Most Impactful Moves from the 2017 NBA Off-season

The 2016-2017 NBA season was one of the most exciting seasons in basketball history. The departure of small forward Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Golden State Warriors caused the former to barely qualify as a playoff team and the latter to win a championship in June. At the same time, his move allowed point guard Russell Westbrook to shatter records that have been in place for over 50 years and emerge as the league’s MVP.

This proves that one player’s departure from or arrival on a team can profoundly influence the outcome of a NBA season. That’s why this NBA offseason was so interesting: left and right, franchise players left teams they had played their entire careers with while others were traded to a new destination. The movement of so many top-15, and even some top-10, players this offseason will certainly cause below .500 teams to emerge as potential conference-finals contenders. On the other hand, many playoff teams will be forced to undergo the tedious process of rebuilding.

Arguably the best player to swap jerseys this summer was point guard Chris Paul. The Los Angeles Clippers’ decision to trade their leader and floor general for a bunch of average, and at times even below-average, players from the Houston Rockets shows that they have begun to pursue the process of rebuilding.

With shooting guard James Harden, the MVP runner-up, and Sixth Man of the Year shooting guard Eric Gordon playing alongside Paul, the Rockets now have a top trio on paper in the Western Conference. Small forward Trevor Ariza, power forward Ryan Anderson, and center Clint Capela each have the capability to contribute some valuable points every night, and their plays can only be enhanced by the excellent passing of Chris Paul.

Small forward Paul George being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder was another significant move. George, who averaged 23.7 points per game (PPG) last season will excellently complement MVP point guard Russell Westbrook. Though being on the same team as top-10 NBA players is nothing new for Westbrook, he has the potential to develop a Westbrook-Durant chemistry with George and be extremely dominant when they’re both on the court. This time around, Westbrook will look to take that extra step to win the championship, which eluded Oklahoma City in their years trotting out Durant and Westbrook.

The arrival of point guard Kyrie Irving and small forward Gordon Hayward in Boston are two acquisitions that bring the Celtics even closer to the caliber of their Eastern Conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both players are dominant scorers and find themselves in the top-15 or top-20 players of the NBA, with Irving averaging 25.2 PPG last season and Hayward having 21.9 PPG. Both players are elite scorers who can explode for 30 or even 40+ points in any given game, and they are surrounded by other highly capable scorers like recently acquired power forward Marcus Morris (14.0 PPG) and center Al Horford (14.0 PPG). Boston’s addition of young and elite scorers will prove to be a smart decision when they are given the opportunity to dethrone the Cavaliers as kings of the East.

On the other side of the Kyrie Irving trade were the Cleveland Cavaliers, who received point guard Isaiah Thomas and shooting guard/small forward Jae Crowder. Thomas is one of the league’s truly unstoppable scorers as he averaged 28.9 PPG last season. Offensive-minded guards have historically dominated alongside small forward LeBron James. Crowder is also a skilled scorer (13.9 PPG), whose main contribution is his lockdown perimeter defense, something the Cavaliers have long been desperate for.

The most surprising team to improve this offseason was the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were able to add small forward Jimmy Butler and point guard Jeff Teague. Butler is one of the best two-way players in the NBA (23.9 PPG & 1.9 steals per game) and continues to improve. Teague is a veteran point guard who has the ability to score and pass well (15.3 PPG and 7.8 assists per game). The addition of an elite two-way player and an able point guard to a team with two players, shooting guard Andrew Wiggins and center Karl-Anthony Towns, who are both under 23 but combine for 50 or 60 points almost every game makes Minnesota a true powerhouse, at least on paper.

Ultimately, though, the most impactful move this offseason wasn’t a three-team trade or a signing of a big-time free agent. Rather, it was the ability for the Golden State Warriors to keep virtually everyone on their team. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson are in the prime of their careers and are predicted only to improve. Key players like Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston and role players like Javale McGee were kept, and the Golden State even added role players Omri Casspi and Nick Young. With all the franchise players and NBA stars moving to join better teams, it still may not be enough to stop a repeat in Oakland.