Revisiting the 2024 NBA Offseason’s Biggest Deals

The summer of 2024 notably passed without any major superstar changing teams. Yet, such an offseason rarely has as profound an effect on the subsequent season`s championship race. Of the four teams that advanced to the 2025 conference finals, only the Indiana Pacers maintained the exact same starting five from the previous year.

Months after an impactful six-player trade saw All-Stars Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns swap teams as the central figures, both the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks reached the conference finals. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder finalized what proved to be a championship-caliber supporting cast by acquiring Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein from the Knicks via free agency.

However, not every major transaction yielded positive results. The Philadelphia 76ers initially seemed to have dominated the offseason by signing nine-time All-Star Paul George to pair with Joel Embiid, only to see the duo falter in their first year due to injuries.

Let`s take a closer look at 10 of the most significant trade and free agency moves, comparing my initial evaluations at the time with how events unfolded over the past twelve months.

Explore major deals:

• Knicks trade Randle for Towns
• Bridges to New York
• Thunder add Caruso, Hartenstein
• Sixers add Paul George
• Hawks trade Murray to Pelicans
• Westbrook joins Nuggets
• Thompson to Mavericks
• DeRozan sign-and-trade to Kings
• Portland lands Avdija
• Nets reacquire draft stock

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The Knicks Trade Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns in Three-Team Deal

It`s tempting to award both teams an “A” given their advancements to the conference finals. However, among all these deals, this one will require more time for a complete assessment. For now, it stands as a mutual success.

The Timberwolves successfully enhanced their perimeter depth with DiVincenzo and achieved financial flexibility. This season, they will pay DiVincenzo, Randle, and No. 17 pick Joan Beringer a combined $47.1 million, which is less than Towns` individual salary of $53.1 million. This financial maneuver allowed Minnesota to re-sign Naz Reid without exceeding the second apron this season.

Meanwhile, Towns admirably filled a significant void for the Knicks at center before transitioning to power forward during the conference finals alongside a healthy Mitchell Robinson. Towns earned All-NBA third-team honors and was instrumental in elevating the Knicks` offense. While Towns` defensive limitations are a consideration for a championship-focused New York squad, this is a “champagne problem” for a franchise that hadn`t reached the conference finals in a quarter-century.

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Brooklyn Trades Mikal Bridges to the Knicks

The Nets shrewdly traded Bridges at the peak of his market value, and securing five first-round picks plus a swap for a player who has never made an All-Star team remains a monumental win. Two of Brooklyn`s substantial five first-round picks in this year`s draft (used on Nolan Traore at No. 19 and Ben Saraf at No. 26) originated from this trade, with several more future picks yet to come.

Bridges overcame an early shooting slump to achieve an impressive 57% effective field-goal percentage, which accounts for the higher value of three-pointers. On the defensive end, Bridges did not provide the game-changing impact the Knicks undoubtedly anticipated, and he averaged just 15.6 points on 33% three-point shooting during the playoffs.

On a positive note, Bridges` moderate salary ($24.9 million this season) facilitated the acquisition of Towns. Furthermore, if adding Bridges was key to convincing former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson to sign a team-friendly extension last summer, then this deal proved worthwhile for New York.

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Thunder Add Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein

A year ago, I suggested that adding Caruso positioned the Thunder as favorites to win the Western Conference. That assessment proved to be an understatement, as Oklahoma City went on to win 68 games and secure the championship. After managing Caruso`s minutes during the regular season, coach Mark Daigneault heavily relied on him throughout the playoffs. Caruso started the second half of Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets and was tasked with defending three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in what became a dominant victory. He also played a crucial role in the NBA Finals.

Considering that a `C` grade typically represents my threshold for a worthwhile deal, I would now elevate the Bulls above that mark. While Chicago should still have garnered more assets for Caruso given his significance to Oklahoma City, the Bulls are in a better position moving forward with Giddey — who will be a restricted free agent this summer. Giddey significantly improved his shooting and efficiency last season, nearly averaging a triple-double with an impressive .620 true shooting percentage after the All-Star break.

The only initial concern with the Thunder signing Hartenstein was how he would integrate alongside incumbent center Chet Holmgren. Injuries prevented the duo from playing together until February, but they started alongside each other for all but the first three games of the Finals during Oklahoma City`s championship run. Hartenstein was exceptional defensively, and his screening and high-post passing proved vital offensively. Furthermore, a team-friendly contract provides the Thunder with a team option for $28.5 million in 2026-27, offering flexibility for handling upcoming max extensions for Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

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Sixers Sign Free Agent Paul George

Hindsight is always 20/20, so it`s important to remember that even the LA Clippers — who successfully rebuilt a playoff-contending roster after letting George depart for nothing — were prepared to offer him a three-year max deal. Few foresaw that injuries would so significantly impact George`s value so quickly.

George`s 16.2 points per game average was his lowest in a full season since his second year in 2011-12. Furthermore, his average three-point shooting (36%) raised questions about his ability to transition into a more complementary offensive role. After playing only 41 games in his inaugural season with the Sixers, George will spend this summer rehabilitating after undergoing knee surgery last week.

There`s still potential for George to contribute productively to a competitive Philadelphia team, especially if his three-point accuracy rebounds after he shot 41% in 2023-24 with the Clippers. Still, given George`s age (35), it was always clear that the latter half of a max contract might not offer good value. Failing to get All-Star level production in the first year makes it nearly impossible for the 76ers to win that gamble.

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Atlanta Trades Dejounte Murray to Pelicans

This deal already appeared to be a misstep for the Pelicans even before Murray suffered an Achilles rupture at the end of January, an injury expected to keep him off the court for at least the initial few months of the 2025-26 season.

The most significant problem here was New Orleans selling low on Daniels, the No. 8 pick in 2022. At the time, I noted that top-10 picks traded so early in their careers often disappoint because the team trading them possesses more insider information about their development. What a misjudgment! Daniels deservedly won Most Improved Player after becoming the first player in decades to average 3.0 steals.

Given that Daniels still has a year remaining on his exceptionally team-friendly rookie contract ($7.7 million this season), acquiring him for Murray would have been a fair return for Atlanta. Additionally, the Hawks received this year`s No. 22 pick — which they used to acquire Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics last month — and another first-rounder in 2027 that now appears more promising given Giannis Antetokounmpo`s uncertain future in Milwaukee.

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Nuggets Sign Russell Westbrook

On one hand, Westbrook started 36 games and played over 2,000 minutes during the regular season, an impressive return for a minimum contract. Westbrook was particularly effective as a starter, leveraging his ability to transition quickly and play off Nikola Jokic`s passing to average 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.1 rebounds with a strong .579 true shooting percentage.

At the same time, the extent to which coach Michael Malone played Westbrook was reportedly a point of contention with former GM Calvin Booth before both were dismissed late in the season. Moreover, Westbrook struggled as the Nuggets were eliminated by his former Thunder team, shooting just 8-of-34 from the field over the final four games of the series, with six assists and 11 turnovers.

Ultimately, Denver would have been better off without Westbrook. Notably, there appears to be no interest in a reunion after Westbrook declined his player option for this season. He currently remains unsigned in free agency.

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Klay Thompson Leaves the Bay for Dallas

Ultimately, this transaction unfolded largely as anticipated by all three involved teams. Thompson started all 72 games he played for the Mavericks, who ranked fourth in offensive rating through Christmas Day before Luka Doncic sustained a calf strain. Thompson was unable to significantly increase his offensive production as Dallas contended with severe injuries after trading Doncic, but that wasn`t a reasonable expectation at this stage of his career.

Green started all 67 of his games for the Hornets, though without making a substantial impact on the team`s overall record. Meanwhile, the Warriors expanded this sign-and-trade deal to bring in Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson. Hield`s 33 points in Golden State`s Game 7 victory over the Houston Rockets probably justified that decision on its own.

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DeMar DeRozan Sign-and-Trade to Sacramento

At the time, I was optimistic that DeRozan`s reasonable contract (three years, up to $77 million with about $58 million guaranteed) might outweigh any fit issues with the Kings. A year later, particularly after Sacramento swapped De`Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine, the benefit of adding the 35-year-old DeRozan no longer seems to justify the risk of swapping picks with the Spurs during Victor Wembanyama`s prime.

I gave the Bulls too much credit initially, considering they did not ultimately receive either of the two most valuable components of this trade: DeRozan and the pick swap. Chicago gained little value from DeRozan`s Bird rights and subsequently waived Duarte after he played only 74 minutes. Barnes started all 82 games for San Antonio as a quintessential role player and has one more year remaining on his deal at $19 million, which is hardly terrible value.

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Blazers Add Deni Avdija

During Avdija`s initial weeks with the Blazers, it appeared they might have been mistaken in believing his 2023-24 shooting improvements. Avdija was struggling below 25% from three-point range and consequently lost his starting position. However, from Veterans Day onward, Avdija emerged as the team`s top performer, averaging 18.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 39% three-point shooting and 56% inside the arc.

Given Avdija`s favorable contract (decreasing from $14.4 million this season to $11.9 million in 2027-28), if Portland decided to trade Avdija again, teams might offer even more first-round picks for him. The main challenge is that Avdija`s contract is so beneficial that extending him would likely require using cap space for a renegotiation in the summer of 2027.

The Wizards likely traded Avdija at an opportune moment, as it might have been challenging to replicate his performance with the Blazers on a team fully engaged in a rebuilding phase. The No. 14 pick, used on Carrington, could prove to be a more valuable asset than contending teams might have offered in a trade.

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Nets Reacquire Draft Picks

This pick-for-pick transaction is fascinating to revisit, especially considering whether the Bucks should attempt something similar if they decide to trade Antetokounmpo. A year later, the Nets would have been better off retaining the Phoenix picks instead.

After all, the Rockets ended up moving from No. 27 to No. 10 in last year`s draft — not far from Brooklyn`s No. 8 selection. The Nets have one more opportunity for a high lottery pick next year. Houston, in contrast, still has three chances at valuable picks between the Suns` unprotected 2027 pick and securing the two best picks among Dallas, Phoenix, and their own in 2029.

Brooklyn`s deal is comprehensible as they gained control over their own picks rather than relying on those belonging to other teams. However, in an era where a poor record doesn`t guarantee a top-four pick, maximizing the number of lottery opportunities available is crucial.