While most NBA teams rely on a variety of different types of roster moves to revamp their rosters in the offseason, a club can sometimes find itself leaning more heavily on one approach in a given summer. That could mean signing a handful of free agents and forgoing the trade route. It could mean loading up on draft picks and staying out of free agency.
For the teams we’ll examine in this post, the trade market was a primary means of addressing their rosters over the last few months. Each of the clubs we’ll discuss below made at least three trades since the end of the season. In some cases, the moves were designed to cut costs and clear cap room; for other teams, those deals were a way to add talent without having to foray into the free agent market, where contract prices were at an all-time high.
Let’s dive in and examine the teams that made the most trades this offseason…
Orlando Magic
- Number of trades: 5
- Most notable move: Acquired Serge Ibaka from the Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick).
- Other players acquired: Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox
- Other players moved: Shabazz Napier, Devyn Marble, No. 47 pick (Jake Layman)
The Magic certainly didn’t sit out free agency, bringing players like Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green aboard on big-money deals. You could also make the case that the team made the biggest trade of the offseason by landing Ibaka. if Ibaka doesn’t mesh well with Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, and Meeks misses significant time with injury issues this season, Orlando’s offseason deals won’t look great, but the club remains optimistic for now.
Utah Jazz
- Number of trades: 5
- Most notable move: Acquired George Hill in a three-way trade with the Hawks and Pacers in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick.
- Other players acquired: Boris Diaw, Kendall Marshall (waived), No. 55 pick (Marcus Paige)
- Other players moved: Trey Burke, Tibor Pleiss, No. 42 pick (Isaiah Whitehead)
The Jazz were a perfect example of a team that used its cap room to improve via trades rather than free agency. The salaries for Hill and Diaw easily fit within the team’s cap space, and while Hill cost a first-round pick, Diaw was essentially a salary-dump for the Spurs. The Jazz were also on the other end of a couple salary dumps, most notably sending Pleiss to the Sixers for Marshall, a player they immediately waived.
Chicago Bulls
- Number of trades: 4
- Most notable move: Acquired Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant from the Knicks in exchange for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and their 2017 second-round pick.
- Other players acquired: Spencer Dinwiddie
- Other players moved: Mike Dunleavy, Cameron Bairstow, Jose Calderon (in second deal)
While Lopez figures to be a key piece in Chicago this season, the deal with the Knicks was more noteworthy for the star headed in the other direction, as the Bulls finally decided to move Rose, a Chicago native and a former MVP. The Bulls significantly revamped their roster using free agency as well, and the trades of Dunleavy and Calderon reflected the team’s need to create cap room for those signings.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Number of trades: 4
- Most notable move: Acquired Mike Dunleavy and draft rights to Vladimir Veremeenko from the Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
- Other players acquired: No. 54 pick (Kay Felder)
- Other players moved: Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade), Sasha Kaun
The Cavaliers used the trade market well this summer, acquiring Dunleavy from a Bulls team that couldn’t afford to keep him, and only parting with cash to acquire Felder, who could be the team’s backup point guard. Kaun, meanwhile, was a salary dump, reducing Cleveland’s future tax bill, while the Dellavedova deal allowed the club to get something out of nothing, since Dellavedova had already agreed to sign an offer sheet the Cavs weren’t going to match.
Indiana Pacers
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired Jeff Teague in a three-way trade with the Jazz and Hawks in exchange for George Hill.
- Other players acquired: Thaddeus Young, Jeremy Evans
- Other players moved: No. 20 pick (Caris LeVert)
Like Utah, Indiana isn’t typically a big-time free agent destination, so the Pacers turned to the trade market to make a couple of their biggest moves of the summer, landing Teague and Young, who will likely both start for the club this season. Indiana dove into free agency a little, signing Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks, and Kevin Seraphin, but I’d expect their trade acquisitions to have a larger impact in 2016/17.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired Matthew Dellavedova (sign-and-trade) and cash ($200K) in a sign-and-trade with the Cavs in exchange for the draft rights to Albert Miralles.
- Other players acquired: Michael Beasley
- Other players moved: Tyler Ennis, No. 38 pick (Patrick McCaw)
The Bucks could move up this list before the regular season gets underway, since the team continues to scour the market for a player to replace Khris Middleton. Milwaukee also reportedly wouldn’t mind moving Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Number of trades: 3
- Most notable move: Acquired the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis (No. 11 pick), Victor Oladipo, and Ersan Ilyasova from the Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka.
- Other players acquired: Joffrey Lauvergne, No. 56 pick (Daniel Hamilton)
- Other players moved: None
Moving Ibaka was the major move for the Thunder, and one that occurred while the team still had a shot at re-signing Kevin Durant. It would have been interesting to see what the team would have looked like in 2016/17 with Sabonis, Oladipo, and Ilyasova playing alongside KD and Russell Westbrook, but even with Durant no longer in the mix, the move could pay off for Oklahoma City. Sabonis looks like a promising young big man who won’t be expensive for the next few years, and Oladipo could be the backcourt mate the Thunder have long been seeking for Westbrook.
Other teams that made more than one trade this offseason:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
For the full rundown of the offseason’s trades to date, check out our list right here.