4 NBA moves that will age like fine wine, 2 that will spoil quickly

It's been another roller coaster of an NBA offseason, and there are still two months to go until the regular season tips off. A flurry of signings, trades and front office decisions has dramatically changed the landscape of the league, but today we'll try to sift through the deluge of moves to identify the truly impactful ones. Which ones will have a lasting impact for the better, and which will leave teams with buyer's remorse? Let's dive in.

Move that will age like fine wine: Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges

Let's start with the Villanova Voltron that the New York Knicks have assembled at Madison Square Garden. Already the proud owners of one of the best moves of the decade (signing Jalen Brunson away from the Mavs in 2022), New York has spent the past two years piecing together a team that would make Jay Wright proud.

Brunson has become one of the most beloved athletes in recent New York sports history, not only for his clutch, fearless game, but for signing a team-friendly extension this offseason that gave the Knicks financial flexibility that few contending teams can hope to equal. It makes sense that he'd be willing to help his front office out, because they've surrounded him with some of his best friends: fellow Wildcats Josh Hart and Donte DeVincenzo, both of whom have been instrumental in helping Brunson remake the long-suffering franchise into Eastern Conference contenders.

The final piece of this great experiment fell into place this offseason, as the Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges from the crosstown rival Nets. Bridges is the fourth Villanova alum to join the roster, but he brings more than just knowledge of the school fight song and where to get the best cheesesteaks on campus. Bridges is one of the most dynamic two-way players in the game, and one of the most durable, a trait that will surely come in handy playing under head coach Tom Thibodeau. He was miscast as the number one option on the Nets after arriving in Brooklyn via the Kevin Durant trade, but he's the perfect second banana to Brunson, whom he won two NCAA titles with in their four overlapping years at Villanova.

The Knicks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last year by the underdog Indiana Pacers, but it took an avalanche of injuries that would be almost comical if it wasn't so unfortunate, to do it. With Bridges' iron man capabilities and an entire offseason for Brunson, Hart, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson to recover from their afflictions, the Knicks should be back and better than ever.

Move that will spoil quickly: Mavericks push for a title by adding Klay Thompson

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to build on a surprise NBA Finals appearance, but a sign-and-trade for 34-year-old Klay Thompson isn't going to get them any closer to winning the second championship in franchise history.

Thompson is a shoo-in Hall-of-Famer and one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen. This isn't an indictment on him at all, because the fact that he's still producing in the NBA is remarkable given the litany of injuries he's gone through. He's not the same guy that helped the Warriors win four titles though, and that's what Dallas needs after they were clearly outclassed by the Celtics in the Finals.

Thompson's shooting numbers haven't been the same since returning from ACL and Achilles injuries that knocked him out for two seasons. In two of the past three seasons he's shot under 40 percent from three, something he'd never done in his previous eight years in the league. With the ball-dominant style of Luka Doncic, Dallas needs someone that can spot up and knock shots down with regularity, but while Thompson's 17.9 points per game last year is nothing to sneeze at, it's still the lowest number since his second year in the league.

Thompson is still a better shooter than most, so he's far from a liability in that department, but what really calls this move into question is the fact that he's no longer anything close to the defender he once was. During the Golden State Warriors' heyday, Thompson teamed with Draymond Green to lock down every opponent's best two players with a combination of physicality, quickness, and superior basketball IQ. While the Splash Brothers' shooting, and later the addition of Kevin Durant, got most of the headlines, that was the real secret sauce of the dynasty.

It says a lot that the Warriors are likely in a better place now that Klay is gone and his minutes can be meted out to Jonathan Kuminga, Brandon Podziemski, and new additions Buddy Hield and De'Anthony Melton. In the rough-and-tumble West, is Dallas in a better position than they were a year ago? Time will tell, but I don't think so.

Move that will age like fine wine: Sacramento adds DeMar DeRozan

This one didn't receive the fanfare of some other big moves, such as the Philadelphia 76ers' acquisition of Paul George, but it may be even more impactful. DeMar DeRozan has always been an All-Star-caliber player, but remarkably, he's steadily improved thoughout his 15-year career, even if most fans haven't realized it because he's toiled on the definition-of-mediocre Bulls for the past three seasons.

DeRozan is one of the most efficient scorers in the league, and one of its most reliable late-game performers, as evidenced by his finishing second in the Clutch Player of the Year voting last year and third the year before. Even better, the price that the Sacramento Kings paid in acquiring him wasn't exorbitant — Harrison Barnes, Chris Duarte, two second-rounders, and a 2031 pick swap with the Spurs.

Adding DeRozan to the already-synergistic pairing of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will ensure that Sacramento's offense is one of the most dynamic in the league. DeRozan's ability to move without the ball will meld beautifully with the Fox-Sabonis pick-and-roll, and his veteran presence will be invaluable in mentoring Keegan Murray and the newly-drafted Devin Carter.

Even more than the obvious on-court benefits it will bring, this move signals that the Kings aren't simply content to be in the mix after years of ineptitude. The West is a flaming hellscape that is not for the faint of heart, but you have to love that the Kings aren't backing down.

Move that will age like fine wine: Both sides of the Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso trade

Let's pivot to the rare move that actually makes a lot of sense for both teams involved. Josh Giddey played over 25 minutes per game for the No. 1-seeded Thunder last year, but he fell out of favor in the playoffs as he averaged only half that in Oklahoma City Thunder's six-game loss to the Mavs in the Western Conference Semis.

Giddey may not have been ready for playoff primetime, but he's a multi-talented player that is still only 21 years old. A fresh start is just what he needs, and he'll find new life on a Chicago Bulls team that is looking to rebuild after dealing away DeMar DeRozan. Chicago has also been shopping oft-injured Zach Levine for a year now, and if they can finally find a suitor, that will fully clear the runway for an exciting young Giddey-Coby White back court.

The Bulls gave up Swiss Army Knife Alex Caruso in the deal, but his talents will be better put to use on a team that's striving for a championship than one that's competing for a Play-In spot in the East. Caruso is one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, and pairing his shutdown ability on the perimeter with Chet Holmgren's length and rim protection down low could be just what the young Thunder need to get over the hump and challenge for a title.

Caruso brings more than just elite defense to the table, too, as he can help take ball-handling duties off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He also shot over 40% from three last year on career-high volume. He's an additive player in every sense, and one that head coach Mark Daigneault will be able to trust in high-pressure situations.

Both the Bulls and the Thunder will look back on this trade as a good one.

Move that will spoil quickly: Nuggets let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk to Orlando

Some teams spent the summer taking big swings to leap into the elite tier of contenders. Though there's no way to tell which gambles will pay off and which will blow up spectacularly, you have to at least credit teams for trying. Then you have the Denver Nuggets, who won a championship two years ago and still have the best player in the game in Nikola Jokic, but are wasting his prime by skimping out on surrounding him with talent.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may not be the first name that comes to mind when the casual NBA fan thinks about impactful offseason moves, but his departure from Denver, which occurred because the Nuggets didn't want to trigger the debilitating second apron, is a huge one.

You can't blame a team for not wanting to go over the apron, as it severely handicaps roster and salary flexibility going forward, but Denver should have gotten creative to keep Caldwell-Pope in town. Instead, the Orlando Magic and its up-and-coming roster will now benefit from KCP's elite defense, which ranked tops in the entire league in holding opponents to 40.6% shooting when he was the closest defender, per Second Spectrum.

Nikola Jokic has quickly established himself as one of the best NBA players of all-time, and with three MVP awards in the last four years, he shows no signs of slowing down. Denver should be doing everything it can to win the NBA title as long as they have the gifted Serbian; it would be a disservice to Nuggets and NBA fans not to. Even if that means triggering the second apron to keep an integral part of the team, you've gotta do it. Banners last forever.

Move that will age like fine wine: Chris Paul goes to the Spurs

Chris Paul may not be the player he once was, but he's a true point guard's point guard. His veteran presence on a precocious San Antonio Spurs roster that is looking to make a leap will be invaluable, and of all the players that could have been available to San Antonio this offseason, it's difficult to imagine a better one to accelerate Victor Wembanyama's growth as a player.

Wemby proved that the hype surrounding him when he entered the league was real, but the Spurs did him no favors by miscasting Jeremy Sochan as his starting point guard. Paul immediately rectifies that, and his ability to pass and see the floor will create angles and opportunities for Wemby that weren't possible last year.

San Antonio also drafted Stephon Castle out of UConn with the fourth overall pick in June's NBA Draft, and he's another player that Paul will help tremendously. Castle wasn't a natural point guard at UConn, though he wasn't asked to be with All-American Tristen Newton manning that spot. He's made it clear that that's the position he sees himself at in the NBA though, and he couldn't ask for a better mentor than Paul.

Wemby proved in the Olympics that his talents are enough to carry a team to greatness, as he was the driving force behind France's silver medal and close call loss to the U.S. for gold. Can he help the Spurs jump into the playoffs this year? It's a lot to ask, but for a generational talent that's just been teamed up with one of the best point guards to ever play the game, anything is possible. At the very least, the Spurs will be a lot of fun to watch this year, and truly dangerous in the years to come.