley, which cost Utah reserve depth (in Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver), Allen and a pair of first-round picks but yielded the team's best point guard since Deron Williams. The Jazz then moved on from Favors, sacrificing size and defense in favor of the sharpshooting Bojan Bogdanovic on a four-year, $73 million deal.
Part of the reason the Jazz were willing to let Favors go was the knowledge that they could cheaply replace him as a backup center, which they did with Ed Davis on a two-year, $9.8 million deal. Utah also did well in the minimum market, adding Jeff Green and Emmanuel Mudiay to help fill out the bench.