Winner:
San Antonio Spurs
This is a modern day dynasty in the NBA. Appeared in the Finals twice in the last three seasons, winners of four titles since 2000, hell they haven't missed the playoffs since 1997. Before this offseason started, you weren't sure what the future held for Tim Duncan or the core of the team. Well Duncan is coming back for one more season. They brought Kawhi Leonard back into the fold with a decent contract. Then they pull out all the stops, signing LaMarcus Aldridge for four-years and $80 million. Yeah the Spurs will be back into the playoffs again this year. If you thought that the dynasty team with the Spurs was going away, well think again.
Winner:
Golden State Warriors
They are the defending champions and a key player on that team, Draymond Green, was possibly going to leave on the market and may have landed on another team. He was a 2nd round pick who worked his way up to being the runner up for Defensive Player of the Year last year, and a key piece for the best defensive team in the league and the defending NBA Champions. Because of his talent level, the Warriors knew they needed to keep that core in tact. In order to do that, the Warriors gave Green a 5 year deal worth $85 million. Sure it hurts in the fact that they have to dip into the league luxury tax, but it still means that the team was able to stay together and make a strong run for a second straight championship.
Winner:
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki isn't getting any younger here. He's 37 years old. Dallas feels they have a team on the floor who is on the cusp of being an elite contender in the West. well they added another piece to the mix, and I'll give Mark Cuban a lot of credit for being able to pull this one off. Dallas managed to grab DeAndre Jordan for four years at $80 million. Dallas saved about $30 million on the table, giving them a little more room to move. They have an elite big man, which can help keep them in the hunt in a tough Western Conference. Also throw in the fact that the Mavs managed to snag Wes Matthews for a four year and $64 million contract. Matthews is one of the top two way shooting guards in the entire league. Considering the fact that he missed time at the end of last season with the leg injury. the fact that he got a big contract is a bit of a surprise, but when he's on the court, look put. When healthy and on his game, Matthews is going to be worth every penny Dallas gave him.
Winner:
Cleveland Cavaliers
Well after the season ended, Kevin Love hit the free agent market and King James decided to opt out of the last year of his contract. Love is back in the mix, at five years and $110 Million. All signs point to Lebron returning to the fold. Same thing goes for Tirstin Thompson. Cleveland will, in all lieklyhood still be the Beasts of The East. But it could come at a cost. The Cavs are going to be some of the highest luxury tax payers in the league, but that's kind of what happens when you want the best. Cleveland may still have trouble trying to fill the team with accurate role players on this team, which may make it hard to compete with a team in the West. But with that being said, I still think Cleveland has had a good offseason so far.
Loser:
New York Knicks
This was supposed to be the year that the Knicks get star talent around Carmelo Anthony. So far, the only two moves that made sense for the Knicks was drafting Porzingis and signing Robin Lopez. Lopez is a damn good center and can more than hold his own in this league. Arron Afflalo is a solid all around player. But the problem is, the Knicks had a chance to rebuild and try and put a well rounded team on the court. That didn't happen. To make this look a little worse, the team doesn't have a first round pick next year, because they gave it away in the Andrea Bargnani deal. New York seemed to shoot itself in the foot with bad deals and moves in the past and its now coming back to bite them.
Loser:
Detroit Pistons
Its becoming more apparent to Stan Van Gundy that its hard to be able to build a championship team in Detroit. The Pistons struck out on second-tier free agents DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green. Then they ponied up big money to bring in Reggie Jackson, who got a five year deal worth $80 million. Sure he's a good player. The problem here is, Jackson had just about played himself out of Scott Brooks' rotation, and his teammates' good graces, by the time Van Gundy came calling. Jackson did clean up his act last year, but he does have trouble shooting. It might not have been the brightest move ever made.
Loser:
Sacramento Kings
Can somebody please try and explain to me, or the rest of the basketball world for that matter, what the Kings are doing out West? They surrendered multiple first round draft picks to clear cap space to take a run at both Matthews and Monta Ellis. They both signed elsewhere. So they paid Marco Belinelli $19 million (massive overpay). They signed Rajon Rondo, who was last seen basically being sent home by the Mavericks in the playoffs. I guess they felt like it was a good idea to take a chance on a possible head case. This is an organization that defies the definition of organization. Truthfully, it's a jumbled mess of dysfunction, and a team that's accomplished the almost impossible: They've turned DeMarcus Cousins into a sympathetic figure.
Loser:
Los Angeles Basketball
So far, the offseason hasn't exactly been kind to the City Of Angels. Firs lets look at the Clippers. They lost DeAndre Jordan, when he signed with Dallas. That takes away Chris Paul's running buddy on the floor. They got nothing in return for Jordan. Sure they brought aboard Lance Stevenson and Paul Pierce, but I'm not sure that's going to be enough to get them over the Hump in the talent loaded Western Conference. Then you look at the Lakers. You can give the Lakers an 'A' for effort. They tried to make a splash. They just failed miserably, losing out on every marquee free agent. They may save a little face by acquiring center Roy Hibbert from Indiana, which they are reportedly close to doing.
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