Each NBA Team’s Best Offseason Acquisition: Eastern Conference Edition
I’d like to preface this by saying that I’m not including or considering draft picks in this article, because we haven’t seen any rookies play actual NBA minutes yet. Re-signing players doesn’t count either (key word in the title: acquisitions).
So, we’re looking at signings of new players, or trades.
Brooklyn Nets: Signed Jeremy Lin
Last season, the Nets needed a point guard like a man who has just had multiple limbs torn from his body needs medical attention: badly. Jarrett Jack went down with a torn ACL in early January. With Jack gone, the Nets were left with just Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan splitting time at the point. Sloan is a decent backup point guard, and Larkin isn’t awful either. But neither of those players would get within a mile of a starting spot on any other NBA roster. Enter Jeremy Lin. Lin isn’t an elite point guard, but compared to Sloan and Larkin, he’s Magic Johnson (maybe a slight exaggeration). Lin was very important for Charlotte off the bench last season, although his shooting numbers regressed a bit. He shot just 41.2% from the field — his lowest percentage since his rookie season (in which he played less than 300 total minutes). Hopefully Lin can improve his shooting for Brooklyn, although it’s easy to imagine that his taking on a significantly larger role in the offense could lead to a dip in efficiency. Regardless, Lin provides a major upgrade at the point guard position, and the Nets desperately needed a better point guard. Brook-Lin!
Boston Celtics: Signed Al Horford
Duh. They swung and missed on Kevin Durant, but the Celtics still managed to knock it out of the park with the signing of Al Horford. Horford is an elite center who can score with his back to the basket or by facing up. He’s also a terrific, versatile defender. He can even knock down a three every now and then, making him a perfect player for today’s small-ball-trending NBA. Horford should be a perfect fit with the Celtics; smaller lineups with Jae Crowder joining him down low will be particularly fun.
New York Knicks: Traded for Derrick Rose, Forming The League’s Second Super Team
OK, a bit of sarcasm there. I picked this begrudgingly. I’m not at all high on Derrick Rose at this point in his career, and I won’t be until he gives me a reason to change my mind. Rose hasn’t been good since 2011. Last year was his best season since then, and he shot .427/.293/.793, and finished the season with a PER of 13.52.
So no, I’m not expecting anything special from Rose, or from this Knicks team. I almost picked Courtney Lee over Rose, because he’d be a legitimately good piece on any team; reliable three-and-D players have tremendous value, especially in today’s NBA.
Here’s why I picked Rose, though: The Knicks are finally trying something! They have, at long last, gotten tired of being in NBA purgatory. Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis alone isn’t going to get them anywhere. Signing Rose and Joakim Noah may not be anywhere near a sure thing, but I’m just glad they’re taking a gamble. The Knicks haven’t gotten out of the second round of the playoffs since the 1990-2000 season. They needed to try something, and there’s no denying that this Knicks team’s ceiling is head-and-shoulders above any Knicks team in recent memory, even if their floor is fairly low. I like that they’re taking a risk.
Philadelphia 76ers: Signed Jerryd Bayless
I love the Jerryd Bayless signing, if Bayless can shoot like he did last season. Bayless has been strange, when it comes to shooting consistency year-to-year. In 2011-12, he shot a scorching 42.3% from beyond the arc. In both 2012-13 and 2013-14, that mark dropped to around 35%. Then, in 2014-15, he shot just 30.8% (ew). Last season though, Bayless shot a career-high 43.7% on three-pointers, good for fifth in the league. That consistency (or lack thereof) is worrying.
However, I’m not too worried about Bayless’ shooting regressing, for two reasons:
1) The ascension of his three-point percentage last season wasn’t an issue of small sample size; Bayless’ 231 attempts and 101 makes from beyond the arc were both career-high marks for the 28-year-old guard.
2) The situation in which he was able to shoot lights-out from deep last season will be somewhat replicated in Philadelphia this year. Last season with the Bucks, Bayless was able to play as an off-ball guard while Giannis Antetokounmpo played point forward. Guess who the Sixers just drafted to be the future of their franchise? That’s right, a point forward. Ben Simmons is a tremendously skilled passer, and will be lucky to have a shooter like Bayless on the receiving end of his passes.
Playing off the ball, Bayless should be a perfect target for some of Simmons’ brilliant passes. This is a match made in heaven. Nice work, Philly.
Toronto Raptors: Signed Jared Sullinger
A lot of fans are skeptical about Jared Sullinger, and they have every right to be. Throughout his four-year NBA career, weight issues have held him back from reaching his potential, and have led to questions surrounding his motivation. However, the Raptors needed a power forward. Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson are fine role players, but they aren’t starters on a contender. Really, Sullinger is pretty damn good. Last season for the Celtics, Sullinger played just 23.6 minutes per game — the lowest since his rookie year — but still averaged 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. If you do the math (or look it up) that comes out to 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.
Sullinger, when he gets minutes and is in shape, is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, and his presence in Toronto’s frontcourt will help make up for the loss of Bismack Biyombo, who averaged eight rebounds in 22 minutes per game for the Raptors last season.
Chicago Bulls: Signed Dwyane Wade
This season’s new-look Bulls are going to be fascinating, there’s no denying that. I’m not convinced that they’ll be any good, but I really, really hope they are. The Rondo-Wade-Butler trio could crash and burn, or be a ton of fun. Regardless of how things turned out, adding Wade was a great move. Obviously he isn’t the player that he once was (he turns 35 in January), but he’s still one of the NBA’s best shooting guards. He’s a playoff-tested veteran who will bring leadership and an ability to get to the rim at will. I’m extremely excited to watch Wade on the Bulls, and again, I really hope that he can make it work with Rondo and Butler.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Traded for Mike Dunleavy
The Cavaliers’ roster is mostly the same as it was last season, not that there’s anything wrong with that. They’re coming off of a championship, there was no need to make any major changes. The Cavs lost Matthew Dellavedova — a player who brings hustle and outside shooting. They were able to replace those qualities in the form of Mike Dunleavy. He’s not quite the defender Dellavedova is (though he too has the “dirty player” rep), but he’s also a better offensive option than Delly. As a 6’9” swingman, Dunleavy is capable of getting his shot off over smaller defenders, and is an excellent shooter; he’s eclipsed the 40% mark from three-point range in four separate seasons (and shot 39.9% in another).
Detroit Pistons: Signed Ish Smith
This was one of my favorite signings of the offseason. The Pistons’ need for a backup point guard last season was obvious (36-year-old Steve Blake wasn’t cutting it), and Ish Smith will be a perfect backup for Reggie Jackson. Smith is one of the fastest players in the league. He excels at penetrating and setting up his teammates. His lack of spacing is an issue, but the Pistons can live with that. Plus, he actually knocked down 56 three-pointers last year (on 32.9% shooting). Prior to last season, his career-high for threes made in a season was 18. Don’t expect amazing shooting or anything, but it was the first time that Smith has shown signs of improving that aspect of his game. Last season, in 50 starts for the 76ers, Smith had a career year, posting per-game career-highs in points per game (14.7), assists per game (7.0), and rebounds per game (4.3). Smith should help Detroit’s second unit considerably, and no NBA team needed to bolster their bench more than the Pistons; last season, the Pistons’ bench finished dead last in both points per game and field goal percentage. Plus, three years, $18 million? That’s a STEAL for a player coming off of a season as good as the one that Smith enjoyed.
Indiana Pacers: Traded for Thaddeus Young
No, I didn’t pick the Jeff Teague trade, and here’s why: I’m not convinced he’ll be a huge upgrade over George Hill, and they traded Hill in order to acquire him. While Teague is certainly a more dynamic offensive player than Hill, he’s also a defensive downgrade. Plus, if they’re going to keep Monta Ellis — whose enduring presence on the roster is a source of great annoyance to me — then an off-ball point guard like Hill would likely be a better fit.
Anyway, I do like the addition of Thad Young. Young, who once would have been branded a “tweener,” is a perfect player for today’s small-ball league. Young is a shifty power forward who’s too quick for most big men to keep up with. He’s a solid defender, and a capable scorer who can even knock down a three-pointer on occasion. If he can further develop that three-point shot, Young could be a deadly scoring threat for Indiana. He’s a versatile forward, and I think he’ll pair very nicely with Myles Turner. Last year for the Nets, Young averaged 15.1 points, a career-high nine rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 51.4% from the field. Another bonus of this trade is that all they gave up to get Young was the 20th overall pick.
Milwaukee Bucks: Traded for Matthew Dellavedova
…I guess. I won’t be fully sold on Delly as a good offensive player until I see him play efficient basketball without the benefit of sharing a team with LeBron James. This decision was down to the Dellavedova sign-and-trade and the Mirza Teletovic signing for me, because the Bucks desperately needed spacing last season; they made an NBA-low 5.4 three-pointers per game. Dellavedova’s ceiling is higher than Teletovic’s, though his floor is lower. Delly is a proven shooter (41% from deep last season), but he’ll be asked to play a bigger role for Milwaukee this season; he may find himself in the starting lineup. It will be interesting to see if he can step up to the challenge. He’ll be best if he can thrive off-ball with Giannis running point forward, similarly to how the Cavs used him (although Giannis obviously isn’t the playmaker that LeBron is).
Atlanta Hawks: Signed Dwight Howard
Losing Horford is rough, but Hawks fans can take solace in the signing of Dwight Howard. Howard — even with his history of injuries having permanently slowed him down — is a very good center. Howard ranked third among all players in rebounds per game (11.8) last season, and 15th in blocks per game (1.6). The Hawks can anticipate nightly double-doubles from Howard; he’s averaged one in every season of his 12-year career. He doesn’t do much to replace the spacing that they lost in Horford, but he is an excellent defender. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely wouldn’t want to attack the paint with Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard protecting the rim.
Charlotte Hornets: Acquired Marco Belinelli
This was almost physically painful to type, because I was very against trading a promising young guard like Malachi Richardson for 30-year-old Marco Belinelli, a supposed three-point shooting specialist who barely cracked THIRTY PERCENT from beyond the arc last season. However, the Hornets didn’t make many moves this offseason, and once Courtney Lee left for New York, it made more sense to add an experienced shooter like Belinelli. I watched a lot of Kings basketball last season, and while I didn’t realize just how atrocious his shooting had been until I looked it up, I did notice that his shot selection was not the best last season. Belinelli took a lot of fading, contested three-pointers. I mean, he made a lot more of them than I would have, but they’re not the most efficient shots.
If you’re a Hornets fan, you’re hoping that Belinelli’s bad season was just that — one season. It isn’t at all delusional to think that he’ll have a bounce-back season. After all, he’s a career 37.9% shooter from deep, and even shot 43% for the Spurs back in 2013-14. He is rather streaky, but he’s a talented shooter nonetheless, and is a true veteran. His locker room presence, as well as his shooting, should prove helpful as the Hornets look to return to the playoffs.
Miami Heat: Signed Dion Waiters
I don’t care how you feel about Dion Waiters, this contract was an absolute steal. The Heat matched the Nets’ offer sheet of four years, $50 million for Tyler Johnson, and then signed Waiters to a two-year, $6 million deal. You’re telling me Johnson’s yearly value is worth over four times than that of Waiters? Nope. I was expecting Waiters to get at least $10 million a year, but he took a big pay-cut to join Miami. The Heat won’t be much good this year unless Chris Bosh can return to the court, but they found a huge value signing in Dion Waiters. Waiters is young, athletic, and can kind of shoot (35.8% from three-point range last season). He’s not amazing right now, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance. If he can add consistent shooting, and increase his on-court IQ, he can be huge for Miami. This was a no-risk, high-potential-reward signing, and I love it.
Orlando Magic: Traded for Serge Ibaka
Here’s another one that I picked begrudgingly. I didn’t love the Magic’s offseason. It feels like they’re trying to channel their inner Hinkie with all these big men. Aaron Gordon will play out of position at the three this year, because the Magic need Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic, and Bismack Biyombo to get minutes down low, not to mention the rookie Stephen Zimmerman. Plus there’s Jeff Green, who’s at his best as a stretch-four. The Magic traded Oladipo to get Ibaka, thus choosing to place all of their eggs in the Evan Fournier basket, which I don’t mind; Fournier is very young, and was phenomenal shooting the ball last season.
This Ibaka trade was weird: It’s a win-now trade made by a team that is still mid-rebuild. There’s also a risk factor, because Ibaka will hit free agency next summer. However, here’s the bright side for the Magic: Ibaka is awesome. He’s one of the league’s premiere defenders, and he’s developed a really nice offensive game as a face-up power forward (not that he can’t score with his bask to the basket as well). He’s nearly automatic from midrange, and can even step out beyond the arc (35.5% from downtown for his career). Orlando is hoping that Ibaka — without Westbrook and Durant on his team — can step up offensively. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Ibaka’s scoring average jump to at least 18-20 points per game as a first option.
If everything goes perfectly for Orlando (long shot), then the Magic could be a playoff team next season. For that to happen, they need the “Aaron Gordon at small forward” experiment to be a success. If Gordon can thrive at the three, and Ibaka can be a two-way force, then the Magic could be a lot of fun next season. Plus, a lineup including Elfrid Payton, Gordon, Ibaka, and Biyombo would be awesome defensively.
Washington Wizards: Signed Ian Mahinmi
The Wizards had a quiet offseason: they gave Beal the max, signed Mahinmi, acquired Trey Burke, and re-signed Marcus Thornton. That being said, signing Mahinmi was great for Washington — ask any Pacers fan. He’ll start the season backing up Marcin Gortat, but I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to see him snag that starting spot at some point this season. Gortat is a skilled offensive center, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. That’s where Mahinmi comes in. Ian ranked 11th in defensive rating last season, and ninth in defensive box plus-minus. He was a huge part of a Pacers defense that ranked third in the NBA last year.
Mahinmi makes his living on the defensive end. His offensive game isn’t too developed. He doesn’t score a ton, but when he does score, he does it in the paint, and he does it efficiently; his true shooting percentage of 60.3% last season ranked 12th in the NBA. Mahinmi will bring hustle and smart basketball to the Wizards’ frontcourt. He’s a good role player who will do his job, and help his team win. This was a great pick-up for Washington.
