There have been a flurry of free agent deals struck and finalized since this year’s free agent signing period commenced back on July 1st. Quite a few teams have made high profile additions to their rosters, while others have felt the sting of players departing for other locales. While there are still more signings and player movement on the way, it’s never too early to speculate on what impact all these comings and goings will have on the 2015/16 NBA standings.
This brings us to our question of the day: Which NBA team has taken the biggest step back this offseason? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts and opinions on the franchise you believe has regressed the most this Summer. This could be due to players departing via free agency or trade, or it could simply be the result of standing pat while other squads in the division or conference improved themselves. We look forward to what you have to say.
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I’d love to hear the arguments against the Trailblazers taking this spot. Lopez, Batum, Matthews, and of course Aldridge. All gone. Even AAA, even though his production is on the decline. Mason Plumlee is likely the 2nd best player on the roster now. Not most potential, but right now. Thoughts?
It’s hard to argue against the notion that the Blazers have taken a step back. Losing a player of Aldridge’s caliber will sting quite a bit. Having said that, I do think Portland has done a decent job of getting younger and adding some interesting pieces under the circumstances. Not a playoff team next season though.
Agreed. While they lost the marquee talent, they didn’t hesitate in turning their remaining assets into younger players they can develop. They set themselves up for the best possible future considering the circumstances.
My vote goes to the Sixers. I know it’s hard to take a step back when you’re already at the back of the line, but when you’re in the 3rd year of a rebuild, and you have less to hope for than the year before, you’re in trouble.
Embiid being likely to miss another season definitely hurts things. But I don’t think Philly is worse than last year. The addition of Okafor will be a boost, as will the veterans the team picked up from Sacramento. Stauskas can still turn into a player in the league, and I think Hinkie did a great job with that trade. Team still needs a point guard though.
at first you can say what were the sixers thinking getting a big man instead of a PG which they could use. but in the long term it could be a smart move. who knows if EMbiid will ever be healthy enough to play. as for PG dont they have that pierre jackson i always remember NO fans wanting to see him play.so maybe he can become a decent player
Philly’s moves make more sense to me than Portland’s and I think Philly is on a better long-term path. Portland is on a path to waste lilliard’s peak, which is a real shame. They don’t have enough talent around him to succeed, and yet with him, they probably won’t bottom out low enough to get a top-3 lottery pick.
I don’t argue that the pieces they’ve added are interesting, which one do you think has the highest ceiling? And how many years from being back in title contention are they? Pretty far step back from being a legitimate threat this year.
hard to say who took a step back. every team did pretty well with free agency. maybe the mavs since they dont have a center. but they still got wes if he can come back healthy and they might get d will. so if i had to pick a team ill say the mavs.
Portland is the obvious choice from a talent perspective.
But what about the Kings? The in-fighting, the torturous treatment of Boogie, dispatching all those assets to Philly to sign Rondo, Koufos and Belinelli, the scarring of a franchise to make it an even more unappealing destination for Free Agents in an era where team culture is more important than ever.
I’m going with the Kings.
The Kings organization appears to be a bit of a mess off the court. But as for on the court…adding Rondo and Cauley-Stein, not to mention Belinelli has to help the team in the W-L column. Don’t see them as a worse team than last season as a result.
Eddie, Rondo is just a name at this point. The Mavericks AND Celtics were both better without him last year. I have a hard time believing the Kings will be better with him.
The Kings are headed for another sub-30 win season.
I think Rondo will have a bounce back season. If he can stay out of Karl’s doghouse (not a given) he should be able to hold it together for a productive year. Is he the triple-double threat he was with the Celtics? No. But I still think he can be an above average floor-general. He’s also a step up from who Sacramento trotted out last season at the point. I don’t think the Kings are a playoff team, but still believe they will improve on last season’s W-L mark.
I agree its a tortured fan base to be a part of. But dysfunction has been part of their culture for years. It was brutal to see the glimmer of hope flicker at the beginning of this season only to see it snuffed out.
sure the kings have trouble but besides the cousins mess what problems do they a have i havent heard of any. they traded players they didnt want. then they added players that pretty much should improve the team. sure rondo a head case but he pretty much better then nothing. kings a team to watch out for. they got rondo gay,cousin and koufos, that better then last year team.
I’ll probably take flak for this.. but as of right now. I want to say the Cavaliers. It probably won’t effect them in 15-16… but they have severely mortgaged their future signing 6 players (soon be 7 with Thompson) to a combined 100+ million cap hold. They will have to fill their roster out with aging vets and/or D-Leaguers.. and if this off season is any indication, vets don’t seem to want to accept the minimum to play in Cleveland.
long term they look like the nets spend alot to try to win now. short term they want to win now so they dont care about the money they spend. if it works out then the cavs plan work. if it doesnt work out they look like the nets
I don’t think the Nets had multiple back ups making over 10 mill a season did they? At least Johnson and D-Will were starters lol
What vets have the Cavs approached with vigor that rejected them to sign elsewhere? You mentioned this in the past yet offered NO examples.
It seems odd that you would assert this since the Cavs went into this offseason explicity stating it wanted to bring back the majority of the team including backups Delly and Shump.
LBJ
Irving
LOVE
Mozgov
Bench
Shumpert
Miller
Varejao
Additions
Williams
That’s 4 returning starters, 3 returning bench players and 1 addition to make 8 of 12 roster spaces. They are working on a new deal for Thompson. Have extended a qualifying offer for Delly and HOPE to bring back Smith too. If those 3 happen then they’d have 1 open spot.
Who are these “vets” that have snubbed the Cavs this off-season? Give examples please.
Furthermore, I don’t think the Cavs owner, nor it’s fans, care too much about the cost of putting a LBJ led championship team on the floor in the next 3-4 years. That’s the window they have.
Honestly, with the cap increases over the next few years, a couple of expiring contracts (Varejao, Mo Williams, and whatever comes from use of the Haywood contract, etc) I think the Cavs will be fine.
Also, Mike Miller and Shawn Marion had no problem coming to the Cavs and in Miller’s case, leaving more money on the table from other offers. I don’t perceive ANY hesitation for players to come to Cleveland, other than the fact a star player might not see themselves getting a lot of touches with the big 3 on the floor.
To me this question depends upon how you define ‘biggest step back.’
If we are talking about wins next season, it’s the Blazers, no question. They might lose 25 games from their 2014-15 win total.
But if we define it as biggest step back in terms of franchise health, I’d pick Sacramento. Their best player hates their head coach, their head coach wants their best player traded, their GM does not appear to value draft picks or even understand their valuation, and they traded away two assets (Stauskas and a first-round pick, plus two pick swaps) to clear cap space for a player the rest of the league didn’t want who quit on two teams last year (Rondo).
I’m not exaggerating: Sacramento is 4+ years away from making the playoffs. The Blazers and Sixers have much brighter futures than that.
well good thing the front office value cousin talent more so then the HC. sure the kings could get something decent for cousins, but i think they could be better off with him. in the long run the kings will need a future PG but for now they feel rondo fit what they need. i feel the kings will be a decent team that might surprise people. i would fire the coach way before i would give up a talent like cousin. talent win you games, more so then a HC does. since look at doc he was a nobody before he got the big 3.
You hate the letter S don’t you?
I disagree about Sac town… player/coach feuds happen all the time, and usually result in a coaching change. Getting Rondo will help since he’s in a “show me” year. Bellienli and Koufus (SP) will be good depth additions as well.
The coaching change is a mathematical certainty. It’s just a matter of how fast. Musselman. Theus. Natt. Westphal. Smart. Malone. Corbin. Karl. That’s 8 head coaches in 9 years. And what does all this “depth” get Sacto in the upcoming Western conference, where 45 wins might miss the playoffs again. This Kings team? Might win 30. So that leaves them what, 10 to 15 wins away from being an 8 seed, and now missing their #8 lottery pick (Stauskas), their ’18 1st rounder and the threat of if they get REALLY Bad (very possible given how improved the bottom feeders in the East have gotten) they’ll give up their Top 5 lottery pick if their lottery balls don’t fall right vis-a-vis Philly’s. // An unmitigated disaster in the short-term and long-term. No other way to look at it, is there?
Hawks, Bulls, Blazers
Honestly thoigh, its too hard to say at this point, and I don’t see those teams really dropping off too much. Portland obviously does, but they did some decent things this offseason. For the other 2, DeMarre Carroll leaving hurts atlanta, but they gained frontcourt help, and with the bulls, I just think another year on some of their guys, and more parity likely mean they drop off some, though not enough to change their position as a contender
I would say the Knicks in a short-term sense and to an extent, the Lakers. Both franchizes have very short windows to win with their aging and expensive stars. Both struck on attracting high caliber FA and were flat out “dissed” by some who wouldn’t even entertain a face to face meeting with them. Hard to imagine that two of the biggest markets in the US struggle to bring in super stars and even mid-range stars (the Monroes, Ellis, etc).