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A quick look at what each team did during the first week of free agency...

Well, free agency is just about a week old, and save a Tyus here and an Okoro there, the dust has settled, and in most cases, the ink has dried. While there are undoubtedly several more trades to be had before the rosters completely fall into place, the wheeling and dealing centered around free agents themselves has just about come to an end. While in most of these cases, it won’t be until the crucible of the season that we can surmise the fidelity of these deals, I thought I’d provide my early impressions of what the free agent period has looked like for all 30 teams in the league thus far. In an effort to somehow be different by not providing grades, yet simultaneously adhering to what apparently is now my repetitively tried-and-true method of hedging my answers across three vectors, I am judging each team’s decisions with either “Love,” “Hate,” or “Wait.” What those mean should be simple enough to understand, though in the case of “Wait,” I guess my early impressions have the clarity of a Ms. Cleo reading—call me now!

Atlanta Hawks: Hate

• Coming: Dyson Daniels (trade with NOH), Larry Nance Jr. (trade with NOH)

• Going: AJ Griffin (trade with HOU), Dejounte Murray (trade with NOH)

• Staying: N/A

The Hawks finally broke apart their beleaguered backcourt with the deal of Murray, but the 2025 Lakers pick they got as part of the trade is likely nothing more than a back-end lottery selection, and though Daniels is a good upside play as a defensive-minded young guard that could potentially pair with Trae, and Nance Jr. provides good depth, this offseason just feels like tripling-down on a fatally flawed concept regarding Trae.

Boston Celtics: Love

• Coming: N/A

• Going: N/A

• Staying: Luke Kornet re-signed (1 yr., $2.8 mill.), Neemias Queta re-signed (3 yrs., $9 mill.), Jayson Tatum extended (5 yrs., $313.9 mill.), Xavier Tillman re-signed (2 yrs., $4.8 mill.), Derrick White extended (4 yrs., $125.9 mill.)

Rare is the champion that doesn’t immediately see their cupboards rummaged through and drawn bare by every team hoping to either emulate or eviscerate their roster. Yet Brad Stevens, who is clearly the current championship belt holder for top GM, not only managed to re-up all the fringe players that added so much depth to the Celtics, but he also gave everyone around the league a big f--- you with the surprise re-signing of Derrick White, who many presumed to be a cap casualty next offseason.

Brooklyn Nets: Love

• Coming: Bojan Bogdanović (trade with NYK), Shake Milton (sign-and-trade with NYK)

• Going: Keita Bates-Diop (sign-and-trade with NYK), Mikal Bridges (trade with NYK), Mamadi Diakite (sign-and-trade with NYK)

• Staying: Nic Claxton re-signed (4 yrs., $100 mill.)

While the assets in the Mikal Bridges deal will undoubtedly be far less impactful than the initial sticker shock made them feel when the trade was first announced, the fact that Brooklyn—whether by Bridges' provocation or their own come-to-Jesus moment—finally recognized it was time to reset the whole thing was exactly what this franchise needed. The Claxton deal is of course a bit steep, but someone has to get paid to hold on while the bottom falls out in Brooklyn. Claxton is also the type of player who could put up some inflated numbers on what should be a very bad team, meaning the Nets could move him a year or two from now for additional assets as they rebuild.

Charlotte Hornets: Hate

• Coming: Devonte Graham (trade with SAS—likely to be released), Josh Green (trade with DAL), Reggie Jackson (trade with DEN)

• Going: N/A

• Staying: Miles Bridges re-signed (3 yrs., $75 mill.)

Perhaps it’s not as simple as blaming MJ. The Hornets handcuffed themselves to a PR nightmare with Bridges, who they essentially had to keep just to prove their own stake in his reclamation, but also adding Reggie Jackson to a locker room that already has Grant Williams and Lonzo Ball in it, seems like a recipe for disaster in terms of team chemistry.

Chicago Bulls: Wait

• Coming: Josh Giddey (trade with OKC), Jalen Smith (3 yrs., $27 mill.)

• Going: Alex Caruso (trade with OKC), Andre Drummond

• Staying: Patrick Williams re-signed (5 yrs., $90 mill.)

Chicago seems to be finally accepting that it’s time to begin the rebuilding process. Giddey is a good buy low option for a talent that is still so young and has shown flashes of star potential. The same could be said to much lesser extents with Jalen Smith, who played well in Indiana in bursts after flaming out with Phoenix, and Patrick Williams, who even if he just stays healthy, is now a very affordable buy for a nearly 23-year old, who at bare minimum, could be an innings eater and defensive play.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Wait

• Coming: N/A

• Going: N/A

• Staying: Donovan Mitchell extended (3yrs., $150.3 mill.)

When the Mitchell extension is really the only move of note—though the potential departure of Isaac Okoro means more to their defensive culture than the Cavs seem to believe—there isn’t much to do but wait. Either wait and see if Cleveland makes an impact deal by trading Jarrett Allen or Darius Garland, or wait to see if running it back somehow feels different with Kenny Atkinson at the helm.

Dallas Mavericks: Love

• Coming: Quentin Grimes (trade with DET), Naji Marshall (3 yrs., $27 mill.), Klay Thompson (sign-and-trade with GSW)

• Going: Josh Green (trade with CHA), Tim Hardaway Jr. (trade with DET),  Derrick Jones Jr.

• Staying: N/A

The loss of Jones Jr. is going to significantly impact Dallas' perimeter defense and their verticality in the half court, but the addition of Klay Thompson gives the Mavericks exactly what they need: a long-range threat that demands nearly zero usage while also providing veteran leadership for a group that needed more "been there, done that" guys in the Finals. Hardaway Jr. had become a liability, and though Green played some good minutes in spurts in the postseason, Grimes should provide a similar combination of tough defense and sporadic offense.

Denver Nuggets: Hate

• Coming: Dario Šarić (2 yrs., $10.6 mill.)

• Going: Kentavious Coldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson (trade with CHA)

• Staying: N/A

Honestly, a large part of the hatred for Denver’s offseason is an accumulation of chintzy decisions from an ownership group that functions like a threadbare organization in terms of spending, despite having more than enough financial wherewithal to open their pocketbooks to maintain a championship-caliber team. Unlike the departure of Bruce Brown last season, the Nuggets had Bird rights on KCP, meaning they made a luxury cap decision in not retaining him. Yes, Jokić is the NBA version of the romantic hunk in the classic ugly duckling movie trope, turning unwanted fives into solid eights, but there are only so many times he can remove the glasses before the person behind them just kind of looks exactly the same. Sorry Christian Braun, no shade towards you, you may in fact prove to be all that.

Detroit Pistons: Hate

• Coming: Malik Beasley (1 yr., 6 mill.), Tim Hardaway Jr. (trade with DAL), Tobias Harris (2 yrs., $52 mill.), Wendell Moore Jr. (trade with MIN)

• Going: Quentin Grimes (trade with DAL), James Wiseman

• Staying: Cade Cunningham extended (5 yrs., $226 mill.), Simone Fontecchio re-signed (2 yr., $16 mill.)

Let’s start by saying that at least it’s clear that the Pistons identified their need for shooting by adding Hardaway Jr. and Beasley. It will be interesting to see how Detroit’s new head coach—whomever that may be—manages a roster full of specialists. Additionally, there is a tax that has to be paid for an organization like Detroit to add players in free agency. But for the love of God, I need to know who was even offering Tobias Harris $20 million a year. Harris is a perfectly fine player—though more prone to overpaid letdowns than a Zack Snyder film—and his return to Detroit will be good for the locker room, but that’s just way too much money to throw at a player who won’t move the needle much on the floor. The Fontecchio re-signing is a good value move as a 3-and-D player, but that re-signing aside, Detroit could have made some moves that felt more impactful and less unnecessarily spendy.

Golden State Warriors: Hate

• Coming: Kyle Anderson (3 yrs., $27 mill.), Buddy Hield (sign-and-trade with PHI), De’Anthony Melton (1 yr., $12.8 mill.), Lindy Waters III (trade with OKC)

• Going: Chris Paul, Dario Šarić, Klay Thompson (sign-and-trade with DAL)

• Staying: N/A

Separate of my own deep emotional dissatisfaction with Klay’s exit, it’s hard to look at the Warriors additions and feel particularly excited. Melton is a good player in a guard rotation, but it feels like this means another player is going to be eating into Moses Moody’s playing time, particularly with the addition of Kyle Anderson as well. Hield provides plenty of the shooting that left with Klay, but you’d be better off setting up a workout cone. It doesn’t feel likely that any of the Warrior’s four new additions play meaningful minutes if this team is anywhere close to a viable Play-In threat.

Houston Rockets: Love

• Coming: AJ Griffin (trade with ATL)

• Going: N/A

• Staying: Aaron Holiday re-signed (2 yrs., $9.6 mill.)

This is one of those rare times when doing nothing was everything the team should have done. The Rockets made big strides last season, and while the development felt somewhat bifurcated by the health of Alperen Şengūn, it would be folly to rush this team’s process for the sake of chasing someone like KD by leveraging one of its young stars.

Indiana Pacers: Love

• Coming: James Wiseman (2 yrs., $4.8 mill.)

• Going: Jalen Smith

• Staying: Pascal Siakam re-signed (4 yrs., $189.5 mill.), Obi Toppin re-signed (4 yr., $60 mill.)

Another situation where, following marked improvement, an organization shrewdly stayed the course. Re-signing Siakam was a foregone conclusion from the moment they traded for him, but between him and Toppin, keeping the band together and getting Benedict Mathurin back should be more than enough for this team to be poised to potentially take another step forward.

Los Angeles Clippers: Hate

• Coming: Nicolas Batum (2 yrs., $9.6 mill.), Mo Bamba (1 yr., $2.6 mill.), Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr. (2 yrs., Vet. Min.)

• Going: Paul George, Mason Plumlee

• Staying: James Harden re-signed (2 yr., $70 mill.)

Forget the fact that losing Paul George over an unwillingness to add a year on the back end of the deal feels like an odd place to draw the line for a team that doesn’t seem to mind overspending while being underwhelming—though the franchise’s deepest playoff run was actually with George as their healthiest star. The biggest issue here is that this group just keeps getting longer in the tooth while their depth gets shallower. Additionally, no matter what the needs, I just can’t get behind adding Kevin Porter Jr. to any roster at this point.

Los Angeles Lakers: Hate

• Coming: N/A

• Going: Tauren Prince

• Staying: Max Christie re-signed (4 yrs., $32 mill.), LeBron James re-signed (2 yrs., $104 mill.)

This is a case where staying the course feels like a path towards another disappointing season. Los Angeles seems to always be in the mix for a splashy free agent but never in the final concoction. Running it back for an aging group that was a letdown despite an impressive—and likely unreplicable—run of health by their best players, feels primed to elicit a predictable outcome. Nuggets in 5?.  

Memphis Grizzlies: Wait

• Coming: N/A

• Going: N/A

• Staying: N/A

If you were to look up "inactive" in the dictionary, a photo of the Grizzlies would be front and center. First, Memphis was plagued by injuries that left essentially their entire roster in that state. Then, because of the nature of a young roster that is already contractually locked up, free agency was also a time of no movement. Whether those decisions prove correct will remain to be seen.