Retour
We're used to seeing stars change teams every NBA offseason, but this past summer was particularly chaotic. LeBron James, perhaps the greatest player in league history, left the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers. That move came shortly after the 76ers had completed a trade to send Paul George to the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown. That's just one team — the Toronto Raptors also traded for Kawhi Leonard, the Miami Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Minnesota Timberwolves landed LaMelo Ball.
Ball is in a slightly different category, but the other four players have combined for eight championships, six regular-season MVPs and eight Finals MVPs. That's some landscape-altering talent changing teams and we're already seeing the effects just a few weeks into the regular season. It's two early to offer final grades but as the calendar hits November and we've been treated to a a few games, we want to know how you would grade each move right now.
The Miami Heat would make this trade again 10 times of 10 but it's deen an unmitigated disaster so far. The problem has not been Giannis, who has adjusted to his new home well and been typically productive. The problem is the meager supporting cast left in Miami after the Heat sent out Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez and Kasparas Jakucionis to get the deal done. The pairing with Bam Adebayo looks deeply flawed at both ends and the need for shooters like Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway on the floor has made the defense comically bad. At some point the Heat are probably going to get themselves back into the playoff race but they're not a contender, not by a longshot.
Our regrade: D
No matter what LeBron provided, getting him on a bargain deal was always going to be a win. But it's worked out even better than the 76ers could have hoped. He's looked incredibly comfortable as a connector, deferring to his talented teammates and doing whatever the 76ers need him to do on any given night. The vibes are off the chart and the basketball is pretty damn good too.
Our regrade: A+
As expected, Brown hasn't been as seamless a fit as LeBron. And unexpectedly, Paul George has been spitting hot fire for the Celtics. But this move was still a clear win for Philly and all indications are that some of the rough spots will get smoothed out. Brown is banging in open 3s, working hard on defense and hasn't complained about his declining offensive primacy. What more can you ask for?
Our regrade: B+
Ball has completely shifted the vibes in Minnesota, matching Anthony Edwards' ebullient enthusiasm bounce for bounce. The Wolves looked borderline unstoppable on offense before Edwards got hurt and he's helped them keep their heads above water with Ant out. The trajectory of this team feels like it's changed completely, not just for this season, and if they're healthy with the playoffs start they're going be the ultimate chaos agent.
Our regrade: A-
Kawhi's shooting percentages have been a dumpster fire and he's only been healthy enough to play two of the Raptors' first seven games. But in the grand scheme of things, he's a postseason ceiling raiser and anythign they get from him in the regular season is kind of icing on the cake. It's not looking great right now but, more than any of these moves, this one is incomplete until the playoffs start.
Our regrade: C-