Winners and losers from NBA Free Agency: The best just got better

There are still several impact free agents available to be signed and trade possibilities continue to circulate. But as we push toward the middle of July, the dust has already settled on the biggest moves of the offseason. Whether by trade, signing or draft strategy, these are the teams who helped or hurt themselves the most so far this offseason.

Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder didn't land any big stars but in terms of improvements around the margins, addressing specific weaknesses and building depth this was about as good an offseason as you could have. They landed Alex Caruso in a trade, sending out only Josh Giddey who they weren't as bullish on after this most recent season. They also signed Isaiah Hartenstein from the Knicks, adding size and defense to their frontcourt without sacrificing anything in terms of offensive flexibility. They re-signed key bench contributors Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe and absolutely crushed the draft landing Nikola Topic at No. 12 and Ajay Mitchell at No. 38.

Their starting lineup next season should be Alex Caruso, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — a group with fantastic two-way potential and tremendous versatility. Off the bench they have just an incredible wealth of options:

• Cason Wallace, Guard — A ferocious defender at the point of attack who also hit 41.9 percent of his 3s as a rookie
• Isaiah Hartensetein, Big — A versatile, mobile, top-tier defender who crashes the boards and is an excellent connective passer
• Isaiah Joe, Guard — A fantastic movement shooter who hit 41.6 percent of his 3s last year
• Aaron Wiggins, Wing — A versatile 3-and-D wing who hit 49.2 percent of his 3s last year and has some secondary play-making ability
• Jaylin Williams, Big — A big in the mold of Hartenstein, just a little less experienced
• Kenrich Williams, Forward — An experienced defensive specialist for spot matchups on bigger wings
• Ousmane Dieng, Forward — A 6-foot-10 playmaker entering his third season and maybe ready for consistent minutes

That's their 12-man rotation but behind that are a slew of other young players, including Topic, Mitchell and Dillon Jones who could be ready to fit their way onto the roster.

This was the best team in the Western Conference last season and their roster is considerably better this year. Between those additions and internal development, the sky's the limit.

Loser: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are, finally, admitting that the Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic core isn't going to work and selling off parts. However, the writing was on the wall two years ago and they really hurt themselves by waiting this long to reach the obvious conclusion.

If they had been willing to trade him earlier, the Bulls almost certainly could have gotten multiple picks in exchange for Caruso, instead, they settled for Josh Giddey. A DeRozan trade would have been trickier and might not have generated as much of a return but it's hard to imagine they couldn't have gotten more than Chris Duarte and a pair of second-round picks if they'd made a move at the trade deadline or a year ago. Zach LaVine has essentially no trade value at this point and they might just be stuck with him.

But the most damning part is that with these long overdue moves, they've basically built a roster that's in roughly the same place as the year before. Matas Buzelis was a nice pick in the draft but the perception seemed to be that his ceiling was more Franz-Wagner-type-high-level-role-player than a future star who can anchor a contender. And right now it's him, Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, a re-signed Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith, Vucevic, Duarte and Jevon Carter. That team is probably not good enough to make the playoffs and certainly not good enough to win a series. But it's also way too good for a realistic chance at a top pick.

In the end, the Bulls waited too long and decided to try and rebuild on the fly instead of tearing things down properly, but they've built a hang glider with straws and tissue paper.

Winner: New York Knicks

The Knicks kicked the offseason off early, trading for Mikal Bridges and then made one of the most impactful signings a few days later, bringing back OG Anunoby. They did lose Isaiah Hartenstein but Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle should both be back healthy and they still have time to potentially land another big up big like Walker Kessler.

But the Knicks, if healthy, have an incredibly versatile roster that could be among the league's best at both ends of the floor. More importantly, they have the size and defense on the wings to match up perfectly with the Celtics. MOST importantly, the Villanova Voltron is complete and the vibes have to be immaculate in this locker room right now.

Loser: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers didn't want to pay for Paul George, which is understandable. But they still paid up for James Harden and replaced George with Nic Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. This roster is noticeably worse on paper and they still have as much bust potential as anyone in the league given how much they'll be relying on Kawhi Leonard (who just pulled out of the Olympics) and Harden to stay healthy. This is a team that could easily fall out of playoff contention in a stacked West.

Winner: Dallas Mavericks

I'll preface this section by saying that I think last year's playoff run was more lightning in a bottle than an accurate reflection of the Mavericks' standing in the West. And even with the positive offseason moves they've made, I would still rank the Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder ahead of them by a decent margin. Still, with essentially no flexibility they turned Tim Hardaway Jr., Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green into Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes.

Thompson is a big upgrade and the other two moves are, at worst, a wash. The Mavs get this recognition by virtue of turning lemons into a big ol' jug of lemonade. But I still think they'll have a seriously uphill battle to get back to the Finals.

Loser: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers re-signed LeBron James, yay! The only other offseason moves of any consequence at this point were picking Dalton Knecht at No. 17 (admittedly a good value) and re-signing Max Christie, a lightly played, third-year guard, to a four-year extension. They lost Taurean Prince and otherwise will have to hope that better health, a rookie like Knecht and development from young players like Christie, Maxwell Lewis and Jalen-Hood Schifino are enough to close the gap between them and the rest of the contenders in the west. That sure sounds like a plan for disappointment.