NBA OFF-SEASON GRADES: THE EAST

NBA / Basketball

Written by Eddie Huband

Source (Background Photo): Getty Images

Atlanta Hawks: A-

Any time you add an all-star to the mix for a good-value deal, you're going to get a high grade. Newly acquired Dejounte Murray is the perfect compliment to Trae Young in the backcourt. A versatile defender who at times can take over as the go-to scorer, he’ll take the pressure off of Young on both ends of the floor, and most importantly, diversify an offence that has become far too one-dimensional.

They get dinged a bit here for losing some guard depth in the form of Kevin Huerter, Delon Wright and Danilo Gallinari, but the addition of Murray should have the Hawks poised to return to the top 5 in the east.

Boston Celtics: A-

By trading for Malcolm Brogdon, Boston addressed its biggest need from their finals loss to Golden State a month and a half ago; a scoring guard who can take the ball handling pressure off of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Not to mention, they didn’t suffer any major losses from last year's squad that came within two wins of a title.

The issue with Brogdon is durability. Given his checkered injury history, the C’s will have to make sure he’s ready to go come playoff time. If he holds up though, Boston should once again be a top contender in the east

Brooklyn Nets: Incomplete

We all know the deal here. Until the Kevin Durant saga gets resolved it’s impossible to predict what kind of team the Nets will be next season…moving on.

Charlotte Hornets: D

This grade isn’t really their fault, but it’s hard to feel optimistic about anything given the disturbing charges Miles Bridges is now facing, and the uncertainty of his future in the NBA. From a basketball-related point of view, the drafting of former Duke Centre Mark Williams was a nice grab, though trading Jalen Duren (a better prospect) to Detroit on the same night was puzzling.

Not a great time to be a Hornets fan.

Chicago Bulls: B

Re-signing Zach LaVine was objective number one, so mission accomplished on that front. The Bulls also took some fliers on some cheap veterans by bringing in Goran Dragic and Andre Drummond, which should help their depth. 18th pick Dalen Terry was a high-value pick for them as well.

All in all, nothing splashy here, but they’ll be looking to stay healthy this year and return to the level of play that had them leading the east for the first two months of last season until the injuries started piling up.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B-

Cleveland solidified the backup point guard spot by inking Ricky Rubio to a three-year deal, but other than that they didn’t really do anything special. Rubio also misses about half the season virtually every year.

They did lock down star guard Darius Garland to a max extension though, and for a team filled with young talent, not rocking the boat too much and giving their prospects time to grow may be prudent. Plus, they’ll be getting Colin Sexton back after missing most of last season to an ACL injury.

Detroit Pistons: A

Having Jaden Ivey fall into their lap with the 5th pick in the draft was a stroke of luck, but the Pistons also nabbed talented centre Jalen Duren later in the lottery, making them one of the big winners of draft night.

Losing Jeremy Grant should actually be addition by subtraction, as they now don’t have to worry about obliging him with 20 shots a night and can fully turn the keys over to the dynamic point guard Cade Cunningham.

With one of the best crops of young talent in the league, Detroit is a year or two away, but they’re certainly on the right track.

Indiana Pacers: B-

It was time for Malcolm Brogdon to go, especially since they drafted Bennedict Mathurin to step in as the new two-guard; a flat-out scorer. They also signed 3rd-year centre Jalen Smith away from Phoenix, a buy-low move that could pay dividends.

They still have moves to make as it feels like Myles Turner and Buddy Hield will be dealt before the deadline next February.

Indiana still has a ways to go, but they do have some talent in the backcourt now with Mathurin joining Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte.

Miami Heat: C

Miami heads into this season looking like a lesser version of last year's team that wasn’t good enough to make it to the finals (which is always the goal for this franchise). They lost PJ Tucker to Philly and haven’t done anything to replace him at the power-forward spot.

Miami also (seems to have) failed in going after both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell, at least for now. For a team with title aspirations, the rest of the contenders got better, and they didn’t.

Milwaukee Bucks: B

Nothing splashy here, but the Bucks don’t really need to do too much. They feel like had Kris Middleton been healthy in the 2nd round loss to Boston, they would have been back-to-back champions. It’s certainly a valid point, and as long as Giannis is on the roster they’ll be in the finals mix.

Re-signing Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton were important moves, they also brought in Joe Ingles and drafted MarJon Beauchamp, both of whom should help address their main need: secondary scoring.

New York Knicks: B

Look, all jokes aside (and there have been plenty) about severely overpaying for Jalen Brunson, at least the Knicks brought in a guy that will help them get better. Brunson is a nice fit next to Julius Randle, and who knows, maybe now that he’s gone from the shadow of Luka Doncic, he’ll expand his game and take it to the next level.

Still, for a franchise that’s fishing for whales, Brunson just leaves you a little flat, especially given how much they paid him ($110 million for 4 years).

The Knicks certainly improved on paper, but for a price tag that high you want a drastic improvement. Whether Brunson will provide that remains to be seen.

Orlando Magic: A

Landing #1 overall pick Paulo Banchero is enough to get this grade. He’s a true franchise cornerstone and has looked very good in his summer league showings. Banchero will join a talented cast of young players which includes last year’s 5th overall pick Jalen Suggs, and rookie standout Franz Wagner.

It was a great summer for Orlando, and they should have a really fun team come October.

Philadelphia 76ers: B

Philly made some under-the-radar moves that should improve their depth drastically. They turned Danny Green and the 23rd pick into the talented De’Anthony Melton from Memphis. Bringing in PJ Tucker and Daniel House Jr will boost their toughness and shooting off the bench as well.

Plus, having a full year with James Harden in the fold should benefit the Sixers as well. As always, they’ll go as far as Joel Embiid will take them, but they had a quietly solid offseason to solidify the foundation around him.

Toronto Raptors: B-

This is more about what they didn’t do as opposed to what they did. Not mortgaging the future for Kevin Durant is completely defensible, but still, the Raps didn’t really do anything to get better while most of the teams around them did (no offence to Otto Porter).

Now, this is one of the best franchises in the league at player development, so banking on internal improvement is never a bad way to go. But Toronto had some real options available to address their two main needs (a scorer and a legit centre), and didn’t take the opportunity to bring in anyone other than drafting Christian Koloko, who seems like more of a project at this point.

Washington Wizards: B-

Resigning Bradley Beal was the most consequential move the Wiz made this summer, but they also shored up their guard depth in smart ways by adding Will Barton, Monte Morris, and Delon Wright. They also drafted a crafty guard in Johnny Davis from Wisconsin with the 10th pick in the draft.

Still, this roster feels a ways away from being anything real, and in the grand scheme of things, they did little to change their spot as a middling team not good enough to make the playoffs and not quite bad enough to land a top draft pick.

Oh, to be a Wizards fan.