All 30 NBA teams went into the offseason looking to improve, address weaknesses, slide past their rivals and prepare themselves for the season ahead. This was especially important for teams who already saw themselves as inner circle contenders.
For some teams, like the Timberwolves, the offseason goal was to keep the core together and figure out how to flesh out the supporting cast. For others, like the Rockets, it was about gambling big to get that one missing piece that you think can get you over the top.
Below, we're looking at the nine inner-circle contenders (determined entirely by my own subjective judgement) and ranking them by the quality of their offseason additions. It's not ranking by who we expect to be the best team next season, it's about who did the most to improve.
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9. Minnesota Timberwolves
In: Joe Ingles
Out: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
On paper, the Timberwolves got worse this offseason — re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid and then losing key reserve Nickeil Alexander-Walker, replacing him with veteran Joe Ingles. But just because they look worse on paper, doesn't mean they'll actually be worse. Just that they'll be counting on the benefits of continuity and the ability of second-year guards Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. to step up and fill the hole left by Alexander-Walker.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
In: Thomas Sorber, Brooks Barnhizer
Out: —
The Oklahoma City Thunder did everything they needed to this offseason, inking Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to big extensions. When you're the defending champion and already struggling to find minutes for all the promising young players on your roster, you don't need to do much in the offseason. The Thunder didn't really improve, but that's because they were already the best team in the league.
7. Philadelphia 76ers
In: VJ Edgecombe, Jhoni Broome, Trendon Watford
Out: Caleb Martin, Guerschon Yabusele, Ricky Council IV
Edgecombe could turn out to be the steal of the NBA Draft and should be a huge addition for the 76ers. However, his impact will be limited, with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain firmly entrenched as the starting backcourt and Paul George hopefully healthy enough to play next to them on the wing. The 76ers could be much better this season, but if they get there, it will be because of a healthy Joel Embiid, not necessarily an upgraded supporting cast.
6. New York Knicks
In: Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson
Out: Precious Achiuwa, Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet
The Knicks did a nice job addressing some key weaknesses. Payne and Shamet ultimately weren't enough off the bench last season, but Clarkson is an ideal replacement — an experienced shot-creator used to working as a microwave scorer off the bench. Yabusele is nowhere near the interior defender that Achiuwa is and doesn't bring the same athleticism in the open court. But he's much more skilled offensively and brings a versatility that should really help the second unit.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
In: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Tyrese Proctor
Out: Isaac Okoro
Whether or not Ball and Nance Jr. are difference-makers for the Cavs will come down, almost entirely to health and availability — which are serious question marks. But, on paper, they're huge additions. Ball gives the Cavs another creator off the bench, who is also an excellent and versatile defender who can stretch the defense from beyond the arc. In an ideal world, he's a combination of what the Cavs got from Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome last season, but in a single player. Nance Jr. is a vertical spacer and complementary rim protector who doubles as a respectable floor-spacer and is a very good passer from the elbows. He's a very clean fit next to both Allen and Mobley and should give the Cavs a lot more flexibility in the frontcourt.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
In: Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia
Out: Jordan Goodwin, Alex Len, Cam Reddish, Dorian Finney-Smith
The Lakers didn't have a lot of flexibility this summer, but did the best they could with what they had to work with. Deandre Ayton is a big addition if they get a version of him like the one that helped anchor the Suns defense in the 2022 NBA Finals run. If they get the version the Trail Blazers employed the past two years, this could be a Christian Wood-level disaster. Either way, it was worth the risk.
Smart is the real prize for the Lakers, assuming he's healthy. He's the aggressive backcourt defender they haven't had the past few years, and his intensity should blend perfectly with LeBron and Luka Dončić. It would be a nice bonus if he was a reliable 3-point shooter, but Smart has plenty of experience operating as a connector and non-shooting off-ball threat. He can make a difference on offense, even if he's not a real floor-spacing threat.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
In: John Collins, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal
Out: Norm Powell, Amir Coffey
Yes, the Clippers are old and creaky. Yes, health will once again set the ceiling on this squad. But they really made some needed upgrades and should be better equipped to survive (brief) absences for James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
Collins recovered some of his outside shooting juice with Utah and as a bouncy, physical offensive presence around the basket that the Clippers didn't really have last season. Lopez can absolutely replicate the drop coverage scheme Ivica Zubac executes but provides a much different look as a floor-spacer on offense. Paul may be playing limited minutes, but he's a steady hand and the Clippers know exactly what they'll get from him.
It may be weird to call Beal the biggest addition here, considering how much blame he took for things falling apart in Phoenix. But he averaged 17.3 points and 3.7 assists per game, on a 59.8 true shooting percentage. He's still a terrific off-ball threat and his fit next to Harden and Leonard, with strong interior defenders like Lopez and Zubac, is a lot cleaner than it was in Phoenix.
2. Denver Nuggets
In: Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valančiūnas
Out: Michael Porter Jr., Russell Westbrook, Dario Sarić, DeAndre Jordan
All things considered, the Nuggets had a miraculous offseason. Cam Johnson checks all the same boxes as Michael Porter Jr., at both ends, but saves Denver a huge chunk of money. Valančiūnas is a big upgrade as a backup center and can allow the Nuggets to really batter smaller teams on the inside, even when Jokić is resting. Bruce Brown is a familiar face and doesn't seem like quite the player he was during the Nuggets' title run, but he knows how to excel in this system and is a much cleaner fit with the rest of the core than Westbrook. Finally, Hardaway Jr. is a great shooting specialist off the bench.
The Nuggets were up and down during the regular season but took the Thunder to seven games in the Western Conference semis. They're now deeper and more versatile, and probably should be considered the biggest threat to Oklahoma City this season.
1. Houston Rockets
In: Kevin Durant, Clint Capela, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie
Out: Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Jock Landale
The Houston Rockets won the offseason, and it's not just because they landed Kevin Durant. They also removed Jalen Green and his offensive inconsistency and found an ideal replacement for Dillon Brooks in Dorian Finney-Smith. Clint Capela may turn out to be a minor move considering how his role has declined over the past few years in Atlanta, but he's a better rim protector than anyone else they had on the roster and a great third big to keep in reserve with Alperen Şengün and Steven Adams, depending on the matchup.
This roster still needs big leaps from their young players — Şengün, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. — to get on the tier of the Nuggets and Thunder. But, considering where they started and where they are now, the Rockets likely opened their championship window more than any other team in the league.