Five NBA teams that have improved massively in free agency

Sometimes an NBA free-agent class is deep with talent but lacks top-end, needle-moving players. That was not the case this year, as we watched some of the biggest names in the NBA change uniforms in the past week. 

Some teams improved by taking advantage of that available starpower, while others bolstered their rosters through smaller deals and retention of their own free agents. 

Here are the five teams that have improved the most since the start of the new league year.

Philadelphia 76ers

Signing Paul George to a four-year, $211M contract is obviously what garnered most of the national media attention. That’s understandable because George, 34, is still an elite scorer and will fit flawlessly as an offensive hub next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. 

But Sixers GM Daryl Morey has made numerous shrewd signings this offseason, including inking swingman Caleb Martin to a four-year deal, bringing in Eric Gordon for extra bench shooting and reuniting with former Sixer Andre Drummond for second-unit rebounding assistance.

Philly also re-signed Kelly Oubre, who played some of the best basketball of his career (15.4 points per game) last season with the 76ers. Add all that up and you’ll find a talented, deep Sixers team.

Oklahoma City Thunder

OKC didn’t sign a player of George’s caliber, but it did make perhaps the most impactful signing of the summer by adding former Knick Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $87M deal. 

Everyone saw this deal coming from a mile away. Hartenstein was the best center on the market, OKC desperately needed frontcourt depth and it had the money to sign him. But the predictability doesn’t change how big of an addition Hartenstein is for head coach Mark Daigneault’s team, which filled the one big hole it had on the roster.

OKC also added defensive specialist Alex Caruso in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Caruso joins an already talented defensive unit in OKC and complements Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Thunder backcourt about as well as any player could.

Dallas Mavericks

Klay Thompson wearing a jersey that doesn’t say “Golden State” on the front will be ultra strange. And it’s fair to wonder what Thompson has left in the tank at 34, but his shooting resume speaks for itself. 

For Dallas, which signed Thompson to a three-year, $50M contract, his job will be pretty simple: wait for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to pass him the ball, then shoot it.

Thompson, who’s coming off his lowest PPG season (17.9) since 2012-13, can do that until he’s about 50. But Thompson isn’t the only important addition to the Mavs, who are coming off one of the more unprecedented NBA Finals runs in the past decade.

Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes are also joining the team, and both will be important contributors next season and beyond. Marshall, who spent four years in New Orleans to start his career, is the perfect “connector” for Dallas. He does a bit of everything, bringing a skillset Dallas didn’t have last season.

And Grimes comes to Dallas after being dealt to Detroit in the Bogdan Bogdanovic trade last year. He showed promise in New York but couldn’t find consistent floor time — something that shouldn’t be a problem in Dallas, where he will effectively be replacing Josh Green as a versatile defender and three-point shooter.

Sacramento Kings

DeMar DeRozan felt like a Laker. But when there wasn’t movement from Los Angeles to pursue him, the Sacramento Kings snuck in and added DeRozan on a three-year, $70M sign-and-trade. 

The fit isn’t perfect, and DeRozan will be 35 when the season starts, but who cares? Sacramento needed another reliable starter, and DeRozan is about as reliable as it gets. 

Maybe this move doesn’t catapult the Kings to the level of Denver or OKC, but it certainly gets them closer. When a good player wants to sign with your team, don’t overthink it. The Kings didn’t and became a better team because of it.

New York Knicks

The Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges appeared to be their Plan B if OG Anunoby were to depart Madison Square Garden for (financially) greener pastures. But New York persuaded Anunoby to re-sign on a five-year, $212M contract, creating one of the best (theoretical) lineups in the NBA. 

The loss of Hartenstein shouldn’t be understated, but New York looks dangerous after adding Bridges. With Julius Randle returning from injury next season, the Knicks have weapons up and down their roster.