We are nearing the midway point between the end of the NBA Finals and the start of training camp, and most of the league’s offseason business is done. A dwindling contingent of players, including Tyus Jones, Luke Kennard and Markelle Fultz, remains unsigned, but it is unlikely any of them swings a championship.
So we feel comfortable issuing report cards for each of the Eastern Conference’s 15 teams. Here goes …
The Hawks lucked into the No. 1 overall pick, moving nine spots up in the lottery, and from there it is difficult to earn a bad offseason grade. They pegged Risacher as the best prospect in an underwhelming draft class. The 6-foot-9 wing is heralded for his defense, and he shot 38.7% from 3-point range for his French league team last season. Theoretically, he fills a position of need on a Trae Young-heavy roster.
Atlanta deemed its Young-Murray backcourt a failure two years into the experiment and dealt Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hawks did a decent job recouping the assets they traded for Murray, securing two first-round draft picks in addition to Daniels, Nance and Zeller. The 21-year-old Daniels, a top-10 pick in 2022, is full of potential, and the veteran Nance will be a benefit both on and off the court.
GRADE: B
What do we want from a champion? A legitimate title defense, and the Celtics have gotten the band back together with aplomb. They returned every member of the rotation but Oshae Brissett, who could still re-sign. Kornet and Tillman already opted to return on minimum deals. An injection of Scheierman, the final pick of the first round, should also inspire some healthy competition among the team’s reserves.
Extensions for Tatum and White locked up Boston’s top six for next season and its vaunted starting lineup for at least the next two seasons. Tatum’s contract was a foregone conclusion. White and Hauser accepted slight discounts from what they could have earned next summer, when they were eligible to become free agents. The Celtics’ tax bill will soar in 2025, but that is a concern for a different day — or someone else, if you are the team’s ownership group, which announced its intent to sell the storied franchise.
GRADE: A
Claxton is an average starting center, so a near-nine-figure deal for solid defense and limited offense feels steep, but the Nets likely could return equal value if they decide to move the 25-year-old’s contract.
The big news of Brooklyn’s summer was the Bridges trade, and the Nets managed to extract a king’s ransom from the New York Knicks, receiving the rights to six first-round draft picks in return. Not only that, but they retrieved their own first-round picks in 2025 and 2026 from the Houston Rockets, clearing the way for a two-year tanking period. At least Brooklyn has its direction in the post-Kevin Durant era.
GRADE: B-
The Hornets rightfully leaned into youth, drafting Salaün, who has as much upside as anyone in his class, and acquiring Green, a 23-year-old who cracked an NBA Finals rotation last season. Charlotte also added some second-round draft capital in exchange for taking Jackson’s deal off the Denver Nuggets’ hands.
At the same time, the Hornets recommitted to their existing core through the 2026-27 season, signing Bridges for the next three seasons. They owe a combined $97 million to Bridges, Green, LaMelo Ball and Grant Williams in 2026-27, when Brandon Miller will be in line for his rookie-scale extension. Charlotte’s success will entirely depend on the development of that core under new head coach Charles Lee, which is a fine plan, though I am not sure there is a paradigm-shifter in that mix. Maybe Salaün will be the savior.
GRADE: B-
The Bulls drafted Buzelis, a hometown kid who has shown promise in summer league, and acquired Giddey, a 21-year-old who has shown promise at the NBA level. This is good work, as is the decision to (finally) embrace a rebuild. Chicago has been stuck in the league’s dreaded middle for some time now, and choosing a direction, even if it is a downward spin, at least lays out the front office’s game plan.
You know what might have helped this plan? Trading DeRozan, Caruso and Drummond — all of whom held some value — before the February deadline. The Bulls instead received just two second-round draft picks for the lot of them. They also committed $117 million to Williams and Smith, a pair of players whose NBA futures are uncertain at best. Nothing about this summer in Chicago screamed “maximizing value.”
GRADE: D+
The Cavaliers cemented their most important players, Mitchell and Mobley, as franchise cornerstones. Mitchell is signed through the 2026-27 season, when he holds a $53.8 million player option, and Mobley has been extended through the 2029-30 campaign, when he will be owed $51 million. Assuming Mitchell is content in Cleveland and Mobley continues to develop, they are the foundation of a near-50-win team.
How well the Cavaliers perform in the playoffs depends on how they manage the redundancies on the roster. Mitchell and backcourt mate Darius Garland both need the ball to be at their best, while Mobley and fellow big Jarrett Allen are both non-shooters. The Cavaliers did nothing to address these issues, other than ousting head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in favor of Kenny Atkinson. The latter may extract more from this misfit group of All-Star-caliber players, but their collective shortcomings are not going away.
GRADE: B-
The Pistons rebuilt much of their roster. In what direction is unclear. They probably could have squeezed more draft capital or kept Grimes in exchange for assuming Hardaway’s expiring contract. Draft experts seem split on Holland. They had little choice but to grant Cunningham his max contract, despite only 138 games to support their evaluation. They had plenty of choice about paying Harris a $52 million contract.
Detroit did surround Cunningham with some shooting. Harris, Beasley and Hardaway can all space the floor. None can defend it all that well, which will be a problem on a team that rated 25th in that regard last season. Claiming Reed off waivers was smart, but he clogs an already inflexible frontcourt. Even the good decisions have a downside. In other words: This summer feels like treading water for a 14-win team.
GRADE: C-
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PICKS: Johnny Furphy (No. 35)
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IN: James Wiseman
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OUT: Jalen Smith
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DEALS: Pascal Siakam (4 years, $189 million) • Obi Toppin (4 years, $58 million) • Wiseman (2 years, $4.8 million)
As expected, the Pacers re-signed Siakam and Toppin from a roster that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season. That is a fine bit of business, even if it means paying a max contract to a fringe All-Star.
Indiana made minimal improvements, adding Furphy in the draft and Wiseman in free agency. Furphy could be a find at the top of the second round, and Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in 2020. Both are unlikely to meaningfully contribute to marked improvement this season. The Pacers seem satisfied with the status quo, hoping development raises their ceiling as they lay in wait for their next trade upgrade.
GRADE: C
The Heat lost Martin to the Philadelphia 76ers for less than they offered him in the lead-up to free agency. They wanted him. Martin was instrumental to Miami’s 2023 NBA Finals run, nearly winning Eastern Conference finals MVP honors. He did not sustain that success this past season, but losing anyone who can perform at that level is a problem, especially without a replacement. They did land Burks, who only cracked the New York Knicks’ playoff rotation once they exhausted any alternatives, and Ware, the latest embodiment of Heat Culture.
Meanwhile, the Heat have made public their unwillingness to offer Jimmy Butler the maximum extension he desires. Their hesitancy to commit long term to a 35-year-old is not misguided, but there should be some concern about how Butler will respond to their stance. Miami cannot afford to lose Butler’s trust.
GRADE: D+
The Bucks did not have a lot to work with. They had the No. 23 overall pick in the draft and selected Johnson, a 19-year-old project who may not contribute to their championship pursuit in the near future. There was some consideration that Milwaukee could package that pick with Bobby Portis and/or Pat Connaughton for another contributor, but any discussion has yet to yield the return the Bucks needed.
Instead, they reshuffled their veterans, adding Trent, Prince and Wright. Both Trent and Prince shot nearly 40% on a handful of 3-point attempts per game last season and represent a slight upgrade on defense. Wright is a fine replacement for Beverley at the backup point guard position. All three can fill out a playoff rotation. How much they swing Milwaukee’s fortunes in the postseason is still a question.
GRADE: B-
New York Knicks
The Knicks paid Anunoby $42.5 million per season and lost Hartenstein. Anunoby is no All-Star, though his on/off rating (+23.9 points per 100 meaningful possessions) edged MVP Nikola Jokić for the league’s best mark. He had to be paid, and he is worth it if he makes the same drastic impact. Hartenstein may have been worth it, too, but the Knicks could not match the Oklahoma City Thunder’s $87 million offer.
Brunson’s decision to accept a far lesser extension than he would have been eligible for next season offsets some of the overpay to Anunoby and enables the Knicks to pursue a Hartenstein replacement more freely. The big coup for New York, though, was the acquisition of Bridges, who amplifies the vibes generated by fellow former Villanova Wildcats Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. Bridges and Anunoby should form a dynamic defensive wing duo, a counter to Boston’s Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
GRADE: A-
The Magic plucked Caldwell-Pope from the Denver Nuggets and paired him with Jalen Suggs in a backcourt that ranks among the league’s best defensively. Orlando desperately needed shooting around Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, and Caldwell-Pope shot 40.6% on 4.1 attempts from distance last season.
Orlando also did $370 million worth of business with their existing roster, including a maximum rookie-scale contract extension for Wagner, whose 28.1% clip from 3-point range last season raised red flags. He needs to be better in order to live up to that contract. Likewise, Isaac needs to be healthier to meet the value of his deal. Sometimes you have to live with some question marks when you are in a small market.
GRADE: B
Philadelphia 76ers
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PICKS: Jared McCain (No. 16) • Adem Bona (No. 41)
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IN: Paul George • Caleb Martin • Eric Gordon • Andre Drummond
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OUT: Tobias Harris • Nicolas Batum • Paul Reed • De’Anthony Melton • Buddy Hield
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DEALS: George (4 years, $212 million) • Tyrese Maxey (5 years, $204 million) • Martin (4 years, $35 million) • Kelly Oubre Jr. (2 years, $16.3 million) • KJ Martin (2 years, $16 million) • Drummond (2 years, $10 million) • Gordon (2 years, $6.8 million)
The Sixers had a one-year window with maximum salary cap space and a single player to fill it, which is why landing George was so significant. Plan B was a scramble at best. George fits on the wing between Joel Embiid and Maxey, who got his own max extension. Few Big Threes make as much sense. Of course, Philadelphia just paired an injury-plagued 34-year-old with the injury-plagued 30-year-old Embiid. Not doing so could have meant losing Embiid’s commitment, which left the Sixers with little other choice.
They also did well to construct a playoff rotation, re-signing Oubre and Kyle Lowry, swiping Caleb Martin from Miami and adding both Drummond and Gordon. That could have gone a lot worse, too. When disaster is the alternative, it is hard to ask for anything better than emerging from free agency a legit contender.
GRADE: A
The amount of talent Toronto has lost to free agency is startling. Trent is not a game-changing talent, but he is the latest representation of a suspect strategy. The Raptors traded Norman Powell for Trent in 2021, gave Trent a three-year, $51.8 million contract and did nothing to improve over the life of the deal. Weird.
They also lost the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, Rob Dillingham, because they sought Jakob Poeltl in 2021. Poeltl is now working on a $78 million deal. Toronto did land several picks, including Walter and Mogbo, via trades of Anunoby and Siakam, which also resulted in a $175 million payment to Quickley — a wild overpay. There are few teams in the league with less of a clear direction than the post-title Raptors.
GRADE: D
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PICKS: Alex Sarr (No. 2) • Bub Carrington (No. 14) • Kyshawn George (No. 24)
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IN: Jonas Valančiūnas • Malcolm Brogdon • Saddiq Bey
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OUT: Deni Avdija • Tyus Jones • Landry Shamet
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DEALS: Valančiūnas (3 years, $30 million), Bey (3 years, $19 million)
The Wizards finally embraced a rebuild last season, when the draft class was the worst in some time, and they came away with the Nos. 2, 14 and 24 overall picks (Sarr, Carrington and George). They are the most recent representation of hope in Washington, where the Wiz have not won a playoff series in nine years.
One of the last potential saviors was Avdija, a recent No. 7 overall pick who the Wizards shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Brogdon, the rights to Carrington and an additional future first-round pick. Avdija is good, and the Wizards should not want to get rid of good, young players, but they were due to pay him soon, and they are far from relevancy. All in all, Washington embraced its youth movement (smart) and cheaply added both Brogdon and Valančiūnas to shepherd its youth (also smart).
GRADE: B
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