Off-Season Grades: Southeast Division

Miami Heat: D+

Draft: None
Trades: Luke Babbit
Signings: Hassan Whiteside (4 yr, $98mm), Tyler Johnson (4 yr, $50mm), Udonis Haslem (1 yr, $4mm), Wayne Ellington (2 yr, $12mm), James Johnson (1 yr, $4mm), Derrick Williams (1 yr, $5mm), Rodney McGruder, Willie Reed (2 yr, $2.1mm)
Departures: Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson

Breakdown: Pat Riley said it himself. This has been a bad off-season for the Heat. Headlines have swirled around the Heat for the past two weeks after Wade announced he would be leaving Miami for the Chicago Bulls. Long story short the Heat are going to be worse this year.  After losing Wade, Deng, and Johnson, Miami is awfully shorthanded on the perimeter. The free agent additions of Ellington, Johnson, and Williams will add depth, but they aren’t exactly exciting moves.
On the other hand, the Heat did a good job of retaining their young players in Whiteside and Johnson, but it is yet to be seen if these deals will pay off or come back to haunt them. This off-season wasn’t pretty in Miami and it could still get worse depending on the health of Bosh. The Heat essentially took a year off from free agency, but should be extremely active in the summer of 2017.

Atlanta Hawks: C+

Draft: Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry, Isaia Cordinier (Stash)
Signings: Kent Bazemore (4 yr, $70mm), Dwight Howard (3 yr, $70mm), Jarrett Jack (1 year, Minimum), Kris Humphries (1 yr, $4mm)
Departures: Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Lamar Patterson

Breakdown: The Hawks have been a perennial Eastern Conference playoff team and one of the reasons for this is the consistency of their core. That core will look very different next season after the departure of both Jeff Teague and Al Horford. Teague has been replaced by the promotion of Dennis Schroder into the starting lineup. The log jam at point is finally gone and we will be able to see exactly what Schroder can bring to the table as a starting point guard. Horford has been replaced by the Hawks biggest splash in free agency, Dwight Howard. Howard is looking to have a bounce back season and will provide the Hawks with the rim protector that they’ve been missing. The Hawks biggest free agent signing could prove to be Kent Bazemore. Bazemore is primed for a starting role in Atlanta’s new look backcourt and has steadily improved over his 4 year NBA career.
The Hawks killed it in the draft, scoring two NBA ready swingmen in the first round. Prince will have the opportunity to compete for a starting job this year and Bembry should be a contributor off of the bench for years to come. The moves to bring in Kris Humphries and Jarrett Jack on team friendly contracts are low risk, medium reward moves that could end up being important pieces of their rotation.

Charlotte Hornets: C

Draft: None
Trades: Marco Belinelli
Signings: Nicolas Batum (5 yr, $120mm), Marvin Williams (4 yr, $54.5mm), Roy Hibbert (1 yr, $5mm), Ramon Sessions (2 yr, $12.5mm), Brian Roberts (1 yr, $1mm), Christian Wood
Departures: Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee, Jeremey Lin, Troy Daniels, Malachi Richardson (Draft Pick)

Breakdown: The Hornets were able to retain their number one free agent target Nic Batum to a lucrative 5 year extension. The French forward is a versatile player on both sides of the ball and was a big reason for the Hornets success this past season. Another key contributor from a year ago was the former Tar Heel, Marvin Williams. Williams is a top level rebounder at his position and does all the little things well. Unfortunately for the Hornets, re-signing the two forwards limited their financial flexibility, resulting in the departure of Courtney Lee, Jeremey Lin, and Al Jefferson.
Roy Hibbert will come in as a replacement for Jefferson and may end up being viewed as an upgrade when it’s all said and done. Hibbert is in a contract year and his time to get another big deal may be running out. Ramon Sessions was also brought in to replace Lin. Sessions is a capable back up, but this has to be viewed as a downgrade. The Hornets haven’t done much to improve their standing in the East.

Washington Wizards: C+

Draft: None
Trades: Trey Burke
Signings: Bradley Beal (5 yr, $128mm), Ian Mahinmi (4 yr, $64mm), Andrew Nicholson (4 yr, $26mm), Jason Smith (3 yr, $15.6mm)

Departures: Nene, Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions, Garrett Temple

Breakdown: The Wizards didn’t have a pick in this year’s draft after the midseason trade that brought in Markieff Morris. While Morris is a talented player, the Wizards could have certainly used the lottery pick. Washington’s off-season approach wasn’t as much about adding outside help as it was about keeping Bradley Beal. If Beal can stay healthy, the Wizards should be poised to return to their 2015 form and make it back to the playoffs. The trade for Trey Burke should also help solidify their backcourt. Burke is a talented young player who ran out of playing time in a crowded Jazz backcourt. He’ll have the opportunity to resurrect his career in Washington behind John Wall. The addition of Ian Mahinmi is intriguing since Gortat is still under contract. Gortat could be used as trade bait for a wing that would help the Wizards stretch the floor.

Orlando Magic: B-

Draft: Stephen Zimmerman
Trades: Serge Ibaka, Jodie Meeks
Signings: Evan Fournier (5 yr, $85mm), Bismack Biyombo (4 yr, $72mm), Jeff Green (1 yr, $15mm), D.J. Augustin (4 yr, $29mm)
Departures: Victor Oladipo, Brandon Jennings, Jason Smith, Andrew Nicholson, Shabazz Napier, Ersan Ilyasova, Domantas Sabonis (Draft)

Breakdown: This was a hectic off-season for the Magic. There were a lot of moving pieces and the dust has yet to fully settle. Orlando started off with a splash on draft night when they moved Oladipo, Ilyasova, and the 11^th pick (Sabonis) for Serge Ibaka. While I think they gave up too much to get Ibaka, they addressed a major concern in adding a big time rim protector. The move also frees up playing time for last year’s top 5 pick, Mario Hezonja.
Free agency was also noteworthy for the Magic. They re-signed Fournier to a 5 year extension, in what I see as one of the best contracts given out this year. They were also able to bring in D.J. Augustin, on a fairly team friendly deal, to back up third year point Elfrid Payton. Bringing in Biyombo is where things got interesting. It is difficult to see where Biyombo fits in with the Magic’s plan. Ibaka is expected to start at the four and starting center Nikola Vucevic is coming off a career year in which he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds. There has been some speculation on the trade market for Vucevic, as he isn’t a perfect fit in new head coach Frank Vogel’s system. Either way with the addition of Jeff Green and the development of Aaron Gordon, the Magic now have a long jam in their front court.

Grayson Gold-Garvey

Off-Season Grades: Central Division

Cleveland Cavaliers: C+

Draft: Kay Felder
Trades: Mike Dunleavy
Signings: Mo Williams (opt-in), Richard Jefferson (2 yr, $5mm)
Departures: Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova

Breakdown: When you’re the defending champions and most of your team is under contract, you don’t need to make major adjustments. That’s exactly how the Cavs approached the off-season. Mozgov and Dellavedova were shoo-ins to leave Cleveland and that’s what happened. The Cavs were smart though and were able to do a sign and trade with Milwaukee to make a trade exception out of Delly. The addition of Kay Felder should eventually make up for the departure of Dellavedova, but it will take some time. When healthy, Dunleavy can be a great shooting weapon off the bench. These moves are minor and shouldn’t affect the core of the team. If J.R. Smith re-signs then we’ll be looking at essentially the same roster that shocked the Warriors in the 2016 Finals.

Indiana Pacers: A

Draft: Georges Niang
Trades: Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Jeremy Evans
Signings: Al Jefferson (3 yr, $30mm)
Departures: Ian Mahinmi, George Hill, 20^th pick (Caris LeVert)

Breakdown: In the past month, the Pacers have completely changed their outlook on this upcoming season. A team that seemed to be a middle of the pack squad in the East, now looks like they could contend for the 2 seed. Indiana had one of the most active off-seasons and you can’t help but love the moves they made. The Pacers are looking to go smaller and more up-tempo this year and their personnel moves reflect that. Next year’s starting five of Tegue, Ellis, George, Young, and an emerging Turner will be explosive on the offensive end. Al Jefferson will provide much needed toughness off the bench and the draft pick of Niang gives them a glue guy who won’t blow you away, but can do it all. The Pacers may be a top-5 league pass team next year. Keep an eye out for them in the fast-break.

Detroit Pistons: B+

Draft: Henry Ellenson, Michael Gbinije
Trades: Cameron Bairstow
Signings: Andre Drummond (5 yr, $127mm), Ish Smith (3 yr, $18mm), Jon Leuer (4 yr, $41mm), Boban Marjanovic (3 yr, $21mm)
Departures: Anthony Tolliver, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jodie Meeks

Breakdown: The Pistons had two main agendas this year. Ink Drummond to a long term extension and add depth to the roster. It didn’t take long for them to accomplish both of these goals. Draft night was a success when they netted Henry Ellenson, a potential top-10 talent, with the 18^th pick. Ellenson is a young stretch four with a high ceiling. After the draft, the attention turned to Drummond. The Pistons locked him up with a max deal before allowing other teams to discuss terms with the league’s leading rebounder.

The rest of the Pistons moves aren’t going to break the internet, but they were all solid additions. Marjanovic gives them a giant center (7’3”) to back-up Drummond. Ish Smith is an explosive point guard that is always in attack mode and Jon Leuer is a good shooter who will probably split minutes with Morris at power forward. The Pistons clearly lacked bench production last year and were able to address the holes in their roster without breaking the bank.

Chicago Bulls: D+

Draft: Denzel Valentine, Paul Zipser
Trades: Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Spencer Dinwiddie
Signings: Dwyane Wade (2 yr, $41mm), Rajon Rondo (2 yr, $28mm)
Departures: Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Justin Holiday, Mike Dunleavy, Cameron Bairstow

Breakdown: This was a weird off-season for Chicago. After finally being able to move Rose, it looked like it was about to be a full blown rebuild. With pre-draft rumors of All-Star Jimmy Butler potentially being on the move to Boston or Minnesota, 2016-17 didn’t look too promising for Bulls fans. The Bulls ended up keeping Butler and drafted the do-it-all Spartan, Denzel Valentine. In a questionable move, they decided to bring in Rajon Rondo on a 2 year deal that looks more like a one year deal.
And then things got interesting. Wade decided to leave Miami and landed in Chicago, his home city. The back-court in Chicago is strange. With a potential starting line-up of Rondo, Wade, Butler, Mirotic, and Lopez a lot of people are wondering where the shooting will come from. With Butler moved out of his natural position for an aging Wade and a starting lineup featuring three ball dominating guards, Chicago has the potential to be a complete dumpster fire. Or maybe they’ll be the 8^th seed in the East and earn the right to get trampled by the Cavs.

Milwaukee Bucks: B-

Draft: Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon
Trades: Matthew Dellavedova (4 yr, $38mm)
Signings: Mirza Teletovic (3 yr, $30mm)
Departures: Jerryd Bayless, Damien Inglis, Johnny O’Bryant, O.J. Mayo (2 year ban from NBA)

Breakdown: The Bucks were a disappointment last year. After making the playoffs in 2015, the expectations were too great for the young team. The Bucks hope to get back to playing the stifling defense that made them so tough to beat two years ago. In addition to lousy defense, the Bucks had a few issues to address this off-season. They needed to add perimeter shooting and a back-up point guard to split minutes with Carter-Williams behind experimental point Antetokounmpo. They did just that. By drafting Thon Maker, they added a developmental prospect with the potential to become an elite NBA rim protector. They also drafted Malcolm Brogdon, a strong perimeter defender with the ability to hit outside shots. Teletovic, a power forward who shot 39% from three last season, continued the trend of outside shooting and Dellavedova gives them an energetic point, who is one of the better catch and shoot players in the league. The departures are maintainable and don’t really affect the core of the team.

Grayson Gold-Garvey

Off-Season Grades: Atlantic Division

Toronto Raptors: B

Draft: Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam
Signings: DeMar DeRozan (5 yr, $145mm), Jared Sullinger (1 yr, $6mm)
Departures: Bismack Biyombo, James Johnson, Luis Scola

Breakdown: Toronto has had a fairly quiet off-season so far. Being one of the top teams in the East and having next to zero cap space didn’t allow for much action. The Raptors were smart and kept their core intact. DeRozan didn’t even take a meeting with any other team and was one of the first free agents to reach a new deal. After dishing out $145 million to DeRozan, the Raptors couldn’t afford to retain emerging center Bismack Biyombo. He left for Charlotte, leaving a hole behind Valanciunas on the Raptors depth chart. Toronto used the ninth pick in the draft to help replace the big man by taking Utah’s Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl has the potential to grow into a starting center in the league and will fit in perfectly behind Valanciunas. The addition of Sullinger on a bargain deal helps solidify the Raptors already strong rotation.

Boston Celtics: A-

Draft: Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele, Ante Zizic, Demetrius Jackson, Ben Bentil, Abdel Nader
Signings: Al Horford (4 yr, $113mm)
Departures: Evan Turner,  Jared Sullinger

Breakdown: So the Celtics didn’t make that splash move on draft night that everyone had anticipated. No trade for Gordon Hayword, Jimmy Butler, or DeMarcus Cousins. But that doesn’t mean that the Celtics didn’t have a great offseason. They improved their roster without sacrificing their young core. The addition of athletic freak and super genius Jaylen Brown should eventually make up for the departure of Evan Turner. Yabusele has been dubbed “French Draymond” and 45^th pick Demetrius Jackson had the potential to go near the top 20 of this year’s draft.
Oh yeah, they also added Al Horford, one of the most offensively skilled big men in the league. Horford gives them a combination of size and scoring which they desperately needed. Boston isn’t a finished product, but they continue to look better and better.

New York Knicks: B-

Draft: Willy Hernangomez (2015)
Trades: Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday
Signings: Joakim Noah (4 yr, $72mm), Courtney Lee (4 yr, $48mm), Brandon Jennings (1 yr, $5mm), Mindaugas Kuzminskas (2 yr, $6mm), Lance Thomas (5 yr, $27mm)
Departures: Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, Robin Lopez, Tony Wroten

Breakdown: The Knicks may have had the busiest off-season of any team in the league. And they were probably the 2^nd most talked about team behind the Warriors. A pre-draft trade netted them former MVP Derrick Rose and Jrue Holiday’s brother Justin. With no draft picks, the Knicks were forced to look towards free agency to add to their depleted roster. They were able to bring in Rose’s long time teammate and New York native Joakim Noah (at a steep cost) and added former lottery pick Brandon Jennings on a one year deal after suffering a brutal Achilles injury in 2015. My favorite move they made was finding a worthy starting 2 guard in Courtney Lee. Lee is one of the better two way guards in the league and can consistently hit his shot from deep. If Melo, Rose, Noah, and Jennings can stay healthy this team has the potential to be a top 4 seed in the East. That is a huge if, since all of these players have extensive histories of injury. At least Phil Jackson is trying.

Brooklyn Nets: D

Draft: Caris LeVert (Trade with Pacers)
Signings: Jeremy Lin (3 yr, $36mm), Trevor Booker (2 yr, $18mm), Justin Hamilton (2 yr, $6mm), Luis Scola (1 yr, TBD)
Departures: Thaddeus Young, Wayne Ellington, Jarrett Jack

Breakdown: Brooklyn was in a tough spot going into this off-season. Coming off of a disappointing 21-61 season, in which coach Lionel Hollins was fired, the Nets looked to improve their roster. However, Brooklyn is still paying for the shortsighted Pierce and Garnett trade and could have really used the #3 pick in the draft that resulted in Boston grabbing the athletic Jalen Brown. Brooklyn made another head scratching trade that sent Thad Young to Indiana in exchange for the draft rights of the oft-injured Caris LeVert.
And then things got worse. The Nets managed to get two restricted free agent guards to sign offer sheets in Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson. Both offers were matched, leaving Brooklyn scrambling to fill out their roster. The Nets seem positioned to have the worst team in the NBA next year and Boston can’t wait to swap 1^st round draft picks with them in 2017. There’s a lesson here. Don’t trade your future for another team’s past.

Philadelphia 76ers: A-

Draft: Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Furkan Korkmaz
Signings: Jerryd Bayless (3 yr, $27mm), Sergio Rodriguez (1 yr, $8mm), Gerald Henderson (2 yr, $18mm)
Departures: Ish Smith

Breakdown: The Sixers flat-out won draft night. Ben Simmons is tearing up the Summer League and looks to be everything he was built up to be. The kid has the potential to be All-NBA on both sides of the ball in a few seasons. There will certainly be a learning curve and his shot is still in question, but his passing ability and court vision are unreal. Luwawu was another strong draft choice and will be thrown into the line-up right away as an athletic 3 and D player. The Sixers will again be one of the youngest teams in the league and will potentially have 4 rookie impact players this season in Simmons, Luwawu, Dario Saric (if he comes over), and the 3^rd pick in the 2014 draft, Joel Embiid.
The Sixers took a smart approach in free agency and were able to bring in some veteran leadership to help guide the young players and put a more competitive team on the court. Bayless and Henderson will be their starting backcourt and should provide stability that Ish Smith and Nik Stauskas were unable to provide. Rodriguez is a savvy EuroLeague veteran that will add to an increasingly international roster.

Grayson Gold-Garvey