3 offseason moves I liked and 3 that left me scratching my head

With most of the offseason in the rearview mirror, I wanted to write about three moves I liked and three moves that made me scratch my head.  It’s pretty self explanatory so let’s just dive in.

Move I liked: Rockets trade for Kevin Durant

I talked about this trade when it happened but I really think it was a grand slam for the Rockets.  Houston got KD for Jalen Green, Dillion Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 draft (Phoenix selected Khaman Maluach) and 5 second round picks.  Durant is one of the best players in the game, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on shooting splits of .53/.43/.84.  Even as he enters his age 37 season, Durant remains one of the best players in the league.  Houston badly needs a guy who can put the ball in the hoop and Durant does just that.  The playoff series against the Warriors showed just how badly they need a guy who can score at an elite level and that Jalen Green isn’t that guy.  There was a big defensive burden placed on KD in Phoenix due to the surrounding players, that won’t be a problem with the Rockets.  With Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and others running all over the court, Durant will not be forced to play as big a role on defense, allowing him to increase his role on offense.  The Rockets are going to be really good, Dorian Finney-Smith is another addition that I liked.  Durant lifts the Rockets as one of the legit contenders in the Western Conference.

Move that made me scratch my head: Bulls trade for Isaac Okoro

When the Bulls traded Lonzo Ball straight up for Isaac Okoro, I was legitimately stunned.  That could be seen as an overreaction but the Bulls traded the better player on the shorter contract.  There are so many layers to this.  Let’s start with the fact that Okoro is a bad shooter, his career 35% in the regular season is better than he really is as he has been played off of the court in multiple playoff series due to teams leaving him wide open.  Playing in Chicago also means he won’t be playing off of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland any more, sure Coby White and Josh Giddey are good but they won’t create as many open looks for Okoro.  Additionally, the Bulls already have Patrick Williams on the roster.  Do they really need another top 5 pick from the 2020 NBA Draft who hasn’t hit in the NBA?  The Bulls also have a real pathway to cap space in 2026, why are they trading Ball, who has a team option for 2026-27, for Okoro, who has $11.8 million guaranteed for 2026-27?  Sure, it doesn’t cripple their space but it is just so unnecessary.  At least with the Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey swap last year Giddey had shown moments of stardom, Okoro hasn’t even shown enough to be on the court during a playoff series.  He is a good defender so that will help the Bulls but this trade was one that really made me scratch my head.

Move I liked: Clippers trade Norman Powell and sign Bradley Beal

This is a 2-in-1 move because I don’t love either of these moves without the other.  Let’s start with the fact that Beal might just be better than Powell.  Powell had a better season than Beal did a year ago, scoring a career high 21.8 points per game but Powell teetered off at the end of the season and struggled in the playoffs averaging just 16.0 points per game in the series against the Nuggets.  Beal meanwhile is coming off of one of his worst seasons at 17.0 points per game.  In a healthier environment, maybe Beal can bounce back and fill Powell’s role.  Even if Beal isn’t better than Powell, there are other reasons for this trade off as well.  Let’s start with the fact that the Clippers got John Collins in the Powell trade and didn’t send anything out for Beal.  Collins is a good power forward who can help the Clippers out with his scoring and rebounding.  They didn’t have a player like Collins on their roster a season ago so he also gives them more versatility.  They also don’t have to give Powell a new contract, going into the season with Powell headed for free agency would have been uncomfortable for everyone involved.  Now the Clippers don’t need to sign the 32-year-old guard to a big multi-year contract.  Replacing Beal with Powell alone could be considered a win but the Clippers also get to add another good player and future cap flexibility as a part of this trade off.

Move that made me scratch my head: Pelicans trade better of their own and the Bucks 2026 first round pick unprotected to draft Derrick Queen

Let’s go back to the draft for this one.  The Pelicans were not good last season and didn’t do enough this summer to make anyone think they will be good this season.  Yet, they still traded their own pick next year, fully unprotected, along with the 23rd pick in the draft to the Atlanta Hawks to draft Derrick Queen.  Queen may turn out to be a really good player and that would be an awesome addition for New Orleans but the worst case scenario is way worse than how good the best case scenario can be for this trade.  It puts a lot of pressure on the Pelicans to be good this season in a loaded Western Conference and even if they are good, if the Bucks are bad, that pick could still be a lottery pick.  It just seems like a deal where the Pelicans are biting off more than they can chew with this deal because the downside is so drastic.

Move I liked: Hawks sign-and-trade for Nickel Alexander-Walker

I liked everything Atlanta did this summer but the Nickel Alexander-Walker addition was my favorite.  The team signed him to a 4yr/$60.6 million deal, taking him into their big trade exception (so they could sign him for more than the mid-level exception), sending a 2027 2nd round pick and cash to the Timberwolves.  NAW had an awesome season for the Timberwolves last season and was really awesome during the playoffs.  His defense is what stands out the most, having him and Dyson Daniels allows the Hawks to be more intentional in hiding Trae Young on defense.  His three pointer has been good during the regular season the past 2 years, 39% combined, but it has fallen off during the playoffs at 32%, if the Hawks are to accomplish what they want too, they’ll need Alexander-Walker to hit more of his three during the playoffs.  If he is able to do that, he will be one of the most impactful offseason additions throughout the entire league.  Over the past 2 seasons, Alexander-Walker has shown that he has a chance to be a really impactful player towards winning with the Timberwolves and I think he will continue to prove that in Atlanta.

Move that left me scratching my head: Trail Blazers trade for Jrue Holiday

I didn’t hate this move for the Blazers, you can see where they are coming from.  Holiday’s leadership and point of attack defense, along with the three point shooting, will help Portland.  However, his age and contract are reasons I am surprised Portland wanted to trade for him.  At 35-years-old, Holiday has 3yrs/$104.4 million left on his deal.  It wasn’t like there weren’t signs of regression last season with the Celtics either.  His defense isn’t what it once was on a nightly basis, he didn’t guard point guards very much with Boston, and his three point percentage dipped from 43% in 2024, to 35% in 2025.  He also won’t be playing off of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown this year either so he likely will be getting worse looks from three than he was last season.  Portland also has the last 3yrs/$102.6 million left on Jerami Grant’s contract as well so they are now attached to a pair of players on the wrong side of 30 that are owed over $100 million over the next 3 years.  I didn’t hate this move for the Blazers but there is a major downside to it that would have scared me away from making it.