There have been a flurry of deals agreed upon since the commencement of the free agent signing period on July 1st. A number of teams have made high profile additions, while others have felt the sting of players departing for other locales. While there are still more signings and player movement yet to come, it’s never too early to speculate on what impact all these comings and goings will do for the NBA standings in 2015/16.
This brings us to the question of the day: Which NBA team has improved itself the most thus far this offseason? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
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A team that has thus far signed zero free agents.. the Miami Heat. With one draft pick, a star getting healthy, and the ability to bring back their own people.. the Heat have gone from missing the playoffs in 2014/15 to possible title contenders in 2015/16. If they can pull a trade for Jamal Crawford and/or bring in a shooter to back up Wade… they will be even better. Other teams in the East have gotten worse (Raptors, Hawks, Wizards) or remained stagnant (Bulls, Cavs)… The Heat are back. The Heat is… on
Keep dreaming haha the Hawks are and will be better then your heat for the next 3-5 years. The depth in the back court is better then it’s been in a long time and you better be careful with the depth of the bench in general this year.. we will be even better then the 60 win team of last year
I disagree, i think the Heat will be significantly better next season. I think you’re overlooking the fact that we never saw the pieces they acquired at the trade deadline fully integrated. bosh was injured, McRoberts was injured. Miami is a top 4 team in the east. Cavs, Hawks, Bulls/Heat Heat/Bulls.
More like Heat/Bulls/Bucks for that 3rd and 4th slot… Bucks are right in the mix now.
Can I quote you saying the Hawks will win more than 60 games next year my friend? As Dave pointed out Goran Dragic / Chris Bosh played ZERO games together. Add in a full season of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow off the bench, and the development of Shabazz Napier… the Heat will be drastically better next season. Small FYI.. the Heat played only TWO healthy games all of last season. I haven’t even mentioned the versatility of Josh McRoberts.. he played all of 17 games a year ago.
The Hawks are likely going to take a step back next season. They’ll be integrating new players, which is always difficult, and they won’t sneak up on anyone like last year. Atlanta is still a playoff team, but not a 60 win squad. I’d think 48-52 wins is the ceiling for the Hawks in 2015/16.
Just remember what I said when we win 62-66 games next year
Last year, I actually had Atlanta as a top 2 seed before the season. I just felt they had a very good perimeter defense with Carroll, sefolosha, Mike scptt, Kent bazemore, and shelvin Mack. Then they had some rim protection with AL Horford. Then I thought about their playstyle and what they did on the year pruor, and felt that they were going to be very spurs like, and also had a lot of shooters to knock down those open looks. The one thing I questioned was their rebounding. This year, they have no DeMarre Caroll, and Sefolosha is coming off a major ankle injury. They added help at the big positions, but definitely aren’t as good on the perimeter. Korver also had surgery. I still think they should be a good team, but not as good as last year. As of now, I’m putting then around 48 wins, but there is still a lot of time left in the offseason
Hands down, it’s the Spurs. The fact that their second unit (which held the record for most bench point scored last season) got better. so much so that their second unit could probably make the 8th seed in the east.
mavericks made some good additions , but i don’t see them moving out of that 6-8th seed window. the clippers dropped down a notch.
Rockets have improved in the west by simply keeping it’s core.
Golden State is Still Golden state.
Portland fell out of playoff contention. I think the Pells are going to move in.
I think 1-3 could potentially be Spurs GSW OKC (MY Team) but that depends on Durant’s foot.
While I agree the Spurs “won” free agency with Aldridge… they won 55 games last year. Can they do much better than that? The Heat were sub .500 and missed the playoffs.. the Spurs were supposed to win the west until they lost a last second game 7 to the Clippers. How can a conference favorite that won 55 games be considered “most improved”?
I’d say adding Aldridge and West to the established core is absolutely an improvement. How the new parts will gel is still be determined. But on paper it’s hard to begrudge the Spurs’ offseason thus far. San Antonio may not win more regular season games, but a deeper team will have a better chance to advance in the playoffs. Of course, Duncan, Parker and Ginobilli are all a year older…which could be a problem…
Well they could win 56 games…… I think that’s improving
Don’t discount the impact that Durant’s impending free agency will have on the Thunder. They’ll be answering questions about it all season. Plus the team will be implementing a new system, and that’s always a bit dicey.
I really like the moves that Sacramento has made. The Rondo move might be a little iffy but I think that team will have the biggest win increase this year. Their starting 5 last year ranked number one last season when they were all healthy but their bench was terrible. Rondo and Koufos will be the starting 1 and 5 with Cousins sliding over to the 4. Off the bench, the Kings will have Collison, Belinelli, Casspi, and Cauley-Stein. I like that rotation a lot.
I agree that the Kings have added some decent talent. But that organization is one that can collapse on itself in a heartbeat. Especially if George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins can’t co-exist. And then throw in Rondo, who isn’t an easy player to coach to begin with, and he and a strong-willed coach like Karl have the potential to be quite explosive. The only saving grace is that Rondo is trying to rebuild his value for a free agent payday next summer…so he may be on his best behavior. But old habits die hard….
Several teams improved by doing very little this offseason. The Heat will make a significant improvement thanks to Chris Bosh’s health, Winslow falling to them in the draft, and having a full season with Dragic. Similarly, the Thunder will improve thanks to health. The Magic will improve through a new coaching staff and the development of their strong core of youth.
Several teams improved by making significant changes. The Spurs signed the biggest fish in the free agency pond and also managed to lure West to come for the minimum. The Hornets will see improvement with the moves they made. The Pelicans made a big splash when it comes to head coach, and they’ll reap the benefits.
Despite all that, the Spurs will go from great to greater. All the other teams will make slight upticks in productivity. But few made the leap from middling team to potential conference champions like the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks, a place where few free agents go, resigned Middleton and lured Monroe away from marquee teams like the Lakers and Knicks. They have incredible length in all positions and filled up their major hole at center. Combine all that with the development of their young players, the return of Jabari Parker, and another year in Kidd’s system, as well as his development as a coach, and no team had a more impactful offseason than the Bucks.
Agreed on the Bucks. Monroe scored 23 a game last year when he was at the 5 spot and now is their most valuable weapon in the half court set. Kidd’s system calls for a lot of touches at the elbow for the 5 man, where Monroe is one of if not the best at initiating offense from that spot. That along with the return and improvement of Parker (who lets not forget is a #2 overall pick in his own right) and the single deepest bench in the Eastern Conference (Bayless, Mayo, Vazquez, Henson, Pachulia, Plumlee, and thus years 1st round pick Vaughn) adds up to the most improved squad in the League…
Detroit, Charlotte, Boston, Milwaukee, Orlando, Raptors, Lakers, Wizards, knicks all improved a lot, though it wouldn’t be enough for a couple of them. Add Dallas in there as well…obviously, there is still plenty of time in the offseason, and a couple of teams should improve from within
The Milwaukee Bucks. They only had to cope with the pretty insignificant loss of Jared Dudley. The Bucks added a very good center to their team in Greg Monroe, and their starting lineup looks scary with Michael Carter Williams, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Monroe. And the Bucks still keep most of their depth, with Jerryd Bayless, Grevis Vasquez, O.J. Mayo and Zaza Pachulia all coming off the bench. With this lineup intact, I expect the Bucks to improve greatly, maybe even claim a top three seed
David Lee going to the Celtics is a good move . With their young guns and cap space and draft picks …well they will be the most improved next year haha.
I’m liking what Milwaukee has done so far. Monroe was a good move (considering the contract is not ridiculous for either side) and will definitely provide the team with a much-needed post threat. Landing him also gives Milwaukee a good amount of credibility as an attractive team despite their relative small-market status. I also like the Greivis Vasquez move considering that he’s a large point that can play both the 1 & 2, which fits perfectly into the versatility-based system that Kidd has utilized in Milwaukee. Could also serve as terrific mentor to MCW. Was not too excited about the Dudley move considering how important he was to the team as a leader, the fact that he only had one more year on his contract, and how little Milwaukee got in return for him. Other than that move, I’m excited to see how Milwaukee pans out next season, as I expect them to become real contenders very soon.
Monroe is a definite upgrade at center — he will bring low-post scoring and rebounding, though he’s a subpar defender. The Bucks now have a solid starting 5, plus some nice pieces on the second unit. They’re a solid contender for second-best team in East behind Cavs.