Лигийн гол тоглогчдын шилжилт хөдөлгөөн эрчимтэй өрнөж, багуудын хүчний харьцаанд томоохон өөрчлөлтүүд гарлаа.
NBA-ийн бүх цаг үеийн онооны рекорд эзэмшигч Леброн Жэймс Лос-Анжелес Лэйкерсээс гарах шийдвэр гаргаж, чөлөөт агент болсноор ирэх багийнх нь нэр анхаарлын төвд байна. Энэ зуны солилцооны эхний долоо хоногийн үр дүнгээр Майами Хит, Филадельфи 76эрс болон Торонто Рэпторс багууд бүрэлдэхүүнээ хүчирхэгжүүлж, өрсөлдөх чадвараа нэмэгдүүлж чадлаа. Ялангуяа Майами Хит Гианнис Антетокунмпог эгнээндээ нэгтгэж, Филадельфи 76эрс Жэйлен Брауныг авсан нь зүүн бүсийн өрсөлдөөнийг улам ширүүн болголоо.
Харин Бостон Сэлтикс багийн хувьд Жэйлен Брауныг солилцоонд оруулсан нь эргэлзээтэй алхам болж, багийн амжилтад сөргөөр нөлөөлж болзошгүй байна. Лос-Анжелес Лэйкерс Уолкер Кесслерийг авсан ч Леброн Жэймсийн орон зайг нөхөхөд хүндрэлтэй байгаа бол Хьюстон Рокетс болон Орландо Мэжик багууд өнгөрсөн улирлын сул талаа засаж чадалгүй байраа хадгалж үлдлээ. Цалингийн цэсний хязгаарлалт болон од тоглогчдын өндөр гэрээний улмаас лигийн дунд түвшний багуудын санхүүгийн боломж хумигдаж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
For the most part, the major players in the NBA have already found their new homes.
The NBA offseason and free agency cycle have brought about massive changes in player movement and power dynamics, though the one notable exception remains.
LeBron James, the NBA all-time leading scorer and greatest player of this generation, has yet to decide on his next stop after he informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he was becoming an unrestricted free agent and moving on from the franchise after eight seasons.
James’ next team will generate significant intrigue, but now that the dust has settled after the first week of free agency, here are the early winners and losers of the NBA offseason:
WINNERS
Miami Heat
The question I’ll be asking throughout this exercise is whether teams improved their standing as contenders. Essentially: are they closer to competing for a championship than they were a month ago? For the Heat, the answer is undeniably yes. Giannis Antetokounmpo, when healthy, remains one of the five best basketball players in the world. Bobby Portis was another sneaky solid addition. Miami has become a desirable destination again. The roster still needs some filling out, but the Heat are in play for LeBron James; adding him would make Miami a compelling threat in the East.
Philadelphia 76ers
Getting Jaylen Brown on the cheap is a massive win. Joel Embiid is now 32 and simply not consistently available, so adding another star in his prime — Brown is 29 — instantly makes Philly a problem. Brown should pair excellently next to two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers now have potent scoring threats all over the floor.
Not only that, but Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons were a pair of solid signings who bring shooting and spacing. If Philly can get Embiid to remain mostly healthy, the 76ers can challenge the Knicks for the conference title in ’27. And if LeBron James signs on, Philadelphia could be dominant next season.
Toronto Raptors
Credit Toronto for understanding that its roster was good but not great. Credit the franchise, too, for understanding that Scottie Barnes is one of the young stars in the game, but grasping that a lead scorer was necessary. Kawhi Leonard is exactly that scorer, though he remains an elite defender who fits Toronto’s style perfectly. The Raptors tied for fifth last season in defensive rating (112.1), and Leonard will highlight those efforts.
The Eastern Conference beefs up
Antetokounmpo and Brown stayed in the conference and Kawhi Leonard returned to Toronto after six seasons with the Clippers. It appears LeBron James — who is reportedly favoring the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers among his list of suitors, per ESPN — may return to the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are the reigning champions and kept their core mostly intact. The 2025 Eastern Conference champion Pacers should presumably get a healthy Tyrese Haliburton to return.
The narrative over the last decade has been that the West has been the superior conference. And while the West may have most of the Top 5 players in the league, the East has bulked up.
LOSERS
Boston Celtics
The timing of the slander against Jaylen Brown is not very subtle. Brown, who has been stellar for the Celtics and carried them this season as Jayson Tatum was on the mend, is suddenly a negative asset? I don’t buy it. The idea behind that narrative is that Brown has stretches of inefficiency in his offensive game and his plus-minus indicates that Boston was better with him off the floor. And while Brown was more of a high-volume option last season, this strikes me as a case where selective analytics are being used to tip the scale and craft a narrative. Watch Brown’s film, and you clearly see a player who can score at three levels, can score in the clutch and who impacts winning. Paul George, at this stage of his career, simply cannot touch the impact Brown provided.
Mitchell Robinson is an interesting addition, but he hasn’t been available, playing just 108 of a possible 246 regular season games over the last three seasons. Going back to the question I posed up top: no, the Celtics did not improve their standing as a title contender. If anything, Boston feels further away.
Los Angeles Lakers
If the pitch to Luka Dončić was that this offseason would be the one to infuse more talent into the Lakers roster, the results, frankly, have been underwhelming. Walker Kessler is a fine center and one who actually provides some of what Los Angeles needs, but this felt like an overpay — both in draft capital needed to acquire him and the contract the Lakers gave him. Kessler is still young and will turn 25 later this month, but will he be able to provide the low-post offense Los Angeles needs? He’s mostly unproven in that regard.
Quentin Grimes is a solid depth addition, as is Collin Sexton, but James’ departure leaves a massive void of institutional knowledge and play-making ability. Despite injuries down the stretch, the Lakers remained competitive. The pressure is now on Dončić and Austin Reaves to deliver.
The NBA’s middle class
It has never been better to be a max player. Donovan Mitchell, a clear top-15 player, just inked a massive four-year, $273 million max deal. Projections for that deal are that the final year will be worth a staggering $70.7 million; his player option for 2030-31 is even steeper, at around $75.5 million. Mitchell is not alone; this is the going rate for max players who reach performance thresholds such as All-NBA selections.
Yet, as the growth of the salary cap has lagged — the cap for 2026-27 will increase just 6.7% — that has squeezed the NBA’s middle class. Essentially, local broadcast revenue has dragged, leading to the lukewarm increase in the cap. And because star players are always a premium, teams are being far more selective with their limited cap space.
Mid-tier teams running it back
I’m looking, mainly, at the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. Both were playoff teams, and both flamed out at the end. Houston is likely banking on point guard Fred VanVleet (torn ACL) stabilizing the position. And Houston’s biggest weakness was indeed at point guard, but after a rather awkward season in which Kevin Durant’s frustrations with his younger teammates spilled out into the public, it was time to take some calculated risks in roster management. The Rockets, however, have been quiet and — as currently constructed — are no closer to the Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets or even Timberwolves.
The Magic fired former coach Jamahl Mosley and hired ex-Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney. A change in leadership will help, but Orlando’s lack of consistent shooting hasn’t been addressed. Neither has the seemingly odd fit of stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Sweeney should define the roles more clearly. But as much of the East got better, the Magic have stayed stagnant.
The Golden State Warriors, who missed out on Antetokounmpo and may miss out on LeBron James, should probably be added here as well. Golden State now absolutely needs Jimmy Butler to return from his torn ACL and be an impact player once again.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA free agency winners and losers from wild offseason shakeup
