The NBA offseason isn’t entirely over — there are still some solid free agents available, some veteran extensions to sign, and some restricted free agents still hanging out there — but we know the shape of teams at this point.
Who had the best NBA offseasons? Let’s break it down, with seven teams that stood out to me.
Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant.
Those two words alone made this a winning offseason for Houston. Anyone who watched their first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Warriors saw Houston’s problems with half-court shot creation and end-of-clock situations — Durant solves those problems. Even at age 37, the man is still a walking bucket.
However, the Rockets did more than just add Durant. The addition of Dorian Finney-Smith — adding more defense plus 3-point shooting to the mix — was one of the best moves of the offseason. Clint Capela gives Houston another solid rotation big man. They locked up Fred VanVleet on a good deal, and also re-signed Steven Adams, Jae’Sean Tate, Jabari Smith Jr., Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green.
Houston enters the coming season a clear title contender — that’s the sign of a good offseason.
Denver Nuggets
At the heart of the tension that ultimately led to the dismissal of coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth was the question of how hard to lean into the young players the team had drafted. Malone wanted more veterans, while Booth wanted more time for the players he had drafted.
This summer, the new front office in Denver did what Malone had been asking for, adding veterans. Jonas Valanciunas is the best backup center Nikola Jokic has had and will help the second unit not fall off a cliff when the three-time MVP rests. The Nuggets signed Tim Hardaway Jr. and are bringing back Bruce Brown. Most importantly, they sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson — an upgrade for the Nuggets. Both Johnson and Porter Jr. are a near 40% threat from beyond the arc, but Johnson is a better defender and a more consistent, high-IQ player who will thrive playing next to Jokic (the cost of a 2032 pick is the price they pay to chase titles now, with Jokic at his peak).
Denver, like Houston, upgraded and is a full-on contender entering next season, that’s a win.
Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta went all-in on one more (last?) attempt to build around Trae Young — and they did it smartly. This team needed defensive upgrades, such as a high-level rim protector and more wing defense. Enter Kristaps Porzingis at center — who can protect the paint and is a great pick-and-pop partner for young — and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. However, the biggest addition will be the return to health of Jalen Johnson (a step forward by Zaccharie Risacher helps as well).
Atlanta has gone from a “will they make it out of the play-in” team to one with a real shot at a top-four spot in the East. That’s a strong offseason.
Orlando Magic
Orlando is already acknowledged as a team on the rise — they were the No. 6 seed in the East last season, despite Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner missing chunks of the season with matching oblique injuries — but they needed more shooting.
Check that box. The Magic could not have landed a better fit than Desmond Bane, a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc who also can do some secondary playmaking and is a plus defender. Orlando also added Tyus Jones, a floor general backup point guard who will boost second units. If just-drafted Jase Richardson can shoot well enough, he could get some run as well. The other thing Orlando did: lock up Banchero for four years with a max extension (the fifth is a player option). All of those are good moves.
Coming off watching Indiana make a run to the NBA Finals, it’s not hard to envision the Magic having a similar run if things break their way.
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles knows who it is, it knows who its stars are, understands its potential limitations, and still this summer leaned hard into that “one more run with the old guys” identity (while setting up the chance to make a pivot and change this team dramatically in 2027).
They did it smartly, starting with adding Brook Lopez and John Collins to the frontcourt. Los Angeles scooped up Bradley Beal after Phoenix waived and stretched him, getting the three-time All-Star at a fair price considering his contributions, and filling the hole left by Norman Powell’s exit. Chris Paul is returning home for one more season.
The Clippers are 11 deep with guys who can and will expect rotation minutes, a balancing act for Tyronn Lue to figure out. This is a 50-win team from last season that has gotten deeper and better. The Clippers are a top-six team in the West with a shot to host a playoff round. That’s a good offseason.
Oklahoma City Thunder
They didn’t do anything spectacular, but they didn’t have to. OKC locked up its three-man core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren with massive extensions (although getting Holmgren on a straight 25 without escalators is good work). That trio keeps this team in the contender conversation for the length of those deals, (five years). The cast around that core is going to change somewhat as the second tax apron comes calling starting in 2027, but no team has the draft picks and flexibility to survive that as well as OKC.
For next season, this team runs back the same roster that just won 68 games and a title — they are the bar to clear for any team talking title.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are here in part because I like their offseason moves, but also in part because I think we’re not talking enough about how big a leap they could make next season. This team gives me Detroit vibes from last year, where Victor Wembanyama comes into his own as a superstar and the talent around him starts to come together.
The Spurs had a great draft — the lottery gods blessed them with Dylan Harper, but picking up Carter Bryant at 14 looked like a steal of a pick based on Summer League (his defense was great, the offense is a project). More importantly, they signed Luke Kornet as a backup to Wembanyama, providing them with another quality big, so they don’t have to wear Wemby down and can give him some nights off as needed. Also, the Spurs signed Kelly Olynyk as a stretch four/five to help with the frontcourt rotation.
With a full season of De’Aaron Fox and Wemby, and Harper finding his groove as a rookie, this is going to be a fun team to watch this season.
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